For this project we were tasked to create a vinegar valentines card for a public figure we dislike. To start off my project I looked at some pre-existing vinegar valentines cards to observe the format and the style of them.
They include a grotesque caricature with a few lines of overtly rude poem. The formal elements of these cards remind me of the illustrations of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland by John Tenniel with the figures slightly out of proportion and the delicate line work to add detail and shadow.
Vintage "Vinegar Valentines" card
Vintage "Vinegar Valentines" card
After looking at a few examples I began writing some short poems for a few people that came to mind.
"VInegar Valentines" poems
"Vinegar Valentines" poem
I chose Boris Johnson, clearly a very easy target but I thought that his profile would be quite good to exaggerate while still remaining recognisable. I stuck to the classic caricature aesthetic of large head and small body and I think that this piece works well.
Once I had completed my illustration and paired it with the text, I added a vintage paper overlay to replicate the original vinegar valentines designs.
"Vinegar Valentines" Final Outcome