Came across this article on Successfully Marketing with Greeting Cards, it’s a good read and has some good tips for using greeting cards as a more personal way of reaching out to clients. As an illustrator, greeting cards are a fantastic format to display your work, get it out there and on the desk of art directors… and are far more personal than sending an e-card.

For tricks of the trade on designing and illustrating greeting cards, check out my Greeting Card Tips page.

Further to the question of how to show glitter on greeting card mockups, here is a real example of one of my greeting cards that has a pearly foil pattern in the background, on the text, and embossed flowers. When I created this card, I had four printouts from the layers in my Adobe Illustrator file…

1) The Print Only Layer shows what will be printed in ink on the card. (Click to see full-sized images)

2) The Foil Layer shows where glitter or foil stamping will be used. Note that when you go to send the design to a printer, if there is more than one colour of foil used, you will need to make separate layers in your files for each colour.

3) The Emboss / Cup die Layer shows the outlines of what shape needs to be created with the emboss.

4) The Mockup shows where the foil and emboss layers are meant to line up with the printed image below.

If you are sending a card design to a greeting card publisher and wish to show foil, glitter, or embossing, the simplest way to do it is to show it in black printouts separately from the design itself. You can find more of my greeting card tips here.

Question: How do you show publishers glitter throughout illustrations? Answer: Typically you would show this in a separate printout simply in black. If you have design software such as InDesign, the easiest way to do this is to create a layer for the illustration and text, and a separate layer for the glitter/foil. Then you just block in the area you want glittered in black on that separate layer. Otherwise, you can simply tell the publisher in your cover letter that you want the book to have glitter throughout. You can send a small sample of it with glitter hand applied on a copy of the illustration, but I wouldn’t recommend mocking up the whole book this way… if your book gets picked up by the Publisher, then you can discuss your ideas for the rest of the book. (I’ve posted screen shots with examples of foil and emboss on a real greeting card mockup here.)
Question : Who decides the shape of the book (square, landscape, portrait etc.) - the illustrator or the publisher? Answer : The publisher usually has specific sizes they work with, but there is some flexibility there if the illustrator has their own great ideas!

Question : I plan on approaching publishers with my finished artwork… what if they want a square book when i have drawn on a rectangular page, or vice versa? will i have to redo all my illustrations? Answer : I wouldn’t recommend submitting your manuscript with all the artwork finished… a potential problem with the size is the least of your worries, as most publishers don’t like to receive the illustrations and manuscript together. In most cases either the illustrator can’t write, or the author can’t draw! Occasionally you get a person who can do both, but it’s best if you submit the two separately. If you want to send one sample of your illustration that would go with the book that would be alright. Also… Publishers have a wealth of experience, and their tips and feedback can actually improve your illustrations, so illustrating the book after the manuscript is accepted is a great way to go.

Question: Does the publisher/ author tell u what media they want u to use? Answer: Usually publishers select an illustrator based on their style… so if they hire you, they already like the media and style you use! If you have more than one style, they will tell you which they were drawn to. Often there is flexibility there if you feel your illustrations would look better in a different media, that’s open for discussion with the publisher.

Pier 1 Imports/UNICEF/Owlkids are having a Greeting Card Contest for children, where the first prize is a $5000 scholarship. Download your entry form here, or pick one up in a Canadian Pier 1 Imports location. Contest entry dates end April 15, 2010.

I just sent this email off to a fellow greeting card artist who had a few questions… thought I’d share!

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Q: Is it acceptable to just work digitally or does the original have to be done in traditional paints (or what have you) and then scanned?

A: You can illustrate with whatever medium you want, digital or traditional, whatever is your style! (See FAQ: What Medium Should I Use?)
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Q: I read your bit about resolution size for cards.  8.5 x 11′ with an inch at least of bleed over… but what about for other illustrations? Will this be specified by the client?  Also scans should be done at 300dpi correct?

A: Yes, sizes will often be specified by the client. The letterhead size recommendation illustrations is only for ease of scanning, don’t feel limited by it if you’d prefer to work to different sizes. And 300dpi is high resolution, perfect for scanning illustrations. Often I scan at 300dpi and 125% just so that I have a little flexibility with the final size. (See also FAQ : What Size Should I Illustrate Greeting Cards?)
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Q: I’m wondering how lucrative or not  the greeting card industry is? It must also be very competitive like the rest of the business.  Is it very difficult to land a gig and is that done using an agent as well?

