Self-Promotional Postcards - 'Inspirational Architecture'

I really enjoyed the last task for this unit, to create a self-promotional piece. I decided to create a set of postcards because I enjoy working on a smaller scale and I also think there is a lovely quality to receiving a postcard in the post because they are less and less common nowadays. More people use social media sites to share what they are up to so postcards aren't sent as often anymore. People like to receive handmade art and a postcard is a good size because it isn't too big and it isn't too small.

I have a keen interest in buildings and architecture as well as travelling so I decided to combine these themes to create a collection of 5 different postcards. Each postcard depicts a different building that I have personally visited and been inspired by. The postcards all have a visual connection, not just because of use of the same medium and card printed onto but because each of the buildings/monuments have dome shaped structures. The 'wildcard' of the set is the dog monument in the centre, I like to draw animals and I thought it would be exciting to have a different subject matter combined to give the postcards a fresher, more modernised feel.

The buildings and monuments depicted are Loop Head Lighthouse in West Clare (Ireland), Greyfriars Bobby in Edinburgh (Scotland), St Paul's Cathedral in London (England), Brighton Pavillion (England) and the Maitland Monument in Corfu Town (Greek Island). 

I created each drawing using a marker pen and purely line before scanning them and editing the format of each postcard using InDesign. I then had them printed onto pale grey card at the digital print bureau. The finishing touch was adding the colour by hand using pens/coloured pencils to each building and the flags on the back of each postcard.

I am pleased with how they have turned out. They are recogniseable places but aren't too realistic and precise because I wanted to keep a sense of mystery as well as use my natural style. I added little facts on the back about the date the building was completed and the name of the architecture to show credit and respect for each building. 

The postcards aren't of a standard postcard size, they are slightly smaller because I had a few issues when scanning the original drawings in and using InDesign but I don't think this matters too much because the print quality is of a fairly high standard and the composition of each postcard is balanced and interesting. To conclude, this was a very enjoyable project and I hope to create more postcards of the same theme in the future particularly when I go to study abroad in Poland next term.