Brown Vintage Packages Tied Up With String
Christmas is right around the corner and the time to wrap presents is growing ever closer. This year instead of buying into the growing consumerism of Christmas, I wanted to do something a little more special to wrap my presents. I decided to design my packages to look like vintage parcels as though they had been sent from all over the world. I based the designs, stamps and prints on original vintage colonial-style packages, postcards, and letters for the authenticity. Here are a five steps on how I created the effect.
The basic layout I recreated consisted of an Imperial stamped crest in the top left, vintage stamps in the top right, a hand drawn image in the centre with script and an address, followed by date/location stamps all over. The key to this craft is to be messy, with ink stains and stamps everywhere. It is also important to make sure not everything is written straight. Put some date stamps upside down, for example, to create an illusion that these packages really have been all over the world in the post.
Firstly I started with a blank brown paper wrapped box, this can of course be done with any sized package though a flat surface will be helpful.
Step 1: The Imperial Stamp
The stamp and British crest give the parcel an official look. To create this stamp I used greaseproof kitchen paper to sketch out a British crest. Luckily, I have a vintage identity card to trace from, but tracing from a photo on a phone would work just as well.
After tracing the crest, I went over it in ink. I didn't worry about getting all the details, just the main shapes and shadows, as it is going to be smudged later.
I then cut out and stuck the piece of paper onto the parcel. Using a small very wet paintbrush, I then painted over the crest with diluted brown paint (though a slightly wet tea bag could also be used). The brown will blend the stamp into the brown paper and the water should make the ink run and bleed to look more like a stamp. I also use ink on my finger to help blend the edges of the stamp onto the package.
Lastly, I cut out letters from a newspaper, stuck them next to the crest in a straight line and repeated the process of painting and dirtying them with ink.
Step 2: Postage Stamps.
I cut out rectangles of brown paper to use as stamps, be aware that vintage stamps are quite a bit bigger that stamps today. I hand drew all the postage stamps based on vintage ones, yet feel free to create your own personalised stamps. Vintage stamps were often beautifully designed representing the place they were from and came in a variety of colours.
As Vintage stamps were usually only worth a few cents, most parcels would have had at least three or four stamps. So I drew multiple and stuck them in place.
Step 3: The Illustration.
The idea came from vintage postcards, yet I like the idea of having an illustration from the place of origin on the parcel. As if before posting the package the sender had a local artist draw something special on the parcel.
I decided an Indian elephant would be appropriate and after drawing it in pencil went over it in ink and coloured it in crayon. Although any colouring pencil will do, it was the waxy coating effect of crayons that gave a more vintage look.
Step 4: Date/location stamps.
To create these stamps that have become so associated with vintage postage, I first drew around a £2 coin in pen. However, I made sure to leave gaps in the circle so it wasn't complete.
Then, inside the first circle I drew around a 1p coin in the same fashion. The incomplete circles will give authenticity, and look as though the stamp was low on ink or done in a rush.
Lastly, I write dates, place names and a few random numbers inside the circles, dirtied them up with ink smudges and then repeated the process randomly around the parcel. I made sure to draw these circles over other elements too, and even did them in different colours such as red and green.
Step 5: The Finishing Touches.
Lastly I wrote out the address and Devanagari script to give the parcel both an authentic and exotic feel. I added random numbers, serial codes, signatures and plenty of ink smudges to give the parcel a messy, travelled and old look. I also scavenged for other elements such as bottle labels, sweet wrappers, and newspaper clippings that could be cut out, stuck on and dirtied, to add to the effect.
The particular parcel I demonstrated was designed as though it were sent from India though the same effect can be used for any country of origin. Above is a slightly different take with the same formula, but a different intended place of origin. Be creative! why not have vintage parcels from all over the globe, like Paris, Antibes, Hong Kong, South Africa, Goa, Los Angeles.. really anywhere!
This is a really fun and creative way to personalise brown paper packages this Christmas and do something a little more special for those close to you. I hope this may inspire some of you, as I had a lot of fun creating them. It is also a perfect idea for wrapping all year around not only at Christmas. If you do give this a go, we would love to see your creations so feel free to tag us on Instagram.
