Jillian eating a ThunderCloud sub under a thundercloud… Oh, the irony!
Jillian’s winning design for the 2017 Trot!
Congratulations to the winner of the 2017 ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot Art Contest! Austin resident Jillian Collins won 365 vouchers for free ThunderCloud sandwiches for her watercolor painting depicting a turkey running in front of the Texas State Capitol.
In addition to receiving a year’s worth of ThunderCloud subs, Jillian will see her artwork displayed on more than 20,000 Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot T-shirts as well as on social media, posters, and event guides.
Where is she most excited to see her artwork? On the T-shirts of thousands of people on the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail around Lady Bird Lake, says Jillian. She’s a frequent Trail user herself, and a regular customer at ThunderCloud Subs on Lake Austin Blvd.
It was either destiny or sheer luck when she mysteriously acquired an old 2011 Turkey Trot T-shirt last year, although she had never participated in the Thanksgiving tradition… Maybe it was left at her house by a friend? Maybe someone accidentally put in her bag at Barton Springs? She still doesn’t know to this day, but that T-shirt quickly became her favorite shirt to wear while running on the Trail.
“If you run a three mile loop on the Trail at night, you’re guaranteed to see at least one Trot T-shirt— if not half a dozen. It’s great for running when it’s cold outside because of the long sleeves, and it helps other runners and cyclists see you easier because it’s white,” says Jillian.
She loved the mystery T-shirt so much that she wanted to buy a few more and ventured onto ThunderCloud’s website to see if they were available for purchase. Much to her surprise, she saw there was an Art Contest to design the 2017 Trot logo with a grand prize of 365 free ThunderCloud subs. This was two weeks before the entry deadline.
“I was immediately determined to win! I thought it would be cool to see all the other Trail users wearing my shirt, and also to have all those free subs, because I love ThunderCloud Subs,” says Jillian.
Jillian spent a week thinking about her design and planning it, then created the artwork in a two-day burst of creativity, staying up until 4 a.m. to complete it before the due date. She did her homework before delving into the creation process, too. “I looked at all the past Trot logos because I knew I wanted to create something that was different and unique,” says Jillian.
She used sharpie outlines and watercolor shading to create her artwork. The sub depicted on top of the Capitol in her artwork is the Veggie Delite— her favorite ThunderCloud sub. “I ordered one, then sat there and drew it while looking at the actual sub in front of me.”
Although she usually visits her family in New Braunfels for Thanksgiving every year, the entire family is coming to Austin participate in their first ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot to see the artwork displayed at the run.
If you see Jillian at the Trot, be sure to say “hello” and “congrats!” ☺