Gathering Reference Material
I arrived at V. Sattui Winery in St. Helena where I met with Daryl and his packaging designer, Patti Britton, owner of Britton Design in Sonoma, California. Patti presented her designs at the meeting, and we all brainstormed about design options and expectations for the illustration. After our short meeting, Daryl and I went to the castle construction site.

Although the castle was only three-fourths completed, it looked impressive — not only for its size but also for its detail. Daryl walked me around the castle and pointed out important features of the structure and the surrounding vineyard. After the tour, I took several photos of the castle.

I knew the photos would be invaluable when I got back home and began the castle illustration, but Daryl had also mentioned something while taking me on the walk through of the castle that piqued my interest. He said his architect had a computer generated 3D model of the castle and also several elevation drawings. The architect was located nearby, so I suggested we drive over and see what he had. Our next stop, Lail Design Group, Inc... Next>