Blood Of Gods

Industry: Music & Beverage Project Type: Crossword Role: Illustrator & Designer Media: Micron Pen Size: 5.5in x 10.25in

Owned, operated, and managed by Stacy Buchanan of Washington State, Blood of Gods is a zine that brings the heavy metal and craft wine communities together. Started in 2019, Stacy has since interviewed heavy metal stalwarts including Cannibal Corpse, Anthrax, TOOL frontman Maynard James Keenan, and many others!

In 2021, Stacy reached out with a great idea to adorn his third issue:  a hand illustrated crossword puzzle. As a fellow lover of both heavy metal and wine, I accepted, already envisioning the dark freezing, wine bottle-ridden tomb. The puzzle itself would emerge as a series of cubes frozen in time and space, flanked both by columns of ice and the captive guardians of its entrance. 

With this project, I sought to lean into a contemporary heavy metal show flyer style, relying on considerable amounts of hatching. For the typography, blackletter is used throughout the piece, every letter painstakenly written by hand.