From glimmering fish to haunting seaworthy skeletons, Paul Elder's art brings our beer labels to life with captivating colors and scenery.
There are many versions of the story about how Paul Elder became the artist for Ballast Point, but here’s the short version: as a Home Brew Mart regular, Paul struck up a conversation with Yuseff about fishing, then pulled out a sketchbook full of fish illustrations. With their meticulous detailing, vibrant color and nautical theme, it was the perfect design for a beer label. Paul began to sketch & paint labels, and the rest is history. He also named Sculpin IPA (delicious, but with a stinging bite). For the longer story, find Paul at one of our tap rooms and strike up a conversation—we promise you’ll be entertained with some great stories.
Sketches became paintings, and paintings became labels. To this day, the fish illustrations and nautical scenes for which we are known are at the hands of one man: our resident artist, Paul Elder.