My husband is a hand-drawn illustrator (ex-Disney!) so I’m excited to share how artists and illustrators can turn drawings into stickers!
First of all, why is this exciting? Well, illustrators have a wonderfully unique opportunity to turn pictures into stickers such as their hand-drawn drawings – stickers that really stand out from the crowd.
It can be a fun and profitable way to share your art with the world in a new way or even to a new audience.
I’m going to share the process of turning hand-drawn drawings into stickers, the mistakes you really must avoid, some myths I want to bust and the benefits of turning your drawings into stickers. There are many benefits to make stickers from pictures you have drawn!
How To Turn Drawings Into Stickers
The overview of turning hand-drawn drawings into stickers to make your own stickers involves a few steps – here goes:
Step 1: Create your Drawing
The first step to make pictures into stickers is to create your drawing. These sticker drawing ideas can include using traditional art supplies like pencils, pens, or markers, or drawing digitally using a tablet and software such as Procreate or Illustrator.
Step 2: Scan or Photograph Your Drawing
Once you have finished your drawing and chosen the one you want to turn into stickers, the next step is to scan or photograph it. This will allow you to work with your drawing digitally and make any necessary edits before you turn picture into sticker.
If you are scanning your drawing, it’s important to ensure that the scanner is set to a high resolution. We want to ensure that the final sticker looks crisp and clear – and that the effects and beauty of the drawing are in tact.
You could even make stickers from photos you already have or a fun art deco sticker!
Step 3: Edit Your Drawing
After you have scanned or photographed your drawing, the next step is to make any necessary edits. This may involve adjusting the contrast, brightness, or color balance of the image, especially if scanning the drawing changed these a little.
If you are working with digital art, you may also want to clean up any lines or marks that you don’t want to appear in the final sticker. Now you’re done turning pictures into stickers.
Step 4: Prepare Your Design for Printing
When you’re happy with your drawing after editing, it’s time to turn it into a sticker that can be printed on sticker paper – the fun is about to start!
This step involves making sure that the design is the correct size and format for the printing process and then choosing sticker-making software.
I love to create stickers in Silhouette Studio and Cricut Design Space. There are wonderful free versions of both.
If you’re not planning to print and cut your own stickers and would prefer to work with a printing company, they will likely have specific requirements for the file format, resolution, and color space. Make sure to follow these guidelines to ensure that your stickers turn out the way you want them to.
Access my free Sticker-Making Resources Kit:
Step 5: Print Your Stickers
It’s not time to print your hand-drawn drawing onto sticker paper! I share my fave sticker-making, printing and cutting resources in this Free Sticker-Making Resources Kit.
If you are printing your stickers at home, rather than somewhere like Redbubble, you may want to invest in a high-quality printer and sticker paper. Make sure to test your printer and paper before printing a large batch of stickers to ensure that they turn out the way you want them to.
Step 6: Cutting Your Stickers
If you’re cutting your own stickers, I highly recommend choosing a Silhouette or Cricut cutting machine. Models like the Silhouette Portrait, Silhouette Cameo, Cricut Maker or Cricut Explore Air are ideal.
I have many courses and eBooks on how to design, print and cut stickers and you can check them out here.
Mistakes to Avoid When Turning Drawings into Stickers
While turning your hand-drawn drawings into stickers can be super fun, here are some common mistakes that I want you to avoid along the way:
1. Using Low-Quality Images
If you’re using low-quality images, your stickers can end up looking pixelated or blurry, which can be unappealing for others and disappointing for you.
To avoid this, make sure to use high-resolution images that are at least 300 DPI (dots per inch). This will ensure that your stickers look crisp and clear.
2. Poor Color Calibration
The colors in your drawings can look very different on paper to on a computer screen to how they do in print. It’s important to make sure that your colors look the way you want them to before printing a large batch of stickers. So check on screen after scanning your drawings and make any color adjustment or edits prior to printing.
3. Overcomplicating Your Design
Ok, this is something my husband and I are always discussing! When you’re designing your stickers, it can be tempting for illustrators to include lots of intricate details in the designs. However, this can sometimes lead to a cluttered and confusing sticker – especially when you’re scaling it down to a small size.
I suggest keeping your designs simple where possible so that your stickers look great after printing and not too busy or “muddy”.
4. Not Testing Your Design Before Printing a Large Batch
We’ve all made this mistake! Before printing a large batch of stickers, first test your design to ensure that it looks the way you want it to. This can involve printing a few samples to get a sense of how the final product will look.
