VSN Art Submission Specs
What is VSN Looking For: Stamp art, tips, techniques, convention reports, article proposals and/or requests, suggestions, complaints, kudos, questions and stamping news are all welcome. There is no financial compensation for contributions. As a small thank you, anyone whose stamp art is published in VSN will receive an unmounted "VAMP STAMP ARTIST" stamp (one per stamper.) First time authors/reporters receive an unmounted "VAMP STAMP REPORTER" stamp (one per stamper.) Second time contributors receive a small unmounted stamp of my choice. Published stamp artists and writers of full articles also receive a complimentary copy of the issue with their published work. But the best part is that your stamp art or writing will be seen by thousands of stampers! It's fun!
Submission Specs - VSN Gallery-Only Submissions:
If you prefer to submit artwork specifically for VSN's Gallery ONLY (and not for consideration for possible printing in VSN), follow the same guidelines as you find below for Stamp Art Submitted to VSN. The only difference would be that if you send an emailed file, it can be 72 dpi resolution instead of the usual 300 dpi print resolution. Please include a note that the submission is for the Gallery only.
Submission Specs - Stamp Art Submitted by MAIL:
1) Your overall card design should be your own. If it is closely based on someone else's work, say so -- give credit where it is due! By sending stamp art to VSN, you are giving permission for it to be published in VSN. You MUST let VSN know if you are sending the same artwork, report or article to another stamping publication. You retain any rights you have to your artwork, but I ask that you not allow the same artwork to be published in another stamp or craft publication (something that neither publication nor their readers like!) If you want to post the artwork online on your website or blog, it would be appreciated if you would wait at least a few weeks after the VSN issue in which it is published is out.
If you send a group of artwork, I will assume that it is all created by YOU and it will be credited that way upon publication. If you are sending a group of artwork that includes art by other artists, you MUST have their permission to send their artwork for publication. You MUST also include a cover letter in the envelope/box alerting me that not all the artwork is by you. Please do not assume that I'll pick up on a name somewhere on the piece. When dealing with a group of art, that is easy to miss. You must let me know that it is a group submission or it will not be credited correctly!
2) Include credits for all stamps used. Please tell us briefly how you created it - especially what materials you used, brand names if applicable, and any special techniques involved.
3) MAIL to: Contact Info . PRINT your full name and address on the back or attached to the project if possible (printing helps me spell your name right!) If you can't attach it, then make sure to include it with the artwork.)
4) VSN is UNABLE TO RETURN projects, so only send what you do not need back. Originals usually reproduce better in print, but if project is especially unusual or precious, sending a high resolution digital file (see below) may work. PLEASE NOTE: Sending a SASE for return of mailed projects is not a way to by-pass this policy! If you need to keep the original, send a high quality file instead!
5) When will it be run? I try to run stamp art as soon as possible, but it can run several months to a year or more after it is received - especially if it is seasonal or if it uses a technique I'll cover in a future issue or is for a particular challenge. I do not decide when a piece will be run when I open the envelope for the first time! Decisions on whether a particular piece will be run are usually made at the time the issue is finalized (not long before it is mailed.) Please Note: When challenge participation is especially high, some challenge artwork may be printed in a future issue(s).
6) Did it arrive at VSN? Include a self-addressed stamped post card if you want confirmation that project is received OR alternatively, when it will be printed. If you don't indicate which (or indicate both), I'll send it when I know the printing schedule (usually a week or two before the issue comes out).
Stamp Art Submitted by EMAILED FILE:
Important: I must have all of the information listed in step 3 below to consider your artwork for publication. I will not look at artwork or open any emailed art files until ALL of this information is received.
Note: Please don't be intimidated by the length of this section. Submitting artwork by file is not that difficult. There are simply many levels of computer skills and I have included some basics here for creating files for print that may not be familar to stampers who are more used to creating picture files for posting on the internet.
