Digital Illustration

Digital Illustration Presented by:Emmanuel Alfeche Genbert Cabalan Nelvin Morado Michael Rey CatigLouie Leonard Mendoza

Digital Illustration - A Master class in Creative Image-making instructs the reader, through detailed, step-by-step tutorials, in the skills and techniques used by the masters of digital image-making. With the growth of computer arts, designers are now using Photoshop, Illustrator, and Flash as much as QuarkXPress. These designers are combining handcrafting skills with modern techniques to produce a fresh creative aesthetic. Digital Illustration reveals the secrets of the industry's most successful creative's who transfer traditional illustrative skills into digital dimensions, producing the highest quality, most commercially successful animation, three-dimensional and vector-based illustration. This book offers a master class for students and professional designers and illustrators who want to take their work beyond the constraints of two-dimensions and to gain greater commercial success.

About the Pen toolsPhotoshop provides multiple Pen tools. The standard Pen tool draws with the greatest precision; the Freeform Pen tool draws paths as if you were drawing with pencil on paper, and the magnetic pen option lets you draw a path that snaps to the edges of defined areas in your image. You can use the pen tools in conjunction with the shape tools to create complex shapes. When you use the standard Pen tool, the following options are available in the options bar:Auto Add/Delete, which lets you add an anchor point when you click a line segment or delete an anchor point when you click it.Rubber Band, which lets you preview path segments as you move the pointer between clicks. (To access this option, click the pop-up menu to the right of the Custom Shape icon.)

Draw straight line segments with the Pen tool The simplest path you can draw with the Pen tool is a straight line, made by clicking the Pen tool to create two anchor points. By continuing to click, you create a path made of straight line segments connected by corner points.

Clicking Pen tool creates straight segments.1. Select the Pen tool.2. Position the Pen tool where you want the straight segment to begin, and click to define the first anchor point (do not drag).Note:The first segment you draw will not be visible until you click a second anchor point. (Select the Rubber Band option in Photoshop to preview path segments.) Also, if direction lines appear, youve accidentally dragged the Pen tool; choose Edit> Undo, and click again.

3. Click again where you want the segment to end (Shift-click to constrain the angle of the segment to a multiple of 45).4. Continue clicking to set anchor points for additional straight segments.The last anchor point you add always appears as a solid square, indicating that it is selected. Previously defined anchor points become hollow, and deselected, as you add more anchor points.5. Complete the path by doing one of the followingTo close the path, position the Pen tool over the first (hollow) anchor point. A small circle appears next to the Pen tool pointer when it is positioned correctly. Click or drag to close the path.

Draw curves with the Pen toolYou create a curve by adding an anchor point where a curve changes direction, and dragging the direction lines that shape the curve. The length and slope of the direction lines determine the shape of the curve.Curves are easier to edit and your system can display and print them faster if you draw them using as few anchor points as possible. Using too many points can also introduce unwanted bumps in a curve. Instead, draw widely spaced anchor points, and practice shaping curves by adjusting the length and angles of the direction lines.1. Select the Pen tool.2. Position the Pen tool where you want the curve to begin, and hold down the mouse button.

The first anchor point appears, and the Pen tool pointer changes to an arrowhead. (In Photoshop, the pointer changes only after youve started dragging.)3. Drag to set the slope of the curve segment youre creating, and then release the mouse button.In general, extend the direction line about one third of the distance to the next anchor point you plan to draw. (You can adjust one or both sides of the direction line later.)Hold down the Shift key to constrain the tool to multiples of 45.

Drawing the first point in a curve

A. Positioning Pen toolB. Starting to drag (mouse button pressed)C. Dragging to extend direction linesPosition the Pen tool where you want the curve segment to end, and do one of the following:To create a Cshaped curve, drag in a direction opposite to the previous direction line. Then release the mouse button.Drawing the second point in a curveA.Starting to drag second smooth pointB.Dragging away from previous direction line, creating a C curveC.

Result after releasing mouse button

5. Continue dragging the Pen tool from different locations to create a series of smooth curves. Note that you are placing anchor points at the beginning and end of each curve, not at the tip of the curve.6. Complete the path by doing one of the following:To close the path, position the Pen tool over the first (hollow) anchor point. A small circle appears next to the Pen tool pointer when it is positioned correctly. Click or drag to close the path.

