The Postcard Post: Ale Díaz Bouza

The Postcard Post welcomes illustrator Ale Díaz Bouza. Get ready for take off!

Ale Díaz Bouza loves art creation. She illustrates and writes stories about fantasy and folklore for all ages, but especially for children. She lives in Madrid and is the currently Regional Advisor for the SCBWI Spanish Chapter. She both markets her own brand of illustrated products and works on illustrated children’s book projects.

How do you choose the image(s) for a postcard?
Sometimes by intuition and sometimes by trial and error. I don’t usually think about making the image specifically for a postcard. If I feel the image is powerful enough, says something interesting or has a special story, then I try to adapt this into a postcard or promotional material. When I try an idea and see people like it, I carry on with it and develop it further.

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 don’t usually write that much text. Just my email and website so people can find my artwork. I put this on the front for promotion and if I’m selling the postcards, on the back.

Do you create illustrations specifically for your self-promotion pieces?
When I go to themed events, I sometimes design something specially for that.

Some illustrators create a series of postcards and send them out over time. Do you create a series or stand-alone images?
I prefer stand-alone but, I might do a series if it’s for a themed event.

How often do you send out postcards?
Actually, I usually tend to give them out by hand, rather than mailing them, but I also email some at Christmas and special occasions. Once a year, probably. But now I am thinking of trying to do it more often.*
*We all think of doing it more often! 😉

Who do you target with your mailings?
I send postcards to fellow artists, art directors, agents and publishers.

How do you compile your mailing list? Any tips on keeping a list and sending out?
Always with an Excel file, trying to keep all my contacts organized. I usually take notes about when and where our first meeting was and how often I have sent them something.

Do you have any tips on the production process?
As I usually work my images traditionally with pencil and watercolors – and I’m very careful with the scanning process and touching them up in Photoshop to keep the original feel and quality. Then I prepare the composition on InDesign. I normally use the same typography for everything, because I think this helps with consistency.*
*Good idea. This helps to create a recognizable “brand”.

Do you use any online services? What are your favorite places to get postcards printed?
I prefer to go to local printers, when I have enough time, doing trial runs first to make sure the size of the text and everything is the way I want it. Sometimes I like to do it online. I love Moo and Vistaprint. They do a great job too. And I must admit that it is a very simple way of keeping your designs so you can order again easily.

Thanks so much for your very helpful tips and sharing your beautiful illustrations, Ale!

Check out the links below to see more of  Ale’s work:
Website: alediazbouza.com
Instagram: @alediazbouza
Twitter: @alediazbouza
Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/es/shop/alediazbouza
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alediazbouza

If you’re joining us for the first time at The 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). And you can see recent posts by searching for The Postcard Post on this blog. See you next month.