Step One - Decide What to Submit:
a) Make a decision on whether to submit your artwork or not. Please do not email me low resolution art and ask me to decide whether I want it or not before you format it in the correct resolution and send the directions. I do not make decisions on what will go into a particular issue until I have all artwork for that issue (WITH all the required information!), so I won't be able to answer your question. Just take the leap -- SEND IT!
b) Your overall card design should be your own. If it is closely based on someone else's work, say so -- give credit where it is due! It is the gracious thing to do. By sending stamp art to VSN, you are giving permission for it to be published in VSN. You MUST let VSN know if you are sending the same artwork, report or article to another stamping publication. You retain any rights you have to your artwork, but I ask that you not allow the same artwork to be published in another stamp or craft publication (something that neither publication nor their readers like!) If you want to post the artwork online on your website or blog, it would be appreciated if you would wait at least a few weeks after the VSN issue in which it is published is out.
Step Two - Create the Art File to Email:
a) If you scan your card, it must be scanned at a resolution of 300 dpi or better. Scanning is usually the best way to create a picture of a flat rectangular object like a card. Use the HELP found in your scanning software to learn how to set your scanner to scan at 300 dpi resolution. Please don't just hope your scanner is magically scanning at the right resolution for your purpose. Find out BEFORE you go to all the trouble of sending the file! I have found that when someone says "I don't know what the resolution/dpi is on this file", that nine times out of ten, it is way too low because their scanner is set for low resolution.
Please do not take a file scanned at lower resolution (like 72 or 96 dpi) and try to use photo editing software to increase the resolution on the fly. This does not work effectively. You must scan the card at 300 dpi to begin with so that the file includes the full information about the card and doesn't look pixelated or blurry when it is printed.
Resolution/DPI for Beginners: If you don't know what dpi stands for, this paragraph is for you. "DPI" stands for "dots per inch". Computers use tiny dots of color to build a picture. Imagine a piece of graph paper where every square represents a computer dot (or "pixel"). If you were to color in those dots with one color per square, you could create a primitive picture. This is roughly what a computer file does. A picture that has 72 or 96 dots per inch (dpi) has much less detail than a picture that has 300 dots per inch (dpi) of information. A 72 or 96 dpi picture looks fine on a computer screen, but looks terrible printed -- Try it! The low resolution picture will look jagged when printed, like it was built of little blocks. The high resolution picture looks smooth when printed -- like a photograph!
b) If you take a digitial picture of artwork instead of scanning it, the resolution still needs to be 300 dpi UNLESS you send me the original unedited file from your camera. If your artwork is three dimensional, sometimes scanning just won't work, so you need to used a digital camera instead. (Note: If you don't know what "dpi" stands for, please see "Resolution/DPI for Beginners" above .)
Digital cameras often take pictures at 72 dpi BUT if you look at those picture files in software like PhotoShop or PhotoShop Elements, you will probably find that the dimensions (height and width) are huge (probably around 18" x 20"). If you were to print that, you would have a huge low resolution picture - yeck! BUT! If you use PhotoShop or similar software to resize the image from 72 to 300 dpi with "Resample Image" unchecked (off) , the dimensions will shrink and the resolution improves, giving you a picture that will print nicely and will probably be something like 4.5" x 5".) If you can't figure out how to do this or don't have software that will do it, send me the original un-resized digital camera file and I should probably be able to take care of it.
c) I prefer the tif file format to keep the quality high. Check your scanning or photo editing software's help documentation to learn how to save a file as a tif file. If you absolutely can't figure out how to create a tif file, I will accept a jpg file as long as the resolution is high and it prints ok (but see the next section with cautions on this.)
d) Whether you scan or photograph your artwork, make sure that it looks its best. In most cases, scanning a card creates a better picture for print than taking a photo. But you may find that some projects, particularly non-flat artwork, may need to be photographed. If you must photograph a project, do it in good light and use a neutral, plain background - nothing busy. Try to photograph the project head on and not at an artistic angle. Photographing rectangular objects like cards can be really tricky because if you take the picture from even the slightest angle, you may find that the card edges don't look parallel in the picture. Try to either lay the card flat and take the picture from above or attach the card to a vertical surface and take the picture using a tripod if possible. Try to center the card in the viewfinder, leaving some margin around the edges.
If you scan your artwork, clean your scanner bed and lid before scanning to avoid unsightly debris that can mar the scan of your beautiful work! Aligning the artwork as straight as possible in the scanner can be helpful in making sure the entire piece is included in the scan (but don't worry if it scans a little crooked, because I can fix that at my end.)
