Stamp Academy: Birds in Winter

In the dead of winter, when trees have shed their leaves and snow has blanketed the ground, the lively sights and sounds of resident birds can be a welcome relief. Spotting these beautiful creatures in backyards, parks, and forests is a treat during the year’s coldest months.

Birds in Winter Forever Stamps, released October 2018

The U.S. Postal Service celebrates four of winter’s winged beauties with the Birds in Winter Forever stamps.

The stamps feature the black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus), the northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), the blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) and the red-bellied woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus).

Art director Antonio Alcalá worked together with illustrator Nadia Taylor to create simplified but accurate renderings of these familiar friends. The limited color palette, stark white background, and clean shapes give the art a modern look.

Nadia Taylor’s work is bold, colorful, inspired by nature, and informed by her love of screen printing - from her use of limited color palettes to her incorporation of textures and dark outlines. We’ll leave you with a few more of Nadia’s gorgeous bird-themed illustrations below. Check out more of her work on Instagram @nadiataylordesign.

#BirdsinWinterStamps