A couple of weeks ago, I bought a new tablet to replace my old one that had stopped working. Going through the set-up process, I was prompted to choose from a few wallpapers (background images) for the lock and home screens. There's nothing wrong with these wallpapers, but I found them uninspiring. I decided to make a few new ones for myself.
Why Design Your Own Wallpaper?
It's easy to use the photos already on your phone or tablet for this purpose, but I prefer having a wallpaper that's an abstract image. I find it less distracting and easier to see the various apps I've installed. (Plus, if I use an image of a puppy as my background I will get nothing done. You may be totally unfazed by cute overload! Know thyself!)
I could just download some free wallpaper from a random website, but I enjoy having some that I've made myself. Making art is a happiness boost for me, so seeing my own art on a sometimes frustrating device (annoying pop-up ads! slow page loading!) seems to help balance everything out.
One cool thing about designing your own wallpaper is that you can easily change it out with the seasons. Or your mood. Or for some other reason. When I took an illustration class two years ago, I changed my wallpaper for those eight weeks. It was a great way to subtly remind myself every time I turned on my tablet that I had work to do and shouldn't spend too much time scrolling through Instagram.
How to Design Your Own Art Wallpaper
I thought I'd share my own process so you can do this yourself. (A custom wallpaper image could also make a good gift for those who might be less tech-savvy than you!) Please note that these instructions are very general as each phone or tablet will have their own specific steps.
1. Decide on the Size and Format
- Size: Currently, the most common size for a wallpaper image is 1080 x 1920 pixels. If you're not sure of the exact size needed (say you're making a background for a friend), this is a good one to use. You can also search Google for your specific device (such as iphone 14 wallpaper size) and get the exact recommended size.
- Image format: JPG or PNG files will work. I use JPGs because they're slightly smaller file sizes. (I'm always running out of room on my device.)
- Resolution: You can use 72 dpi for the resolution. If you forget to set the resolution and it's a higher number (like 150 or 300), it's fine!
2. Make the Image
- Use a template: Canva has an entire free set of phone templates, as does Adobe Express. These can be a great way to start, as sometimes it's hard to begin from a blank white screen. You don't have to use the template as is; you can customize the colors, fonts, and other features.
- Or do it your own way: You can use whatever you like. If you have a scanner, you can scan an image of a pencil drawing, a watercolor painting, a charcoal sketch, a Gelli Plate print, or other paper artwork. Or you can use programs like Adobe Illustrator or Procreate to draw a digital image to use.
- Consider an abstract image: One advantage of using an abstract image is that you don't have to be very precise with the size as it will (probably) still look great if the image is cut off in any one direction. If you do want it to look a specific way once it's on your device (for example, you're making a decorative floral border around the edges of the screen), then it's important that you make the image the exact right size for your device.
- Make more than one: I also recommend making more than one image. It will be more efficient to load all your backgrounds at once so changing them out will be easy and fast. But you also might discover that your wallpaper image wasn't as perfect as you thought once it's in place. One of my early images was a polka-dotted one that looked charming when I designed it. It was only after I loaded it onto my tablet that I discovered that some of the dots were obscuring the buttons on my login screen which made it difficult to log in!
This image below shows three of my wallpaper designs:
3. Transfer the Files
You'll likely need to transfer the wallpaper file from wherever you made it (your desktop, laptop, etc.) to the place where you want to use it (your phone, tablet, etc.)
The exact method you use to transfer or move the file will depend upon the version and kind of device you have. For example, on my iPad (an Apple device), I can use AirDrop to sync my iPad with my desktop (or wherever the original image is). For my old Android tablet, I attached the image to an email and emailed it to myself. Then I opened my email on my tablet and saved the attached image. There are many other file transfer methods, but you do not need to know them all. Just learn one way and use that!
Most devices require your artwork background image be stored in the same folder as your photos. My iPad calls this folder Photos, while on my Samsung device, it's Gallery / Pictures. Some devices may store these images elsewhere, so be sure to search online for more detailed instructions if you get stuck ("how to change wallpaper on my Samsung Galaxy phone").
4. Set File as Wallpaper
You'll need to find where wallpaper is set on your device. For my iPad, it's under Settings / Wallpaper / Add New Wallpaper. For my Samsung Galaxy tablet, it's under Settings / Wallpaper and style / Change wallpapers.
You may have the option of changing just the lock screen (the screen where you log in) or home screen (the one you see with your apps after you log in) or both.
Again, search online for detailed instructions for your specific device if you need more details.
I hope you enjoy creating your own artistic wallpaper!
Resources
If you need more detailed instructions and inspiration, check out these articles:
- Make Your Own Phone Wallpaper (PicMonkey)
- How to Make a Cell Phone Wallpaper in Canva (BizBFF)