From Procreate Sketch to Stationery: The Tropicolor Turtles Collection
Sometimes a whole collection starts with one lil baby idea.
My Tropicolor Turtles began as a fun die-cut sticker design I created in Procreate. She was a colorful sea turtle covered in lush, tropical flowers (inspired by all the bright, beachy colors I love of course).
At the time, I wasn't necessarily planning an entire collection around it. I just wanted to make a cheerful little turtle sticker!
As I worked on the illustration, I started playing with different color combinations and floral details. Before long, one turtle turned into a whole little crew, each with its own mix of tropical blooms and bright coastal colors.
From digital drawing to sticker
The first place the Tropicolor Turtles came to life outside of my iPad was as die-cut stickers.
I love a bright and beachy waterproof sticker for my HydroFlask.
And apparently I'm not the only one who has a soft spot for flower-covered sea turtles, because they've become one of my most popular sticker designs!
As of right now, I still print and cut the stickers right here in my Florida home studio, and I put a waterproof protective laminate on top. So they’re perfect for all of the life-on-the-go gear like water bottles, laptops, surfboards and more!
When I saw how much people loved the original stickers it made me think...
What else could these turtles become?
One illustration, lots of possibilities
One of my favorite parts of being an illustrator and product designer is finding new ways to use artwork I've already created. Like… I’ve already done the hard part, so why not do some turtle-maxing. Right?
Instead of letting the turtles live on just one sticker, I started rearranging the illustrations, mixing in more flowers and ocean-inspired details, and turning them into an entire stationery collection.
The original turtles eventually found their way onto:
Sticker sheets filled with tiny turtles, tropical flowers and ocean-inspired accents
Notepads in two different colorways for all of your turtely important notes
A double-sided bookmark featuring a whole stack of colorful turtles
Fridge magnets for a little tropical color beyond your notebooks and planners
And, of course, the original waterproof die-cut stickers
Take a behind-the-scenes look at how I designed and developed some of these turtley cute products!
The Tropicolor Turtles Sticker Sheet
I especially loved getting to shrink the turtles down and surround them with all of the little flowers, starfish, shells and other motifs from the collection.
The finished sticker sheet is 4.25 × 6 inches and printed on matte vinyl sticker paper. Unlike my laminated waterproof stickers, these are meant more for paper crafts. Think journals, planners, snail mail and summer scrapbook pages.
Turtely important notes
I couldn't resist the opportunity for a turtle pun.
The Tropicolor Turtles notepads come in pink and blue, with 25 sheets in each pad. They're 4.25 × 5.5 inches, which makes them a handy size for lists, reminders, notes or leaving a little message for someone.
A turtle to hold your place
The collection also inspired this adorable tropical turtle bookmark, perfect for any summer read! I like to imagine they’re doing a tropical turtle conga line if you will.
It's printed on sturdy cardstock and laminated, so it's made to survive plenty of page-turning.
The whole turtle crew
Eventually, there were enough Tropicolor Turtle goodies that it only made sense to put them all together.
The Tropicolor Turtles Stationery Bundle includes a mix of goodies from the collection — stickers, a notepad, magnets, sticker sheet and bookmark — for anyone who wants the full turtle experience.
See how I make the Tropicolor Turtles in my home studio!
What started as one little drawing in Procreate has turned into one of my favorite collections I've created, and one of the designs you've loved most, too (which warms my little beach-bum heart).
There's something really satisfying about seeing an illustration make the journey from a sketch on my iPad to stickers, paper goods and little packages heading out into the world.
And I have a feeling the Tropicolor Turtles might not be finished swimming onto new things just yet. 😉
