Recreate a Postage Stamp

I could not really resist joining this swap on ATCs for All. I love postage stamps, and I love recreating art in my style. So I pulled out my photo album from back in the late 80s. Turns out that sucker isn't nearly as acid free as it should be. Some of those nasty stamp hinges have turned yellow and icky (or maybe I was using tape there, towards the end. I know those hinges really did bug me). Anyhow, I've tons and tons of old NZ stamps (and a Vanga one from Madagascar I never realised I had when my Malagasy obsession began). But I wound up using Australian ones for my first two recreations:

Initially I just copied the lineart directly, with the same style. Then I decided that was just kinda sad, flipped over the card and started again, this time using the original poses but doing the faces etc MY way. And I am quite pleased with the result. Although in the USA one, the background colour is all messed up. I've been bad of late at overworking backgrounds.

I am quite proud of how the colours worked out in this one - and the animals look far more in my style than the rather simplistic format of the original pieces. The stamps attached are printed copies, as the originals are slightly wider and I would like to keep them, thank you very much.

The final two cards for this set I may make in my regular Postal Pets style as there are many stamps featuring NZ flora and fauna, including some nicely stylised moths and flutterbies. Or I could make one up with a kiwi and a lemur, but Madagascar has never been particularly linked with New Zealand.

The bottom stamp was available in New Zealand too, just my sample was the Aussie one. Ours was worth 40c cos of the exchange rate.