Greetings from Texas

So your parents let you give some input on where you would like to go for vacation this year! You did your research on popular landmarks and places of interest in the great state of Texas and made your big choice. Now that you’re on the road, it’s time to send a postcard.

If you’ve never heard of a postcard, a postcard is a card used to send a message by mail, without an envelope, typically having a photograph or other illustration on one side. Some people like postcards so much, they study and collect them, this is called deltiology. In the United States, people began sending postcards in the mid 1800s. They soon became a way of sharing things people saw along their travels.

One famous postcard artist was Rachel Robinson Elmer 1878-1919). She was an American artist from Vermont, who gained notability as a painter of postcards of New York City, which "changed the world of American postcards". Rachel Elmer loved New York City and made several postcards to showcase her favorite city, to see more of her work, check out this video.

For this art project, you are going to create a postcard to showcase one of your favorite places that you saw on your imaginary trip across Texas. Think about what you have learned in your research on the regions of Texas and choose a landmark or a landform that you would like to share with someone with a postcard. If you need some additional inspiration, check out this video on the regions of Texas.

Steps:

Watch the instructional video on creating your postcard.
Measure a 5 x 7 rectangle on a piece of paper. If you have a heavy piece of paper or cardstock, that would be best. If not, a regular piece of paper will work.
Decide what image you want to put on the front of the postcard. If you need ideas, take another look at the regions of Texas video.
Design your postcard using the Elements of Art and the Principles of Design. For this project, consider focusing on the elements of form and space and the principle of unity. There is more information on these design concepts in the instructional video.
Be sure to design the back of the card as well. Divide it in half, one side would be for writing the message, the other side would be for the address. See the example here.
When you are finished, show your completed post card to a friend or a family member. Point out the important design elements you used and the rationale behind your choices. Seek input from your audience, ask them whether or not they would want to visit the place based on what they see on your postcard, and ask for detailed feedback.
Last, complete your Artist’s Statement. You can use this form, you can write about your work on your own or you can just tell someone. Be sure to discuss the process of your artwork, how you created it, explain the artistic choices you made, share one thing you love about your piece and one thing you would change if you could.

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