From Sketchbook to SVG: How a Half-Idea Became a Hit

Process Files • May 2025 • 4 min read

This design started as a sloppy Sharpie doodle on the back of a receipts envelope. Now it’s my best-selling SVG pack.

Here’s the full breakdown — no gatekeeping, no ego. Just the real steps that took this thing from *“meh?”* to *“damn.”*

Step 1: The Messy Spark

I was stuck in a design loop. Nothing was hitting. So I did what I always do when I’m fried — I grabbed a Sharpie, set a 10-minute timer, and drew like I was 9 years old again.

Circles. Squiggles. Weird faces. No pressure. No audience.

One of those faces hit different. It looked like it had something to say. I didn’t know what yet — but it felt like a vibe.

↑ The original sketch. Sloppy, loud, alive.

Step 2: From Sloppy to Sharp

I snapped a photo, dragged it into Illustrator, and started tracing — not perfectly, but with intention. I wanted to keep the **hand-drawn energy** but make it cuttable, scalable, printable.

I used the pen tool like a sculptor, not a technician. It had to feel like something — not just look clean.

↑ Mid-process in Illustrator. Raw but structured.

Step 3: Packaging the Vibe

I didn’t just want a single file. I wanted a whole vibe. So I duplicated the shape, played with negative space, made variants — outline, solid, stroke-only.

Then I built a cover, a preview sheet, and dropped it into Etsy. I called it **Neon Faces** because… that’s what it felt like. Glowy, bold, chaotic, honest.