Jun 05
Illustration, from sketch to finish Part Three
2006 at 01.40 am posted by Veerle Pieters
Some of you remember part 1 and part 2 and have been eager to view part 3. It took me a while to find some free time to work on part 3. Today I have been able to finish my drawing. This part covers the final touch of the illustration. We’ll be adding highlights and shadows and use the Gradient Tool a lot…
The final touch of an illustration improves the illustration a lot. It'll make the illustration more appealing if you spend some attention to details without overdoing it. An illustration style like this is clean but a little depth, light and shadow will make the difference.
A bit of face lifting
The eyes
The part of the illustration that needs some extra attention and improving is the face, especially the eyes. First we'll add some smooth shadow effect which gives the impression as if she wears a bit of make up. This effect also adds a bit of depth to the face. First of all I removed the filling and used a stroke. I cut both into 2 parts and gave the outer lines the same color as the face. I made sure there is the same amount of points on both lines, otherwise this could result in some weird effect when using the Blend Tool. Choose the Blend Tool, click a point on the light line then click the equivalent point on the dark line.
The neck and mouth
Adding some shadow on the neck will give the illustration extra depth. Make sure you always add shadows in a subtle way, too dark shadows will spoil it and make the illustration too hard. I use a gradient that has the same color of the skin and a bit of darker skin color. First I drew a shape that fits exactly on the neck. I copied the shape of the face and place it in front (command/control + f), then I used the Scissors Tool to cut off the part I don't need and drew the other parts of the path using the Pen Tool. For the lips a subtle red radial gradient is been used (instead of flat red).
The hair
For the hair I added extra paths to give it more color. The color variation in the hair adds extra dimension, detail and it gives the girl also a more 'modern' look.
Adding the right eye, adding shadow on her forehead
The left eye wasn't drawn yet in part 2, the hair covers her eye, so you could decide to leave it out. However it feels unfinished and a bit odd to me not to draw the left eye. It's also better to finish the right eye first since we will copy it to create the left one. You simply mirror (and if needed, rotate) the eye, except the eyeball of course. To finish her face I've added some shadow and highlights: an extra shape to highlight her nose, same for her left cheek and chin and a radial gradient on the shape of her face to add a bit of shadow on her forehead.
Adding extra shadows and highlights
I've added subtle shadows and highlights on her skin and clothes by using subtle gradients or adding a highlight shape, a small line that follows the border.
Adding a background
Last but not least I've added a background. Since she's wears a swimsuit (or kind of), I thought of adding the beach in the background. So I added sky, water, sand (with a tiny bit of structure), a beach chair and some boats to finish it off.
The before and after effect
In case you need me to refresh your memory, this is how the illustration looks without any finishing touch. Not bad but far from complete, just basic. Never forget the extra touch. Go the extra mile, but just remember to keep it well balanced.
Want to learn more?
Layers magazine is the only magazine that covers the entire Adobe® Creative Suite and everything it has to offer. In addition to in-depth tutorials, each issue is packed with tips, Q&A, product reviews, industry news, and feature articles covering the gamut of digital photography, graphic design, Web authoring, motion graphics, and more.
44served
1
Wow! The illustration is really fresh and clean. Love the style! It makes me want to go to the beach :D Going the extra mile did work very well.
2
Ooooh, wonderful Veerle! You’ve really got an artist’s skill :)
Since I’m quite new here I haven’t seen the other two steps of this illustration, better go check ‘em.
Ron: Yeah, now I’ve got beach fever as well! :)
3
What a great article and fantastic artwork,thank you so much! Your work is a real inspiration!
4
I think it’s great to see illustrators providing tutorials with their work, especially when they are as busy as you.
Superb work
Thanks
5
Very nice Veerle. Handy to know how you create the subtle effects.
You can certainly tell that you’re a fan of Hed Kandi, Tokyo Project and Fierce Angels. Your style is very similar to the likes of Jason Brooks (not that thats a bad thing!)
Keep it up lady!
6
Nice work, Veerle, the detailed highlights and shadows really make the image come alive :)
7
2 days ago, I was watching to video how you draw this illustration, and I like it. So When I am looking to “finished product” I’m not so surprised, that it looks cool.
Shadowing can really do the trick ;)
8
Nice tutorial.
9
This has become quite the tutorial. I’m still at that point where I am beginning to get the knack of bézier lines but I’m certainly going to try out more tracing now.
10
I’m so jealous, great illustration and tutorial but I just don’t have any talent for this kind of work. :-) Eventhough I’d love to be able to make illustrations like thisone.
11
Great finish! As always your art amazes. Thank you so much for sharing your talent with us. Illustrator is one of those programs which I can do only 10% of what it offers, so thank you for the tutorial.
12
Wow really nice. Such drawing would take me hours to do. While watching the videos I’ve seen a few things that will help me the next time I make something in Illustrator.
Keep up the good work! :D
13
Excellent artwork!
Maybe you could consider to attach your video in flash file, as it is avilable on more then 90% of all computers and the file size is pretty small. Just a small note because I was not able to play your movie on this school computer. :o)
Anyway very inspiring articles!
Thank you!
14
Very nice result! As an amateur photographer, I’ve been fiddling around with drawings in Photoshop for a bit but haven’t found it as easy as it would appear from reading and viewing your tutorial. Guess that’s the difference between Photoshop and Illustrator :-)
In parts one and two you included a movie, which was fun to watch. Will you post one for part three as well? Although, after reading Lewro’s comment, I wonder if I simply missed the link?!
15
Great work, Veerle!