A: Greeting card work is seasonal, so there are certainly dry periods. The industry is a bit slow at the moment. Landing gigs isn’t difficult when it’s in a busy season, simply getting your work in front of the art director’s eyes by sending samples is the best way to make contacts… no need for an agent to do this for you.

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Q: Guess it’s not necessary to watermark?

A: It’s always a safe idea to watermark any illustrations that you send via email or post online as it helps to protect from theft.

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Question : Do publishers really look at unsolicited (illustration) samples? Or do they have interns to do it?

Answer : YES, publishers and art directors really do look at unsolicited illustration samples! When I worked as Art Director for Northern Cards, I used to receive samples and sketched ideas via email, snail mail, and even fax. Was fun seeing all the new artwork and styles cross my desk! Many artists would work on spec (not at my request!) and send finished artwork samples, but we often purchased designs from artists who sent their ideas as black and white mock-ups. I would review the artwork… at a glance I’d have a good idea whether the style, caliber, and subject matter of the work would suit our product lines. Sometimes the timing of the samples would just be off (i.e. receiving Easter submissions when we’re looking for Christmas…), but we’d keep files of the artists samples to call on when it would suit.

Larger design firms may have interns sort through digital and printed samples, or even source illustrators via the internet or source books. As long as you are actively marketing your illustrations and keeping your work landing on their desk you’ve got a better chance of being remembered for a suitable project.

Question: Is it ok to send rough sketches or designs to publishers instead of finished illustrations?

Answer: Yes! Art directors don’t mind receiving roughed out ideas, be it sketches or digital mockups. Some art directors even prefer this, as if your design is picked up, they can have you illustrate the final artwork to their greeting card specifications and/or even make any minor adjustments to the design before you start on the finals. Sending roughs* is also good for you as the illustrator, in that you avoid working on spec, spending time illustrating artwork with only a chance it will be purchased. To protect your ideas when submitting to various companies, just be sure to include a © Your Name on your designs.

*When I say “roughs,” I don’t mean scribbled on the back of a dirty napkin… try to keep them neat, descriptive, easy to make out the idea you’re trying to portray.
I’ve posted more tips on sending samples to greeting card publishers here.

Question : What medium should I use to illustrate greeting cards? Is it ok to use different mediums and surfaces, such as acrylic on canvas?

Answer : There aren’t any restrictions on what media you use to illustrate your greeting card designs. Whether you illustrate with watercolour on paper or oils on canvas, what will be the deciding factor is how awesome your illustration looks. Just consider how easy it will be to digitize your illustration (whether it be by scanning or photographing) before you delve in. Other than that, the sky’s the limit!
You can find more tips on illustrating for greeting cards here.

This is one of the most common questions I get regarding greeting card illustration. Fortunately the answer is an easy one… you can illustrate for greeting cards in almost any size! Card companies tend to vary their card dimensions between card lines so as long as you keep in mind these guidelines, there is a lot of flexibility as to what size you can illustrate your greeting card designs to :

• • Whatever size the publisher tells you : keep it simple, if you’ve been given a size to work with, stick with it.
• • Allow for bleed : paint/draw extra illustration around your main design (0.5 - 1 inch) to allow for some shifting for where the bleed will be trimmed off.
• • Use portrait format : Landscape format cards don’t sell as well as A) they don’t display well on card racks, and B) they don’t tend to sit well on a table. The main times landscape illustrations are used in greeting cards are when they are used on z-fold or u-fold designs.
• • Make it easy to scan : Illustrating larger than the size needed is always preferable. However, if your original artwork is small enough to fit on a scanning bed (i.e. 8.5 x 11 inches or smaller), it will save whoever is digitizing your artwork the trouble of either photographing your work or scanning it in pieces and stitching it together in Photoshop.

Other than those points to consider, you can illustrate to any size you’d like. You can find more tips on illustrating for greeting cards here.

Debbie Ohi wrote a kind post about a few of my greeting card tips… her young site is dedicated to everything to do with greeting cards, and already has some great tips, worth keeping an eye on!