'Coke Landmark' conceptual illustration project by Stu Smith

::coke landmark::

So I go to a school reunion early this year (2006) and I'm at the bar (where else?) and I meet my old school pal Karl who I haven't seen for twenty years! It's a man-thing I'm sure, but we talked like we'd last seen each only the previous week.

Then, a couple of weeks later, I get a call, Karl asks me to do a job for him, Karl runs youreventassured.com organising corporate events.

He's got a job for Coca-Cola Enterprises (UK) where they needed a couple of illustrators to help their managers create an imaginary Coca-Cola Landmark for the purposes of a bonding exercise, you know the type of thing. I agreed and turned up to find 80 managers with eight giant canvases gagging for paint.

The exercise went on and the winning idea was one of a giant Coke bottle landmark built on the same island that that farm in the middle of the M62 near Manchester is. Pretty funny, and, if you're reading this sir, don't worry, they're not really planning it, it was only for a laugh. I was then commissioned to make a professional illustration of the idea that was on the canvas of the winning team to give to them as a memento.

I was planning a trip down to this farm specifically to take a reference photographs but I happened upon this photo taken by my new pal, Adam Howitt which did the trick perfectly and saved me the petrol. Adam kindly gave me the okay to use the picture and I was off like a terrier down a rabbit hole.

I showed my first version (Final #1) but I was told that it looked a bit too photo realistic and needed to look more closer to the original. So in version 2 (Final #2) I repainted the whole thing again in Corel Painter IX.5 making sure to get in the big thick brush strokes on a canvas base.

It was better, but on the original canvas created by the team of Coca-Cola managers, there was a strong sunset implied and the clients liked that idea, so I had to repaint her all over again only this time with some groovy peachy & pink sunset colours.

What fun, when I was finished I had a Coke and a smile.