SiP Coffeebar

Mural Design & Illustration

SiP Coffeebar has served delicious, satisfying, and affordable food and coffee in the heart of Northeast Minneapolis since 2004.

In 2021, SiP approached me for a mural design for a large 8x12 wall in their space, which had featured the same interior design and wall paint since their opening. I began our work with the goal of brightening up the space and adding visual interest to the darker corner of the cafe. They didn’t have many ideas off the bat— perhaps a fun phrase like “SiP SiP Hooray!” or maybe something inspired by coffee beans or filters. I had a lot of creative freedom, so I looked to the space itself for inspiration.

I created three thumbnail designs, from which SiP’s owner, Rachel Backstrom, chose a layered and almost abstract illustration of a coffee plant. I had pulled bright blues and cherry reds from the cafe itself to color the image. I then revised the sketch in Adobe Illustrator and went to the shop to grab color samples from the walls using my Pantone color book. Once I received approval for the design from SiP, I went to work! I purchased paint and applied a sandy base coat to the wall. I then used a tiny, portable projector to trace the line art directly onto the walls. Then the fun part of painting began! Over a few days time, I painted the layers onto the wall. I truly enjoyed the process of stepping away from the screen and using my body to create such a visible, gigantic piece of art for my favorite coffee shop!