Massachusetts Artist Creates Betty White Stamp

The next time you mail a letter, you could be adding a touch of nostalgia (and Massachusetts) to your envelope.

Image composer Dale Stephanos has been creating artwork for decades and his talent has caught the eye of the United States Postal Service. This March, you can collect one of his works in the form of a postage stamp.

"I've been an illustrator for almost 40 years and I've drawn thousands and thousands of faces, so if I haven't gotten it down by now there's something wrong," Stephanos said with a chuckle.

He was tasked with creating a portrait of television icon Betty White to be featured on a Forever stamp.

"The US Postal Service is a vast organization and they have a process where people are sort of nominated to be memorialized on stamps and then they go to a committee and they decide who it's going to be and then they put it out to design firms that they work with" Stephanos said. "They choose who they think is right for the job. It's a very complicated process."

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It doesn't stop there. Once selected, Stephanos received several approved photos of White for inspiration. He worked on the depiction of the icon for roughly eight to 10 hours in total before landing on a sketch to send for more approvals.

"Then they make changes and then it goes through a committee and a citizens' board and then the state has to approve it and then it comes back," Stephanos said. "It's a miracle that by the time it's digested through all of those bodies, you have something that doesn't look like it's been digested through all those bodies."

After a lengthy process, a few touchups by Stephanos, and a hidden easter egg of sorts (a pawprint earring paying homage to White's love of animals), the image was finalized.

"It's such an honor to be part of the culture, part of the fabric of American culture in a tiny, tiny way, but it's nice that this will outlast me," Stephanos said.

You'll be able to purchase the USPS Betty White Forever stamp upon its release on March 27.