Beach Tag Series
From jotting “beach tags” on my idea list to 100k views on Tiktok…
If you didn’t grow up heading “down the shore” to the Jersey beaches, you probably aren’t familiar with beach tags. I grew up in Maryland, frequenting Delaware and North Carolina beaches, so my first trip to the shore wasn’t until college. For those not familiar, most New Jersey beaches require you to purchase badges, known as “beach tags”, to get onto the beaches. Each shore town has their own, so they end of being a bit of a collectable item, with people saving years of beach tags pinned to hats or displayed in shadow boxes.
I thought it would be a fun project to use beach tags as a motif for a pattern, specifically for fabric. I’ve had a few requests for shore-related prints from makers that use my Spoonflower fabrics, so I figured this was the perfect idea!
Here’s how i create each print:
For each shore town, I’m illustrating 20 beach tags. After some quick research to check out common shapes and designs for each town, I start by sketching and outlining each beach tag design in my sketchbook. Once I’ve inked each tag, I scan the sketchbook page into my computer. I then remove the background in Photoshop, I import the file into Procreate on my iPad. I can then treat my line art as a coloring page and drop in my favorite colors!
Once I have my finished grid illustration of the 20 tags, I upload it to my website, so it can be pre-ordered as an art print! Then, I can use the individual tags to create repeat patterns (my favorite part of the project). I decided to create 2 prints for each shore town, one simple grid pattern and one pattern that looks like a pile of beach tags!
Want to see this process in video format? Watch part 1 and part 2 on Tiktok!
The finished sketchbook page of Ventnor & Margate beach tags
Ways to shop my beach tag series:
Before you shop, here’s the full list of the beach tags I’ve finished:
Avalon
Brigantine
Cape May
Long Beach Island - with tags from Long Beach, Barnegat Light, Harvey Cedars, Surf City, Ship Bottom, and Beach Haven
Manasquan
Margate & Ventor - they have reciprocal tags
Ocean City
Sea Isle
Stone Harbor
I’m still taking requests for more towns to add, so leave a comment so I can add your request to my list!