Two pints
Two pints of lager and a packet of crisps, please
Today I am showing you pub signs! Yep, pub signs with my artwork on them (and maybe two pints). Seriously though, two of the most unusual commissions I have worked on in recent years are signs and logos for pubs in the UK. One pub wanted a giant Tennant’s Beer picture, because (presumably) they sold Tennant’s Beer (and lots of it)! The artwork is now on the side of a pub, called the Brass Monkey and is around 20 foot (6 metres) tall! The second illustration is for a pub called The French Horn.
A costumier is required!
So both pub signs featured gentleman from different periods of history. The French Horn portrays a top-hated toff from the early 1800s, striding along cheerfully playing a French Horn. The second is a flat-capped Northerner, brought up in somewhere like the Yorkshire Dales (early 1900s). Luckily I can illustrate people in different historical costumes. And happen to have my own library of books on costumes. So that bit wasn’t too demanding.
Is that ink or vector, sir
Both artworks required completely different methods of production, if you like. One is created in Adobe Illustrator and is a vector image. This works well when the final size is simply enormous. The other was first drawn with a nib ink and coloured digitally (mainly because the client couldn’t decide on a final palette) and digital allows for the flexibility required, when you need quick colour change! The French Horn artwork is also used on the pub’s menus and signage throughout, which I thought is quite cool really.
The illustrations are vastly different to my children’s illustration work. It’s called being versatile, because you have to be. Well, I hope that it’s viewed that way. I can do very different styles, but it has always worried me. Am I diluting my ‘image’ by having many styles or is it a good thing? I think I will leave that up to the reader of this blog posts to decide.
Anyway, without further ado, the artworks with some photos of them in use, kindly provided by the clients. Enjoy (I hope)!
If you need a pub sign, just contact me here.
