By accident is the short answer!
The whole ‘Coffee Bar Gang’ concept evolved from the chance creation of a single ‘cartoon style’ character back in the summer of 2013.
At that time I was a member of a local art group meeting on a Friday morning in the village hall of a small hamlet in North Devon.
As I remember it, the session was drawing to a close, however, I still had quite a lot of paint on the palette, so what to do – use it or lose it?
Moving quickly, I grabbed a partially used sheet of art paper with some old doodles on one side, turned it over and, for no particular reason, quickly sketched a street scene outside a Paris Café.
Suddenly, there was a table, some chairs, and a chic Parisian style woman standing under a green and white striped awning.
As I looked down at the figure wondering where on earth that idea had come from, a colleague, passing behind me, paused, and then remarked:
“Thats a very skinny lady!”
To which I instinctively replied:
“Thats because she drinks Skinny Latte!”
The joke was pretty poor, the exchange over in a flash, but for some reason that idea stayed in my mind.
Here was a quirky character associated with a particular coffee drink; could this concept be extended and adapted to other figures and coffee drinks?
Little did I know that this was the first step on a great new adventure.
What happened next?
Although the sketch was ‘rough and ready’, I liked the form and presentation of the figure.
It was different, unusual, not a ‘proper’ painting, but there again, I wasn’t exactly a ‘proper painter’!
My first step was to copy the figure and tidy it up. I knew straight away that I would keep the red hair and beret, together they hinted at a feisty, fiery character.
I liked the intense blue dress too; this suggested a chic, well dressed persona, slightly ‘old fashioned’ but definitely top quality.
Also, notice the green drop earrings.
Actually, my mum had a pair just like that, I have a photo of her wearing them.
Why did I sketch them in? No idea. Perhaps a subconscious link or memory ?
Whatever the inspiration, the green colour matches the palette, also the earrings are elongated just like the body.
Soon I was thinking about the character …. who was she, what was her story?
To begin with, of course, she had no name or background.
All I had to work with was the joke association with coffee (Skinny Latte), plus the Parisian connections and ‘vibes’ from the Cafe street setting.
It didn’t take long, however, before I was brainstorming, building a background, discovering who she really was.
Her name (I discovered)is Angelique Dauxette and she is a French Secret Service Agent.
Angelique is a deep, enigmatic, dangerous woman to know, but there again, not many people know her.
Why not?
Perhaps being a spy might have something to do with that!
At last, Angelique was almost ready to appear in public, but not quite.
Just a few more subtle changes were needed to the face and arms and then Angelique Dauxette would be ready to go.
Here we have a strong, fierce woman. No frills. Her choice of Skinny Latte fits perfectly with her austere inner personna.
Overall, Angela is chic, elegant, very Parisian, very ‘French’ with typical Gallic passion. The beret is not just a hat, it is a statement, a flag of revolution. Her red hair, too, suggests intensity, the heat of fire.
This is my vision of a French Secret Service Agent.
Angelique is not a Bond girl, she is Bond.
Soon I was busy brainstorming ideas about Angelique’s career and adventures as a spy and then, of course, as my interest and excitement started to grow, more ideas for other off-beat ‘coffee based characters’ with crazy backgrounds, began to appear, and so
The Coffee Bar Gang was born.