Red Pepper Retro | Vintage style graphics

Burlesque sillhouettes

Red Pepper Retro — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 05:19:38 +0000

Well it certainly seems that Burlesque is everywhere at the moment! Lots of people have come to the site looking for burlesque images – so I thought I should draw a few and post them up here! These sillhouettes of sultry pin-up ladies channel Betty Grable, Gil Elvgren lovelies and a more modern lady who could be our very own Tasia!

Viva Las Vegas cocktails

Red Pepper Retro — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 06:49:10 +0000

I must admit to suffering a spot of pre-Viva Fever at the moment! Promoted as “The Biggest Rockabilly Party in the World”, this weekender held at the Orleans Casino in Las Vegas, is a celebration of vintage culture and rockabilly music, attracting vistors from around the world. One of the highlights is the cowboy boot full of Margharita seen being clutched by many a drunken greasy rocker or rockette! SO in honor of this occasion I’ve added a VLV drink to the cocktail collection below ( as well as the trusty martini glass!!)

Martini cocktail background

Red Pepper Retro — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 06:38:15 +0000

I can’t believe how many times I get asked to draw martini glasses! They certainly seem to be the flavour of the moment – and I must say I’m quite partial to one myself – the Smoky Martini (with a dash of scotch) being a personal favourite. Shades of Madmen and seedy boardroom lunches with a dash of sophisticated jazz lounge! Here’s a handy backgound tile and the recipe so you feel inspired!

Smoky Martini

2-1/2 ounces gin
Splash of blended scotch
Lemon twist, for garnish
Shake both ingredients with ice then garnish with the lemon twist.

Sailorette

Red Pepper Retro — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 08:27:27 +0000

I just love the old pen and ink drawings from a bygone era when people used brushes and inks and pencils instead of computers. Having said that, of course, in this day and age it is necessary to find digitised images of a high enough resolution for printing!

Hula Christmas

Red Pepper Retro — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 23:34:21 +0000

A bit obsessed with vintage Hawaiiana at the moment! I’ve been scouring some fabulous old books and magazines with images of original vintage drink coasters, matchbook covers, ads and was inspired to create an Hawaiian Christmas image for my cards this year. With some of those old printed vintage paper items, I just love the way the ink bleeds into the paper, and the misregistration adds heaps of character. I also love the exotic green/blue lighting Tretchikoff used on his paintings and felt inspired to create some artwork I can use for my Print Gocco machine. Having spent all that time creating the artwork, I thought I would share it!

32 Ford hotrod decal

Red Pepper Retro — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 09:56:21 +0000

I love the old automotive artwork from the 1950s. This imagery has become hugely popular of late with the resurgence of hot-rod and custom culture and it’s adoption by the neo-rockabilly movement. I’m currently creating a set of vehical graphics similar to this for a specific project, but thought I would share this one with you as it would make a neat-o decal or teeshirt design.

Hula girl

Red Pepper Retro — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 06:44:26 +0000

The hula dance was brought to Hawaii by the French Polynesians. The hula girl became a romantic image that was successfully exploited by the tourism industry as it developed earlier this century. During the Second World War, with the influx of US Servicement to Hawaii, she became even more popular as an idealised symbol of romantic escapism in a tropical paradise. This little vintage-inspired lady was intended for screen printing, but I thought she made a lovely illustration to share with you all.

Cartoon animals

Red Pepper Retro — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 09:18:01 +0000

Okay, so we’re starting to think about Christmas now and these illustrations were from a set of gift-tag ideas that got shelved and never saw the light of day. I have a soft spot for the cute animal cartoon character imagery from the 50s and 60s, having grown up watching those Hanna-Barbera shows after school and on Saturday mornings.

Martini cocktail girl

Red Pepper Retro — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 08:54:28 +0000

The classic Girl-in-a-martini-glass image is another one I’m constantly being asked for. Whether for burlesque events, cocktail lounges or pin-up photography – this seems to be a timeless classic. One of my screen idols, Rita Hayworth, was the inspiration for the girl in this sketch, although these days I’m sure this little lady would be instantly identified with Dita Von Teese, who seems to be synonymous with the current burlesque revival.

Gossip

Red Pepper Retro — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 09:44:08 +0000

I found this sketch in an old magazine and have vectorized it. I have previously used it for invitations and birthday cards, as the blank magazine cover is pretty nifty for placing your text in. I thought I would share it here.