Stuck In Generic Mock Up Hell? Do This Instead

Never settle, use this for mock ups that actually fit with your brand

I’m a good Googler. I don’t suck at finding stuff online.

I think it was the fourth Etsy shop I opened when I became underwhelmed with the same ole same ole bull crap I was seeing for my choices while making a mock-up for something I’d made.

My brother says I need to grow up and calm down on the cussing.

That’s the ONLY reason I said bull crap. Anyway, we’ll see how long that lasts.

Like I was saying, there I am on Canva, it was probably 3 in the morning because, at that time, the internet only worked at 3 am.

One hand holding my face up, the other scrolling scrolling scrolling the little wheel on the mouse. With each rotation, it let out a tiny squeak as if it too is suffering from my refusal to choose a fucking environment where my product can live.

Whelp, I lasted 5 whole sentences before I dropped the f-bomb.

None of these mock-ups look like a place where my product would be.

None of the people in these mock-ups look like the people I picture buying my product.

Right about here is where the thought occurs, “Dude, surely I could make my own mock-ups.”

Of course, you can make your own mock-ups.

The first and most important thing is to find a photo that represents your style, your brand, and your aesthetic.

You can either take your own, which I highly recommend if you’re lucky enough to live in a place that doesn’t have wood paneling and a few decades of cigarette smoke layered onto the walls. Or find a stock photo that fits.

Here’s where I drop a magic nugget of internet wizardry.

Pexels.com

This website is the answer to pretty much all of your stock image and video problems.

Go ahead and search for the word, ‘frame,’ and see what pops up.

There is absolutely no way that your aesthetic doesn’t live on this site somewhere.

Now, with a little Photoshop knowledge or even Canva, depending on what you’re selling, you’ve got your badass mock-up that matches your brand, and your aesthetic.

Also, if you haven’t looked at Deviant Art for editable PSD mock-ups, you’re also missing out.

There’s never been a time that I haven’t been able to locate a mock-up or background for a mock-up from these two sites.

I’ll be making a step-by-step Photoshop guide on how to insert your product onto a stock image from pexels.com using smart objects in the very near future.

Jacklyn Miller - Chief Rebel at Renegade Art Co

p.s. my mouse still squeaks.