• PATRONS: Did you know we've a chat function for you now? Look to the bottom of the screen, you can chat, set up rooms, talk to each other individually or in groups! Click 'Chat' at the right side of the chat window to open the chat up.
  • Love Gotmead and want to see it grow? Then consider supporting the site and becoming a Patron! If you're logged in, click on your username to the right of the menu to see how as little as $30/year can get you access to the patron areas and the patron Facebook group and to support Gotmead!
  • We now have a Patron-exclusive Facebook group! Patrons my join at The Gotmead Patron Group. You MUST answer the questions, providing your Patron membership, when you request to join so I can verify your Patron membership. If the questions aren't answered, the request will be turned down.

Winemaker Magazine -- Label Contest

Barrel Char Wood Products

Dan McFeeley

Lifetime Patron
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Oct 10, 2003
1,899
7
38
68
Illinois
Winemaker Magazine hosts a label contest along with it's annual competition -- an opportunity for some really great creative efforts for home winemakers. Here's the URL where you can see some of the winning labels:

http://winemakermag.com/labelgallery.html

We've got some really excellent artists on this list who have posted great examples of label artwork -- I think it would be great to see some GotMead folks in the Winemaker Magazine gallery.

Oskaar and WW -- sorry, you'll have to keep it clean for the public. ;D ;D ;D
 

Dan McFeeley

Lifetime Patron
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Oct 10, 2003
1,899
7
38
68
Illinois
Yes I did -- thanks. It was an honorable mention in the 2002 contest.

It's a pretty simple label, hand drawn, cut and paste work using a photocopier. Nothing high tech.

From what I've seen of our other label artists on these forums, I think a potential sweep of all categories is possible by GotMead. :notworthy:
 

JephSullivan

NewBee
Registered Member
Feb 22, 2006
106
0
0
45
home.comcast.net
Dan McFeeley,

When I saw your link to the wine label contest website, I thought, "Great! I can look through the wine labels and get ideas to make my own." I've been racking my brain trying to come up with something elegant and simple, maybe something that alludes to my Irish heritage. As I was scrolling through label after label, nothing struck my fancy...until I came across a wonderful label adorned with elegant celtic braids. "That's the kind of thing I like! It's perfect." I said to myself. "Hmmm, McFeeley's Mead. That name sounds familiar..." This is yours, right?

<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~jephsullivan/mead/McFeeleyMeadLabel.jpg">

It's such a nice label. I just wanted to let you know. Any tips on how to make something similar? Did you draw the patterns in pencil? How did you get the yellowed, parchment-like look?

I was thinking of making labels on some standard blank address labels from an office supply store. Have any of you GotMeaders had luck with this approach? Do you have any alternatives that would work better? Thanks!
 

Dan McFeeley

Lifetime Patron
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Oct 10, 2003
1,899
7
38
68
Illinois
Thanks -- yes, that was my label. It was all hand drawn, but not without a lot of effort on my part since I'm not an artist. The yellowed parchment look was easy to get -- I picked up a ream of parchment paper from a local office supply store and photocopied the label design on to it.

If you're interested in looking further into Celtic knotwork design, try these: Celtic Art: The Methods of Construction, by George Bains. Celtic Knotwork, by Ian Bains.

Check out anything and everything by Courtney Davis. Try a google search for his artwork and you'll see what I mean.
 

kace069

NewBee
Registered Member
Mar 21, 2004
470
0
0
46
Well i guess this would be a great thread for me to get this question out here. How can I create my own labels, easily on my pc? I am certainly not the artist that Dan Mcfeely is, very nice label by the way, and I don't think I am nearly as tech savy as Wrath is with his, to produce anything like he does. I would like something simple. Maybe adding some clip art. I have microsoft publisher on my pc and have no idea what to do with it. Will that program let me create some sort of label? Is there anything out on the web that I could get cheap to produce some labels?
Maybe wrath should start a custom label design buisness.
 

Dan McFeeley

Lifetime Patron
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Oct 10, 2003
1,899
7
38
68
Illinois
Hello Kace --

Dover Press has a lot of good stuff out with copyright free clip art you can use, borders, etc., for creating your own labels. A bit of patience, shrinking or expanding the pictures with a photocopier, a bit more cut and paste work, and you have your label! It's the low tech approach, but it works well.
 

JephSullivan

NewBee
Registered Member
Feb 22, 2006
106
0
0
45
home.comcast.net
Dan,

Thanks for the tips. I'm definitely going to check out those references. I already found Courtney Davis's site, and the artwork is just incredible!
 

Leonora

Lifetime Patron
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Mar 16, 2006
324
0
0
Loveland, CO
www.ildanachstudios.com
Hi folks,

I make lables using MSWord. Use one of the Avery Label templates and it will bring up a whole page of labels shapes.

If you click on Insert, picture you can find a ton of clip art either on your computer or you can connect to the MS website and find more.

There is a METRIC BUTTLOAD of free clip art out on the web. Just do a search for it.

One tip - reformat your clip art picture to allow the picture to float above the text. That allows you to really nestle the picture and the text around each other. The other formats are good too, but I really like the above the text option.

BTW, I often just use the "insert table" function and make label squares that way. I then print them off, cut them apart and use a glue stick to put them on the bottle. I am not fond of the Avery glue. It is hard to get off the bottle after it's empty.

I haven't tried to get any of those fancy label shapes but I bet with some effort it could be done.

Oh, and one more tip: Work on one row of labels, get it right, then copy and paste it row by row. It's a lot easier than one at a time.

Questions? Feel free to PM me with your question and your email addy and I'll do what I can to help.

Leonora

P.S. My husband does all sorts of things like this on MSPub. I just never learned how to work it so use MSWord. I think Pub has more options and is more graphical.
 
Barrel Char Wood Products

Viking Brew Vessels - Authentic Drinking Horns