* self-driven work

Beers and Tacos in CDMX

Evoking the warmth of the streets of Mexico City in the late afternoon for the World Illustration Awards 2026

project type
illustration

year
2026

A street scene featuring a small food stand selling tacos and juices, with customers sitting on colorful stools and a person working behind the counter. There are trees, parked cars, and a bicycle attached to a pole in the background.

The brief

For my entry to the 2026 World Illustration Awards it felt like the perfect opportunity to reflect on travelling last year, and in particular reminisce about Mexico City, the final stop on a 10 month adventure.

I wanted my illustration to portray the warmth of Mexico City, and the social feel of the city streets in the early evening. People would gather round the thousands of food stalls, chatting and catching up after the day, and the sense of real community felt strong.

Sketch of a street view at night showing a building with signs and shopfronts, and outdoor seating with stools and tables.

Sketches & Composition

I started sketching out some (very) rough composition ideas. These are inspired by photos I took on my trip, and the memories in my head. After I had settled on a rough composition, I redrew it in more detail, finding references online to help with exact details.

Then onto my favourite part…colour!

A line drawing of an outdoor sidewalk café with tables and chairs, a bar counter, and hanging plants, with people sitting and talking.
A colorful street scene with a juice stand labeled "JUGOS», two people sitting at a red table under a pink umbrella, a person working at the juice stand, and a pink car parked on the street. There are trees, a bicycle, and buildings in the background.

Colour rough

Whilst I often use a limited palette in my illustration, I wanted this image to truly reflect the colours of the vibrant city, so I didn’t want to hold back.

Using warm orange and pink tones to evoke the evening sun, and bright greens for the vibrant trees, and splashes of teal and red of the houses and famous plastic chairs, I aimed to capture the colour palette of the city.

Watch my process

You can see a timelapse of my entire process from start to finish, to see how each step feeds in to create the final illustration.

Want to work together?

Let's have a chat