To leave the path open, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (MacOS) anywhere away from all objects.To leave the path open, you can also select a different tool, or choose Select> Deselect in Illustrator or Edit>Deselect Allin InDesign.

Draw with the Freeform Pen tool The Freeform Pen tool lets you draw as if you were drawing with a pencil on paper. Anchor points are added automatically as you draw. You do not determine where the points are positioned, but you can adjust them once the path is complete. To draw with greater precision, use the Pen tool.Select the Freeform Pen tool .To control how sensitive the final path is to the movement of your mouse or stylus, click the inverted arrow next to the shape buttons in the options bar, and enter a value between 0.5 and 10.0 pixels for Curve Fit. A higher value creates a simpler path with fewer anchor points.Drag the pointer in the image. As you drag, a path trails behind the pointer. When you release the mouse, a work path is created.

To continue the existing freehand path, position the pen pointer on an end point of the path, and drag.To complete the path, release the mouse. To create a closed path, drag the line to the initial point of the path (a circle appears next to the pointer when it is aligned).

Draw straight lines followed by curvesUsing the Pen tool, click corner points in two locations to create a straight segment.Position the Pen tool over the selected endpoint. In Illustrator and InDesign, a convert-point icon appears next to the Pen tool when it is positioned correctly (In Photoshop, a small diagonal line, or slash, appears next to the Pen tool). To set the slope of the curved segment youll create next, click the anchor point, and drag the direction line that appears.

Drawing a straight segment followed by a curved segment (part 1)

Position the pen where you want the next anchor point; then click (and drag, if desired) the new anchor point to complete the curve.

Drawing a straight segment followed by a curved segment (part 2)

Draw curves followed by straight linesthe Pen tool where you want the straight segment to end, and click to complete the straight segment.Using the Pen tool, drag to create the first smooth point of the curved segment, and release the mouse button.Reposition the Pen tool where you want the curved segment to end, drag to complete the curve, and release the mouse button.Select the Convert Point tool from the toolbox, and then click the selected end point to convert it from a smooth point to a corner point.Press Alt (Windows) or Option (MacOS) to temporarily change the Pen tool to the Convert Point tool.

Draw two curved segments connected by a cornerUsing the Pen tool, drag to create the first smooth point of a curved segment.Reposition the Pen tool and drag to create a curve with a second smooth point; then press and hold Alt (Windows) or Option (MacOS) and drag the direction line toward its opposing end to set the slope of the next curve. Release the key and the mouse button.This process converts the smooth point to a corner point by splitting the direction lines.Reposition the Pen tool where you want the second curved segment to end, and drag a new smooth point to complete the second curved segment.

Drawing two curvesA.Dragging a new smooth pointB.Pressing Alt/Option to split direction lines while dragging, and swinging direction line upC.Result after repositioning and dragging a third time

Draw using the magnetic pen optionsThe Magnetic Pen is an option of the Freeform Pen tool that lets you draw a path that snaps to the edges of defined areas in your image. You can define the range and sensitivity of the snapping behavior, as well as the complexity of the resulting path. The Magnetic Pen and Magnetic Lasso tools share many of the same options.To convert the Freeform Pen tool to the Magnetic Pen tool , select Magnetic in the options bar, or click the inverted arrow next to the shape buttons in the options bar, select Magnetic, and set the following:Click in the image to set the first fastening point.To draw a freehand segment, move the pointer or drag along the edge you want to trace.

The most recent segment of the border remains active. As you move the pointer, the active segment snaps to the strongest edge in the image, connecting the pointer to the last fastening point. Periodically, the Magnetic Pen adds fastening points to the border to anchor previous sections.

If the border doesnt snap to the desired edge, click once to add a fastening point manually and to keep the border from moving. Continue to trace the edge and add fastening points as needed. If you make a mistake, press Delete to remove the last fastening point.

To dynamically modify the properties of the Magnetic Pen, do one of the following:Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (MacOS) to draw a freehand path.Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (MacOS) to draw straight segments.Press the open square bracket key ([) to decrease the Magnetic Pen width by 1 pixel; press the close square bracket key (]) to increase the pen width by 1 pixel.Complete the path:Press Enter (Windows) or Return (MacOS) to end an open path.Double-click to close the path with a magnetic segment.Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (MacOS), and double-click to close the path with a straight segment.

