Process of Making Pins {Process Post}

Hello! I always get messages about this so it's time to make a guide on how I design my enamel pins for the month. 

Some Disclaimers: There are many ways to make pins on different programs as long as you can vector an image. This is just the way that works for me because I like a bit of freehand.

Sketching Phase

I start with a concept in my mind. For this month it is rain bunny and I already have an older design to reference off from. For about a day, I will  do meaningless scribbles to get the mood for the pin. Usually the sketch pages will look more varied but because the theme is set, this page looks consistent this month.

Pin Sketching

After feeling like I got the thought down, I go to Paint Tool Sai and start sketching the pin idea similar to how I do my normal drawing. I made several sketches, each one getting more refined until the final design is clear.

Cleaning Up The Pins

Then I give the designs a line art and paint bucker the colors down. (this design is pretty set but there might be variables on other months). The biggest decision maker for the month is to choose between screen printing color eyes or leaving it as the usual eye style. 

Vectoring the Pins

I copy and paste the line art into Adobe Illustrator and trace it with a vector tool. Then I add a thicker stroke and scale the pin down to a printable size.

Coloring the Pins

The colors you use in drawing the pins are different that the colors used for printing. I have to pick Pantone Colors (printing colors) for the designs. I try different combinations to see which colors will work better. Around this time, I decide not to go with screen printing eyes. While the effect looks really good, there is a high chance of the picture "shifting" during screen printing so the location of the eyes will change. It's too risky. Maybe another time.

Finished Pins

I will make a list of the colors used and then send it off to the printer. This month's pics are done! Off to make the merch.

Making Stickers 

I draw the stickers similar to how I do my normal illustration. First is sketch, then lineart and color. Next, I will move them to Illustrator where text and a stroke line is added for cutting purposes. April rewards are done and send to the printers!