Elf torso decals

[customhelmetsman]

Well done.

May I inquire as to how long you have been designing decals? And also have you had any graphics desinging training? As I myself have been designing decals for two years now. I've self taught myself through trailer and error and also reading, but I am nowhere near as good as you are.

Have a wonderful day.

[Puck]

These are amazing!!!! I love them and I think I'll use the mage one

[Dark Knight]

Wow! They are all so cool!

Pardon me, I am quite new for lego minifigs customisation.

May I ask how do you get these torso designs printed on the lego?

Thank You

Great Job!

[ED-209]

May I ask how do you get these torso designs printed on the lego?

How do I personally do it? I use a colour laser printer to print onto A4 sticker sheets, and cut them out with a scalpel and steel rule. I usually aim for clear plastic stickers rather than white paper ones, but it does limit the colours of Lego parts you can use.

Pretty straight forward really, you can get the sticker sheets for inkjet printers too, just make sure you get the right ones for the type of printer you use! I'm presently looking into how much it would cost to have a comercial printing agency print directly onto the plastic (like real Lego parts, and a few of the third party custom sellers), and it's not too expensive per unit - but there's a hefty initial set-up.

May I inquire as to how long you have been designing decals? And also have you had any graphics desinging training? As I myself have been designing decals for two years now. I've self taught myself through trailer and error and also reading, but I am nowhere near as good as you are.

Sure, of course you can ask!

I've only really been doing Lego decals since I joined this forum, so that's about two years too. But yes, I am trained in design - a post-grad in electronic and graphic design. I use Adobe Illustrator to make them, then Photoshop for a little tidy up.

It's just practice really, I feel that I'm none too good at doing the faces - there's something of a caricature skill to match the official ones! I also reference as many elements from the official parts as I can, try to hit those same design notes, just to make my decals look (hopefully) in keeping with the official parts.

Great job! I love them! Have you thought of making a decal for the head? And maybe for the shield and legs as well?

Good idea! I'll work on the shield over the next few days, but in the meantime here's my repro of the official face:

And an equally stern looking female elf:

And a slightly happier looking version of the official face :

I was thinking of doing a few more, but couldn't think of distinguishing features to add. I realised that you never really see facial hair on elves, and they seem too youthful and pretty to have facial scars...

If anyone has any other ideas for elven faces let me know!

[Dark Knight]

How do I personally do it? I use a colour laser printer to print onto A4 sticker sheets, and cut them out with a scalpel and steel rule. I usually aim for clear plastic stickers rather than white paper ones, but it does limit the colours of Lego parts you can use.

Pretty straight forward really, you can get the sticker sheets for inkjet printers too, just make sure you get the right ones for the type of printer you use! I'm presently looking into how much it would cost to have a comercial printing agency print directly onto the plastic (like real Lego parts, and a few of the third party custom sellers), and it's not too expensive per unit - but there's a hefty initial set-up.

Thank you for your reply. I find it even more cool and amazing after learning how you did it! Wow! Impressive great work!

Keep going man!

[Baylego]

For me, plain whtie copy paper in a sticker machine works just fine.

That women elf face looks very nice! Now we need long elf hair to match.

[Aveal the black sheep]

Really nice job Ed keep it up.

What we know want to see is the designs on actual minifigs,have you or anyone here applied some?

Show it!

also do you have anymore designs of other stuff? i´ve looked up around the forums but to no luck.

all the best

[Thestral]

These are really great, ED-209! I really like your designs and hope to use them in the future. I have an idea that I think would come out really well, but I do not have the talent that you possess to make it my self. I see the regular elves to be more of armored swordsman. I think a great decal would be an archer. It could look very much like the Dark Green leather jerkin you have already made. It would have no cape, but instead it could have a reddish brown strap running diagonally across the torso. Then, if a quiver was attached to the minifigure it would look like the strap is coming from the quiver. The strap could be similar to the one on the Alamut Guard torso. I think some castle torsos have a buckle similar to this, but they appear too thick. I don't know, just an idea. If you don't want to make it don't feel like you have to. I just thought I'd make a suggestion if you were still interested in making more.

