$5 Promo!

Hey there blog readers,

I have an amazingly fun project to share with you.

Last fall when I went out to California for Lost Weekend with the other KidLit Artists, our mentor David Diaz, gave us a wee homework assignment. Create a limited run promotional piece--beyond a simple postcard--for $5 or less. The piece should showcase your work in a unique way and get art directors and editors interested.

I thought for a while. I wanted to make something fun, but I was worried that my ideas didn't really showcase my portfolio. Finally, I gave up trying to showcase my entire body of work and decided to create something that would highlight a few of the things that I'm good at-- like lively characters, lots of fun details, and even a short narrative--and would later entice folks to check out more of my work on my website.

Speaking of website, I'm also in the process of planning a major website overhaul. Let's be honest... it's long overdue. Sooo, I decided to tie my promo into rebuilding the website. When I first started planning this website overhaul, I wanted to create a new character... a sort of avatar, if you will. Leafing back through an old sketchbook, I found this:

The penguins became puffins, and I began to figure out who this little girl was.

When it came time to settle on a format for the promo, I finally decided on a "paper-doll" magnet with a limited edition mini-sketchbook. I started by creating a wardrobe for my little pilot--let's call her Rosie.

I printed Rosie, her little puffin buddy, and her wardrobe out on paper, pasted it onto adhesive magnetic sheets, and then cut them out with a scissor and an x-acto knife.

I'm also a sucker for tiny, miniature things, and I wanted Rosie to come in a neat little package. The prototype for the promo is actually an old Altoid tin that I painted, but I found a supplier online that sells tiny white metal tins for less than a dollar a piece. Later I'll paint and decorate the boxes with enamel.

When you open the tin, the little girl and her puffin friend sit neatly on the left side, and on the right is the Limited Edition Sketchbook.

After removing the sketchbook, you see all of her little magnetic clothing.

And then the fun begins...

Seriously, I could do this for hours...

Her dress even has tiny little airplanes on it. (I want one!)

The Limited Edition Sketchbook has all of the prep sketches that I did for the website and Rosie's cardboard box airplane.

Ta da! Such a fun project.

I'll be printing a small, limited edition run of 100 to be sent out when I relaunch my website, this Spring.

(If you want to see more of the projects, check out our tumblr page: http://5dollarpromo.tumblr.com/)