DIY Phone case first attempt: Voltron themed

Finished Case

Galaxy themed cover phase 1

Galaxy themed cover phase 2

Viynl cut measurements for logos

Cut logos

Logos on cover

Lacquer spraying

 This is a phone case for an iPhone seven with a custom made galaxy pattern using the theme of one of my favourite T.V series Voltron Legendary Defender. I was inspired to try this after seeing a DIY video on Youtube for a Voltron themed case and by the lack of designer phone cases for an iPhone seven, so I did further research into this idea of DIY phone cases and tutorials done by my main source of DIY tutorials Sea Lemon. I decided to try my hand at this using the paladin logos of Voltron along with the colours, and using my connections at Fab Lab Altrincham to have these patterns Vinyl cut and stuck to the cover. The covers main media was a mix of acrylic and oil paints and dry brushing to create the gas clouds in a galaxy in the stars following a tutorial on youtube to capture the realism as I wanted to make the presentation look good.

When the painting was complete I used an acrylic paint pen to create the white stars in space. Upon drying overnight I was debating on whether to still use the Paladin logos or the lightning bolt from the 2017 Power Rangers movie upon arrival at Fab Lab I decided to stick to the Voltron theme and using a saved image of the logo from Google images I cut the logo. Before doing so I measured the phone to give me an idea of size for the logo and incorporated a template of the phone cover in the program that I was using which was Inkscape (poor mans version of illustrator). Once the measurements were correct I took these to the cutter and had them cut on Vinyl in the colours of red, black, green, blue and yellow the colours of the Voltron lions.

These were then stuck to the phone cover using masking tape on by one, however the black logo didn't stick properly so the others had to be stuck down by hand. Upon further research I discovered to make this permanent it had to be sprayed using clear gloss and that was something Fab Lab didn't have so I purchased some clear Lacquer spray from Wilkos. However I wasn't confident using this spray so I asked for supervision and second opinions from Lisa a member of staff at Fab Lab. With her help I was able to apply the spray using the health and safety precautions of wearing protective masks, goggles and applying the spray 25cm away and giving it 10 minutes to dry. Upon three layers of this the phone cover had received a glossy shiny finish which was very eye catching and had kept the vinyl cuts in place.

Looking at the cover I would say that I've done a very good job of doing this piece and had it posted on this and my tumblr blog to see what you think. I may consider revisiting this idea and do some more custom covers using different techniques and medias.

Voltron Legendary Defender (c) Dreamworks