If this place existed, it would be my happy space on a Halloween night in 1987. 

I have never spent much time 3D rendering. I’ve done some 3D modeling in my time, in order to aid in my more traditional digital art. But creating proper, high resolution renders with quality lighting didn’t really enter my sphere of work. I don’t remember what drove me to trying it out, especially as I’ve been obsessed with AI art tools like Dall-E and Midjourney in recent months. But for whatever reason, on August 3, 2022, I decided to try the one month free trial of Adobe Substance Stager, and I downloaded a handful of Creative Commons 3D models from Sketchfab. What resulted was the following, my first low resolution render:

This first render blew my mind. From the terrazzo floor that could have come out of a Publix Supermarket to the highlights on the Atari’s faux wood grain, I was impressed with how quickly I was able to throw this together and get… results. I was immediately addicted and started adding details. The Atari set the decade. The theme was defined by my mood at the time, which like so many of you was the slow approach of Halloween, and the pleasantries of Fall. I started downloading free 3D props to help adorn the scene. The walls need movie posters! And there should be a bowl of candy for Halloween!

Then the challenges began. First, it was the realization that if I wanted this to be a realistic scene, with all the silly references I had in mind, I’d have to create a lot of stuff myself. “I have a VHS model that I can use to create stacks of video tapes, great! But I need real horror movie cover art on those videos. I guess I’ll have to learn how to create custom materials.” That took two days to get decent at. A huge shoutout to @sp00kyghoul on Instagram, who gave permission to use her amazing horror VHS collection to create the video tape covers! 

Then I skinned the Fangoria magazines using reference images from Archive.org. I recreated the Pizza Hutt box art from that era as best I could and reskinned the Snickers bars with 1980s accurate wrappers. Then came all the overthinking of things. “What would a typical adult in the 1980s with a horror movie obsession be drinking? I don’t know, probably a shitty Budweiser.” Okay, got to reskin the beer bottle! Then obsessing over lighting! That hurt me the most, honestly. Lighting is hard. 

Anyway, it’s a project that’s gotten away from me, but I now have a newfound investment in 3D art. I’m going to turn this one into an ambience video, similar to those I posted on YouTube last year. I envision this becoming a bigger part of my art. With everything I’ve learn in AI art, now 3D, and continuing to expand on my traditional digital art, I’m feeling really good about things right now. I hope to keep turning out creative content. 

Creative Commons model licenses and credits for the individual model artists can be found here: https://jetpackjason.com/1980s-halloween-living-room-scene-licenses-and-credits

It’s been a while since I posted new artwork. Here is my illustration of a 1950s Ford highway patrol car chasing down a UFO down a lonely patch of highway in the Nevada Desert.

Original digital art by Jason Snyder. For the past several months, I’ve been trying to learn the art of ‘Photobashing’. For those unfamiliar, this is the technique that many designers in the video game and film industries use to whip up concepts quickly, without spending huge amounts of time creating every miniscule detail from scratch. Stock photos are chopped up and formed into new and unique shapes and compositions. This is my first serious attempt to create a sci-fi, pop culture infused, retro futuristic city scene. This illustration used elements from 43 different stock photos, plus a lot of my own unique designs. Many of the neon signs are my own designs. It took a long time to create, which kind of goes counter to the goals of photobashing, but I’m a newb, and I was sort of enjoying figuring out what easter eggs from my ID to include. I kind of like it.

halloween shasta camper jason snyder

Original digital art by Jason Snyder. This is a nostalgic depiction of spending a pleasant Halloween night in the campground with a Shasta Airflyte camper. This Shasta trailer is one of my favorites, with a wonderful mid-century design. I imagine taking a cross country trip in one of these, perhaps traveling down Route 66. My artwork imagines overnighting in a quiet campground on a lovely All Hallows’ Eve, with a big bowl of candy for Trick-Or-Treaters, an eerie Vincent Price movie on the television, carved jack-o-lanterns and vintage Halloween decorations pinned in the windows. A cool Autumn breeze whistles through the trees while a full moon illuminates a misty night sky. No fear of creatures in the dark, just the pleasure of hearing the other campers kids play in the dark, dressed as ghouls, witches and cowboys and clowns. Maybe a few of the adults gather and share a beer or a cider, formerly strangers, now bound by the festive mood of Halloween in the KOA.

