Sneak Peek of art for Rivershade Tier members

I’m a little nervous about sharing this sneak peek of art for Rivershade. You know how you want everyone to love your project baby as much as you do? Totally going through that here.

As much as I enjoy writing the story of Rivershade, I’m having so much fun discovering another side of story through the art I’m making for members.

The Golden Age of Travel Posters Inspiration and Ukiyoe: a deepish dive

My main inspirations for this art is ukiyoe and vintage travel posters from the 1900s to 1960s often called the golden age of travel posters.

Ukiyoe is a type of woodblock print which found it’s audience during the Edo period of Japan. It depicted pop culture of the time. You can read more about Ukiyoe at this blog post. But the connections between this art and ukiyoe are:

flattened perspective
color and shading
simplified forms and stylization

Golden Age of Travel Posters refers to travel posters from the 1900s to 1960s. These combined difference style influences such as Art Deco, Art Nouveau and later Mid-Century Modernism. And these are some of my favorite styles!

These posters were created by lithograph and have a specific texture to them—a little bit of grain. They didn’t aspire to be photographs. They used bold typography and relatively clean lines, sometimes simple palettes and celebrated natural wonders or the technology of modern travel such as faster trains, ships and planes.

You might have seen some posters for U.S. National Parks or for travelling in Europe. Take a look at this one for Mont St. Michel! (my favorite is this penguin one). I also have a habit of picking up welcome brochures when I travel.

Deep Dives into Styles

I often know these styles when I see them, but can’t always describe them. So let’s do a deep dive! Below is my TLDR of the styles, but the links I’m providing are for an amazing store called International Posters. I am not an affiliate but their site has a lot of great information and an amazing collection.

Links for the styles go to Internationalposters.com. I’m not an affiliate of them, but I think their primers and visual examples are really useful. Below is my TLDR of the styles.

Art Nouveau: 1890s – 1910 (highly influenced by ukiyoe)

Style avatars: Alphonse Mucha (artist), Elves from Lord of the Rings movie

Flowing, Organic Lines – Curved, whiplash-like forms inspired by nature. I’ve heard it aptly described as “designed by elves.”
Floral & Natural Motifs – Leaves, flowers, vines, and feminine figures.
Ornamental Typography – Elegant, decorative lettering that blends with the design.
Soft, Harmonious Colors – Earthy tones, pastels, and muted golds.
Asymmetrical Composition – Dynamic, fluid layouts rather than rigid structures.
Illustrative & Hand-Drawn Style – Detailed, artistic imagery, often featuring idealized women.
Decorative Borders & Frames – Intricate patterns that unify the design

Art Deco: (1920s-1940s)

Style Avatars: Tarmara de Lempicka (artist), The Great Gatsby (2013 movie) as a modern interpretation of it, Dwarves from Lord of the Rings movie.

Bold Geometric Shapes – Sharp angles, zigzags, and streamlined forms.
Luxurious, Metallic Colors – Gold, silver, deep blues, and rich jewel tones.
Stylized, Elegant Figures – Elongated, symmetrical, and sophisticated characters.
Strong Symmetry & Order – Balanced, structured layouts with a sense of grandeur.
Sleek, Sans-Serif Typography – Blocky, modern fonts often integrated into the design.
Machine & Speed Influence – Inspired by technology, aviation, and the Jazz Age
High Contrast & Drama – Striking color combinations and bold highlights/shadows.

Mid-Century Modern: (you have to scroll down a bit)

Style avatars: Saul Bass (American movie poster, titles designer)Charley Harper (American artist), Dorothy Draper (interior design), Wes Anderson (director) for contemporary take

Geometric Shapes & Abstract Designs – Clean, sharp lines and simple shapes (circles, triangles, rectangles). Minimalist, balanced compositions.
Minimalist Typography – Bold, sans-serif fonts (e.g., Futura, Helvetica). Simple, readable, and direct.
Bold & Contrasting Colors – Vibrant color palette (mustard yellow, turquoise, orange, black, white). High contrast and flat color blocks.
Flat, Stylized Imagery – Simple, abstract representations of objects or people. Minimal detail, stylized design.
Dynamic Composition – Use of diagonal lines and asymmetry to create movement. Energetic, optimistic feel.
Functional Simplicity – Clear, straightforward designs with no excess decoration. Focus: practicality, visual impact.
Modern Life & Technology – Common topics about technology: space, automobiles, architecture, and consumer goods. Futuristic and optimistic themes.

Ok. Deep Dive OFF!

Back to my design

When it came for creating a design, it felt like the right choice to use these influences for a version for my fictional town.

I wanted to include parts of the town and story elements: founding families and billionaires mountain mansions, Bohdie’s dead end job at Shay-D-Mart, and some creatures.

Can you spot the Siren and the Squirrelman?

Here’s the lock screen version:

Tier member art bonus

I’ve created three items of the image in jpeg/PDF using Adobe Illustrator:

smart phone lock screen (seen above)
postcard-size art
coloring page of the art in U.S. letter-size

Get this art and weekly stories by joining my Rivershade tier on Ream.

Opinion Time

What do you think of the Rivershade art? Do you have a favorite artist or art style? Would you like to see a version of a town tourism brochure? What kind of story art do you like best?