Creating a Desktop Wallpaper and Matching Folder Icon Set with Vicki Xu

Alice Lee hosts the talented background painter and illustrator Vicki Xu as she digitally paints. Watch as Vicki creates a stunning matching desktop wallpaper and folder icon set in Photoshop. Known for her vibrant, colorful style, Vicki brings to life charming cartoonish representations of forest animals and enchanting cottage core environments.

Vicki Xu is a background painter and illustrator located in Oakland, California. https://www.vickixu.com

Alice Lee is an illustrator and muralist based in San Francisco: byalicelee.com

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00:00 Start
00:47 Vicki’s introduction and project overview
04:16 Photoshop sketch and file setup walkthrough
05:56 Initial sketch to final line art, applying color palette to lines
08:24 Painting in color palette on icons, starting with color
10:34 How to make perfectly imperfect texture
11:33 Vicki’s creative journey
15:39 Adding textures, and talking about color temperature
18:39 Working through all of the icons, working with limited colors, painting on a single layer
21:46 Chat Q&A Vicki using ipad as an extended display using Photoshop on desktop
22:45 Using adjustment layer to change colors
24:23 Working through icons, discussing weather, fall plans, art residency
29:25 Creative community, turning off and on the linework to test fills
32:08 Multi-color linework, number of icons in the set
33:27 Planning icon placement when creating background, custom desktop icons explained
39:50 Starting up your own shop, making sticker sheets
41:25 Choosing colors based on intuition, Vicki’s style
44:32 Color trends and trends in general
48:13 Inspiration for vegetable characters, adding personality to characters
50:14 Balancing hobbies and side projects, how long to spend on projects
52:55 Transitioning to painterly style for icons, dealing with burnout
59:29 Painting back in details in the line layer, working on carton icon
1:04:01 Working on strawberries icon
1:08:14 Mixing different colors in the highlights and shadows
1:09:36 Does Vicki do test prints of stickers, how do you know the quantity to order
1:13:44 Vicki’s Patreon, where to find these icons, plan for painting remaining icons
1:14:51 Quickly adding fills, expanding selection to ensure no white space
1:16:40 Blogging, working on baguettes icon
1:22:23 Recap, preview of final icon and background setup
1:24:08 Outro