Make Your Own Yoto Cards

I've been scouring the internet for tips on the best materials to use to draw custom designs on Make Your Own (MYO) Yoto cards, and have only been able to find tutorials for printing labels. I gave this a shot following one of the more popular blogs, using the recommended vinyl stickers and templating software, but was underwhelmed by the lack of durability and insufficient depth of color. Here's what one of the labels looks like after a month of use, next to the original digital image. Some of the ink has rubbed off, and it doesn’t do much to repel moisture or stains.

So, I set off to find a better solution. Here’s what I ended up with:

In my search I specifically wanted:

  1. Hand-drawn images
  2. Richness of color
  3. Durability

1. Hand-drawn Images

I preferred custom images for many of my Yoto playlists. Sketching and coloring make for an enjoyable pastime, whereas creating digital labels seemed like a chore. This narrowed my options to marker / paint mediums, of which I considered:

  • Sharpies & comparable ink markers
    • Pros: easy, accessible, durable
    • Cons: variability in color richness and opacity
  • Acrylic markers
    • Pros: easy, accessible, vibrant colors
    • Cons: scratches easily without sealant, more difficult to apply for details than fine-tipped ink markers
  • Paint
    • Cons: too time consuming!

I researched around a little and landed on Primrosia acrylic markers due to the color selection and favorable reviews and video demonstrations (I actually ended up getting the Pastels as well after trying out the Multicolor set).

My Process

  1. Sketch out a design with pencil.
  2. Outline design with a fine-tipped black Sharpie (I didn't do much erasing after outlining since erasing will smudge dry Sharpie ink. When I did I used a  precision eraser, but you can probably shave down a corner of a rubber eraser)
  3. Color it in with acrylic markers!

There probably isn't significant difference between brands, but some notes on specifically the Primrosia markers:

  • Have scratch paper on hand to test before applying directly to the Yoto card. Sometimes the flow of paint was heavier than expected and I used a toothpick to apply from a droplet of paint from the scratch paper (eg. the whites of Steve's eyes and teeth).
  • Different colors sometimes apply differently - some are more opaque or dry more quickly. This didn't give me much trouble in general, but I did notice some paint shrinkage with the black and it didn't always stay where it was applied. It also dried much shinier, so I ended up basically only used it for larger areas and went back to Sharpie for anything else.
  • If you look closely, you'll notice the gray road leading up to Blue's house looks a little splotchy. Depending on the color, it might not be easy to achieve a perfectly flat wash. You can optimize by finishing the area before the marker dries completely, but I just colored as usual and didn't mind the result.
  • Wait for a color to dry before coloring an adjacent area - otherwise wet colors will run together or smudge, and lines won't be as sharp.
  • If you mess up, scratch off the dry paint and try again! You might need something like a toothpick for small areas.

2. Richness of Color

No complaints! You might be able to achieve the same with several applications of color Sharpie makers as well, but the acrylic markers were fairly opaque (remember to shake the marker adequately between use) and the color range was great.

3. Durability

With acrylic markers, you'll need to seal the card to keep the paint from scratching off. I tested with a few sealants I had on hand:

Acrylic polyurethane sealant

Best of the 3! I had some left over from a woodworking project (MasterClear Supreme in Satin), but a pint from a local hardware store would be enough for a lifetime supply of Yoto cards. I applied 4-5 thin layers with a 1/2" Blick studio synthetic brush, but just make sure you have one that doesn't shed. You can minimize visibility of the brush strokes by using a brush that isn't too rough, so I didn't do any additional sanding once the sealant was dry. You can follow the instructions on drying time to recoat for whichever sealant you have (for me it was ~1hr). It's been over a week and the cards look good as new (my kid is not gentle when she shoves these in the Yoto), but it's really easy to apply another coat if the surface does eventually scratch!

Mod Podge hard coat

This was somewhat brittle when it dried, so that I could scratch at the edges and have some of the sealant flake off. Once the surface was compromised it was fairly easy to keep scratching away the adjacent sealant.

Nail polish top coat

There might be variation between different brands of clear top coat, but the one I used was glossy and any scratches were very conspicuous. This one was also fairly brittle once dried and scratched easily.

Miscellaneous Tips

Sounds cool but don't fancy yourself an artist? There are plenty of tools that make drawing your own cards less intimidating and fun to try:
  1. Get some old-fashioned Carbon transfer paper and trace an image onto the cards.
  2. Download the Da Vinci Eye App (there are a few similar AR apps you can use) to project an image from your phone onto the card to guide your drawing.



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