Enamel Pins: Why and How I Got Started

I accidentally became a pin designer!

I was bored. And working part-time in retail (the same kind of work I’d been doing the previous 9 years). My Masters in Animation was completed, but I wasn't keen for a studio job at the time since I wanted to explore my personal concepts.

However, I was trying to make a conscious effort to learn and refine my digital art skills. At this point I had my Cintiq, but wasn't super comfortable using it (hadn't figured out my colouring/inking style), and was trying to build a presence on Instagram. 

My partner had a subscription to Skillshare and during these moments of boredom/stagnation I'd look at videos on colour theory and digital painting techniques. It was then that I decided to brush up on my Adobe Illustrator skills and took a course that focused on the pen tool, with the project of designing a pin!

This is how the axolotl pin was born! I think it's been one of my most popular designs because it was made from a place of fun and exploration! The axolotl had to go through a slight re-design in 2018, but the core of its happy smile and adorable cuteness is something that I still love when I look at it. 

From then, I got hooked on designing pins. I loved making affordable, wearable art that made people smile! It sounds really cheesy, but that feeling keeps me going. I like making things that make me happy, and I figure it might make others happy too! 

4 years later, I've got so many more designs! Some have done well, some have flopped and taken forever to move, but it's all part of learning and growing and figuring out my niche. I love pin-making, it has a really supportive network, and has so many minority groups expressing themselves with amazing designs! 

The point of this story, I think, is that you never know where that seemingly random YouTube tutorial or Skillshare class will take you. If you're open to learning new things and take time to seek knowledge, it can literally change your life!