Introduction

Restaurant group, Union Assembly, need custom wallpaper for their highly anticipated, District Detroit venue, Union Joints.

Covered outdoor lounge with beige sectional sofa, green tables and stools, picnic tables, and a view of a Comerica Park and city buildings.

Challenge & Approach

Exhibit famous Detroit icons to a contemporary audience in the historic toile style. This project would need to complement the famous landmarks its windows would frame. With neighbors like The Fillmore, Fox Theatre, Comerica Park, and the Little Caesars corporate extension, the illustrations required an authentic approach that represented Detroit’s level of international excellence and grit. This city influenced and still influences the world, and Union Joints celebrates this. To honor the resilience and hard work of so many who’ve called Detroit home, my process needed to match my intent.

Solution

I completed each illustration with traditional dip pen and ink well, and arranged the scanned results digitally. This process is much more arduous than defaulting to digital tools, but a project of this significance deserved nothing less.