I was contacted by long-time client Fullsteam Brewery to make an image for an upcoming one-off batch brew made with cherries. Fullsteam was selected by Northwest Cherries to represent the State of North Carolina in its nationwide promotion and given 40 lbs of cherries to make whatever they desired. It's a brewery, so it had to of the libation variety. Fullsteam is known for making beer from locally foraged fruit, which may be why they were the only brewery of the 50 U.S. establishments chosen by NW CHERRIES for the promotion.

I have been wanting to put up a post showing some of the process that goes into my work, and the freshness of this piece and its flash turnaround makes it a good candidate.

Ideas in the sketch phase took their cue from the main ingredient, the recurrent airship theme of the brewery,  and the name of the beer: Wanderlust.

The intial images with the single leaf / wing were turned in as final usable pieces, but I wanted to investigate beyond the approval point. I consider the second to last image in this file the finished work. The image that follows was an interim idea as I was longing for a more glossy finish on the cherry balloons. This may mutate into a new set of images.

It's the process.

If you are in Durham, NC area, make sure to check out Fullsteam Brewery.