The August Postcard Post: Courtney Pippin-Mathur

The Sub It Club welcomes author/illustrator Courtney Pippin-Mathur to the Postcard Post. Keep reading to learn more about Courtney, her postcard and her picture book.

Courtney discovered her love for drawing by re-creating the characters from her favorite animated movies and cartoons. She forgot how great it was until she switched from a major in Government to a major in Studio Art in college. She hasn’t looked back since.

She draws, paints and plays with pixels on the East Coast with her daughter and twin sons. Her first book, MAYA WAS GRUMPY was released this year.

How do you choose the image(s) for a postcard?
I usually go with whatever piece I have created recently that I’m most excited about. If I’m out on submission or working on something to send out soon, I’ll include the main character in the story.

Do you prefer text on the front of the postcard with the image or do you prefer all text on the back of the postcard?
I always put my name on the front so that it is (hopefully) ingrained in the art director/editor’s mind whenever they look at the image.

Do you create illustrations specifically for your self-promotion pieces?
Not usually. Sometimes I will think, “This would look great on a postcard,”  and tailor it with that in mind.

Some illustrators create a series of postcards and send them out over time. Do you create a series or stand-alone images?
So far, stand alone. I think series images are super-cool though!

How often do you send out postcards?
I try to remember every 3-4 months but lately it’s been twice a year. It also depends on what my agent wants to do that year.

Who do you target with your mailings?
Art directors and editors in children’s publishing.

Do you have any tips on the production process?
I recently started using Photoshop and I like the flexibility in fonts and tweaking it gives me.

Do you use any online services? What are your favorite places to get postcards printed?
I’ve been using Overnight Prints for a few years now and have been pleased with their speed and quality.

Thanks so much for sharing your tips and beautiful illustrations, Courtney!

More about Courtney is just a click away:
Website: www.pippinmathur.com
Twitter: @pippinmathur
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pippinmathurillustration
And Courtney’s picture book, MAYA WAS GRUMPY: http://www.flashlightpress.com/Maya_Was_Grumpy.html

If you’re joining us for the first time at the Monthly Postcard Post, you can catch up with a general article on postcard mailings for illustrators and previous featured illustrators in the archive (there’s a tab above too). See you next month.