Maybe you are wondering what it takes to come up with a new patch or sticker.

So I thought I’d go through what it took to come up with one of the latest drops.

I get inspiration from random things in pop culture. Sometimes they can be well known. Other times, they may be more obscure. Sometimes current themes, but other times you might not get the reference.

So, for the latest inspiration, I took it from Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly:

There are a few fist-bumping Shake and Bake items out there but none relating to kendo. So I thought I’d put my spin on it.

First I set up the shot by taking a picture of my kotes on a white background.

There is some shadow but we will get rid of that later.

The photo was cropped.

Then the image was traced and processed using vectorizer.io.

Instead of using Illustrator, I use a vector program called sketch. It’s a vector design and prototyping app for Macs for apps and web interfaces. But you can use it to do basic vector design. Much cheaper than Illustrator (no subscription).

Added an indigo background and inverted the kote color.

Then I added text and added racing stripes,

Finally I added a starburst to give a sense of motion/impact.