I also recommend testing a few different kinds of sticker paper until you find one that you really love.
Let’s Bust Some Myths About Turning Drawings into Stickers!
I know plenty of artists who shared some myths about turning their illustrations and drawings into stickers. Once we debunked them, they were thrilled to know they could get started!
Myth #1: It’s Too Expensive to Create Stickers
If you’re hiring a printing company to turn art into stickers, creating stickers can be costly. Although, there are several ways to keep costs down such as printing a smaller batch of stickers or working with a printing company that offers competitive pricing.
But my favorite way to overcome this is to print and cut your own stickers at home! I teach this in my course, The Sticker Shop Plan here.
Myth #2: You Need to Be a Professional Artist to Create Stickers
Nope! Anyone can create stickers, regardless of their skill level – trust me, my 5000+ sticker-making students come from all levels of experience ad capabilities. All you need is a basic understanding of design principles and access to the design software I recommend and teach (it’s free!).
Myth #3: Stickers Are Only for Kids
Oh noooooo they’re not! While stickers are often associated with children, they can be enjoyed by people of all ages. In fact, many adults collect stickers as a hobby or use them to decorate their planners, laptops, water bottles, and other personal items.
I’m part of a huge community of thousands and thousands of sticker-using fans all around the world!
Myth #4: Stickers Are Not a Legitimate Art Form
I wondered about this one myself until my artist friends put me right!
While some people may view stickers as a lesser art form compared to traditional painting or sculpture, they can be just as powerful and expressive as any other medium.
And many artists are thrilled to find a new and fun way to showcase their work, reach new audiences and make money selling stickers.
Myth #5: Stickers Are a Fad
If you wonder if stickers are just a passing trend, the reality is that stickers have been popular for decades and show no signs of losing their appeal! In fact, the global sticker market is expected to reach $13.7 billion by 2027. WOW!
Benefits of Turning Your Drawings into Stickers
Ok so by now, you’re probably already super excited to start turning your beautiful drawings into stickers!
But let me share some of the benefits you might not have even thought of:
1. You Could Get Increased Exposure For Your Art
By turning your hand-drawn drawings into stickers, you are creating a portable, shareable piece of art that can be seen by people all over the world. I’ve sold stickers to customers globally and I love the idea of so many people in so many places finding joy in my designs.
Perhaps you could help increase exposure for your art and illustrations which could potentially lead to new opportunities and clients!
2. You Could Earn Passive Income
Creating stickers can be a great way to generate passive income online by selling your printed or printable stickers. Once you have designed and printed your stickers, you can sell stickers on Etsy, online or in person without needing to create new artwork.
CHECK OUT MY FREE CLASS ABOUT DISCOVERING THE STICKERS THAT SELL HERE
3. You Could Create Customizable Merchandise
Many illustrators use stickers as a way to create customizable merchandise for their fans and communities. By offering stickers featuring your artwork, you can give your fans a way to show their support and express themselves through your art.
4. It’s a Fun and Creative Outlet!
I know firsthand how creating stickers can be a fun and creative outlet for artists and illustrators. It allows you to experiment with different styles, colors, and modalities.
5. Stickers are Versatile
Did you know that stickers are incredibly versatile? They can be used in a variety of ways. You can stick them on laptops, water bottles, notebooks, phone cases, and more. This versatility makes stickers a popular and practical form of self-expression.
My preferred choice of stickers are planner stickers! They can be used to decorate planners, bullet journals and scrapbooks and they’re super popular.
Conclusion: How To Turn Drawings Into Stickers
By now you know that turning your hand-drawn drawings into stickers can be fun, rewarding and potentially profitable for illustrators at all levels.
When you follow a proven sticker-making process and avoid those common mistakes, you can create high-quality, sought-after custom picture stickers that showcase your beautiful, unique drawings.
Are you ready to turn your art into stickers?
Check out my free class on Discovering The Stickers That Sell!
Or check out my sticker-making courses and community here.
I can’t wait to see your beautiful stickers come to life!
Access my free Sticker-Making Resources Kit:
Read next:
- Who Can Make Planner Stickers? (Answers Here!)
- How to Sell Planner Stickers
- 51 Planner Sticker Ideas to Make at Home
- Ultimate FREE Printable Planner Stickers PDF List
Let me know if you start turning drawings into stickers!
