Easter Cards and Controversial Subjects

I love old stuff. You’ve probably guessed that. I’ve loved collecting old ephemera for years and have bits of paper coming out of every drawer and closet. But one fact has always made me a little sad. When I look at vintage ephemera, if I see people who look like me, they are more likely than not represented as pretty reprehensible caricatures. It’s just something you’re forced to get used to.

This is not to say that people of color weren’t creating their own cards and partyware all those years ago, because they were. But having to create products outside of wide distribution channels, without the reach of large companies and barred from access to major stores, meant that they were never sold in large numbers and are rarely seen today.

By the time I was growing up most of the caricatures had disappeared, thank goodness. Instead the problem became that you just couldn’t find anything with people of color in the mainstream stores. As a kid, I remember searching for an anniversary card for my parents that looked like them and being disappointed when I could find nothing. I ended up getting them a card with anthropomorphized bunnies on it.

Though things are getting better, it can still be difficult. Generally, you have to find small, independent companies that are making African-American, Asian, Native American, Middle-Eastern, Latinx or LGBTQIA+ paper goods. Luckily, these sellers are making inroads into some larger stores, but what I still don’t see, are the retro and vintage styled paper products that I personally love being made for a wider audience.

For years I’ve wanted to recreate some of my favorite vintage styles, but with a wider range of diversity. I’ve been stopped by the fact that I already have a 24/7 job I love and while I have an art history degree, I’m not a great artist. With the advent of AI, I finally saw a way of combining my collections with my love of technology and the lucky fact that my husband is a motion graphic designer and animator.

I have some rules that I set for myself when working with AI:

I do not prompt for living artists. I think it was wrong for companies to use artists work without their knowledge or consent and without compensation. I buy art from artists I love and I’m not looking to steal the long hard work they’ve put into their careers.

I do not try to copy a piece of ephemera – even if it’s out of copyright. I look at the ephemera as a launching point and art styles as guideposts. I’m trying to keep the spirit of each era alive, not replicate a specific piece of ephemera. Which means, I also alter the AI’s output using photoshop and other apps.

There are more rules, but these are the most salient. AI has been used in many industries for years and I’ve never had a problem with them when they were used to optimize work flows or give us the incredible special effects we all love to watch. I oppose their use in replacing workers or removing the human element from creative work, so I’ve tried to strike a balance in how I use it.

All this has been a long explanation to let you know that I’ll be creating and releasing some downloadables here that you can take, print and enjoy. If you’ve made it this far keep scrolling for my first set of Easter Card Designs. These are all downloadable for personal use and I hope you can use them to make nice cards or use them in your paper crafting.