If you like this artwork, let me know in the comments. I’d love to do a series of illustrations of campground trailers. I think a calendar with the same camper depicted in a different location each month would be cool. We would follow the Shasta throughout the year, with different seasonal decor and weather.

This Shasta trailer artwork is available as a printable digital download on Etsy.com. If you’re interested in framing it and hanging it on your wall somewhere, here’s where you can get it! It’s only $5 dollars, and you’ll receive access to several high resolution digital download sizes. You can print it yourself as seasonal decor, make greeting cards or Halloween party invitations. You can even use it as wallpaper for your PC or phone.

grocery store pin up cartoon style falling oranges

Original Artwork by Jason Snyder. “Clean-Up in Produce!” This is a colorful digital pin up design of a dark haired beauty having a bit of an accident in the fruit section of her local grocery store. Featuring the classic styling of 1940s and 1950s pinups combined with a cartoon / comic style, similar to Archie Comics and Betty Boop.

The character style was inspired by a variety of mid-century art styles. Archie Comics artist Dan DeCarlo certainly is a factor here, as he is one of my favorite comic creators. The risque comics of Playboy Magazine and the naughty pin ups of Art Frahm also provided some of my spark. I don’t think I can go quite as risque as Art Frahm though.

This pin up is available as a printable digital download on Etsy.com. If you’re interested in framing it and hanging it on your wall somewhere, here’s where you can get it! It’s only $5 dollars, and you’ll receive access to five high resolution digital download sizes. You can print it yourself, or have it professionally printed and framed. You can even use it as wallpaper for your PC or phone.

Pinball Pin up

This is a pin up I created a few years ago. Again, fitting in genres that I love, this one features a pinball machine that never existed, but that I feel should have. “Forbidden Planet” (1956) is one of my favorite films, and I love the art direction. Especially the alien interiors, the flying saucer and of course, Robbie the Robot. It’s a precursor to Star Trek in terms of tone, and takes plenty of inspiration of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”. So yeah, worth a watch. And definitely worth a pinball machine.

As for my pin up girl, I styled her after Dan DeCarlo of Archie Comics fame.

1968 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree

1968 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree

In this entry to the Christmas Catalog Extravaganza series, I give you Artificial Christmas Trees! I really thought this was a rather recent invention, but a little research proved me entirely wrong. Check out Wikipedia for the full history. In terms of these catalogs though, 1942 is one of the first advertised versions I found, proudly exaulting the low cost and the lack of falling needles. But first, a little about me.

Jason’s Christmas Tree History

When I was growing up, my father would march into the lush pine wooded forests of Vermont on December 10th, hickory handled axe perched over his shoulder. His quest? To find that one perfect Fraser Fir. He would fell the noble tree in one great motion and drag home to our log cabin. His job done, my mother and I would decorate the tree with festive glass ornaments and strings of popcorn, while dad read the paper and sipped a tumbler of Jameson. I hid the pickle in the tree. Then we’d settle in to sip eggnog and watch “White Christmas” or “The Bells of Saint Mary’s”.
This Norman Rockwell / Charles Wysocki version of my family’s Christmas tree tradition is, of course, only partly true.
The reality was, we lived in Homestead, Florida. The only naturally growing real pine trees were usually about 70 feet tall, so they weren’t quite right for decorating. We usually hit a few of the Christmas tree tents running down US1 in Cutler Ridge, trying to find a tree that hit that perfect ratio between size and price. We wanted a six or seven footer, but dad wasn’t into paying a bundle for it either. My mom also had a prejudice against Scotch Pines, which I have adopted as my own. We were a fir and spruce family. Usually, we’d find one that looked great from one side and had a deformity on the other. Tall tree, plus deformity equals lower price, so that was the one for us. We’d stick our purchase in the back of the pickup. When we got home, dad would saw an inch off the bottom so it would fit properly into the tree stand. Take it inside the house and rotate it until the best side was up front. It was never level when we first stood it up, so my mom borrowed a couple of my Archie Comics to stick under whichever leg the tree was listing towards.
The rest of the story, where mom and I decorated while dad sipped whiskey, that’s all pretty accurate.
I guess my point is, when I was growing up, my family was going for as much holiday tradition as possible. Christmas was too special to replace a natural tree with a pile of green metal and plastic. Years later, this would all change. By the time I was in my teens, we had purchased a high quality artificial tree. It all came down to the recurring annual hassle and of course, the cost involved. For the price of a real tree or two, you could have a very authentic looking fake tree that was easy to assemble and would last many years. I have a fake tree now, but if Ginny and I ever have kids, we might be tempted to buy a real one for a few years, just to give our kids the experience of owning a real, forest grown Christmas Tree.

