This is Julie
And this is Eric
We have to tell you how we created Summer Love because it is my most favorite line!
While working on some posters for Fab.com, I got the idea that we should do a vintage line about drive-in movies, the beach, picnics, ice-cream, etc. I thought the record player would work in it. I suggested it to Julie and she loved the concept.
(By the way, if you want to follow all of Eric's art endeavors you can on our "The Comstocks" facebook page.)
I kept drawing things. These ice cream cones made their way onto the stamps, but funny enough, the record player isn't in the line anywhere.
I started working on papers. This was the first design. I was going for the feeling of sunshine. (This image is missing one layer that Eric added when he prepped the files for production, can you tell? You can see the real paper below with the pattern on the backside.)
I really wanted to use an ombre effect in the papers. Illustrator has an option for gradients, but to get the sunbleached look, I did a lot of work in Photoshop. While working in Photoshop, I started to feel that the line was too heavy overall. To me every design was beautiful on its own, but together, it felt overwhelming. To fix it, I screened the opacity on all my designs by 30%. At first, they felt washed out in comparison, but after a day I knew it was right.
You can see a before and after example here. The first is how the design looked with full on opacity in Illustrator. The second is after the opacity change and some hand painting in Photoshop.
Julie had designed a couple papers and then got stuck. She started saying things like, "Frick a fricky, freackin' frack... This is not working." When Julie has gone from "goodness gracious" past "darn it" and all the way to "frick", you know it's serious! I intervened by saying, "Hey, let's go to the movies."
Eric took me to see Moonrise Kingdom. My mind was still on Summer Love when the movie started and I became obsessed watching the countdown screen. When the girl in the movie had a record player, I knew the design Gods had sent me a message. I came home and created this paper.
Somehow, when you've really struggled through a line and are finally able to make it come together in a way that you are happy with, you become quite attached to it. I love this line! Oh, I think I said that already. ;)
Basically, once I opened the door to Julie's creativity, she was able to spread her wings and fly. I take full repsonsibility for the line's success, of course. What would she do without me?!?
I would drive myself to the movies and eat all the popcorn.
You always eat all the popcorn anyway! (Seriously, Julie loves popcorn and if you take a break to pop in a few Junior Mints, you will miss out on getting any.)
Hmmm, is it too early to pop some now?!?
And this is Eric
We have to tell you how we created Summer Love because it is my most favorite line!
While working on some posters for Fab.com, I got the idea that we should do a vintage line about drive-in movies, the beach, picnics, ice-cream, etc. I thought the record player would work in it. I suggested it to Julie and she loved the concept.
(By the way, if you want to follow all of Eric's art endeavors you can on our "The Comstocks" facebook page.)
I kept drawing things. These ice cream cones made their way onto the stamps, but funny enough, the record player isn't in the line anywhere.
I started working on papers. This was the first design. I was going for the feeling of sunshine. (This image is missing one layer that Eric added when he prepped the files for production, can you tell? You can see the real paper below with the pattern on the backside.)
I really wanted to use an ombre effect in the papers. Illustrator has an option for gradients, but to get the sunbleached look, I did a lot of work in Photoshop. While working in Photoshop, I started to feel that the line was too heavy overall. To me every design was beautiful on its own, but together, it felt overwhelming. To fix it, I screened the opacity on all my designs by 30%. At first, they felt washed out in comparison, but after a day I knew it was right.
You can see a before and after example here. The first is how the design looked with full on opacity in Illustrator. The second is after the opacity change and some hand painting in Photoshop.
Julie had designed a couple papers and then got stuck. She started saying things like, "Frick a fricky, freackin' frack... This is not working." When Julie has gone from "goodness gracious" past "darn it" and all the way to "frick", you know it's serious! I intervened by saying, "Hey, let's go to the movies."
Eric took me to see Moonrise Kingdom. My mind was still on Summer Love when the movie started and I became obsessed watching the countdown screen. When the girl in the movie had a record player, I knew the design Gods had sent me a message. I came home and created this paper.
Somehow, when you've really struggled through a line and are finally able to make it come together in a way that you are happy with, you become quite attached to it. I love this line! Oh, I think I said that already. ;)
Basically, once I opened the door to Julie's creativity, she was able to spread her wings and fly. I take full repsonsibility for the line's success, of course. What would she do without me?!?
I would drive myself to the movies and eat all the popcorn.
You always eat all the popcorn anyway! (Seriously, Julie loves popcorn and if you take a break to pop in a few Junior Mints, you will miss out on getting any.)
Hmmm, is it too early to pop some now?!?
