Jill Bell Brandlettering

Old is new again

Channeling the 60's in my "advice to girlfriends" self-promo postcards

This series of self promotional postcards began with a concept of doing one postcard with a chick in a 50's/early 60's prom dress in a bathroom, writing graffiti in a stall. The more specific a thing you have in mind, the harder it is to find, and by the time I found a pink, tulle prom dress that fit me, I'd found other vintage dresses and created other postcards that had that '50's / '60's theme. And once I finally it, my brief series ended.

This is the cutest vintage dress. I frequently wear it with this dark red wig. Love red hair...it's invigorating.

This was shot in my bathroom by myself. Slightly color tweaked.

I ended up faking the lipstick writing on the mirror. It just didn't read as well when I wrote directly on the mirror and photographed the lettering. I did use lipstick on paper for the imported writing. Love Photoshop.

Line on reverse: "Lettering that goes everywhere."

2001

This was the first dress I found...covered in hilarious turquoise strawberries, with a bustle in back. Cute though.

I took the photo. I was going to show a photographer how I wanted it to look and was so happy with the result I just used my tripod-with-timer shot.

I converted my kitchen to the colors in the dress. I referenced color printing of the era for skin tones, etc. I added curtains and appliances from a catalog of the era, and colorized them.

The copy in the cartoon bubble is from personal experience. It sort of set the tone for what I've dubbed (after the fact) my "advice to girlfriends" series.

2000

This is my favorite mural in El Segundo (Hughes Corp.) and when I found this vintage dress, the rhinestones and pearls on royal blue made me think of the nighttime sky and want to shoot in front of the mural.

Fred Stevens took the pictures. Love the great angle of me here by Howard Hughes. The copy is my take on 'if it looks too good to be true, it probably is'.

The lettering was done to fit that size and shape and minorly tweaked in Photoshop.

2002

I finally found the dress!

By this time I've fallen in love with this topiary in the yard of a neighbor in El Segundo. L to R: Bear, Oxen, rearing horse, jumping dolphin, rabbit.

My daughter Guinevere Lynn shot this.

"Live your dreams" was my parting advice to girlfriends. I had fulfilled my mission.

2004

Later Andrews-McMeel called and wanted to use the photo and artwork from my postcard on a greeting card (below). I accepted their offer. Love the copy inside.

Amelia, there on the wonderful Hughes Corp. mural is accompanied by the Wright Bros. and others.

There were so many great Earhart quotes.

Fred Stevens, photography

2002/2005