Hello, welcome back to my post this time. Today, I want to share my experience of creating a poster that I eventually used as my laptop wallpaper. The idea actually came up quite by accident. While browsing the internet, I came across that iconic The Joker poster. From there, I was instantly inspired. I thought, why not try making my own piece of art? Luckily, I had some free time, so I decided to bring the idea to life.
For the process, I used CorelDRAW. Of course, a similar approach could probably be done with Adobe Illustrator, but since I haven’t mastered that software yet, I chose to stick with CorelDRAW for now. After all, for me, it’s not about the tool—it’s about how we can create with what we already have.
CorelDRAW has an interesting feature that allows us to transform text into certain shapes. My idea was to make a poster wallpaper featuring a Splinterlands character. I decided on Gobalano Soldier from the Rebellion set.
The reason was simple: his smile reminded me a little of the Joker, and his overall appearance carried that mafia and gangster vibe. So, I felt this character was perfect for experimenting with a poster design.
The first step I took was preparing the background and a design reference to use as a text template. The version of CorelDRAW I used was 2018—yes, a bit outdated, but that’s what’s installed on my laptop. I’m sure the latest version looks fresher and probably comes with more features, but for now, this one works just fine. After creating the text, I went straight to the Effects > Envelope feature, which allows text to be shaped according to an image pattern.
I used a template image as a guide, then shaped the text to follow that pattern.
Once it formed, I shifted the text back to the center of the canvas. At this stage, editing points appeared that could be adjusted using the shape tool (F10).
It was just a matter of tweaking the nodes, pulling the curves, and gradually the text started to take the shape I wanted. I repeated this process for each part of the text.
This next step started to get exciting. I had managed to form the character’s hat out of text.
For consistency, I used the word SPLINTERLANDS—sometimes as a whole, sometimes in fragments. With that combination, the result became more varied and visually interesting.
After a few hours of focus, I finally created the silhouette of Gobalano Soldier’s head with his signature smile. The shape I made leaned more toward a human and natural style. If I had used a different pattern, the result might have looked more cartoon-like. But in my opinion, both styles have their own charm, depending on preference and purpose.
Once the base face was formed, I changed the text color to red so it stood out more clearly. This color was only temporary since it could later be replaced as needed. It could be a single solid color or a mix that resembled the original character.
Next, I added some effect touches to bring the piece to life. I changed the background to black, then gave the character’s eyes a glowing yellow color with an added drop shadow > large glow effect.
This part was the most fun: the freedom to experiment.
From there, I kept experimenting and eventually created four different versions:
For me, each version carries a unique atmosphere. Some feel dark and mysterious, some simple, some glamorous, and others subtle yet strong. This process also taught me that one idea can branch out into many results, depending on how we explore it.
It felt really satisfying after spending a few hours playing with text, nodes, and colors. From just a small spark of inspiration after seeing the Joker poster, I managed to create my own work with a personal touch. I hope anyone who sees this poster can also feel the different vibes from each version I made.
Talk about Splinterlands,
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