Adobe Illustrator - Day 17

So here is the final implementation of the sketch from yesterday. I am very relieved that this exercise did actually take less time as I expected in the beginning of the progress. I had much fun creating the shapes for this plane since there was no struggling with surprising problems this time. First I wanted to add more details like hatches, tiny sensors, rivets, lights and so on, but then I decided to keep it simple. In my opinion, more details would already have destroyed the abstract look of the aircraft, but without improving the aesthetic.  

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Left: The version of the plane after all shapes were created successfully. Right: The finalisation after adding colors, lightning and shades 

Adobe Illustrator - Day 16

As I already admitted, illustrations of people or creatures were never my strong point, so now I wanted to implement something I feel more comfortable with. I took another sheet of paper, and started to sketch abstract Learjets from different angles. When I finally found a good perspective, I drew the plane again, but this time with more details. I am not sure yet, but I think that it will not be a big deal to recreate this sketch in Illustrator. - At least I hope so.

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Left: The first sketch of the plane from this specific angle. Right: The second sketch with more details and more precise alignment of all elements. This plane is fictitious and does not exist in reality.

Adobe Illustrator - Day 15

Today it was already much easier to draw my mascot from yesterday. - Despite the little joy with the triangle, it took only half the time to create the illustration below. There are still some tiny differences to the original, but this is simply a question of practice. Unfortunately I "cheated" a little bit using Photoshop for the hands behind the triangle, since the implementation for this purpose became less complicated and time consuming (It is no longer a vector file.). But this is not so important, because the triangle is just a photo and not made with Illustrator. The illustration is therefore limited by the pixels and sharpness of the triangle anyway.

Adobe Illustrator - Day 14

Even though my new little "mascot" might look simple and ordinary, the implementation in Illustrator still took more than two hours! - Just because I was very undecided with the hands, the arms and also with details like the hair. But I am positive that I will be able to draw this fella quicker the next time, since I know the correct proportions and the style now. My goal is to learn, how to show different moods or feelings with a cartoon character like this one. - So do not be surprised when my mascot suddenly appears again in this blog!   

Adobe Illustrator - Day 13

Back to something completely different: Fictitious characters! As I already said in the very beginning of this blog, I tend to struggle with drawing cartoon figures or animals. Showing gestures in a normal, natural way was always a little difficult to implement (or took me longer than other subjects). So I thought "Why not just create my own little mascot I can always play with to learn it?". I grabbed a sheet of paper, and started to mess around. 

Adobe Illustrator - Day 12

Here is the final result after rotating my iMac-replica from yesterday. First I wanted to work with tools like scaling and bending, but then I found something much more useful: A special grid which does not only help you finding the right angle and perspective, but also adjusting the shape correctly. Without this tool, it is very difficult to see if everything is in correct relation. Unfortunately, this grid could not help out with adapting the iMacs base. That is because the monitor is a simple rectangle without any curves. - A shape that is easy to adjust. The base, however, consists of curves, which behave completely different while rotating. The result looked very unnatural and unrealistic.

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So I had to fully recreate the base considering the new rotation of the monitor, what took me a few minutes. Afterwards I was able to copy the shading of the front-view base to the new one, what saved some time. In the end, I only had to add the edges (which are now visible from the side) and tilt the monitor a tiny bit as a detail.  

The grid I used to adjust the angles for the new perspective. At first, it was a little difficult to work with this tool correctly, but after getting used to it, the adjustment is quick and easy.

Adobe Illustrator - Day 11

Before I am able to deal with the perspective, I had to create the front side of the Computer. The main part with the monitor was easy, the base however took a few more minutes due to the shadow and light reflection. There is also a very small edge which gives the base a thin thickness. The camera on top, and the Apple logo were the final details in the end.

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If you look closely, you can spot a few details which differ to each other. I am very sure that the Original was also made with a 3D program, since the light and shadow look a little more natural. I am still happy with my replica made with Illustrator. 

As you can see on the panel, I had to set seven transitions to imitate the shadow of the base (edge not included). Afterwards I only had to create two more light reflections at both sides, and a few more transitions for the edge. So far, so good. But now it might get a little more tricky to turn the computer, since more edges will become visible from the side. Also the monitor has to be tilted in relation to the base.

Adobe Illustrator - Day 10

Since I was a little overexcited with the last exercise (highway), I now want to "row back" to something more abstract and simple. Based on the experience I got in the last week, I am very positive that I am able to copy this piece of artwork by Apple: The iMac! The composition of this masterpiece is amazing, although the structure does not seem to be too complicated to reproduce in Illustrator. But on the other hand, accuracy is more important, because even tiny mistakes are going to be easy to identify on this minimalist surface. Tomorrow I will know more!

© Copyright by Apple 2018. The iMac has an unique design, that convinces with its modern simpleness. - Maybe a good object to exercise with?

Adobe Illustrator - Day 9

After four more hours (in addition to the last three days), I have to pause this exercise completely! The reason is simple: Because of my intention to put in as many details as possible, I apparently did mistakes which led to some kind of a vicious circle. The main problem are the shadows. To create a gentle 3D-illusion, this characteristic was crucial to me, so I primarily focused on this topic. At the beginning the process went fine. It was not a big deal to create a shadow for the vehicles or the street lamps for example, but then the street barriers became a little more difficult. The difference here was the fact, that I had to combine individual shapes to one big shape to prevent gaps and irregularities. Afterwards the surface looked acceptable, but the contour was torn apart somehow. - Unfortunately the most important property of a smooth shadow.

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I was able to compensate it a little bit, but when I had to deal with the shadows of the trees (which have to lay over everything underneath them), I came to my current limits. As you might see in the latest image (see above), these shadows have sharp edges unlike the other ones. They are also not adjusted to other objects, because it would have been necessary to cut the shadows at several spots. This led to more disrupted contours, and the mistake became bigger than before.

Another problem increased due to performance issues of my computer. - Something I just can not understand since I also use this system for video editing and post production purposes, what might need more of its internal memory (16 GB of RAM and a good graphic card as support) than Illustrator. More and more bugs appeared! After selecting a shape or a group of shapes, it was no longer highlighted. A little later, I could no longer select objects directly. It was like the layers have been locked down (which is an useful option normally).

Original sketch of the highway and the bridge before working on Illustrator. In the beginning, the process was not supposed to last longer than two evenings / 6-8 hours. Due to the mentioned problems, I finally paused the project after almost 13 hours.

During editing the paths, they also stopped to lock on other paths, what made it impossible to work accurately. So my conclusion is, that I probably made a few essential mistakes, which I now have to figure out. In the meantime, I will pause the "highway project" and get started with the next steps of my helpful book by Monika Gause. 

Adobe Illustrator - Day 8

You might already recognize that this exercise that should not have taken more than two evenings turned out to be a bigger time-consuming project. But since it helps me very much with getting used to the tools I was able to learn in the last week, I want to give it a shot, creating something a little more interesting. Currently there are three different types of vehicles. - A few more will be added later. As you can see in the image below, I experimented around with shadows, lighting and textures to create a more vivid and sculptural look (left picture). The difference is clearly visible, specially if you focus on the trees and the street barriers which are still untouched. The bridge is in the same condition as yesterday (right picture). Tomorrow I want to apply the new style on the rest of the illustration.

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Using the effect of shadows, lighting and patterns (as textures), the illustration looses a little bit of its cartoonish look. The difference is clearly visible if you compare both pictures to each other. However, this process is more time-consuming than I thought in the beginning.