Department Store Artificial Christmas Trees

As established already, this is a tribute to the all American fake Christmas tree. Taken from the pages of vintage Sears catalogs from 1942 through 1983, you can almost smell the pine scented candles used to create a festive evergreen smell in the absence of a real tree. Thanks again to Wishbookweb.com for making these scans available. If you’re into 20th century advertising design, department store history or just enjoy looking at the Christmas catalogs from your childhood, this is an amazing website! Go there!
As always, click any image for the full page scan.
1942 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree
1942 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree
We start with 1942. The artificial Christmas tree starts out pretty weak. That is not a lot of branches and definitely not a lot of variation in shape or length. To be honest, this looks like it was a made out of a bunch of pipe cleaners. But hey it’s a start, and at only 49 cents, quite a bargain!

1945 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree

1944 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree

Another tree that is barely there. Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree indeed. Still, if you manage to put enough ornaments on it, it could be very festive.

1947 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Trees

1947 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Trees

We’re improving. The one on the left is pretty bare, but the one on the right is quite good considering what came before.

1952 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree and canned snow

1952 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree

There’s a fake tree on the right, but the “Make It Snow” spray snow is what really intrigues me in this ad. “Just Press the Button. It Snows Glistening Magic Flakes.” The ad doesn’t tell you about the chemical ingredients, but I wonder how toxic that stuff was.

1956 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree

1956 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree

I like these lovely colored trees. The pink one in particular. Now, can someone please explain to me the horrifying death effigy on the door? I’m serious. I don’t want to bring the Christmas mood down, so I won’t say what I think it looks like. I would suggest, however, that other sentient snowmen steer clear of this particular home, lest they suffer the same fate.

1958 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree

1958 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree

Remember the fake cardboard fireplaces you could buy to hang your stockings up on? What a perfect accompaniment to your fake tree and fake Santa Suit.
This is unrelated, but I just remembered that I forgot to buy eggnog when I was at the store an hour ago. I was really hoping to sip on that with some rum swirled in while I write the rest of these captions. Sorry… stream of consciousness.

1962 Sears Catalog Aluminum Christmas Tree

1962 Sears Catalog Aluminum Christmas Tree

I love aluminum trees. I have a vintage one here in my office. The one pictured above, however, is not working for me. The copper colored pom-poms are atrocious. Actually, reading the copy in the ad, it appears those are supposed to be red. I supposed that would be better. This photo doesn’t do it justice though. Ugh.

1962 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree

1962 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree

Two very distinct styles. The one on the left, with it’s more random and fluffy shape, is clearly meant to be naturalistic. The one on the right is much more stylized with all its branches reaching out in symmetrical predictability. Very space-age. As much as I love a real tree, or a fake tree that looks real, I’m a big fan of this space-age tree.

1964 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Trees

1964 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Trees

 

1964 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree Vincent Price

1964 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree with… Vincent Price??

Okay, hold everything. This page from the 1964 Sears catalog requires us to stop and consider. Vincent Price, star of some of the creepiest gothic horror, science fiction and mystery films of the 1950s and 1960s, had a line of home decorating accessories for Sears and Roebuck. Let that sink in.
I love to think of little kids thumbing through the pages of this catalog and landing on this page after having just seen a matinee of “House on the Haunted Hill” or “The Tingler”. I have to say though, Vincent Price, the man himself, does strike me as a likely to have had good taste. I imagine his basement laboratory and torture chamber was stylishly outfitted by Gerrit Rietveld.

