Man, let me tell you about this retro poster pin up project. It kicked my butt at first, honestly.
Finding My Inspiration (and Headaches)
So, saw this super cool vintage travel poster online somewhere. You know the kind? Big bold colours, simple shapes, kinda cartoony ladies wearing those old-timey outfits, maybe leaning on an airplane or something classy. Thought, “Heck yeah, I wanna make something like that.” Jumped right in. Mistake number one.
Started scribbling ideas in my sketchbook. This lady on a rocket? On a pile of books? Holding a giant wrench? Nothin’ clicked. Felt forced. Scrapped like five pages. Frustrating as heck. Almost gave up right there. Then, digging through some old magazines I hoard (you know, for “inspiration”), I found this ad for motor oil. Had this cool mechanic lady winking. That was it! My pin-up mechanic.
Sketching Out the Mess
Grabbed a fresh page and started sketching real loose. Focused on the flow – her pose leaning on a tire, leg popped out, big smile, wrench resting on her shoulder. Didn’t care about perfect lines, just the feeling. Rough. Fun. Much better. Needed a background though. Didn’t want some complicated garage scene. Too much. Went simple: tire, maybe a jack stand fading out, a bold banner for her name. Kept it graphic.
Finally had something that felt kinda right. Scanned that messy sketch into my computer. Threw it into my art software. Time to make this thing look vintage.
Playing with Fake Old Paint
Wanted that painted poster look, not slick digital. Ditched my fancy digital brushes. Searched for some that felt like old airbrush or ink brush textures. Started blocking in flat colours, big chunks.
- Her coveralls? Picked this deep vintage blue.
Her hair? Bright, unreal red.
The tire? Glossy black.
Background? Weird mustard yellow.
Looked jarring at first! Exactly what I wanted. Like those old posters where colours screamed at each other.
Then the real “making it look old” part. Tricky.
- Added fake paper texture on top – like a worn piece of card.
- Scratched up the edges digitally, like it had been pinned and unpinned a bunch.
- Threw in some tiny fake ink splatters and little marks, especially near the folds.
- Dialed down the overall contrast just a bit, like it faded a little in the sun.
Suddenly, it stopped looking clean and new. Started looking like something you’d find in your grandpa’s dusty garage. Awesome.
The Painterly Bit That Almost Broke Me
Block colours weren’t enough. Needed that slight airbrush shading to make her pop. Highlight on the cheekbone, shadow under the wrench handle. Went light with it! Didn’t want it smooth like photoshop blur stuff. Used a textured brush to keep it feeling hand-done. Messed up the cheeks three times before it didn’t look muddy. Practiced on a separate file like it was 1998. Annoying, but necessary.
Added the typography last. Found this cool, chunky, slightly uneven font. Like old block lettering. Plopped her name (“Rosie the Riveter” felt too obvious, made her “Roxy Wrench” instead) onto the banner. Made sure it sat nicely in the space, not floating weirdly.
Ding! Retro Poster Done (Mostly)
Stepped back. Looked at it. It clicked. It wasn’t perfect, but it had that old-timey charm I was chasing. Bold colours? Check. Graphic look? Check. Slightly cartoony pin-up lady with character? Check. Worn, papery feel? Check.
Printed it out on slightly textured paper. Made a huge difference compared to just seeing it on screen. Holding that fake-vintage print felt pretty darn cool. Proof that fighting through the messy sketching, the colour struggles, and the fiddly texture tweaking paid off. Now it’s hanging up! Next challenge: maybe a diner waitress on a rocket… we’ll see.