Thanks,

Thestral

[ED-209]

For me, plain whtie copy paper in a sticker machine works just fine.

That women elf face looks very nice! Now we need long elf hair to match.

A sticker machine? Sounds interesting, does it put an adhesive coating on the paper or something?

Thanks, I was hoping that the female elf would come off looking cold and aloof! Given that longer hair could/would cover her ears, there's a few suitable hairpieces that come in either tan or the bright yellow. I'm planning to use these ones:

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=85974

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=59363

Really nice job Ed keep it up.

What we know want to see is the designs on actual minifigs,have you or anyone here applied some?

Show it!

also do you have anymore designs of other stuff? i´ve looked up around the forums but to no luck.

all the best

Thanks for the kind words! No, I haven't applied any of the decals yet, the Series 3 figures have only just been released in Australia (well, in Melbourne at least - can't really speak for the rest of the country) and I'm still buying up all the elves I can get my hands on. Once I've done that I intend to plan out how many of the other designs I need to flesh out a balanced army, order some parts of Bricklink, and then I'll put the decals on figures! Obviously if anyone else gets there first, please do share!

I have done some other decal designs, mostly super heroes, some requests from the Decal Wish List forum, and a few other bits and bobs. I think that the elven ones look more polished than my earlier ones, and although I have posted all of them on the forums here it might be easier to look though my PhotoBucket page if you're interested:

http://s574.photobucket.com/albums/ss186/EdwardTheRed/Lego%20decals/

These are really great, ED-209! I really like your designs and hope to use them in the future. I have an idea that I think would come out really well, but I do not have the talent that you possess to make it my self. I see the regular elves to be more of armored swordsman. I think a great decal would be an archer. It could look very much like the Dark Green leather jerkin you have already made. It would have no cape, but instead it could have a reddish brown strap running diagonally across the torso. Then, if a quiver was attached to the minifigure it would look like the strap is coming from the quiver. The strap could be similar to the one on the Alamut Guard torso. I think some castle torsos have a buckle similar to this, but they appear too thick. I don't know, just an idea. If you don't want to make it don't feel like you have to. I just thought I'd make a suggestion if you were still interested in making more.

Thanks,

Thestral

Thanks very much Thestral, and it's funny you should mention this; that was actually my original motivation for making the jerkin designs! To me, the scale armour looks a little too cumbersome for an archer. I hadn't thought to include a quiver strap, but I love the idea. And yes, I'm certainly interested in making more! So here's what I came up with, let me know what you think:

And if you've got any other ideas please tell!

[Thestral]

Thank you so much, that torso is fantastic! I can't wait to use it. I really like the dagger as well. It gives much more realism. The elven archer can shoot from a far, but also he can use his trusty dagger in sticky, close-range situations.

[ED-209]

Thank you so much, that torso is fantastic! I can't wait to use it. I really like the dagger as well. It gives much more realism. The elven archer can shoot from a far, but also he can use his trusty dagger in sticky, close-range situations.

It was my pleasure, and thank you for the suggestion! Please post the results if you do use it.

I did take the liberty of adding the dagger, I'm glad you like it!

I made it in sand green too:

And in trying to come up with some different faces to give the elven ranks a touch more individuality, I felt we needed an elf exuding even more arrogance than the official one!

And while I'm here, I'll add my repro of the official elven ovoid shield:

and my take on the same design as a triangular shield:

I hope everyone likes them, and as always any constructive feedback is most welcome.

Cheers!

[customhelmetsman]

Superb decal designs ED.

[commdr_neyo]

Indeed superb decals, I love them, and great quality too!

[Aveal the black sheep]

thanks,that´s one pretty bucket you got,very nice heroes!but these new elves are without doubt your masterpiece,at least my favorites.

i definitely want to try them out,but decal paper seems to be a non-existing resource in my country,ever since i gained some interest in customization some months ago,i´ve looked everywhere but no luck. I don´t even know if we have a portuguese word for 'decal'

i could use stickers but i don´t really like how it looks.

Oh well,enough rambling, i´ll just eagerly await that you get all your elves,post them so i can drool on my keyboard abit

See you

[ED-209]

Superb decal designs ED.

