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 mediums 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!

I had the pleasure of illustrating this birthday card for Hazy Jean a few weeks back, and it’s now available in shops & through Hazy’s online catalogue. Illustration was done in acrylic on illustration board. (And Hazy did an awesome job on the type, I could just eat it!)

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! I illustrated this card last July for Hazy Jean’s 2008 Valentine’s line. I always like illustrating whimsical fairy tale castles… could have something to do with my last name, who knows. I used mainly watercolour with a smidge of coloured pencil, then added the linework in Illustrator afterwards to tie in with the font Hazy had chosen.

Another blogging year is coming to an end and I just wanted to say a big thanks for continuing to visit my blog! I really enjoy what I do, and loved the interaction I’ve had with many of you since starting the blog… all your comments, questions and suggestions have been much appreciated! Have a great New Year and keep in touch!

(Kitten greeting card illustration by Heather Castles © Hazy Jean)

Illustration by Heather Castles (MacKay) © Unknown

Santa Christmas greeting card illustration & design
End Client: Image Craft Inc.
End Product : Greeting Card
Media Used To Create: Colored Pencil, Pastel, Pencil, Watercolor
Copyright Owner: Unknown

Description of the process :
Originally I illustrated this graphic for a Christmas Card Fundraiser I coordinated for my college Grad Show in 2002. Happily it was the most popular design, raising 30% of the profits out of 22 other designs! Since then I sold Santa to my amiable first employer out of college,– Image Craft – where it continues to be sold at Christmas at shops across North America.

Note : Image Craft, Inc. (Ontario, Canada) closed June 2006 with the bankruptsy of its parent company, Paramount Greetings (USA).  The rights to the artwork I created for Image Craft has been transfered to their new owners… Hallmark. So if you happen to see this design on a new Hallmark Card…give me a buzz :) Thank goodness I’ve kept all the original artwork!