Do you ever find the perfect design for your next crafting project—an image, a quote, or a border—and then end up with a wobbly or pixelated mess when you try to bring it to life? That my friends, is clip art distortion, and it is most definitely a nightmare.
However, there’s a reason for that, and today you’ll discover how to eliminate this problem forever!
First, a short lesson.
The typical images you see online are called Raster images, and you usually see them as .JPG, .GIF and .PNG files.
These images get wonky when you try to resize them or use them for another purpose (like printing or enlarging) because they are created with a fixed number of pixels and designed to look best exactly as they are.
You can’t change them without screwing things up.
{Do More of What Makes Your Happy}
Vectors, on the other hand, are the source files of those Raster images and have more flexibility.
They contain the mathematical equation of your design instead of the static output, which means you can manipulate size, colors, transparency, and more.
You can use the same vector file for printing a logo for a plane as you can for printing a logo for a sign in your living room!
Other ideas for vector images in your design projects (in case you haven’t gotten around to buying a personal jet yet):
- Scrapbooking
- Handmade cards
- Signs and posters
- T-shirts
- Mugs
- Calendars
- Painting templates
- Labeling canisters and baskets
So how do you find and work with vector files for your decorating projects?
Glad you asked!
Access my hand-drawn vector files (for immediate download) as well as a video tutorial here.
New hand-drawn vector files are added to my shop all the time, and I’ll showcase them to you on a regular basis in the email newsletter so you can instantly download your favorites for crafting and design.
How to Prevent Clip Art Distortion on Your Crafting Projects
Most commonly I use vectors for all of my signs to prevent clip art distortion, and then cut them out with my stencil cutter of choice, my Silhouette Cameo. In fact, not too long ago I even created a video tutorial to show just how to upload them into your own! Definitely make sure to check it out for all of your future endeavors.
Have a most wonderful week, and see you on Friday :)
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