Getting Your Roughs Right

When you are roughing out an illustration the first sketch you do might not be perfect.

It can be a good idea to trace and retrace it until you feel that it's just right in terms of composition and style.

Don't forget to bring a tracing pad to class.

The Three Elements of Assignment 1

1 Simple shapes without outlines.

2 A few lines to add detail and character.

3 Some texture to add interest.

Adding Grain

 Option drag a copy of the shape you want add texture to

Select the Gradient Tool and fill the shape with a gradient.

One end is 50% black with an opacity of 100%.

The other end is white with an opacity of 0%.

Go to Effect > Effect Gallery...

Select Grain and Stippled.

Play with Intensity and Contrast.

Click OK

Go Object > Rasterize > Bitmap at 300ppi

Live trace with the settings we have used before.

Then Expand.

Recolour and drag back over the original shape.

Adding Halftone

Option drag the shape you want to add texture to.

Select the Gradient Tool and fill the shape with a gradient.

One end is 50% black with an opacity of 100%.

The other end is white with an opacity of 0%.

Go to Effect > Pixelate > Colour Halftone

Max Radius 6

It should look like this.

Go Object > Rasterize > Bitmap at 300ppi

Then Live Trace with these settings

Expand

recolour and drag back over the original shape.

3 Ways of Adding Texture to an Image

Adding Imported Texture

Option drag a copy of the part of the image you want to add texture to.

Place the texture that you want to add.

Send the texture to the back

Select the shape and the texture and click Minus Back in the Pathfinder window.

You should now have this.

Recolour the texture and drag it back over the original shape.

Live Trace Settings

Inspiration for Assignment 1

Nigel Buchanan

Antonio Lapone

Aurelie Guillery

Bali Engel

Chris Gash

Jesse Le Doux

Melanie Matthews

Rian Hughes

Tiago Americo

Unknown (apologies to artist)

Steven Savage

Assignment 1

Using Illustrator create an illustration for a page of a children’s book.

The book is “A Day at the Zoo”

Dimensions 20cm x 20cm.

Try using a limited colour palette.

Use texture (Live Trace)

Use the Brush and Pen tools.

Create a high quality rough in pencil.

Scan it and import to Illustrator.

Then trace over it.

Try to use outlines as sparingly as possible.

Some Great Illustrator Tutorials

Computerarts is a great place to find tutorials for lots of different programs.

Here are some which I'd like you to look at when you can.

This one makes use of the techniques we will be using for the first assignment.

http://www.computerarts.co.uk/tutorials/vintage-vector-textures

These are all very useful too.

http://www.computerarts.co.uk/tutorials/video-tutorial-add-more-character-strokes-illustrator

http://www.computerarts.co.uk/tutorials/video-tutorial-using-illustrators-appearance-panel

http://www.computerarts.co.uk/tutorials/create-abstract-characters

http://www.computerarts.co.uk/tutorials/achieve-handmade-print-effects

Welcome

Welcome to the Chisholm Illustration blog.
Here you find links to handy tutorials, information about assignments and any other relevant stuff I can think of.