Coin design and packaging illustration to celebrate the Chinese Lunar Year of the Dragon in 2024. It is part of the Royal Mint's Lunar Year coin series.
Competition brief: to create a design which was sympathetic to Chinese culture but also contained a British element - in this case a hint of the Lake District (Chinese dragons often frequent watery places).
![Chinese Lunar Year of the Dragon pencil sketch](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/7f279c181020779.65147e198ba4f.jpg)
Above: original pencil design which won the competition for this particular project.
Below is final revised design shown in its gold proof version.
![Chinese Lunar Year of the Dragon 2024 coin](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/589058181020779.65147e198d49b.jpg)
Below is one of the boxes featuring my linocut print of the dragon.
![Linocut illustration of Chinese dragon on coin packaging](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/f7b88c181020779.65147e198c804.jpeg)
This is a boxed version of the gold proof coin.
![Gold coin in wooden presention box](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/243381181020779.65147e198a291.jpg)
Packaging for the base metal version.
![Presentation envelope for base metal version of coin](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/1400/d995b4181020779.65147e19898e2.jpeg)
Pencil drawing for the packaging illustration for final approval before creating the linocut print.
![Pencil version of linocut for approval](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/cc2182181020779.65147e198de3d.jpg)
Linocut print of the dragon based on the above.
![Linocut print of Chinese dragon and additional elements](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/0ef64f181020779.65147e198ac6a.jpg)
Part of the final artwork cleaned up in Illustrator.
![Linocut print cleaned up in Adobe Illustrator](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/7150e9181020779.65147e1988453.jpg)
![coin design chinese new year dragons coin Lunar New Year linocut Linoprint fantasy Numismatics Commemorative](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/disp/d2108f181020779.65147a73959af.gif)