I recently had the opportunity to work with the Nashville based Buntin Group team on some Cracker Barrel menu illustrations. I provided cover illustrations for the breakfast and lunch & dinner menus as well as internal spot illustrations of Cracker Barrel favorites.

I was lucky enough to collaborate with the fine folks at Realtree on the release of their new Timber line. When it comes to dedication, heritage and tradition no other outdoor pursuit comes close to waterfowl hunting. It was a blast coming up with concepts based off the duck hunting past time. I worked with Realtree to create a logo for the new line as well as posters, t-shirts and other branding materials.

Label created for Lucky Rock Wine Co. The good folks at Lucky Rock Wine Co. were looking for a key illustration that highlighted their heritage working the Goldmines of the west along with their appreciation for traditional tattoo flash. The California Rattlesnake, which can be found in vineyards and goldmines also speaks to the brands past and future.

The label features a custom hand drawn spot illustration as well as a custom debossed hand drawn paisley pattern, with accents of blue foil. Such an amazing project to be a part of. Visit LuckyRock Wine Co. to learn more about the brand.

Design and Illustration: Derrick Castle
Creative Direction and Design: Made by Vertical
Product Photos: Dawn Heumann

I was beyond excited when Harley-Davidson recognized my brand and wanted me to bring my unique spin to their rich culture. It’s not often that you get to put your thumb print on such an iconic brand. Especially a brand that has long stood the test of time. Established in 1903, Harley-Davidson has established a heritage of strength, power and has been an American institution for over 100 years. Truly an honor to be able to contribute to the legacy of Harley-Davidson

I’ve once again teamed up with Lindi Ortega. This time around Lindi is exploring themes of heartbreak, revenge, and redemption in this Spaghetti Western-style record. For influence, I took a deep dive into the films or Sergio Leone and Sergio Corbucci to craft worthy cover art for an amazing record. Piano Songbook is the instrumental companion piece to the Liberty.

I recently teamed up with an Agency to work on the new beer brand Two Hats that was released in early 2018. Two Hats is a new offering by MillerCoors targeting the 21-24 year old demographic. The brand is a line of clean-finishing light beers brewed with a hint of natural fruit flavor.

I was asked to provide four character illustrations for the project. The concept was to reference the two hats that young adults wear to balance work and play, while also serving as a nod to the two main product attributes, light beer and fruit. 

This project had many twists and turns along the way but I'm incredibly happy with the results of the brand. I'm excited to finally be able to share this project.

This is one of those pinch me moments. I was recently hired by the Ryman Auditorium, a Nashville institution, to design a give away for the artists who perform on their stage for 2018. The patterns and design elements on this bandana are based on actual architecture and flourishes from the building. I'm extremely proud of how this turned out.

Recently I had the opportunity to work with Disney on two illustrations for Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas. It was like a dream come true to not only work with Disney but also a collaboration with Tim Burton. When you wish upon a star! These illustrations were used on a number of merchandise in the Disney parks. 

I was contacted by the longboard company Landyachtz to create a series of longboards based on my El Bandito design. I loved the creative direction and the ability to further explore the Bandito character that I created for a series of 3 boards. 

Since the intital release of the bandito boards I have worked with Landyachtz on two aditional seasons.

I was beyond excited when Crate and Barrel contacted me and was interested in my classic cocktail series. This was the most amazing company to work with. These cocktail appetizer plates are the result of my collaboration with Crate and Barrel. Celebrating the art of the cocktail, these plates are blue with copper metallic accents. depicting four favorite libations: the zombie, old-fashioned, negroni and Moscow mule.

Every so often the stars do align and you get to work on the project of your dreams. During the spring of 2014 Miller High Life released their Artist Series beer cans celebrating their 111 year anniversary, along with neighbors Harley Davidson. In mid 2013, I was contacted by Miller to be a part of this project. Needless to say I was floored by this proposition. Not only was I invited to be a part of this project, I was accompanied by some of the heaviest hitter in the design industry like Jon Contino, Hydro74 and Brandon Rike.

I was beyond excited to work with not only one but two of the most iconic brands in America. They reached out to me because they felt my work embody the same spirit of quality, heritage and craftsmanship as Miller and Harley Davidson. I can not tell you how flattering this was. But enough about the story, I’ll let the work speak for itself.

Over the course of 2013 through 2017 I’ve collaborated with Under Armour on 15 or more new designs. These designs span across many of their product lines from hunting, fishing and even The Wounded Warrior project. Ever so slightly, some of these products are making an appearance on shelves. These are amongst the first to be released. I gotta say, the guys at Under Armour are amongst the coolest group of guys I’ve had the pleasure working with!

It’s especially refreshing to see a brand like Under Armour, with so much clout in the active wear industry exploring new fresh ideas and not afraid to take chances. I hope that all this work proves successful for them. Stay tuned for much more to come from Straw Castle vs/ Under Armour.

I was excited for the opportunity to work on my first editorial piece! I was contacted by Men’s Health to do a series of illustrations for an article with the title "Get Luckier Today" on the subject of luck and good fortune.

In 2015 Lindi Ortega released her third record since moving to Nashville. After meeting Lindi at a local craft show we set out on a collaboration with the Faded Gloryville album artwork and packaging. I had a blast working with Lindi and and her record lable Last Gang on this project. Make sure to pick up the amazing new record Faded Gloryville!

When I was first contacted by the Secret Artist Collective, I would have not imagined it would be a relationship that has spanned over five years now. Most clients come and go, but the collaboration between Straw Castle and The Secret Artist continues strong and there is no stopping us now. The Secret Artist mission is simple, to hand select the best artist in the apparel industry and allow them to create. From there, the art speaks for its self. It was as simple as that. This is one of the many reasons they have built such a strong relationship with each of artist they work with. They allow the artist to express themselves through their art, with out any filters.

I have had a long running relationship with the restaurant group Mstreet based here in Nashville. When their events team commissioned me to paint a mural at their Mexican concept restaurant I was beyond excited.

I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say I was also nervous, I had never painted a mural and wasn't quite sure where to begin. Luckily I was able to team up with local mural artist Nathan Brown to give me a hand. 

I have once again teamed up with the folks from Mstreet for the 2017 Chef's week. This is a large format painting that I created for their edible art event.

This is a series of Motorcycle helmets created for the 2015 Art Goes Alternative gallery at The Rosewall in Nashville. The show was a Kustom Culture themed show that included local tattoo artists, sign makers, pin stripers and custom hot rods. 

I recently worked on a print project with Emily Deshanel. This was a two color block printed card given to 260 cast and crew members by Emily commemorating the final season of the Bones series aired on Fox. This is the largest hand printed edition that I have done. Super challenging but for such a great client.