With collectables, the packaging of the product is often as important as the craftsmanship of the product itself. In this two-part tutorial we will explain how to create packaging for a high-end 1/6 scale action figure. Part 1 will explain how to shoot your photography and create a print-ready outer sleeve and inner packaging for our action figure. Part 2 will go on to explain how to create a 3-dimensional rendering of the packaging to present to clients. Let’s get started!
Tutorial Assets
The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial. Also note that there are many assets for this tutorial included in the download files.
Stay Tuned for Part 2
In Part 2 of this tutorial we will explain how to turn the print-ready version of this design into a 3D render that you can present to your clients. Take a look at the preview below.
Step 1
I came up with Ninja for the fictional brand name, and Hanzo Hayabusa as the figure’s name. As for the company, I came up with ONE6 STUDIOS. These are all ingredients to make this pack look and feel as "real world" as possible.
First it is important to start with a sketch or a good idea of what you are going to be executing. I had a pretty clear idea with this, so as you can see, the sketch is not super detailed. I knew I wanted to deal a mostly black/Ninjalike sleeve, and a cool reveal to a white package when the sleeve is removed.
Step 2
The most important part of this package execution is the photography. It needs to showcase the product, as well as set the mood of the figure. Since I knew that I wanted to reveal the white interior package, it was important that I took photographs of the figure on both white and black background.
As you can see, I set up a little photo studio in my basement and while it isn’t the most sophisticated studio setup it definitely gets the job done and is cheap! I am using foamcore from Michael’s ($2 a sheet), LED lights from Home Depot ($5 a light), and my DSLR on a tripod.
Step 3
I also have access to a light-tent at work and I used this for some of the shots as well.
These "studio shots" are more the promotional materials, such as the product render that we will be creating in Part 2 of this tutorial.
Step 4
First, lets start with the outer sleeve. Open up Sleeve_Start.ai.
Step 5
Next, we are going to make the bleed area for print. To do this, select all (Command/Ctrl-A) and then under the PATHFINDER palette select the Unite icon.
Step 6
Now we need to offset the path to make the bleed. Select Object > Path > Offset path. And give it a 0.3 in. offset and select OK.
Step 7
Select all again (Command/Ctrl-A) and then copy (Command/Ctrl-c) the die and bleed. Now open Photoshop and create a new document. The new document will be the exact dimensions of what we copied from Illustrator and for this execution, set the resolution to 150 pixels/inch and set the color mode to CMYK.
Note, if this were a real world project, it would be a 300 dpi, but I am doing 150 to save file space for this tutorial.
