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THE HOW AND WHY OF POSTCARDS TO MYSELF

THE HOW

• Rule #1 - don’t start out to make a postcard. Instead . . .start with an 11x14”
(or larger) substrate that can be cut into sections, such as watercolor paper
or archival mat board.
• Gather your materials and play with something you’ve wanted to try or
something you already love to do – painting, collage, encaustic.
• Be as random as you like but trust yourself to work all over the surface and
choose your steps quickly and without overthinking.
• Take notes on what you feel is working well, or what doesn’t work.
• You can stop any time and use your mat window to see how certain areas
look, or you can just keep going until your intuition tells you to stop.
• Take your mat window and move it over the surface of the work, stopping
when you see a particularly wonderful 5x7” section.
• Ask yourself why you like that one area.
• Say, “Hey, I did that.”
• Think how you could expand that technique.
• Take more notes.
• Find another area that you like just as well.
• Outline those small masterpieces as 5x7” works, cut them out, and attach
your notes for each one on their backs.

THE WHY
• These “postcards” become a practical journal of your creative journey.
• They are tangible evidence of your style.
• They teach you to critique your work objectively.
• They are unique works of art in themselves.
• They encourage, inform, and inspire your art practice.

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