Finding inspiration to create a design for Dad's laptop sleeve.
I thought I was done with customizing fabric with Posca paint markers. Then my Dad handed me his laptop sleeve to customize. So, here's another design that took much longer to complete than all others in my past.
"Do What You Want"
Weeks ago, Dad requested a Sonny Eclipse t-shirt design using Posca paint markers. I made that for him in time for Father's Day. I think it turned out poorly. Dad probably thinks the same because he's yet to wear it. I'm not convinced it'd survive a wash anyway.
After I completed my Drawing on a Laptop Sleeve with a Darkwing Duck silhouette on one side and a Mr. Oogie Boogie silhouette on the other, Dad handed me his laptop sleeve. I asked what he wanted on it and he replied, "Do what you want."
At first, I thought, 'Awesome!' He granted me the creative freedom to customize his laptop sleeve the way I wanted. No restrictions. Only endless possibilities.
Except, those four words "do what you want" turned out to be awful for several days. I hit a creative block while thinking about what to do.
Overcoming My Creative Block
It felt like my mind went blank. I struggled to come up with any ideas for days. I tried making random doodles in my sketchbook hoping it would spark my imagination, but it didn't help.
Dad wasn't any help, either. I'd ask what he'd want to see or have on his laptop sleeve, and he'd reply, "do whatever." I believed he just gave me another blank canvas to work with and didn't really care about what went on the laptop sleeve. He'll use it no matter what's on it.
I think I hit a creative block because for years I've customized things based on my likes and wants. While I've created and customized things for others in the past, they provided me with some feedback on what they wanted.
This time, however, I was creating something for someone who didn't have any feedback to provide me.
I finally decided to not think too much about the design or how I'd customize it. I put the laptop sleeve aside, but not out of sight. Every time I saw it, I'd wonder what to do with it.
For a few days I'd ask myself a question when I saw the laptop sleeve. 'What should I do?' 'How elaborate or simple do I want it to be?' 'What does Dad like?'
Ultimately, I wanted to create something he'd be happy with, a design he wouldn't mind seeing, and perhaps something that reflected his personality or interests.
Dad the Gamer
Once I thought about how I wanted the design to reflect his interests, it made sense to incorporate a game he likes. Dad's been a hard-core gamer for as long as I've known him. He got me interested in gaming at a young age.
When I was young in the early 90s, Dad let me play any game in his collection when he wasn't home (which was frequent due to his role in the Air Force). He primarily owned first-person shooting games such as Doom and Duke Nukem, but there were a few others such as Stunts, King's Quest IV, and The 7th Guest that I'd play when he was away.
I started sketching ideas for incorporating Doom and Duke Nukem, the games my Dad and I played on PC in the past. Except I couldn't sketch a decent looking design. I scrapped many ideas and decided I couldn't work with those games.
I switched focus and started about thinking about the games he's recently played. For years Dad played Fallout. He enjoyed Outer Worlds after it was released last year. Currently he's been obsessed with No Man's Sky, a game that doesn't seem to have an end.
I couldn't decide which game I wanted to use for the design of his laptop sleeve. Then I thought about my Customized Switch Lite Case and how I added references from several games I've played in my past. It then made sense to add references from several games Dad's enjoyed recently.
Sketching a Design
I created a few rough sketches until I sketched a design I liked. I chose this design because I felt that the characters were relatively easy for me to draw freehand.
For the design, I decided to reference three games Dad's played most recently: Fallout, Outer World's, and No Man's Sky. I then had to choose what characters or mascots to incorporate in the design. I wanted to use as few colors in the overall design. I also wanted characters or mascots I believed were easy to sketch.
I found Pip Boy (Fallout) easy to sketch, so I felt comfortable using him in the design. The character would only require me to use three colors. If my drawing skills were better, I would've preferred to reference Dogmeat. Unfortunately, someone may complain to the Humane Society if they saw my awful animal drawing skills.
When Dad started playing Outer Worlds, I recall walking into his room and seeing the Moon Man for the first time. I laughed so hard at the sight of that character. I knew I wanted to include the Moon Man in the design. Fortunately, he was also easy for me to sketch.
Dad began playing No Man's Sky just a few weeks ago, so I'm not familiar with the design of the game. I haven't watched him play the game, so I searched online for game images. The trailer image of the red helmet came up repeatedly, so I thought it was the best way to reference the game in my overall design. It was worth a shot, anyway.
Customizing the Laptop Sleeve
First, I cleaned the laptop sleeve with painters' tape because I didn't have a lint roller. I used a white charcoal (or graphite?) pencil to make a rough sketch of each character. I realize now that I messed up with some of the proportions. The helmet is squashed, and Pip Boy's body doesn't look right. I think the Moon Man turned out alright, though.
Like my other attempts at using Posca paint markers on fabric, each color required multiple coats or layers for a more vibrant color. I'd wait hours in between coats, because otherwise the next coat would soak into the fabric.
I found it easy to let the design dry overnight, or about 24 hours, after applying the first coat. Once that first coat dried, the fabric beneath it was less porous. I hoped I used less paint by doing this, but I don't know for sure since this was my first full color design project on fabric.
I probably needed four coats for the blues and white. The yellow looked quite vibrant with just three coats. I lost count of how many coats I used for the red, but I know it was greater than four. Unfortunately, I ran out of the peachy color for Pip Boy's flesh, and I was only able to apply two coats of that color.
At times I masked mistakes with a black Posca paint marker. It only took one coat or application to mask any color on the fabric with the black marker.
Overall, it took about four days to complete my design, not including the additional couple days I left it to dry completely.
My Thoughts
This took a long time to complete, but I liked the way it turned out. Again, I realized the proportions are off. The design's not great, but it's good enough.
The important thing is Dad seems to be satisfied with it.
What's Next?
I'd like to say I'm done with customizing fabric with Poscas for a while, but Dad handed me another laptop sleeve to customize.
It'll be a while before I do anything with it because it's an old sleeve that doesn't fit our current laptops. Yet, I'm glad I have another blank canvas to work with.
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
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