Design Process: Merry & Bright Holiday Cards

I haven't shared one of these "evolution of a design" posts in a while and I thought it would be fun to go behind the scenes on one of my brand new holiday cards, Merry & Bright. A lot of behind the scenes work goes into my designs, and while my techniques can vary (papercut designs, pencil sketches, inked finished drawings, or digital designs), my overall process is pretty consistent across the board.



Everything always starts in my sketchbook. Sometimes I'll sketch out ideas multiple times before I'm ready to proceed with a design. Other times, only a couple quick sketches is all I need as a launching  point. For this holiday card, I made a few super-quick sketches in purple pencil (definitely not my usual tool of choice) in the sketchbook and I was ready to go. I knew I wanted to translate these to papercuts and I'll usually work out little details on the actual paper.



I sketched each ornament and the words "merry & bright" onto the paper and got to cutting with my xacto. The xacto Z series blades are my favorite to work with. Make sure to use a new blade every time you start a new papercut project!



Next, I scanned each of the cut pieces into Photoshop where I cleaned up edges and made sure the text was legible. Then everything goes into Illustrator where I live trace each piece and arrange and scale it onto the size of the card. Sometimes this step takes quite a bit of time! It's like a puzzle, trying to find a good spot for each element so that it compliments the overall design. After I get an arrangement I like, I'll start separating out the color accents. Since I intended this card to be a two color screen print, I had to choose where the color would go, select those elements, and separate them. With a screen print, each color is applied in a separate layer, so this adds a bit of complexity to the design setup in the computer.

I'll separate everything out in illustrator, do a test print on paper to make sure I like the sizes and proportions, and print it out onto a transparency in full black and expose it onto a screen (that I stretched and coated with photo emulsion before-hand). After I wash out the screen, I'll decide on ink colors and get to screen printing the design.

Ta-da! Here are the finished cards. I decided to go with red & pink and teal & gold colorways.


Both are available for purchase in my shop, along with my other brand new holiday card, Season's Greetings, featuring retro candlesticks.



I hope you enjoyed seeing this little behind-the-scenes glimpse at my process!

Shop Updates!

vtwonen

Hi friends! There's a lot going in the Vitamini studios these days as I prepare for the up-coming holiday season, so here's a little update!

I was so thrilled to see a Vitamini screen print in this beautiful styled shot by vtwonen, via sfgirlbybay last week. I kicked things into high gear this week and now have these prints back in stock! Available in hot pink and black on thick, 100% cotton stock. You can find both in my shop, here.

I'm also getting ready for Re:Make in San Francisco! Come out to Fort Mason, September 13th to shop top-notch handmade brands and even make some crafts yourself! It's guaranteed to be a good time.

Happy friday to you!

What I've been up to.

I've been busy with work this week (a big deadline is now behind me, thankyouverymuch!) and trying to plan for my up-coming trip to London. I'm a nervous flyer, so I've been assembling a list of the best things to put in my carry on bag to put me at ease/keep me busy/help me sleep. I've never written one of those "in my bag" posts, but I think I may have to type something up to share about it. Look for that next week!

Besides the personal stuff, I've been working on a few new products for the Etsy shop. I've got new screen printed MINI Cooper patches on heavy canvas! I have them available in red, navy blue, and black so far, and available with or without iron-on adhesive on the back. I also have these printed with the Classic Mini design as well. Put a MINI on it!


New colors in the Little MINIs fabric! Now in Spicy Orange and British Racing Green. You can find those in the shop.



And because I can't sit still, I've started working a new sewing project. Here's a litte sneak peek:


Isn't that fabric print great? I bought a 1/4 yard on a whim the other day and am pleased that I've already found a use for it. I hope you have a great weekend!

Retro kitchen café curtains.

I recently made new café curtains for my kitchen window and wanted to share. I used my own "Retro Ranch" fabric. I even matched the color to my countertops! Cool, right?



This was my original screen print of my repeat that I made a couple of years ago. Since the idea of printing a large amount of continuous yardage myself was a little daunting, I decided to have Spoonflower do it for me. I ordered one of their color maps, and chose the shade of teal that most closely matched my countertops. I uploaded the design and a little more than a week later I had my fabric!

I didn't take any photos of the sewing since I started the project at about 10 at night (I get crazy on the weekends, people!) and the lighting would have been terrible, but here's a write-up of how I did it.

What I used:

• Tension rod that fit the width of my window
• Curtain rings and clips in the same color as the rod. I used 14 of each.
• 2 yards of fabric. Since my print was directional and my window was wide, I had to start out with a larger piece of fabric. I had a bit leftover. 
• 1 1/2 yards of 3/8" grosgrain ribbon

What I did:

• I put up the tension rod where I wanted it in the window with the rings and the clips. I measured from the bottom of the clips down to the window sill. This is how tall my completed panels would be.
• Then I measured the overall width of the window and added 2". This is how wide the two panels would be, combined. The 2" allows for a little overlap at the center. Divide that number by 2,  to get the width of each panel. This is how wide each panel will be.
• After I had the finished dimensions, I started to add in the hems and pleats. I added 2" in width to each panel for the side hems (1" on each side for a small double hem), and 2" for each inverted pleat (my panels had 5 each). For the height, I added 2" for the top hem, and 3" for the bottom hem.  Once I had my dimensions ready, I measured and pressed the hems, pinned, and did the simple straight sewing. When all the edge hems were completed, I measured out the pleat locations, sewed them, and pressed them flat. I added a black grosgrain ribbon along the bottom hem to the give them some visual balance. After that, I just clipped them onto the rings, and they're done! 

