WIZARDRY BREWS
When one of my closest friends was getting married, they asked me to create a cocktail menu for their wedding reception. The bride and groom are the ultimate nerds in the best way possible. Throughout the event, they scattered small details from their favorite books, movies, and tv shows. The Harry Potter series inspired their signature drinks. The bride created a coconut rum-based cocktail with pineapple and orange juice called the Luna Rumgood. The groom kept it simple with his Sirus Jack, a mix of Jack Daniels and Coke.
I had the ultimate freedom in the design of the cocktail menu. The only restrictions were that it had to look like a chalkboard and fit the odd dimensions of the sign behind the bar. The best way for me to mimic a chalkboard is to draw on black paper with colored pencils. Once completed, I scanned the artwork into the computer and photoshopped it onto a chalkboard texture. I finalized the design with a Wacom tablet and a chalk brush to write the text onto the image.
Project
Cocktail Menu
Client:
Megan & Nick Resnel
Role:
Illustration & Graphic Design
Luna Rumgood
Luna Lovegood is a quirky and eccentric young witch. The series often describes her as bizarre, artistic, and deeply intelligent. I wanted the cocktail to radiate her personality. Luna’s elegant wand influenced the tulip shape of the glass. To accessorize the drink, I topped it with Luna’s spectrespecs, a pair of colorful glasses that allow you to see invisible creatures that float through your ears.
Sirius Jack
Harry Potter’s godfather, Sirius Black, is a wrongfully incarcerated wizard at the prison of Azkaban. Sirius has a great sense of loyalty and a slight temper. This drink is more masculine. I kept the shape of the pint glass simple, adding an ornament with Sirius’ prisoner number. The cocktail stirrer is Sirius’ wand, which he welded himself during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.
House Ales
Because of the odd shape of the board, I had an empty space in the center. The bride and groom are profoundly passionate about craft beers. They even included two signature beers on their menu. This space gave me a perfect opportunity to incorporate their individual Hogwarts Houses. The two clinking beer mugs featured the crests of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff and were colored based on the couple’s signature beers. Soft Parade, a rose-colored fruit beer, was the bride’s signature. The groom chose Oberon, a citrusy wheat ale only available in the summer.
With Love
When my friends get married, I gift them a personalized drawing. Because of Megan and Nick’s love of all things nerdy, I decided to incorporate artifacts from some of their favorite books, movies, and tv shows. The Hogwarts Castle stands on the cliffs in the background. A dragon from Game of Thrones soars through the sky. Hedwig, Harry Potter’s owl, is perched on a branch above a gondorian war shield from Lord of the Rings. Dr. Who’s telephone booth converted time machine called the TARDIS sits along the lake shore, ready for the couple’s next adventure. R2-D2 gazes happily at the couple as they tap their wounds together and look longingly into each other eyes.