Postcard Boost

Sampling of postcards I picked up at SCBWI LA 2013.

A few times on #kidlitart, people have mentioned wanting a boost to help them get their next postcard promos mailed out. Mailing out a promo card on a regular basis is one of the simplest and most important acts of self-promotion an illustrator can do. 

That's not to say that there isn't some legwork involved. You have to have a mailing list compiled of the contacts and publishing houses you wish to submit to. This means you have to research submission guidelines and follow them. You have to know where and when you are getting your postcard printed, how much it's going to cost, what size you're mailing, and the guidelines to follow when submitting your design for print. You have to do your homework.

And believe it or not, as tedious as some of that research can be, it's the easiest part of the process. The real struggle comes with choosing an illustration, or creating a new illustration, to go on that postcard you are mailing out. How do you choose? And what's more, is what you're choosing going to work?

Well, we're going to give you a little help. You have one week to design (and we're talking sketches here, possibly color comps) your next postcard design. And at next week's #kidlitart chat, upload the card on to Twitter or share a link to the image, and as a group, we will give you feedback on your piece.

Keep in mind that everything is very subjective, but there are a few design principles and common sense facts that we can definitely help with. And remember that critique and feedback is part of being an illustrator. If you've never had one, you need to start developing a skin to deal with it and use it as a platform to growth and improvement.

Use the feedback you receive next week to revise and possibly improve your piece. Take it to full-color, get more feedback if necessary from fellow illustrators. Then in March, we'll have a mass #kidlitart mail-out deadline where everyone will send their cards to publishers. Deal?

Now get to work! We'll see you February 6th, at 9pm EST!

-Diandra

(And remember, this is a live chat. We'll have people submitting simultaneously, and things can get a little wild. Be patient and give people time to consider your piece. We'll all use our manners and wait our turn as much as possible.)