We’re excited to introduce you to Igor, expert pin-striper, sign painter, and the artist presenting AIGA HR’s December 3rd workshop at Back Bay Brewing: “Hand-Painted Lettering with Igor.” We recently sat down with Igor to talk about his work and ask him a few questions about what he has planned for his workshop. There are still a few spots left, so register today!

AIGA HR: How long have you been pin-striping and sign painting and how did you get started?

Igor: Ive been pin-striping for about 14-15 years, but I had an interest in it long before that. I’d see pin-striped old cars while visiting car shows with my dad and uncle when I was younger and that really got me interested.

I taught myself how to pin-stripe – just by picking up a brush and practicing technique. And that led me into sign painting; I’ve been doing that do about 4-5 years now, too.

AIGA HR: If you weren’t striping and painting, what would you be doing?

Igor: I have no idea what I’d be doing. I was painting retail window displays for about 10 years before I decided to pin-stripe. I hated doing the displays – I really feel like pin-striping is my calling.

AIGA HR: What is your favorite project you’ve worked on?

Igor: I love painting on old cars. A few years ago I was asked to paint a reproduction of a well-known drag car from the 1960s that my dad and uncle used to watch race all the time. I recreated all the lettering and striping on it and it was cool to work on something that held so many memories for my family.

I was also recently commissioned to paint some signage for an event at Willie Nelson’s private ranch. I’m pretty excited about that one.

AIGA HR: What do you hope people will take away from your workshop on December 3 at Back Bay Brewing?

Igor: I hope they have a lot of fun creating stuff with me and come away with an understanding that pin-striping and sign painting aren’t something you can just pick up and easily master. It takes a lot of brush control. There are rules for letterforms and technique and there is definitely more to it than it looks.

AIGA HR: Where can people find out more about you and see some of your work?

Igor: I’m currently building out a new studio on 19th Street in Virginia Beach’s creative district, The Vibe, between Beach Bully and Wave Riding Vehicles. I should be ready for visitors on November 30 – as soon as I get everything painted and moved in.

I post a lot of my work on Instagram at @igorscustom, on Facebook and my website,www.igorscustom.com.