Daily printout: Feb. 21

Lunar New Year stamps are a perennial favorite.

The current series, the Postal Service’s third, began in 2020 and is a departure from its 1992-2004 and 2008-2019 predecessors in that the images are photographs of three-dimensional paper masks rather than traditional illustrations.

As the second series wound down, the organization’s Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee suggested a less traditional approach for the next series, according to Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS.

Alcalá had been researching the work of artist Camille Chew and discovered she had produced very large animal masks. He said that at the time he thought that a modified approach of that form would be “a great fit for the series.”

Thankfully, the artist was on board.

Chew initially created rough illustrations in advance for all 12 signs — rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig — but she constructs each mask as the new year approaches, using heavy paper, string and adornments. Chew and Alcalá then consult back and forth until the mask is just right.

When the mask is ready, it is sent to the photographer, who has to match the tone of the other stamps in the series while doing justice to the new year’s mask — which is no easy feat.

Sally Andersen-Bruce, the photographer for the most recent stamps in the series, explained that the depth and qualities of each mask require a nimble approach.

“For example, the snake has a very small head. The dragon was a big head. Then there are the strings and baubles, which need to remain parallel to the lens — they can’t pivot.

“Antonio is very specific. He’ll say, ‘Sally, it’s off by one-sixty-fourth of an inch,’ and I go, ‘Yep, you’re right!’ And we go back and make that adjustment,” she said.

The result of such meticulousness is that many think the stamps are illustrations, not photographs. Alcalá said there have been presentations at the National Postal Museum where people were shocked when the 3D masks were brought out.

One of his favorite stories from the series is from its first year.

“Somebody emailed Camille Chew and myself and asked if it would be OK with us if she got a tattoo of the artwork on her leg. I said, ‘Yes, as long as you send a photograph.’”

Sure enough, several months later, she sent a photograph.

“So, the Year of the Rat is truly a Forever stamp, at least as far as that woman is concerned,” he said.

The lunar new year began Jan. 29, ushering in the Year of the Snake. The new stamp can be purchased at Post Offices and usps.com.