It’s here, just in time for Valentine’s Day. The USPS 2014 Love stamp was released for sales today. The stamp, Cut Paper Heart, was designed by Art Director Antonio Alcala featuring illustration by Q. Cassetti.
“It is meant to be decorative, happy,” Cassetti said, “not necessarily a valentine, but love all year round.”
The digital illustration depicts a large white heart enclosing a smaller pink heart with a saw-toothed edge along its left-hand side. Surrounding the central hearts are pink swirls with smaller hearts embedded in the design, and a ragged-edge motif that echoes the edging on the small pink heart. The hearts and swirls are contained within a red square that has “pinked” edges, as if cut with pinking shears. A white border frames the entire design.
Cassetti hand drew the illustration so that she could keep the scale of the details appropriate to a stamp-size design. She then scanned the drawing and modified it on the computer. “The goal for the finished art is to have it not appear to be digital,” Cassetti explained.
For a look back at some of the stamps in the Love series, check out our Pinterest board.