The October Postcard Post: Elizabet Vukovic

I met this month’s Postcard Post illustrator through SCBWI and have had the pleasure of seeing her work on many occasions. Now she’s sharing it with Sub It Club. Without further ado, welcome Elizabet Vukovic.

Elizabet Vukovic is a freelance illustrator and SCBWI member. Born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Elizabet was brought up in a bi-cultural atmosphere by her Croatian parents. She graduated from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco in 2013 and recently quit her day job to dedicate herself fulltime to illustration for children’s books and other venues. She’s currently working on illustrating a middle-grade children’s novel by a Flemish publisher. Elizabet enjoys the journey with her two little companions, Jack & Max (her cats of course!).

How do you choose the image(s) for a postcard?
This is my first set of postcards. I printed two different postcards chosen from two pieces from my portfolio that I consider my strongest.*
*Portfolio pieces are a great choice.

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?
Normally I wouldn’t place text on the front, but for promotional purposes I think it’s necessary to at least put your name there. That way, art directors and editors can find the creator of the piece without having to flip it. And the art is instantly associated with your name and hopefully that sticks!*
*Fingers crossed!

Do you create illustrations specifically for your self-promotion pieces?
For these cards I didn’t create new images except for the image on the back of the card of the boys at the farm and the pasture. I wanted to connect the front image with the back and demonstrate my ability to recreate the characters in other poses and emotions. Since the printer gave me the possibility of using more than one design for the back of the cards, I did that for both postcards.*
*Ooo! I like all the options you had from the printer.

Some illustrators create a series of postcards and send them out over time. Do you create a series or stand-alone images?
These are stand-alone images but in the future I think it could be fun to create a series. Art directors could instantly to your work and look forward to the storytelling of your cards.*
*Great point. A strong narrative is so important.

How often do you send out postcards?
These are my first but I plan on sending out every 2-3 months.*
*I’m going to check up on you in 2-3 months to keep you honest!

Who do you target with your mailings?
I plan to send the greyscale postcard (with the girl) to publishers of children’s books and specifically, middle-grade novels. I’ll send the color postcard (with the boys on the farm) more widely to children’s publishers, magazines, art directors, editors and agents.

How do you compile your mailing list? Any tips on keeping a list and sending out?
I made an Excel file where I put the date of when I approached a publisher, how I approached them (e-mail/postcard/meeting) and the date when I should approach them again. I also included whether or not I received feedback or advice.*
*I’m impressed! A talented illustrator AND very organized!

Do you have any tips on the production process?
I mostly use Photoshop and the printer moo.com has some suggested templates. Since my artwork is digital I can resize and recolor anything easily to work with them.

Do you use any online services? What are your favorite places to get postcards printed?
For these postcards I tried moo.com since I heard some positive feedback about them.*
*Your postcards look fantastic so I guess they’re getting some more positive feedback.

Thanks so much for sharing your postcards and tips, Elizabet. Very inspiring!

Elizabet (and Jack and Max) can be found at the links below.
See the rest of Elizabet’s portfolio and contact her!

E-mail: art.vukovic@gmail.com
Website: www.elizabetvukovic.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/elizabetvukovic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evukovic
Facebook illustration page: https://www.facebook.com/elizabetvukovicillustration
Instagram: http://instagram.com/elizabetvukovic
Tumblr: http://elizabetvukovic.tumblr.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/elizabet-vukovic
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+ElizabetVukovic

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.