Hello everyone! Grab a cup of hot tea, or a glass of iced tea and join me into today's project breakdown! 🍵🍹
After the previous sticker sheet I made, I wanted to put the fluffy little cat, Lord Herrington, on another sticker sheet. And that is how this one is born.
Surrounded with potions, crystals, leafs and roses, Lord Herrington now has his own place. I'm still thinking on making an ONLY Lord Herrington themed sheet. I'll have to think about it.
For this sheet I decided to make it in a larger size than the previous one. I halved a B4 watercolor paper to get the size I would be comfortable painting on, and before painting, I did some tests and sketches about the stickers I wanted to incorporate.
I drew some crystals, because it's usually associated with witchy stuff and I also loved drawing an painting crystals years ago. I sadly kinda forgot, how I drew and painted them back then, so I looked up some images for reference. I just simply didn't wanted it to be a flop for me and hate it in the end. Although I still managed to mess up during the process, then save the crystals in the end.
I went into painting it twice in total. First I hated how the paint feathered on the paper also how the paper itself wrinkled up by the amount of water. So I treated the next paper as I should have done it with the first time. It helped, but some of my paints still feathered a lot, which was annoying and disheartening, when I painted in so nicely, then in few seconds the paint just ran out of the lines. Later I had similar problems when I painted the lineart. The only paints I had this problem was the Ecoline liquid watercolors. I believe the paper I used, which was a Canson Heritage cold press watercolor paper, and the liquid watercolors are not compatible with each other. Also with my previous work there was no problem like this. For that I used a Canson Montval watercolor paper. Both of them are 300gsm, but they have a different surface. I'm pretty sure because the Heritage paper is a more professional one and it was designed for heavy water applying. With that now I learned, that I have to use that paper for specific projects and with the right tools.
After putting up the base colors, came the time for the shades and secondary colors and then the line art, which was really fun. This is when everything got it's character and charm. I really loved painting the crystals and especially the roses!
When I detailed everything I went on putting in some additional details and finishing touches. This is when the whites and sparkles were put in. I also busted out my colored pencils too, to bring in some sharper edges and extra textures. I also corrected the feathered out parts, where the watercolor decided they take up more space then they were originally given.
Now it's pretty, and sparkly. The only thing left is to make them into stickers!
I went on and scanned them, made some corrections in Affinity Photo (a cheaper, but just as powerful alternative to Photoshop) so it looked like the original as much as possible. After editing I went in Clip Studio Paint and started to edit the sticker sheet. When I was satisfied with the sheet I printed them on an adhesive paper, so later I can cut them out. I personally love sticker sheets. That is why I decided to cut the sheets like that by hand too. Just like with the previous one I just grabbed my box cutter/precision knife and went into carving out the stickers as a Shilouette machine would do.
It was a lot of work, but I'm happy with the end result. Unfortunately one of the sheets were not cut through properly, so the stickers can't be peeled off, which is a shame and I'm not sure if the other two has the same problems or not, because I already put them in the envelopes I want to send to my sisters later. I just hope they were cut through.
For now I know, that I will have to edit the sticker sheet, because it's a bit too small and the stickers at some places are too close to each other, and that I'll have to be more precise, when I'm cutting the stickers.
Here's how my first sticker sheet attempts turned out. 🙂
Since than I went out and made some prints of it, so I now have a whole bunch of it in pretty, vibrant colours. I also removed some leaves, because at the end I didn't like them.
And that's it for now. I'm happy you joined me. I hope you drank as much tea as you could during this little read. See you next time, whichever it shall be. It's going to be a surprise, what kind of post I'll come up with by than. I have some already started projects, and a lot of waiting ones, so I'll have some tea time readings for you.
Bye~ 🍹
- Jun 10, 2023
Updated: Jun 17, 2023
May was not so nice to me.
Hello everyone.
I don’t know about everyone else, but my month of May was not the greatest.