16
When are you going to write a BOOK? I would buy one it an instant: a mix of the tutorials and your insight, instructions, and finesse in web design; printed on glossy paper and in brilliant color. Please tell us that such a wonder is in the works. Thanks for another great post.
17
18
I second Alexandra (#16).
And awesome work Nando & your illustrations on your site are just as good.
Very cool!
19
Believe it or not but this is coincidental. I’m not the type that needs to copy something, I can draw anything I want. I’ve based my drawing on a picture of a model in a fashion book. I guess there are only so many poses :S Here is my sketch:
20
Yeah yeah… you based your sketch on the Hed Kandi chick (even if most of the ladies in the Kandi series tend to have their hands in the air!)
21
Thank you so much Veerle. I have struggled in becoming a better user with Illustrator. After watching your first two videos I finally “got it”. And I have been able to greatly increase the quality of my work in Illustrator.
I have a question though - do you ever work with a graphics tablet, like a Wacom? I have one and I’m still getting used to it as I’m so accustomed to drawing with the mouse.
I agree with #16 as well, I would love a book on all sorts of insights like your provide on your site. (I loved your style guide post).
I do have one last question :) Where have you learned your shading/gradient work from? Is it natural? Schooling? I think my biggest problem is knowing what to shade and how to shade it.
Thank you again Veerle. Maybe I will have some time this week to apply your techniques and post the results :)
22
nice drawing veerle
23
i dont buy it looks like a straight out rip off trace to me
24
Veerle, I think your talent speaks for itself in EVERYTHING you do.
You obviously display consistent talent in all your illustration pieces. It’s not like you suddenly became an artistic genius yesterday—you’ve been doing great work for years!
You’re obviously a great success at what you do so don’t let any naysayers and “haters” bring you down. :)
25
Great tutorial, Veerle!
Thanks to this series I could improve my Illustrator skills a lot. I consider myself a “regular lurker” around here and I certainly do learn something with every visit.
Another great series are your articles about the development of net squared - very interesting.
Keep on producing this good stuff!
Cheers,
Julian
26
The whole series is great. Though I prefer to draw with a real pencil I must confess that I want to create such an illustration now. :)
27
Nice fresh illustration! Love to see other artists give tutorials on the process. It would be cool to see a bit of shading on her shirt to define the shape better. All in all very cool stuff.
28
It’s not a rip off guys!
I am quite familiar with the Hed Kandi Style and the Hed Kandi Parties.
I once did a flyer for a party like this and i user the materials from Bronson ID (the creators of Kandi style). So I pretty much know them.
If you notice the details (I’m pretty sure you didn’t) the girl’s hand is different.. .the face is way to different considering the perspective, and her panties are different too.
The Kandi illustrations are often published in magazines so Veerle is right. She sketched (it’s damn obvious she drew that herself.. dooh) the illustration from a magazine.
So quit being so damn sarcastic when you criticize somebody’s art.
29
You’ve posted this at the right time; a summer look indeed.
Beach....sunshine...and the sexy gal. :)
30
that’s awesome. i’m trying to learn illustrator and i’m so amazed at the things you can do with it.
31
The right finger need improvement. Overall nice color :)
Love to see how other designer work in progress :)
32
Very summerish illustration. I like it overall, but there’s this one small thing that bothers me.
It’s probably a personal point of view, but the hair… I can see the sky through her hair on the girls left side. I think there should be other hair, darker hair behind it. Now, if you’d turn her around there’d be a bald spot. I know the hair is waving in the wind, but still… It looks pretty unlikely to me that you could see the sky through it.
33
I have a question related to illustrator rasterizing. when exporting to photoshop I get jagged lines (only the left lines of a self created text so not using outlines but text made with the pentool). Any ideas - I am using PS CS1
34
Un dibujo Hermoso. Great drawing, Congratulations. Also floramagic was beautiful. Thank you.
35
That was awesome!!! I love it and I’d like to do something like that, but my drawing skills are soooo poor =(
36
ewww you use illustrator im a photoshop guy myself ut nice piece overall
37
Opinions have already been expressed here about this being copied and I can swear it’s not. So I will remove every post who still reffers to something that already has been said. This is a tutorial and not a post about something else. So stay on topic or it will be deleted.
38
I already stated that I love the tutorial and the outcome.
<soap box>
I do not understand what would motivate a person to post accusatory and negative comments on a tutorial. As if things have never looked close before. Or as if two people never thought about inventing the same thing. Without belaboring the point it is rude, insensitive, and unappreciative which makes me disappointed in those who felt the need to comment in that way.
</soap box>
Again Veerle Wonderful, truly an inspiration for Illustrator art.
39
very nice tutorial, i’m dreaming to do stuf like this, i work on some projects, tourism portal, with nice design and i really need to do illustration with beaches, sun umbrella and womans :) .
i try to execise my skyls in illustrator, for the moment i learn ho to draw maps.
thanks.
40
@u copy: If Veerle says it is not a copy, why not believe her. Why would she lie. She is a well know designer so I do believe her and so should you!
41
I know it’s a dumb question but I can’t get it.
How to make a gradient with an angle, in Live paint group?
I can’t get either the gradient tool or the gradient window to work when using live paint, the gradient is constantly at 0 degrees!
Sorry I can’t watch the video :(, could you probably explain that in a few words?
42
Myk said:
You have to make sure you use the Direct Selection Tool (the white arrow) to select the paths first, like for instance the lips. Then you should be able to apply the gradient to that part in any angle you like. I don’t have the problem with the 0 degrees as you mention here, so I’m sorry if my info doesn’t really help you.
43
Thank you very much, it works!! Thanks for the help!
44
Veerle:
Thanks for your wonderfully enlightening and creative design tutorials!
~ Momma