Improving on an Image— Christmas Truce

By now, you have likely heard that this is the famous 100th Anniversary of the Christmas Truce of World War 1. But, did you know, that there was a precedent for this important event in human affairs that occurred 50 years before? I didn't.…until I received this request last summer from Jan Nielsen, of Loop Associates, Copenhagen:

“Dear Kevin Sprouls,New illustration desired.The war In 1864 at the Danish-German border, was interrupted on Christmas Day, where soldiers from both sides met and made a toast.On the 150 years anniversary Arcus want to launch an Aalborg Christmas Aquavit on the Danish market.The attached illustration shows the meeting.”

and here is what Jan sent me…This project seemed perfect for me. I replied with the sketch:Sketch approved, I moved on to making the finished art…This is how the art is presented on the packaging— a job well-done:You can just make out the illustration imprinted on the back of the bottle in this image. Below, a clearer view of the box…Just for fun, I added a bit of “dash” to the finished illustration:So inspiring, and poignant, especially at this time of year, to recall the spontaneous outbursts of Good Will among men.Peaceful Holidays, All!