I probably shouldn’t play favorites because each beer label illustration I’ve done is special in its own way, but for now I’m just going to go ahead and call this one my favorite. I designed this one a while ago for Dirtbag Ales. When Dirtbag Ales’ Head Brewer/ co-founder, Tito told me about the name of this beer and his ideas for the label last summer, I knew immediately where I wanted to go with the design. My initial sketch was on paper and then I used a combination of Procreate (on my iPad) and Photoshop to illustrate this piece. As the scene started to develop through my drawing process, I became very attached to Mr. Super Serious Jalapeño and his annoyingly cool co-worker, the Pineapple. Even in the initial sketch their personalities were apparent and I added small details in the background to emphasize this. These characters have their differences, during the work day, I image there’s a constant battle of who’s got more flavor, and Mr. Jalapeño probably spend s a lot of time trying to get The Pineapple to focus and stop drumming pencils on the desk they share, but united in a beer, they work really well together. You can find this tasty American Wheat Ale brewed with Jalapeño and Pineapple at the Dirtbag Ales’ Brewery in Hope Mills, N.C. or contact the Brewery to find out if it’s available at any of your local grocery stores.
This was my initial sketch of the Jalapeño business label.