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How to Create Custom Family Clipart in DesignScape
Discover how to create custom family clipart in DesignScape using a family clipart builder.
Is your family too busy to take family photos? If so, why not create custom family clipart in DesignScape for cards, shirts, posters, and more. Family clipart builders are very popular as they look great, and the characters are customizable. You can often pick the skin color, hairstyle, clothes, etc.
There are several family clipart builders available on Design Bundles. Some are even available on the Plus Hub, and guess what?! We have a free 30-day trial for the Gold Plus Membership if you’re not already a Plus Member!
Before we begin, you’ll want to download and unzip the files. We recommend that you open the clipart files to look at as some may be small and hard to see in the File Explorer/Mac Finder. Also, looking at them beforehand will allow you to plan out which pieces you want to use.
Step 1 - Open & Place Pieces of a Character
After starting your new DesignScape project, go to File > Open & Place.
Once the clipart is opened, click the checkmark in the top toolbar. Then double-click on the layer name and rename it to something that would help you easily identify the layer.
Go to File > Open & Place again for the rest of the pieces to finish creating the character.
Note: with the family clipart builder that we’re using, when we open & place a clipart piece, it’s already in the correct place and size, but you may need to make some changes depending on the family clipart builder you’re using. No matter which case it is, the pieces should fit together or overlap nicely.
If you have to move or resize a layer, select the layer and the Move Tool (V). Make sure Transform controls in the top toolbar is enabled, then hold Shift and click + drag a corner handle on the bounding box to resize the layer. Click on the actual image itself and drag it to where you want.
Step 2 - Group Character Pieces/Layers
When you’ve finished putting together a character, select all the layers of that character using Shift. Then go to Layer > Group Layers or click the folder icon at the bottom of the Layers panel.
You can double-click on the folder name and rename it to who the character is if you'd like. We named our first character “Dad.”
Step 3 - Repeat Steps 1 and 2 for the Other Characters
Now repeat Steps 1 and 2 for the rest of the characters in your family clipart. Make sure you select the Background layer first before you open & place a new character piece, or it’ll get added into the selected folder.
If for any reason you need to move a whole character, select the Move Tool (V), click the arrow icon to the right of the eye icon to open the folder and select all the layers. Next, click + drag the character over.
We added the other characters to our family clipart, as shown in the following image.
Step 4 - Transform and Move Characters
If your characters are not in the correct size or place once you’ve added all of them, now is the time to scale and move each one, so they fit together.
We’ll be skipping this step as our characters are exactly the right size and where we want them.
Step 5 - Ungroup and Rearrange Layers
Look at your image to see which characters or layers should be in front or behind. See the following image for an example of the correct arrangement versus incorrect arrangement.
Move Folders
If your family clipart builder is like ours, you can simply click + drag the folders in the Layers panel to rearrange the characters.
Move Individual Layers
If you need to rearrange individual layers, you’ll have to ungroup them. Open a folder and select all the layers. Then click + drag the layers out of the folder. You can delete the empty folder by selecting it and clicking on the trash bin icon in the bottom right corner. Repeat this for the rest of the folders.
Once all the layers have been ungrouped, you can click + drag the layers to their correct places in the list.
Your beautiful family clipart is complete!! You can hide the background layer and export your clipart as a transparent PNG for any project.
These are so fun to put together! You’ll definitely want to try making one yourself. There are even family clipart builders with pets and family clipart builders for special occasions!
