Design A Pin!

Creating a pin is fun and easy. Just keep in mind that you need to limit the amount of detail you use since they are often quite small! Simply start your project in the gallery, upload these steps as you go along, and check the discussion board for the contest rules. I can't wait to see what you all come up with!

Step 1: Your favourite reference pins

I've really been inspired by so many of my favourite artists who have been making this small soft enamel pins. So I've got a pretty good reference board for you all to look at. Feel free to use any of mine for your references too! Whatever inspires you!

https://www.pinterest.com/jonbrommet/enamel-pins/

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Step 2: Your favourite Apple Metal Pin

I'm not sure who the artist is that made my favorite pin below, but I'd love to know how big it is. They managed to fit an impressive amount of detail in a small pin. I got this from their website at www.applemetalcn.com. Please note that you can get a quick and easy quote by e-mailing Apple at info@applemetalcn.com

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Step 3: Your rough sketches

Here are my rough sketches for both of my pin designs. As you can see, I'm not interested in having perfect sketches to base my designs off of. I'm just looking to get down enough information that I can remember what I was thinking when I drew it. Just enough to get the idea across.

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Of course, this is my approach when I know I'm making perfect vector versions of my artwork. For a lot of my illustrations I actually draw them out as perfectly as I can before I bring them into illustrator. I often even want them to stay hand drawn looking rather than perfect vector shapes. It just depends on the look you are after.

Step 4: Your Final Pins

These are my final pins I sent to Apple Metal to produce. I was really happy with how they turned out.

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Check out my full project in the gallery to see a photo of the real pins after I received them back from Apple Metal!

THEME IDEAS

I opted to not have a theme for this class. However, I know it can be difficult to come up with an idea for your project. So here are some ideas you could use.

Illustrate your favourite animal
Letter your favourite quote (must be simple since the pin is so small)
Draw a monogram of your initials
Illustrate a celebrity portrait
Illustrate a vehicle

GUIDELINES

In order to be eligible for the contest, you must keep your design to these specs.

Your pin must be between 0.5" and 2"
You pin may have a maximum of 5 colours
You need to keep a border to separate colours

RESOURCES

If you are interested in learning more about the pen tool and perfecting your vector illustrations, these resources will surely help you out as well.

Special thanks to Apple Metal for sponsoring a fantastic contest!!

www.applemetalcn.com

Did you know that I've taught well over 30 classes to date? Please head over to my profile to see my other classes and be sure to click follow to stay up to date when I release a new class.

Of course, you can follow me on all social media @CrusoeDesignCo, but my main channels are currently Instagram and YouTube. You might even like my micro tutorials on TikTok.

Thanks for checking out the class! It really means a lot.

Dana Salonoy

Designer and Illustrator

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