Whether you scan your card or use a digital camera, PLEASE make sure that the whole card fits into the picture. Check to see that your picture doesn't cut off the sides or corners of the card. Also check the finished scan or photo to make sure that there are not shadows across the card or glare that obscures the card details. Check that the color looks accurate. Color can vary as a file moves from one computer to the next, so color shifting is a potential drawback to sending a file rather than the original artwork, but at least make sure the scan looks right on your computer to begin with!
Step Three - Attach the File to an Email:
a) Each art file should be sent as an attachment to an email -- not embedded into the email itself. (VSN's email address is found on the Contact Info page.) IMPORTANT: Please send each art file attached to a separate email that has the information below in it. Double-check that the description for EACH file matches the art file attached to that particular email. I've been getting an increasing number of mismatched files and descriptions and it causes a lot of confusion.
b) The email to which your card file(s) is attached must include:
a) Your name and mailing address.
b) Must identify the contents of the attached file(s).
c) You must include the actual measurements of the original artwork (height, width and depth if appropriate) and let me know if you reduced the art's height/width (and by how much) to send it via electronic file.
d) Include credits for all stamps used and a supply list.
e) Please tell me how you created your art - especially what materials you used, brand names if applicable, and any special techniques involved. Please avoid using abbreviations even if you think they are commonly understood by stampers. (For example, use "embossing powder", not "ep" and "cardstock" and not "cs", etc.)
c) If you have trouble emailing a large file - there are several strategies for dealing with large files:
1) Try attaching only one file to each email you send.
2) Try using computer software like Zip utilities or StuffIt to compress the files to make them smaller for print. I like the Stuffit software myself. It is inexpensive and I have used it for years without problem. It makes your file size smaller and yet it is still easy for the person on the other end to expand it back to regular size whether or not they have the same software.
3) You could also reduce the physical dimensions of the card to make the file smaller. I usually print cards at 70% of the original physical card dimensions. You can reduce the height and width to 70% of the original size -- just make sure the resolution remains at 300 dpi! (Example: If your original card is 4" x 6", you could use digital photo editing software like PhotoShop or PhotoShop Elements to reduce it as low as 2.8" x4.2" (70%). Just BE SURE to let me know if you do this, so I won't reduce it another 70% on top of this!)
4)Another option is to save your file as a jpg file instead of a tif file. I will accept jpg files but tif really is a better format for print. Because jpg files are compressed each time they are saved, the file size can be smaller, BUT information is lost with each jpg save, so the quality is reduced every time you save it. Also, some computer software programs may automatically reduce the resolution if you choose to save as a jpg file (probably because it is assuming that you picked this format for web display and not print.) If you choose to submit a jpg, be sure to check that the resolution stays high and save it only once!
5) Finally, if none of this works and you still can't seem to get your file(s) emailed, save it to a PC-formatted CD. (My computer cannot read MAC-formatted disks.) Mail the CD to me in a CD mailer, making sure that you include all the information indicated in this section, PLUS your email address in case I have questions. Make sure you include a note with the CD so I know who it is from and what it is. Keep in mind that if there is a problem with the file(s), you would need to send the corrected file via another mailed CD.
Step Four - What Happens Next?
a) I will send an email reply after I have actually opened the attached file and checked the resolution, etc. Please note that I rarely have time to open a file the day it is received. If you don't hear back from me in about a week, you are welcome to email me to make sure I got it. (Allow extra time around holidays.) Please don't re-send the file unless you've heard back from me that I either never got it the first time or need it sent again for some other reason. If I see a problem with a file, I'll let you know when I reply.
b) When will it be run? I try to run stamp art as soon as possible, but it can run several months to a year or more after it is received - especially if it is seasonal or if it uses a technique I'll cover in a future issue or is for a particular challenge. I do not decide when a piece will be run when I open the email or the attached file for the first time! Decisions on whether a particular piece will be run are usually made at the time the issue is finalized (not long before it is mailed.) Please Note: When challenge participation is especially high, some challenge artwork may be printed in a future issue(s).