Indeed superb decals, I love them, and great quality too!

Thanks guys, I really enjoy making them!

thanks,that´s one pretty bucket you got,very nice heroes!but these new elves are without doubt your masterpiece,at least my favorites.

i definitely want to try them out,but decal paper seems to be a non-existing resource in my country,ever since i gained some interest in customization some months ago,i´ve looked everywhere but no luck. I don´t even know if we have a portuguese word for 'decal'

i could use stickers but i don´t really like how it looks.

Oh well,enough rambling, i´ll just eagerly await that you get all your elves,post them so i can drool on my keyboard abit

See you

Thank you sir, I do feel that my work is improving somewhat over time!

When I get around to doing mine, I'll probably just be printing them on plastic stickers.

I've never used water-slide decals myself, but if you want to use them it's probably worth looking in hobby shops; I understand they're often used for model cars and aeroplanes.

But if you can't find them locally, I'm sure you can get some off eBay or something?

So, *claps hands together* time for a few more designs!

The elk-head insignia on the small round shield (the ones the dwarves and skelletons use):

Another slightly jaunty looking face:

And an older face, for an ancient elven king/sorcerer/high-priest:

I decided against giving him facial hair. It seems to me that elves, even older ones, always maintain youthful looking features - greying hair, a few lines, etc. Any thoughts on that? Should I do one with a moustache or beard, or would that seem wierd on an elf?

[kevin1990]

Wow the elf designs really look great!

would love to see them on a minifigure :D

Edited January 25, 2011 by kevin1990

[Aveal the black sheep]

Another sweet delivery!great job!

Yup they´re used in car and planes,but people always use the ones all ready from the kit i guess,no one does model planes or cars from scratch i think(you never know).I´ll check at a local model shop otherwise i´ll just order some online.

regarding the facial hair subject,i thinking you decided well,is rare to see a elf with it,even older ones(really the elder face). you can try to make one and see,but i don´t think it would work well.

Also i was thinking what do you think of making some torsos in Blue/white/silver,something like that,in the ways of the High elves from Warhammer? I have not clue where you get your elf imaginary from ,but my comes (among other more classic places) a bit from there,so just wandering.

I tried to buy a elf today at the local store,but they were out,of course

Well keep it up!

P.s: Dwarf talking: 'Only a faggot little pointy eared one would use a elk on the shield '

Edited January 25, 2011 by Aveal the black sheep

[Baylego]

Thanks for making the shield decals! I requested those a while back, but nobody made them. The sticker machine is a small Xyron device. You stick a piece of paper in the device and then pull the sheet through. The adhesive is then applied to the back once you take it out. They are pretty cheap at most craft stores.

[ED-209]

Thanks for making the shield decals! I requested those a while back, but nobody made them. The sticker machine is a small Xyron device. You stick a piece of paper in the device and then pull the sheet through. The adhesive is then applied to the back once you take it out. They are pretty cheap at most craft stores.

I only came across your request in the Wishlist after I'd already made the shields, but I thought I'd post a link there too just to make sure you saw them.

I'm interested in this sticker machine, I looked them up online when you mentioned them. How do you find the results?

I've printed a sheet of some stickers, and while I wait for my parts to arrive from Bricklink, my dark green Kingdoms wizard has donated his torso to give us this jerkin-clad elven ranger:

(The warrior on the right is unmodified, BTW.)

Any feedback is most welcome, so please let me know what you think!

Cheers!

[Aveal the black sheep]

Very good you can´t even see it´s a sticker. did you just print it out on sticker paper in a normal printer?

I like the result but you´ll definitely need to figure something out about their hair, would look dull if all had the same hair. Have no idea on what you could do though. maibe just regular hairpieces that feel suitable.

Also could you be more regular and do more and more decals?i eagerly check this thread every single day,but you only do it every three days or so ... just kidding of course

Still no decal paper,might give it a go at sticker,since i also have that plain torso wizard you used(and the blue one which also has plain torso).

See you

[ED-209]

Update time! The final decal to reproduce the official Lego elf, the legs:

Also i was thinking what do you think of making some torsos in Blue/white/silver,something like that,in the ways of the High elves from Warhammer? I have not clue where you get your elf imaginary from ,but my comes (among other more classic places) a bit from there,so just wandering.