Here's a little tip that I used from my mom who used to have a drapery business: When the panels are first clipped up and gathered to the side they will hang rather stiffly and may not give you the pleating you were hoping for. To get them to relax and hang the way you want, fold the pleats where you want them, like folding a fan. Using a long narrow strip of scrap of fabric, loosely tie the panel together at the bottom. Give it a fine spray of water on both sides from a spray bottle and let them sit like this for a day or two. As they dry, the fabric will remember the folds and will give you a nice pleated effect when you release them.

Here are few more photos of my 1950's kitchen. My great aunt gave me that KitKat clock for my 11th birthday. I think I was born loving retro...



Though it's tiny, it's by far my favorite space in my apartment. They just don't make them like they used to!

UPDATE: This fabric print is now available for sale in my shop. Listed in this teal and a sweet light pink colorway.  :)

New, in the shop.

Happy June, friends! I've been keeping myself busy with lots of new designs, screen prints, and projects and I'm so excited to share them! (Though, some are really still in the works, so they'll have to wait a little.) Here are three new screen print designs in my vitamodern shop based on something that may look familiar: my papercut pieces!

Drying.

Original papercut.

 Remember my retro teapot and toaster papercut designs? I've finally got them printed on cork coasters! These would make a nice little housewarming gift for those retro loving friends of yours (or just for yourself!). My sister has already asked me for a set of the toaster coasters. I'll have to come up with a favor she can do for me in exchange. :)

Process pic: cards drying after the first color print.

Original design: cardstock on trace paper.

Here's another card design in the shop. I call it Tiki Shapes (it makes me think of bamboo). This design was also created with cut paper pieces. I started cutting out the shapes with scissors, then arranged them until I saw a layout that I liked. I glued them to a piece of trace paper, scanned it into the computer, and separated the shapes to create the two color design. Pretty simple, but I love the result! I have them in a playful bright magenta and day-glow orange colorway, and a more sophisticated light blue and silver. Check out my etsy shop to see more.

*If you'd like to see more of my process pics, follow me on instagram @vitaminimodern.

New design!

Starting back up with my shops has been a slow process since my move last month, but I have a brand new design card and art print design! Inspired by mid-century glassware and pottery from companies like Blenko and Heath, this design features vases in all shapes and sizes.

Blank cards in avocado green and teal, listed in my vitamodern shop.

I also have art prints on lovely 100% cotton rag paper. It would be a perfect little gift for the retro enthusiast!

I've got lots of other designs in the works for my new shop, so keep your eye out.

Screen Prints from Etsy.

My favorite part of moving into a new space is, of course, the decorating! I'm finally getting to the point where I can see past the boxes and get excited about decorating ideas and getting my art up on the walls. I THINK I've got most of my furniture where I want it to be and I've carved out an area for my work space. I'm just about to get a new (bigger!) printing table and I can't wait to get printing again. It feels like it's been ages and I'm really missing it! And speaking of printing, here are a few items from my favorite screen printers on Etsy:

Green girl - CricketPress (I've got this one hanging in my hallway)

Going to See My Baby - strawberryluna

Jezebel butterfly - beethings

Sebright Bantams - deebeale

Retro Forest - PinkParakeet

Spring Breeze - lisastubbs

California Gold No. 2 - LabPartners (I just bought this beauty for my living room!)

Check out Etsy and the links listed above for other great screen prints. They're fairly inexpensive when compared to original pieces and have a wonderful handmade quality that you just don't get from a digital print!

Charley Harper for Ford Times.

Like so many other design-ey folks on the web, I am a huge Charley Harper fan. This is for many reasons: First of all, I love that he was a screen printer. His slick style of combining simple geometric shapes to create abstracted versions things we are all familiar with really lends itself to the mass/void technique in which screen print designs are based. Second, I love the era of his artwork. Third, he was really clever! His work had a sense of humor. Almost all of his art prints came with a little descriptive poem that he wrote describing the scene or the subjects of the prints. Fourth, he used great colors. I can probably come up with the 5th, 6th, and 7th reasons, but you get the idea. So far, I have one of Charley's serigraphs (fancy name for screen print). Beetle Battle, dated 1971. I snagged it on a whim with a "Make an Offer" auction on Ebay a few years ago. Needless to say, it's the pride and joy of my little art collection.

Not the greatest photo. I snapped this one when I first took it out of the box. I was so excited!

You can see it in the background of this product shot.

A few years ago, when I was first reading up on Charley and his work and learned that one of his first long-standing illustration jobs was for Ford Times. Ford Times was a free monthly publication that Ford printed as a promotional piece. It's main objective was to get Americans out onto the road exploring our great country, in Ford cars, of course!

Ford Times had running articles on American landmarks, restaurants to try when you're traveling, and articles on the newest innovations in the auto world. I started buying vintage Ford Times issues here and there about 3 years ago, and have amassed a decent little collection. Harper illustrated the two issue covers from 1954 shown here. I love that squirrel.

He started out illustrating recipes and miscellaneous articles, then moved on to the features that he became known for. Like the his "Feeding Station Birds" about American birds and "Horseless Carriage Adventures" about landmarks you can explore with your car. Below is a portion of his birds feature. You can see the instructions on the left side of the page for ordering the prints of the birds. Only $4.50 each! 

 

These little publications are great pieces of history. I enjoy reading through them and getting an idea of the times and how things have changed. I was looking through a few of my newly-acquired issues and came across this column that made me laugh:

I should read up on these helpful tips! You can read more about Charley Harper and his work for Ford Times in the "Ford Times Retrospective" on the Charley Harper Prints website.

Neon Minis.

It's that time of year when I need to start getting ready for the holidays and stocking up on supplies. One new item that found its way into my virtual shopping cart was a jar hot pink ink! I was so excited to try it out! I printed the "Bonnet" portion of my Classic Boot and Bonnet print on smooth white and light dove gray cardstocks.

I was so thrilled with the way they came out. They are both listed in my Etsy shop.