An Irish Afternoon Tea
Earlier in the year I was approached by Neworld Associates who had seen my ‘Little Women Big Ideas’ illustration and kept me in mind for this super exciting project. Vintage Tea Trips is a small Irish business which offers a unique afternoon tea experience, the Irish way. Customers pop on board a vintage 1960s bus (who is called Kitty, after the grandmother of the owner - how lovely is that), and they are offered a delicious afternoon tea while traveling around Dublin city and listening to heartwarming vintage tunes. The company was going through a big rebrand, and I was approached to provide illustrations of recognisable Dublin ‘characters,’ and sure wasn’t I only excira and delira to take on the task.
Each character embodies a potential customer, but are rendered instead as native Irish animals. There’s the sophisticated and fashionable tea-loving deer, the cheery wolfhound grandad who has a secret cake obsession, the lovable granny hare with her trusty tin of biscuits (no sewing-kit inside!), and the playful little squirrel with a sneaky delicious cupcake.
Sure what’s afternoon tea without the tea, and the cake! I used a unifying ‘willow’ inspired pattern for the tea service. I also opted for a traditional - and huge - slice of Victoria sponge cake.
Some of the sketches I drew-up for the brief. It was important to capture the personality of the characters, as this is a Dublin afternoon tea, and so an air of friendship, love, and family are integral to the whole experience.
Before and after. Kitty has received a full makeover, and is now a bright, bold, and interesting vision on the cobbled streets of Dublin city.
I love the ‘Dublinese’ that Neworld incorporated in to the branding.
I am so delighted to see my illustrations printed on such a large scale, and traveling around my hometown to happy glances from curious passers-by.
Isn’t it yer man himself!
Every detail in my drawing is there, on the back of a bus! The printing and application of the graphics by Freeney’s is exceptional. I couldn’t be happier with the end result. See the reveal of the new and improved Kitty in this link.
Inside, my illustrations adorn the walls as a fun wallpaper pattern.
A grand warming cuppa on a baltic day.
A delicious afternoon tea awaits on the top deck, and as it’s nearing Christmas, we all got a shiny cracker with our tea. We listened to Bing Crosby and gazed out the window at a moving city in the cold December sunshine. It was a wonderful experience to both see the bus, and to have afternoon tea on the bus. I would highly recommend Vintage Tea Trips as a unique and truly Irish experience. Thank you to everyone involved!
~ Rachel x