1968 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree

1968 Sears Catalog ‘Away from home’ Christmas Tree

The ‘Away-from-home’ tree. Perfect for homesick traveling salesmen. This little tree makes me a little sad, sentimental dope that I am. I hope it brought even a little bit of warmth to those lonely Fuller Brush men, Pan Am flight attendants and rock and roll roadies who it was intended for.

1968 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree

1968 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree

Small child in a parka, picking a tree from the artificial pine forests of the northeast. Heartwarming!

1972 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree

1972 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree

Fake Canadian Pine trees, made in Hong Kong and sold to US citizens. Our ancestors couldn’t even fathom the wonders of the future.

1972 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree

1972 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree

Hey, hey buddy! Did you think you needed your cold weather gloves to assemble your fake Christmas tree? You don’t. Also, did anyone ever tell you that you look kind of like Bill Bixby?

1972 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Trees

1972 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Trees

 

1977 JC Penney Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree

1977 JC Penney Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree

 

1980 JC Penney Catalog Artificial Christmas Trees

1980 JC Penney Catalog Artificial Christmas Trees

 

1983 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Trees

1983 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Trees

Fake trees with built in pine-cones. The realism just keeps getting more extreme.

1983 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree

1983 Sears Catalog Artificial Christmas Tree

The pre-flocked artificial tree! Hooray, we’ve entered a golden age that continues to this day!

Also Check Out….

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out my other Department Store Christmas catalog tributes. More to come in over the next few weeks.
That colorful and tasty Christmas Hard Candy!
Those wonderfully tacky Sausage and Cheese gift packs!
The gift that everyone dreads, the Christmas Fruitcake!
And don’t forget to visit Wishbookweb.com! It’s the best place to make the fantasy Christmas list that the 11 year old you would approve!

Christmas Hard Candy

1937 Sears Catalog – Christmas Hard Candy

Hard candy. Boiled sweets. Teeth Crackers. Call them whatever you like, these colorful, iron hard confections remind us of Christmas at Granny’s house. Whether they be fruit or mint flavored, drops or ribbons, tinned or jarred, we kept going back for more! And if mom or dad told us we’d had enough, granddad had a private stash by his recliner that he’d share on the sly.
This is a tribute to that time honored holiday goodie. Taken from the pages of vintage Sears catalogs from 1937 through 1979, these colorful pages are almost good enough to lick. I again extend my apprciation to the folks at Wishbookweb.com for making these scans available. If you’re into 20th century advertising design, department store history or just enjoy looking at the Christmas catalogs from your childhood, this is an amazing website! Go there!
As always, click any image for the full page scan.

1940 Sears Catalog – Christmas Hard Candy

1940 Sears Catalog – Christmas Hard Candy

Ten pounds of candy for a buck and change. I feel like that was a bargain, even for 1940. I could be wrong though. It’s possible you could have bought a car for a dollar fifty in 1940. I don’t really understand inflation.
I like that the pail depicted above is divided into multiple sections. This is the precursor to the modern flavored popcorn cans that are so popular around this time of year.

Christmas Hard Candy

1940 Sears Catalog – Christmas Hard Candy

Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a tub of candy. Jack munched down and broke a crown and Jill just swilled some brandy.

Little girl christmas candy

1942 Sears Catalog – Christmas Hard Candy

Okay, let us be clear. This little girl is greedy. The photographer didn’t need to say, “Okay Clarissa, we need you to hold the candy bucket like it’s your prize dolly.” She was way ahead of Fred the Photographer on that one.

Sears Catalog – Christmas Hard Candy

1942 Sears Catalog – Christmas Hard Candy

I like the chopped stick candy with pictures running through the center. Reminds me of British ‘Rock’ stick candy that they sell by the seashore. I assume it’s made exactly the same way. Take that Brits! Sears stole your rock candy! Or did you give it to us during Lend-Lease?
Also, regarding the stick candy chunks in the image above, does that one near the middle just say, “OK”? That’s a bit of a bore, isn’t it?

Christmas Hard Candy

1947 Sears Catalog – Christmas Hard Candy

Starlight mints? Get those out of there! We have candy canes on the tree! Who, in their right mind, would reach for a starlight/pinwheel when there’s a lovely curved stick that you can suck to a point? They taste exactly the same, and the candy cane has the added benefit of being able to torture little brothers and sisters. The candy cane is a multitasker!

