The History of the Coffee Posters
So at this point, I’ve made roughly 8 different variations on the original coffee poster. It’s become one of my most requested, most shared, and most liked varieties of commissions. And yet sometimes I still wonder how I, a previously tea-only kind of gal, became a “coffee artist.” Let’s take a trip down memory lane and learn a little bit more about the process of making these pieces.
Meet the OG
The original coffee poster (pictured below) was my wonderful friend, Maggie’s, brain child. We lived in LA together for years and, when she moved to Seattle in 2018, she wanted to commemorate all of her favorite Los Angeles coffee shops with a painting featuring their to-go cups. I loved the idea and got to work on it right away!
Now (and I’m burying the lede a bit here), Maggie is no ordinary coffee lover; she’s the brains behind the Coffee with Maggie blog and IG account. Once she posted about the painting, we were both inundated with requests by other coffee lovers.
Step-by-Step
The process for each individual coffee painting averages about three to four weeks. It’s a collaborative process (with me doing all the heavy lifting, of course!) and is such a labor of love. Here are the details:
All the reference photos are supplied by the collector. Normally somewhere between 4-12 cups are included, depending on the size of the piece (and how many coffees you want to highlight!)
After the rough digital mock up is approved, I start on an outline. This is the design that I’ll transfer to watercolor paper once it’s painting time.
Once the pencil sketch is on the watercolor paper, it’s painting time! I’m a fairly fast painter but watercolor can’t be rushed. This process normally takes me several work days. Photos are sent to the collector sporadically so that they can see the progress of the piece!
After the painting is completed and approved, the piece is flattened and shipped out! Custom framing is offered upon request. Read more about that here.
See SOME EXAMPLES
Click on any of the images to see them in more detail.
PRICING
The number one question I get regarding the coffee posters (understandably) is how much they cost. The pricing is dependent on size, the larger the piece, the longer it’ll take me and the more expensive the materials are.
Coffee paintings range from $650 to $1,800 depending on their size. This does not include sales tax (if you’re in California), framing, or shipping (which is always the same flat fee through my website). Here’s some pricing* as a reference:
An 8x10” piece would be $650 - This is the smallest I’d recommend going for a coffee piece like this or else the cups are too small!
An 11x14” piece would be $955 - This is the second most commonly ordered size.
A 16x20” piece would be $1580 - This is the most commonly ordered size!
An 18x24” piece would be $1720 - This is roughly as large as I can paint right now!
This is all just as a point of reference! I can paint at almost any dimension so if you’re interested in a specific size, I’d be happy to put together a custom quote for you.
*Keep in mind - this is 2023 pricing. Pricing is subject to change at any point at the artist’s discretion. To get an up to date quote, send me an email here.
Want a coffee piece of your own?
You’ve got two great options:
We can create a custom piece of art together with all of your favorite shops, or
You can check out the Coffee Date collection that includes prints in this same coffee poster style (at a much smaller price tag), as well as nine original coffee cup paintings and a downloadable recipe booklet!
Click either of the buttons below to get started!
As of right now, there are no plans to create art prints of the branded, coffee cup paintings. Out of respect for the coffee shops, the artists who made their logos, and their copyrights/trademarks, it’s just not an option for me right now to mass produce pieces with someone’s branded cup on them.
I hope this was helpful! If you have any other questions about the coffee pieces, please don’t hesitate to throw them in the comments below and I’ll do my best to respond!
