Lightning Lap
Hand painted helmet for Car And Driver Magazine
DD: Nathan SchroederObjective
Each year Car And Driver takes the hottest current crop of fast cars to a racetrack to see how they stack up. The results of their findings are presented in a feature called, Lightning Lap. As the opening illustration for this feature, Car and Driver commissioned me to hand paint a racing helment in the spirit of the golden age of automotive racing.![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7004c8fc7cd33d3bf1bf21e6c8e717dae0fab46b428a44d2525db5f2d3289ad1/CD-Helmet-9.jpg)
Solution
My approach to the art direction for this feature was to utilize a lettering styles and surrounding graphic elements that would convey a spirit of combative, competitive, energy. The final artwork was painted directly onto an automotive racing helmet using 1 Shot sign painter’s enamel.![Sketch 1](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f32052721aa4676198dde588b5dc3ed4e5f20ab17bb184856a5587043739f1a2/CD-Helmet-8.jpg)
![Sketch 2](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/840242d1d7ae12cadd68b3e9e7efbac6f15ce56861903eeab901631497934630/CD-Helmet-6.jpg)
![Refined Sketch](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6eadbc4161b66e51c449dbc3d8e83ed6b8256ee232bbe82c55b5056c21b2f1dd/CD-Helmet-7.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9e31dd02cc8c7a6d18d57cb461604f3d4e1c1f11f812ac44035ce543db3189ce/CD-Helmet-5.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ed4b567f0d06dfac8784d0d9012645fd8e97f9f10273fdfd091ad1a605d3f728/CD-Helmet-4.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/409c1afcd5f2e56f4c4b9de416259780620967a44ee1281ab7003db72c2b0e76/CD-Helmet-2.jpg)