Christmas Hard Candy ribbon candy

1952 Sears Catalog – Christmas Hard Candy

More broken sticks of rock, these with flower images inside. And an overabundance of  starlights! Space fillers, all of them!

High contrast christmas candy

1956 Sears Catalog – Christmas Hard Candy

You know, for as much holiday candy as I’ve eaten, I don’t think I’ve ever been presented with a piece of ribbon candy. They’re all the rage in these ads. Also, the above ad may be my favorite from all of these. I love the high contrast. It’s like they painted black into all the nooks and crannies between the candy. I just love it.

Sears Catalog – Christmas Hard Candy

1958 Sears Catalog – Christmas Hard Candy

Candy that comes in a collared tin, like the ‘Diana Stuft’ tin above, seems slightly impractical. I’m from Florida, and the humidity here makes just about any sugary substance extra sticky, extra quick. I imagine that any confection left in there by January 1st is going to have to be chiseled out with an ice pick.

Sears Catalog – Christmas Hard Candy

1962 Sears Catalog – Christmas Hard Candy

 

Sears Catalog – Christmas Hard Candy french creams

1964 Sears Catalog – Christmas Hard Candy

Woof, this is a motley combination of hards and softs. There are hard candies mixed in there, but they’re being overtaken by jellies and, ick, french creams. What’s wrong with you, 1964? French Creams just look like the 1960s, folded into a confection. French Cream: The mod dress of the candy world. Except I actually like mod dresses.

Sears Catalog – Christmas Hard Candy country inn confections

1972 Sears Catalog – Christmas Hard Candy

Color! May your eyes be be ever seared by Christmas red! Also, Country Inn makes a big bold appearance! See my Christmas fruitcake article for lots of Country Inn. I still don’t know if it was a Sears and Roebuck brand, but I’m hoping one of you will fill me in! Comments below!

Sears Catalog – Christmas Hard Candy tin

1979 Sears Catalog – Christmas Hard Candy

And as we depart the 1970s, the blandness of 1980s catalog coloration and design begins to bleed backwards. Still, those Country Inn tins remind me of my youth. My family had tins just like this around the holidays and it fills me with warmth.

Also Check Out….

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out my other Department Store Christmas catalog tributes. More to come in over the next few weeks.
Those wonderfully tacky Sausage and Cheese gift packs!
The gift that everyone dreads, the Christmas Fruitcake!
And don’t forget to visit Wishbookweb.com! It’s the best place to make the fantasy Christmas list that the 11 year old you would approve!

vintage catalog fruitcake

1942 Sears Catalog – Christmas Fruitcake

Tis the season for a new batch of classic department store Christmas catalog time travel! And today, I bring you that classic Christmas cliche, in all of it’s kitschy glory: The Christmas Fruitcake. These images are culled primarily from Sears Catalogs, from 1937 to 1988. The catalog fruitcake is a perennial favorite, though I don’t recall if I’ve ever once tried a slice. Given that it’s reputation precedes it due to negative reinforcement from movies, tv shows, comics and general vibes from other humans, I’ve always shurgged it off. Yet, there’s nothing about the ingredients of the standard fruitcake that really offends me. I like cake. I like candied fruit. I like nuts (within reason). I like Christmas. What is there for me to dislike? Maybe this year, I’ll give fruitcake a try. Until then, enjoy these colorful representations of that classic seasonal doorstop. Click any image to enlarge to the full page catalog ad.
Oh, and don’t forget to head over to Wishbookweb.com where I found these fantastic images. If you’re into 20th century advertising design, department store history or just enjoy looking at the Christmas catalogs from your childhood, this is an amazing website!
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rockefeller center in 1939
This is a collection of all the pages from a 1939 booklet, “The Story of Rockefeller Center”. It’s a tourist guide coinciding with the 1939 New York World’s Fair, and it covers the development, design and attractions of the building. In 1939, Rockefeller Center was only about nine years old, but it had gained a reputation as a cultural hot spot in New York City. The source of many of NBC’s radio broadcasts and home of the Radio City Music Hall, the building was known to millions of Americans. This booklet is an interesting time capsule.
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