The Postcard Post: Lexi K.

The Postcard Post features author/illustrator Lexi K.

Lexi K. is an author/illustrator inspired by travel, pom-poms, and all the colors of the rainbow. Currently studying to get her MFA in Illustration Practice at Maryland Institute College of Art, she is fascinated by children’s literature, textile and homeware design, as well as journalistic illustration that captures the whimsy of the everyday. Her work can be most prominently found in JANE WAS HERE : AN ILLUSTRATED TRAVEL GUIDE TO JANE AUSTEN’S ENGLAND, a book she illustrated and co-created, published by Hardie Grant UK and released in June 2020. In addition to school, she is in the process of working with her agent, Linda Pratt of Wernick & Pratt Literary Agency to write and illustrate children’s books.

How do you choose the image(s) for a postcard?
I want my postcard to represent who I am as an illustrator and what kinds of things I can bring to the projects I want to be hired for. The last postcard I made includes images from a kids book I’m working on as well as a spot illustration in color to show different ways I approach my work.

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?
Lettering is very appealing to me— to make as well as to look at, so I like to include it with my illustrations to show my awareness of the relationship between text and imagery. I think it’s a fun way to show potential clients that I have a sense of typography and graphic design in addition to illustration so that they have an idea of my full skillset when thinking about hiring me.*
*It makes a lot of sense to use every element of the postcard to show what you can do and what you want to do.

Do you create illustrations specifically for your self-promotion pieces?
I would like to some day, but until now, I’ve mostly used old pieces that I think are strong and then modify them to fit the design of my postcard and who I am sending them to.

Some illustrators create a series of postcards and send them out over time. Do you create a series or stand-alone images?
I love the idea of making a series! I think there are a lot of fun ways to tell story with postcards sent out over time and that’s definitely something I want to experiment with. Right now, I mostly just use one image or a few images from the same project on the front and then one on the back. I also try to show my skills working in color as well as in black and white.

How often do you send out postcards?
Up until now, I’ve actually only made postcards to take to conventions and events.* I do mean to send postcards out quarterly, however, this next year as I get closer to graduating and looking for more substantial work.
*Great thing to do— this is how I got yours!

Who do you target with your mailings?
Children’s publishing.

How do you compile your mailing list? Any tips on keeping a list and sending out?
Google Sheets. I like being able to update my contact list from wherever I am and the google suite lets me do that from wherever I am. My current list includes Company Name, Contact Name, Contact Information : phone number as well as address, My Experience; if I have had previous contact with them I note what kind and where we left off, and my last column is Last Date Contacted.*
*So organized!

Do you have any tips on the production process?
My work is predominantly digital, so I don’t often fuss with scanning, but I do make a sketch of how I want my postcard to feel and look. Then, I bring my images into Photoshop or InDesign and design the layout there. I think fonts have a lot of personality and I’d like to include more lettering in the future, but until now, I’ve used and preferred serif fonts that bring in elegance to balance out my more sketchy images.

Do you use any online services? What are your favorite places to get postcards printed?
I have really enjoyed my experiences with CatPrint.com! They are great to work with and very high quality.

Thanks so much to Lexi for her sharing tips and postcard!

Click on the links below to see more from Lexi:

Instagram: @lexiknilson
Website: http://www.lexiknilson.com/
E-mail: lexik@lexiknilson.com

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.