How I Turn Photos Into Best-Selling Calendars, Prints, Stickers, and Cards
Ever wonder how a simple photograph can turn into a modern, lithograph-style calendar, sticker, or art print? At Perch + Paper, most of my designs start not with a sketch—but with a photo. Then, using Procreate, Affinity Designer, and Adobe Capture, I transform it into vibrant, product-ready digital art.
In this post, I’m taking you behind the scenes of the workflow I teach in my Landscapes to Chic Stickers: Procreate & Affinity Designer – iPad class, the same process I used for my best-selling calendars, prints, and stickers.
Step One: Transforming a Photo Into Digital Art
All my landscapes start with a photograph—no sketches needed. I bring it into Procreate or Affinity Designer and adjust highlights, curves, and contrast to emphasize details. I convert it to black and white to separate different areas, raising the darks and bringing up the lights. Multiple layers help me build depth and highlight natural accents.
Next, I use Adobe Capture to turn each black-and-white area into vector shapes or SVG files. These are exported into Affinity Designer, where I layer the pieces, add bold color accents, and create a lithograph-inspired digital print.
Why this matters: Starting from a photo gives your design natural complexity and depth without drawing a single line. It’s the foundation for calendars, prints, and stickers—and exactly what I guide students through in the class.
Step Two: Refining and Layering in Affinity Designer
Once the vectors are in Affinity Designer, I layer, color, and adjust the pieces to highlight the elements I want to pop. This layering process gives the final illustration depth, contrast, and a polished, graphic feel. Each section can then be emphasized with bold or muted colors depending on the piece’s mood.
This is where the illustration starts to feel like a finished print, ready for stickers, cards, or a calendar page.
Step Three: Preparing Art for Products
After layering and coloring, I finalize the design for product use. Depending on the product, I might:
Export for StickerApp to create stickers
Adjust sizing and color for greeting cards
Prepare calendar spreads or art prints
This step ensures everything looks professional, clean, and print-ready. The results? Vibrant, layered designs that feel intentional and sell beautifully.
Step Four: From Design to Shop
Because this workflow starts with a photo and builds digitally, every piece is scalable and reusable. The same landscape can become:
A sticker
A greeting card
A calendar page
A print for your wall
It’s how I maintain a cohesive style across all Perch + Paper products.
Learn the Workflow That Powers My Best-Selling Products
Inside Landscapes to Chic Stickers: Procreate & Affinity Designer – iPad, I walk students through this exact workflow, showing how to:
Choose the right photo to start a design
Layer and adjust highlights and contrast for depth
Convert black-and-white areas into vector shapes in Adobe Capture
Build polished digital lithograph-style prints in Affinity Designer
Prepare designs for stickers, cards, and prints
Other Product-Focused Classes You’ll Love
If you want more ways to create products for your shop, check out:
Berry Good Affinity Designer Series for iPad – playful vectors, labels, and stickers
Half Drop Pattern Party in Affinity Designer V2 – fabric and wallpaper-ready repeats
Falling for Patterns: Cozy Procreate Creations – simple pattern creation in Procreate
Simple & Perfect Half-Drop Patterns in Procreate – master repeat patterns for surface design
Shop the Finished Products
If you’d rather enjoy finished products, all the designs from this workflow are available in Perch + Paper: calendars, prints, greeting cards, and more.
P.S. For a *limited time—including Small Business Saturday—use code SALE10 for 10% off everything in all Perch Shops… including The Studio. Perfect for supporting my small business and picking up something creative for yourself or a friend.
*good until end-of-day December 31st, 2025
Hi, I’m Katie and this is
Perch Handmade.
I’m a digital artist and teacher offering you a look into my creative adventure. Enjoy the ride!
I may receive commissions from purchases made through links in this article. I wouldn't promote them if I didn't believe in them wholeheartedly!
(At no additional cost to you)
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