Amy Zhang shares the latte art design she presented at the 2023 World Latte Art Championship that won her the 2022 Australian Latte Art Championship title.
After a whirlwind few months of training and preparation for the 2023 World Latte Art Championship in Taipei, I am happy to say I lived out my dream of competing on the world stage, and presenting my original pattern, the ostrich, for the world to see. I’m proud of what I accomplished and thank all my supporters and sponsors who believed in me.
The ostrich, this unusually large, flightless bird, is a long-distance running champion. Once it sets a goal, it relentlessly pursues it. This unique quality symbolises perseverance, determination, and goal focused, resonating with the dedication and passion required to craft the perfect cup of coffee.
Just like the ostrich, baristas embrace challenges, stay focused on their objectives, and continue pushing boundaries in pursuit of excellence, making each cup of coffee more than just a beverage but a work of art that embodies the spirit of persistence.
The difficulty of this design lies in its symmetry, as it presents the ostrich’s frontal view. Therefore, whether it’s the swaying of its feathers, the width, or the line-drawing technique, it needs to be symmetrical.
For this design, I use techniques like rosettas, heart elements, and foam dragging skills to capture the interesting expression of the ostrich, including its determined gaze, vibrant energy, and pointed beak.
The ostrich is one of my favourite designs and was the artwork that secured my victory in the 2022 Australian Latte Art Championship.
This article appears in the December 2023 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.
Amy Zhang’s Ostrich
Step 1
With a clean canvas, turn the cup handle to 6 o’clock and pour two curved seven-leaf rosettas.
Step 2
Starting in the centre of the cup, pour a five-leaf rosetta between the first two rosettas.
Step 3
Keeping the cup handle in the same position, pour a heart at the end of the third rosetta and cut to the centre of the cup.
Step 4
Turn the cup handle to 8 o’clock and pour a four-leaf rosetta. Then turn the cup handle to 4 o’clock and pour another four-leaf rosetta to finish the fluffy chin.
Step 5
Drag the foam to draw the rim of the eyes. Draw up and down and through to the other side, then draw up and down again.
Step 6
For the beak, ensure that the corners of the mouth are curved into a pair of mirrored ‘C’ shapes.
Step 7
Use the drop foam skill to make the eyeballs and nostrils. The key is to draw the eyeballs in an oval shape and the nostrils in a circular shape.
Step 8
And there you have it! Now, you’ve made an ostrich come to life.