My inspiration for these decals are based on the official Lego elf (well, I'm sure that's obvious! ) with a dash of pop culture elves thrown in for the other designs. A bit of LotR, a bit of D&D, random fantasy novel covers... I dunno, I'm not conciously basing the designs off anything in particular.

I'm not all that familiar with Warhammer, but I really quite like the idea of blue-clad High Elves seperate from the green-clad Wood Elves. So I did some re-colours based on your idea, but with a brown cloak. I'd envisage sand blue arms with regular blue torso:

Very good you can´t even see it´s a sticker. did you just print it out on sticker paper in a normal printer?

I like the result but you´ll definitely need to figure something out about their hair, would look dull if all had the same hair. Have no idea on what you could do though. maibe just regular hairpieces that feel suitable.

Also could you be more regular and do more and more decals?i eagerly check this thread every single day,but you only do it every three days or so ... just kidding of course

Thanks! I have to admit that in person you can tell that it's a sticker, but it did turn out quite nicely (if I do say so myself! )

My printer is just a fairly standard HP colour laser, and I printed it out on these Avery labels:

http://www.averyproducts.com.au/avery/en_au/Products/Labels/Shipping-Labels/Matt-White-Labels-L7167CL-20-Pack-199.6-x-289.1-mm_959770.htm?N=4294963181&Ns=Rank|0||Product%20Number|1&refchannel=1de32bbe8338a210VgnVCM1000002118140aRCRD

I plan to use the standard elf hair for most of them (I've got 15 so far, I'm thinking of leaving it at that and bulking things up with another ten or so custom figs), but mix in a bunch of these:

As far as I know, it's the only hairpiece available in tan that would really "cover" the ears. I might try my hand at sculpting something, but I'm still weighing that up.

I would like to spend more time making decals, but work and other stuff always seem to get in the way! And I need to work to earn money to spend on Lego - it's such a vicious cycle!

Cheers!

[Aveal the black sheep]

Very nice,specially the torso thank you for considering my suggestion,im glad you like it.The way the elf world is separated by games workshop(warhammer) is wood elves(our classical elves with lots of green and brown and ranger like stuff),shadow elves(Not really my taste,basicaly they are dark nasty elves in darker tones purple,black,stuff like that) and then the high elves(rich elves,in the colour scheme i suggested). I do not collect warhammer myself but i find it a tremendous place to draw inspiration from,it as a really detail fantasy world.

On to more suggestions, in blue torso maibe you could recolor the gems,perhaps red,so it would stand out,right now it is just lost in the middle i think. Also you could try putting gems on the shields...looking at it in blue i noticed that the original shield as room for a gem but doesn't have it.try that if you like

The brown on the blue tends to clash a bit,maibe also a white cloak could look better:) also try gold instead of silver for the higher ranked elves.

And never neglect your work,for it is what pays for lego i myself am ansiously working on finishing college(should happen this summer) so i can start making money to blow in Lego

Regards

Edited February 1, 2011 by Aveal the black sheep

[The_Customizer]

Just wondering, would you be able to provide the sizes for all the decals? (I know one of the indexes has most of them, but mainly for the belts, and legs.

Thanks!

BTW, your decals are amazing! Great job!

[DLG]

The blue shield should have a different animal on it. Something to do with the sea, or at least an animal that's associated with blue. I'm not sure what. Dolphins come to mind. One that looks as it has jumped out of the water. But then it might seem silly. A red and gold elf ensemble with maybe a squirrel shield would be pretty neat.

[Henchmen4Hire]

Finally tried printing again with the same results, lol. I should try some very smooooth paper, this plain junk ruins the printing because of how textured it is, makes it look fuzzy.

1.551cm width worked great, there's even a little bit of room for error.

Love the decals dude, I'm trying my hand at Red Sonja, getting used to using the Pen Tool over again is a pain in the bum!

Edit: printed on photo paper, much sharper! Though I see the problem with printing on white paper, it messes with some of the colors >_<

Edited January 31, 2011 by DrNightmare