Feature Friday (5/1): Ghost Girl Greetings
Updated: Dec 24, 2020
I have a large collection of prints on my wall and there's a couple that make me smile every day. Baby Yoda and the Maitland's from Beetlejuice always catch my eye and it's in large part because of the fun illustration styles and techniques of the Ghost Girl Greetings team. I discovered Ghost Girl Greetings at one of the Darksome Markets, I think by now you can tell that I love these events, and I instantly fell in love with their work. Cute, fun representations of our favorite horror and pop culture icons alongside little quips and quotes are the foundation of Ghost Girl Greetings. Their illustrations are just easy on the eye, which is funny because they're often depicting the characters who are the least easy on the eye!
I was extremely excited to hear more about the collaborative experience behind Ghost Girl Greetings and they did not disappoint. I think the collaborative experience compared to the general art making experience is just a totally different animal and it's neat to hear about that side. There's a whole lot of spooky goodness and relatable art making experiences here. Enjoy!
1. I always like to begin by asking about background, so how did the two of you get into art? Any schooling? Big Inspirations? What helped shape you into the artists you are today?
So we're super lucky in that our artist Laurie was born with colored pencil in her hand and we haven't been able to pry it out since. She started art school back in her HS years and continued on through college. We're both very inspired by horror and pop culture fandom so it has definitely shaped us as artists and as people. Although Toni doesn't do art for Ghost Girls she does diptoe into horror and spooky inspired paintings (shameless plug)
2. Further, how did your collaborations begin? What was the foundation of Ghost Girl Greetings and how has it grown? Where did the name come from?
It began over a cupcake at a crashed first birthday party. The cupcakes were delicious, the ideas were even better. The company idea stemmed from Toni wishing for a Die Hard Christmas card to send to friends. We got to talking about it and with Laurie's art skill and Toni's gift for puns it seemed like the perfect collaboration for longtime friends.
Our name... oh boy this was a toughie. We probably have a very long reject list somewhere that would make you laugh. We're spooky gals, so ghosts made it ways into the title.
3. Speaking of collaborations, what is the actual collaboration process like between the two of you? Are certain things driven totally by one of you or do you tend to work equally on each piece? I'm curious about the back and forth in making, is it the same every time or do your roles change piece to piece?
We're the nightmare to each others Elm Street during this process. Laurie may have a hankering to work on a specific inspiration or Toni may be making herself laugh quoting movies and it all comes together pretty naturally. We would say 95% of our pieces equally represent both of us. Of course, there have been occasions where one of us gets this amazing full concept for a card and as long as it makes us both laugh then it hits the site.
4. Pop culture obviously plays a big role in your work, was this something that's always played a role in Ghost Girl Greetings, or did it develop over time? Do you only use imagery from things that you like or do you sometimes have to capitalize on what's popular?
We only work on things we really are fans of. We just really want to make products that we would have bought for our own friends. We have very similar tastes in films, tv, and music so it helps us creatively.
5. Illustration aside you also have to be pretty witty in the text that's placed on these illustrations or cards. So at what point does that start to play a role, do you go into a piece knowing what it's going to say? Or do you sometimes have to figure it out at the mid-way or end point? Are there ever challenges in figuring out what to say? Like you have the perfect illustration but can't figure out words for it.
Oh boy do we ever! So Toni's strong suite with us is being a real movie trivia champ and she loves to make jokes. Many times it is super organic if we talk about an idea that makes the other laugh we know its a home run, Same with an image that sparks a feeling with us.
It's a fun part of the process because we can really see what makes us laugh and smile when we're piecing it together. Nothing makes us happier than being at a show and having someone pick up a card and not only "oooo" over the art but "ha-ha" over the words.
6. Finally, PLUGS! Where can people find your work? Any shows/events coming up? Anything and everything you'd like to share, fire away!
Yay! The fun stuff. We'd love to tell the next shows but currently, everything has been moved around due to the COVID situation.
You'll def be able to catch us at local NJ shows when they are able to happen such as Monstermania, New Jersey Horror Con, Trenton punk rock flea market and JC Oddities to name a few. We'll be posting about events on our social media pages.
We sell our cards online at https://ghostgirlgreetings.com/ and on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/GhostGirlGreetings
You can keep the fun going on social media by checking out
IG/FB: @ghostgirlgreetings
Twitter: @ghostgirlgrtngs
To check out our solo work (and pictures of our cats and lunches)
Laurie's Page: IG @zombies8laurie
Toni's Page: IG @pumpkin923
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