WIP | Mojito Cocktail

Mojito, Pasión Cubana is a new illustrated artwork inspired by the classic Cuban drink.

Pasión Cubana

My idea about Cuba is a place with great architecture, vibrant colours, rumba rhythms and passionate people. My starting point was researching the message for this piece. I wanted to find a phrase that had some sort of naughty meaning. While doing my research, I found a post on Instagram that said Love made me do it – and I instantly fell in love with it. In the end, I decided to go with A Mojito made me do it, an intriguing message that awakens wonder and the curiosity.

A Mojito made me do it Lettering

The lettering design aims to represent a drinking straw. The letterforms have a low contrast between thin and thicks, and an inline stroke, as well as a hollow space representing three-dimensional forms.

The subheading, Pasión Cubana, means Cuban passion, and it is dedicated to my friend Marta and to all loving relationships with Cuban men and women.

Once the hand-sketch is ready, I scan it and start redrawing the letterforms on the computer.

Mojito Cocktail Research

During my research for this artwork, I found this interesting article about the Australian Rum Rebellion:

The Rum Rebellion of 1808 was the only successful armed takeover of government in Australian history. During the 19th century, it was widely referred to as the Great Rebellion.

Read the complete post here.

White Ginger, Cuban’s national flower

The ingredients represented on this artwork are strawberries, blueberries, limes and mint. I also wanted to introduce some floral elements, so I researched Cuban flora and I found The White Ginger (Hedychium coronarium) also called Mariposa (butterfly in Spanish), as the Cuban’s National Flower.

The white mariposa, its scientific name “Hedychium Coronarium”, from the family of the Zingiberaceas, native to Vietnam, became a symbol of Cuban flora because Cuban women used it to smuggle messages to the battlefield during the liberation wars of the 19th century. Its perfume is exquisite.

Regarding the colour palette, I wanted to use pink and purple tones, so I chose a Strawberry Mojito as the cocktail for this piece.

Mojitos are sweet, minty and icy-cold cocktails; perhaps the best hot weather cocktail around! It’s no wonder it comes from Cuba where the average temperature is 77°F with 75% humidity.

Post by Sue Harrell from The Florida Strawberry Growers Association (FSGA)
Read the complete post here.

This artwork is about rumba and Cuban passion.