Adobe CS5 Illustrator Basic Shape ToolsAdobe Creative Suite 5 (Adobe CS5) Illustrator includes several basic shape tools. The only visible shape tool in the Tools panel is, as a default, the Rectangle tool. Click and hold down that tool and you have access to the Rounded Rectangle, Ellipse, Polygon, and Star tools, although you see the Flare tool, it isnt a basic shape.

You can tear off this tool set so that you dont have to find the hidden shapes later. Click and hold the Rectangle tool and drag to the arrow on the far right side. Wait until you see the pop-up hint (Tearoff) and then release the mouse button. These tools are now on a free-floating toolbar that you can drag to another location.Create rectangles and ellipsesRectangles and ellipses are the most fundamental shapes you can create. To create a rectangle shape freehand, select the Rectangle tool and simply click the page where you want the shape to appear.Then drag diagonally toward the opposite side, drag your mouse the distance you want the shape to be in size, and release the mouse button. You can drag up or down. You do the same to create an ellipse by using the Ellipse tool.

After you create the shape, adjust its size and position by using theSelection tool. Reposition the shape by clicking the selected object anddragging. Resize the object by grabbing a handle and adjusting in or out.To adjust two sides together, grab a corner handle. To resize a shapeproportionally, Shift+drag a corner handle.

Use the Rounded Rectangle toolYou can create a rounded rectangle by using one of two methods:Click and drag freehand to create the rounded rectangle shape.Click the artboard once to open the Rounded Rectangle dialog box, where you can enter values to define the shape. Enter a value in the Corner Radius text field, which determines how much rounding is applied to the corners of the shape.

Change the rounded corner visually by pressing the up and down keys on your keyboardwhileyoure dragging out the Rounded Rectangle shape on the artboard. The smaller the value, the less rounded the corners; the higher the value, the more rounded the corners.Using the Polygon toolYou create stars and polygons in much the same way as you create rectangles and ellipses. Select the Polygon tool and click and drag from one corner to another to create the default six-sided polygon shape. You can also select the Polygon tool and click once on the artboard to change the Polygon tool options in the Polygon dialog box.Change the polygon shape by entering new values in the Radius and Sides text fields. The radius is determined from the center to the edge of the polygon. The value for the number of sides can range from 3 (making triangles a breeze to create) to 1,000.

Using the Star toolTo create a star shape, select the Star tool from the Tools panel. It may hide under other shape tools. If you click the artboard once to open the Star dialog box, you see three text fields in which you can enter values to customize your star shape:Radius 1:Distance from the outer points to the center of the starRadius 2:Distance from the inner points to the center of the starPoints:Number of points that comprise the star

The closer together the Radius 1 and Radius 2 values are to each other, the shorter the points on your star. In other words, you can go from a starburst to a seal of approval by entering values that are close in the Radius 1 and Radius 2 text fields.

Interaction ObjectsMethods of combining objectsYou can combine vector objects to create shapes in a variety of ways in Illustrator. The resulting paths or shapes differ depending on the method you use to combine the paths.Pathfinder effectsPathfinder effects let you combine multiple objects using one of ten interaction modes. Unlike compound shapes, you cant edit the interactions between objects when you use a Pathfinder effect.Compound shapesCompound shapes let you combine multiple objects and specify how you want each object to interact with the other objects. Compound shapes are more versatile than compound paths because they provide four kinds of interactions: add, subtract, intersect, and exclude. In addition, the underlying objects are not changed, so you can select each object within a compound shape to edit it or change its interaction mode.

Compound pathsCompound paths let you use an object to cut a hole in another object. For example, you can create a doughnut shape from two nested circles. Once you create a compound path, the paths act as grouped objects. You can select and manipulate the objects separately using the Direct Selection tool or Group Selection tool; or you can select and edit the combined path.

Compound pathsCompound paths let you use an object to cut a hole in another object. For example, you can create a doughnut shape from two nested circles. Once you create a compound path, the paths act as grouped objects. You can select and manipulate the objects separately using the Direct Selection tool or Group Selection tool; or you can select and edit the combined path.