Using artwork for other products

[cutiebunny]

Have you ever taken a cel or sketch that you own and use it to create something else? There used to be one collector here who would take cels and sketches that others owned and make stained glass art from them, and I think someone else mentioned that they made a shirt using the artwork from one of their cels. But I haven't seen a lot of people doing this or talking about it, and wondered if I was in the minority.

I used one of my sketches to make a case for my Ipod through a site called Get Uncommon and was very pleased with the results. I thought it would be a nice way to show off some of the artwork I own with others, but in a way that would not damage them. I'm thinking of doing the same again and getting a case for my Iphone through them, but I'm still undecided as to what I should get. Decisions...decisions..

[graymouser]

I do a lot of cross stitch, crewel, quilting and other needlework. Have been doing it since I was six years old (over 40 years). I have taken some of my anime artwork and done some cross stitch with it. Usually not the entire image though; just a single character or something in the background. Most of the time I take images people (friends, family, coworkers) give me and rework it to suit what they want. For example, my father always liked geometric designs with mathematical significance.

It sounds like you had a good time making your case. Creating something with your hands can be very satisfying. I would love to see how it turned out.



Unfortunately, I don't keep most of what I do anymore due to the amount of space it would take up. The only anime-related piece I have right now was one that was ruined when I took it to a new dry cleaning business.

Start rant about dry cleaner

Long projects can get pretty dirty when I bring them to work to occupy my time during breaks and down time. The dry cleaner claimed to be familiar with how to clean embroidery properly, but they messed up. They then tried to cover it up by trying to iron it out, which made things even worse. I was very upset since the piece took me over a year to make. Some projects I know are going to see heavy usage and need a lot of cleaning, such as a baby quilt. I compensate for this by closely matching the thread type with the fabric. That way, the amount of stretching/shrinking that occurs with the fabric in the washing machine and dryer is matched with the amount of stretching/shrinking of the thread used for the needlework. On the other hand, more elaborate pieces that use a variety of different materials (cotton, wool, silk, synthetic and metallic threads, beads and sequins) should be washed with extreme care to avoid warping. Grrrrrr. This should be obvious to anyone who cleans delicate items on a regular basis.

End rant.

[sensei]

It's not as sophisticated as the projects mentioned, but every summer I take some of those "dark shirt transfers" and I make a couple of t-shirts to wear around the house and town. They all use cels from my collection and advertise "Sensei's Anime Gallery," but around here I'm not sure how visits they actually get for me. Anyhow, I have fun matching a cel/sketch with a shirt color, and even my anime-hating wife allows as how some of them are really pretty (especially the butterfly Agaha from Microid S).

[tex-chan]

I have a few custom phone cases made using cel images from my collection. they always attract a lot of attention -- and friendly questions -- when people see them.