WIP | Margarita Artwork

I am working on a new piece inspired by Nieuw Amsterdam’s Piña Margarita cocktail. My aim is to create a series of illustrated cocktail artworks, each of them featuring a different type of liquor.

Tequila and my love for Mexico

Señorita Margarita is an homage to Mexico and tequila. And that is the reason why I have introduced the Spanish Word señorita in my artwork. Below is my personal connection with this drink.

A few years ago back in Barcelona, I studied a Master’s Degree in Interactive Interfaces Design. The course was a great personal experience as it consisted of a group of twelve students representing seven different nationalities. One of my classmates, Rodrigo Morales (from Mexico), taught us about Mexican food and good tequila, and he brought some amazing samples to our reunions. I associate that period of my life with a fascination for tequila and a loving relationship with Mexico, which I am yet to visit.

I learned about this variation on the classic Margarita when I first visited Nieuw Amsterdam. The name Piña Margarita resonated with me, and after seeing one of their Instagram posts displaying the drink, I decided to use New Amsterdam’s cocktail recipe to create my new artwork. Señorita Margarita features pineapples, limes and agave.

Margarita Lettering

The lettering design of Señorita Margarita is an interpretation of my own calligraphy. I chose Copperplate calligraphy to write the heading. Using my calligraphic sketch as a reference, I started drawing the lettering on top with tracing paper. Once I was happy with the hand-lettering work, I moved to the computer to vectorise and interpret the letterforms.

The phrase my heart belongs to is set in Miłosz Italic, my own typeface design in progress.

Hand-drawn line work

Then I started drawing the glass. I liked the idea of having a big pineapple piece on top. All my line work is done by hand.

In the background, I wanted to have a big palm to bring dynamism and organic forms. Below is a section of the original line work at A2 size:

Margarita cocktail colour palette

After every element had been hand drawn, I moved to the computer to clean the images and apply colour. I wanted to express a tropical vibe using a vibrant colour palette:

Señorita Margarita is a refreshing artwork, using bold colours and Tropicana vibes. Full artwork coming soon!

#breakingtheiceshow
Follow my daily work in progress on Instagram.