First and foremost, at the end of April, I managed to sprain my ankle, which resulted in me getting bed ridden for the majority of May (except when I had to go to work, which was my fault for not getting a proper sick leave for that). Than when I was almost healed from this injury, I’ve got sick, which resulted me being stuck indoors yet again, just as the weather got better and better. So… Yeah… But I’m getting much better now, and this time I took the sick leave I needed. 🙂
Project vise I’m working on a comic, which I’m not going to share, just yet. I’m actually working on the thumbnails and the sketch at the same time, so as I’m done with the thumbnail I draw it in bigger, so I can see how it will work. I actually want to print it just for me, so I can flip the pages. 😀 I’m just so excited, and I want to share it, but at the same time I want to keep it in the dark for you, so you can all enjoy it, when it’s out. 😊 Please be patient with me, I’m working on it, as well as on the first pictures you’ll see before publishing. 😀
Other than that I’m also having a blast making myself my own planner. Oh! That reminds me, I’ve got a new cover for my planner as a late birthday present from my mother and fiancée. The only problem with it, is the size. It’s sadly smaller, than the ones I’m currently using. But I’m optimistic about it, also I thought about trying out a B6 size planner before, to see how it would work for me. I might buy a B6 Midori notebook, so I can see how it could work for me.
In terms of the future, I can’t say when I’m going to be able to publish something “good”. It’s an “as soon as possible” type of thing right now. Or rather “when it’s done”.
Although, I’m thinking about trying something out here, that I’m already doing in a game I’m really into right now. It’s the Graveyard Keeper, and I’m having an absolute blast with that game, because of the system I established.
So about that system. It’s mainly about setting goals and aggressively working towards only those and the corresponding tasks they would help said goals.
Well than let’s talk about my goals.
My first goal would be, to finish and publish the first chapter of the comic I’m working on.
I have to do the sketch for it
And before that, I have to finish the thumbnails
I’ll have to draw and colour the whole thing (which is going to be a beast in itself)
Before that, I should draw character sheets
As well as an overview drawing of the scene’s setting with colours and details about it
To be able to publish it:
I’ll have to do a cover picture
All the images and thumbnails needed for the ads and uploads
I’ll have to list these for myself
And when everything is good and together, I’ll just have to publish it, which I’ll probably schedule in advance, so I won’t loose my sanity and have enough time to work on the next chapter. ;)
Well. This one is a beast.
My other goal - as I think the previous one is a fairly big one in itself - would be a personal one, which is, making study cards for my Norwegian studies.
\ I’ll just have to get paper for it
- update 06/17: bought 3 packets of cards, but I'll have to buy much more
\ write the cards
- update 06/17: wrote out like 300 words already and there's more I want to write, just have to get more cards
Make a box for them
For that, I’ll have to get cardboard
And a pattern to work from
Yeah. This is much simpler. I already have a list of basic words and sentences I’d like to put on the cards, so I don’t have to think about that part. I just have to make them. 🙂
Also maybe I’ll give myself a 3rd goal, as a “for others” type of goal, which would be: making gifts for my parents for late Mother’s Day, and for the upcoming Father’s Day. (I see them rarely these years, so I want to give them something. After that I can worry about my sisters’ birthdays and Christmas. XD)
For that:
I’ll have to make design sketches
Maybe some colour tests
Buy the materials
Make and wrap the gifts
A fairly small, but still fairly complicated project as well.
So yeah. I think that’s it. I believe I’ll check on this whenever I can and maybe update it. Maybe a strike through will indicate that I’ve done a part and I’ll happily write updates towards it as well. 🙂 I already have a vague idea how I’ll do it. You’ll see it certainly.
Until then, have a good one and we shall meet here again. ❤
- Jun 9, 2023
My fiancee asked me to make his frpg character's portrait and I happily did it. The only problem is, that I put the "cloak" on the wrong shoulder and I was already done with the picture, when he told me. :') With some editing now it's on the correct side. :D Still, the original has it on the right shoulder.
