After all this printing, I’ve been getting back to the vectors. Here are a few snapshots of what’s in progress…
What can I say? I just can’t help it.
Archives for category: Vectors
After all this ‘proper’ drawing mularky, I felt the need to do some vector work! Inspired by this Sankyo Super CM 300 ( - a super 8 – just repaired and awaiting for a roll of film to test it!) I made some reference photographs and decided to begin with an orthographic projection – sides, top, bottom front and back views, and possibly a three-quarter view to follow.
I began by taking a few measurements and drawing the outer shape:
Like the body, I used the shape tools – rectangles and ellipses and the pathfinder tools. I decided to add a little curvature here – a true orthographic projection would show the lens side on – without any angle, but I guess a bit of artistic licence can be taken here – I can always change it later if it doesn’t look right.
All the main parts and the key lines of the details were created using the same process:
Untill I finished up with a decent line image.
I think that the lens works well too. There is a little unfinished area around the push button on the handle. This has been deliberately left to be resolved later – I will be making a handle up/down illustration and need to keep this area flexible enough for when I assemble all the parts together. I can use much of this drawing for the other side – reflecting it horizontally and replacing the details.
And now its time to get the details sorted and refine the line qualities.
I couldn’t help getting carried away into the tonal work though. Just a test for now as I may find better ways as I work on the other views…
A couple of days have passed since I last worked on this illustration and on reflection I was a little premature with my tonal work. I had worked purely in shades of grey without really thinking but on closer inspection there is more warmth overall, and some variations between the different metals and the plastic.
The next attempt was on a side view, and I ended up over-compensating the colour – this looks far too rich on the lens, but I can tone it down as I build up the tones elsewhere. The lens has gained the illusion of form through the careful use of gradient fills:
Even the screws got the full treatment!
And then onto the detail panels, which were built up in stages…
I am very pleased with the results – as well as using the photographic reference, I was also studying the camera itself and made quite a few small adjustments get the details just right…
And at the end of this session I have a fairly convincing image emerging:
As the father of two, Spongebob Squarepants has featured heavily in my life over the past few years. I have to confess that my morning routine includes an episode of Spongebob & co. whilst chewing through my morning muesli. I have been known to watch it at the weekend when the kids are still in bed! This is my homage.
This is not a ‘How To’ guide, just a look behind the scenes…
I had already explored using the pen tool to trace over a wallpaper image (the livetrace tool being somewhat lacking!) and decided to go for a 3D style look without keylines. I have always enjoyed seeing cartoon characters given 3D properies, like Homer Simpson in one of the Treehouse of Horror episode.
I began with the extrude and bevel tool with a fairly extreme perspective. I then mapped some ‘sponge holes’ onto the front. This took a few attempts to get right – if you are not familiar with this software, you have to make this part separately, with any active properties (blending, blur etc) and make it into a symbol before this stage can happen.
As you can see on the next image, I had applied a very slight blur to the sponge holes and this made the edges of the main form look too sharp (for a sponge!)
A two pixel blur was added to the whole form, just taking the edge off the hard vector forms:
The holes on the side were added separately after experimenting with the mapping tool. I had many problems with this as I think the surface area was too complex for the mapping tool. These are just overlayed with a multiply blend. I intended to distort them to fit the contours of the sponge but decided that it looked ok without.
Squarepants. Square. Pants. Squarepants. I used a combination of the extrude and rotate tools, as well as a couple of gradient overlay panels:
Mr. Pants legs were simply four short lines with a revolve applied…
The shoes were not so different, although made of separate pieces…
Back to the body, and then a few trials to establish how to make the arms (not as easy as the legs as they are curved). In the end I used five separate pieces for the right arm. I had spent a while trying the get the gradient tool to to work in a number of ways, but elected to use separate gradient filled shapes with a multiply blend to get the finger shapes to show. The Pathfinder tool was absolutely essential for this.
The left hand was made in a similar way as the exploded image below shows…
The sleeves were simple white shapes revolved:
So onto the face details. I drew out the eyes as concentri circles first and was going to add a radial gradient to them some depth, but then opted for a tricoloured line and a revolve:
I also added a small drop shadow to enhance the 3D effect:
The eyelshes were made in the same way, but each one had to be individually rotated…
For the cheeks I used two ellipses, each with a radial gradient fill. The orange layer on top was set to multiply in order to give it tranparency and interact with the yellow below – this gives is a gentle pink tinge.
The nose? I had to use the mesh tool here, adding highlights and shadows to the vector points around the top and bottom:
At this point it is probably worth having a look at what I have done so far…
The body parts are assembled and given some further accessories (collar & tie) and a paralellogram shadow.
And then the face begins to emerge…
The screenshot above shows that Spongebob is really coming together – another cheek, and the all-important mouth, and then finally, a Krabby patty!
The mouth was fairly straightforward; mainly gradients, inner glows, dropshadows and the mesh tool on the upper lip…
Then it was off to the galley for some vector cooking!
Again, this was quite straightforward – lots of combined use of the 3D tools with a few overlays, gradients and drop shadows.
I struggled with the lettuce and decided to make use of the Livetrace tool for this part…
And finally, Mr. Squarepants in all his vector glory!
I need to get out more…
