As I write, thousands of copies of the August issue of The Pastel Journal are quietly making their way across the country--and around the globe--to our subscribers. What a strange and wonderful thing it is indeed to think of them out there in the world after we've spent all these months urging them into existence. Of course, we had your help on this issue: You chose our cover. Thousands of respondants voiced their opinions in our cover survey and chose the June L. Maxwell still life The Blue Chinese Vase for this position of honor. Now you'll have the chance to read all about how Maxwell achieves her precise still lifes in the magazine.

You'll also have the chance to read about Stephanie Birdsall, an artist I had the pleasure of interviewing for the feature I wrote on her work. (See her painting Argentine Church (12x12) at left.) She's a remarkable painter and a remarkable spirit. As often happens, a good deal of our conversation wound up on the cutting room floor. (Though you'd like to, you simply can't fit everything.) A bit that I had a good deal of trouble letting go, given the approach of the travel season, had to do with the equipment Birdsall takes with her on her many painting trips. As she says in the feature, "My life is run by either painting or going to see a painting." Here's what she takes with her when she goes:

What I’ve got it down to is a good tripod, a Heilman box, and Heilman makes an easel attachment that goes right into the box and will fold up and fit into my tripod case. I usually take a bent card to place in the easel shelf so that pastel dust doesn’t fall into my box. And then the only thing that I have to think about when I’m traveling, is what I’m going to put my paintings into. If I’m traveling a lot, I take pieces of glassine with me so I can stack them or tape them to the board on top of each other with the glassine between. All I need is a roll of tape and some glassine to match the size of my paintings. One of the great things about pastels to me is they’re so easy to transport. If you have a piece of glassine for every piece of paper or between, then you can go anywhere with them. Aside from that, I carry Gloves In A Bottle with me because I don’t work with gloves and I think that some sort of barrier like that is really important.

Read about Birdsall's many painting homes in the August issue of the magazine.

At the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS) convention earlier this month, I was part of a two-person panel “How To See Yourself in Print.” Assuming those in attendance wanted to get published on the merit of their artwork (not for reasons that might land them a page in The National Enquirer), I discussed submission procedures for The Pastel Journal and offered some insight into the selection process. I talked with a number of enthusiastic artists that afternoon, and I thought this might be a good venue to recap the six tips I shared there.

Of course the selection process all starts with good art--pastel painting that demonstrates skilled handling of the medium, dynamic composition, artistic expression, etc. That being said, if an artist submits work that I have to turn down, I think it’s important for all to know that it isn’t always a matter of quality. The first thing to understand is that the magazine is published only six times a year. Each issue features approximately six artists (not counting columns and departments), and-- since the April issue is entirely devoted to the winners of The Pastel 100 competition--that means we’re planning and publishing about 30 artist features in a year. Considering that there were at least 600 attendees at IAPS, that we receive close to 4,000 entries into our pastel competition every year, and that we have many more magazine subscribers, you get an idea of the number of active pastel artists there are. But rather than be discouraged by the odds, read on, because I hope these tips will increase the chances that your submission is one that gets in print!

Tip #1--Put Your Art In Front of Us
For many artists, probably the number one reason their work hasn’t appeared in the magazine is that they've never submitted their work for consideration. Yes, we scour the globe to find pastel artists doing extraordinary work, but I wouldn’t sit back waiting for us to find you. If you send us a submission package on your own, your chances of at least being considered for publication are 100%. So, even though the odds for publication may not be high, they’re much higher for those who send work than for those who don’t! To learn how and where to send your submission and to whom, check out our submission guidelines.

Tip #2—Tell Us the Story
Along with examples of your art, your submission package should include a letter of introduction. Tell me your bio (how long you’ve been painting, your art education, do you have a Web site, etc.) and then explain in brief what you think the article would be about. For example, we see a lot of landscape art. If your work is primarily landscape, how would your story be unique or inspiring to readers? Is it a special focus on buildings in the landscape or snow in the landscape? Do you have a unique approach to finding a scene? Do you have to go rock-climbing to get to your plein air location?!

Tip #3--Submit Article Ideas for our Columns
For most articles, one of The Pastel Journal editors (or one of our contributing writers) interviews the selected artist and writes the feature. But we also publish columns and features that are written by artists and offer how-to instruction or professional business tips. If you’re a decent writer--maybe practiced at providing instruction because you teach--you’re in an ideal position to propose such an article. To query us, send us a letter that outlines your idea, and--if appropriate to the topic--include examples of your artwork. Also, let us know what other kinds of art/illustration you imagine providing: a step-by-step demo, a chart, a preliminary study, etc.

Tip #4--Pay Attention to What is in the Magazine
It helps to have an awareness of the kinds of things we publish. Sometimes we get pitches for articles that might find a place in other magazines, but definitely not ours. We always appreciate proposals that demonstrate an understanding of our editorial needs and practices. Also, it’s good to know what we’ve recently published so you can avoid a repetitive idea.

Tip #--Create a Web Site
Think of your Web site as your online portfolio, allowing not only potential clients but also editors the opportunity to browse your work. I mentioned that I scour the globe to find great artists. Well, one place I’m definitely scouring is the Web. For example, let’s say that I admire an award-winning painting in an exhibition catalog or press release, but I’m otherwise unfamiliar with the artist, I’m unlikely to plan a feature on that artist based on a single painting. But, if I can go to the Internet and find a Web site that shows more of his or her work, that may be all that’s necessary to initiate an article.

Tip #6--Enter the Pastel 100
Winning an honorable mention in the Pastel 100 competition may not win an artist any prize money, but it does get your winning artwork published in the magazine, and it brings your name and your work under the eyes of our editors. We very often go back to honorable mention winners for features in the magazine later on, so consider entering the competition.

A final note about our review process: When we receive a submission, we send a postcard to let you know that we received it, but—because we have a query review only about every other month--you can generally expect a good wait to find out whether we plan to pursue an article. Also, although the best etiquette is to query one publication at a time, if you do send out multiple submissions during this time, just be sure to let each editor know that you have done so. And certainly, if you land an article with another publisher, you have an obligation to inform any other editors who’re considering your work of that development.

If you have always wanted to see if you could get your art featured in the magazine but just needed a bit of a push, consider yourself nudged.