In the spring of 2020 we partnered with local artist, Chuck U to create three whimsical Wild Wins scratch tickets.
Chuck U was born and raised in Northeast Minneapolis in a family that fostered his artistic abilities. When he was in high school, graffiti art was a growing trend and he practiced his craft all around his neighborhood. After high school, he studied graphic design at the Art Institute of Minnesota. Post graduation, he started designing posters and album covers for local hip hop artists and slowly branched out into designing album covers for Pandora Radio, creating installations and even designing Lottery tickets (remember Bearded Bucks?).
We asked Chuck U about his creative process and where he finds his inspiration: “I have a few ways of working. Sometimes I have a very specific idea before I start drawing and other times I just doodle until something takes shape. I normally start with pencil, then go over with ink, and then scan it in and add the colors digitally.”
Why animals? “I’ve always loved animals. I draw things that make me happy or things I think look cool. Animals, especially furry ones, are fun to draw and have lots of cool textures.”
We asked Chuck U which Wild Wins ticket design is his favorite. He said; “I love how the bear turned out but think I’d have to say the otter. I’ve always loved otters, they are so playful.”
If you are a craft beer fan, you might already know that you can find Chuck U’s images on Indeed beer cans. In fact, his design for the Midnight Ryder Black Ale was selected as one of the 10 coolest beer cans in America by Thrillist.
You can find more from Chuck U on his instagram @chucku612 and on buildings around the city. He just finished a mural for the Rafter apartment building in NE and another mural on The Bulldog restaurant in downtown Minneapolis. He told us that he has a few other murals on his schedule for this summer, so keep a look out around town!
Wild Wins is one of the scratch games in the Minnesota Lottery’s artist collection series. The Minnesota Lottery is proud to work with local artists to create one-of-a-kind ticket designs that help raise money for Minnesota’s environment.