Need some pointers please

[CYoung]

Hi,

I'm trying to get a bit more experience with Illustrator, usually I use it for logos etc. But I don't have a graphics tablet (yet) so I'm using a mouse to create things which is a little bit harder.

Quite random, but I chose a frog to start drawing and I've got to a point where I'm happy with the main torso and head but no matter what I try when I draw the legs and arms it looks unrealistic due to the lines being drawn by a mouse. As you can see the drawing so far isn't that cartoon-like and I'd like to keep it that way really.

I've looked at other pictures and tried to re-create that sort of thing in mine, but it may not be working due to the fact I'm drawing in a different style to them??? I don't know, let me know your thoughts.



Thanks

Curtis

[tbradley3003]

Use the pen tool, click a point then without releasing the mouse button drag the mouse, you'll see a curve forming and two control levers appearing. Roughly draw your shape then with the Direct Selection tool (white pointer) you can go back, individually select the points then the levers and tweak them until you are happy with the overall shape. This method is also great for tracing over images. Just put image where frog leg looks right on a templated layer and trace over the outline with the pen method. Hope you get a frog that you are happy with at the end.

[CYoung]

Thanks bradley - I'm fairly ok at using the pen tool and have tried to use it here, but I'll try again using the help you gave.

I'm sure I will soon be looking at one cool frog lol :icon_thumbup:

[NeedForBleed]

The pen tool is marvelous, the control levers which bradley talks about can be adjusted by holding the alt key, then clicking on its point. This is good for controlling the length of a curve and allows for more control.

I think the grid (view/show grid) whilst using smart guides can also help a great deal when attempting to get smooth shapes, you can even snap to the grid so your pen tool hits bang on.

Don't forget you can change the stroke of the pen too, so you might get a preferred look by experimenting with this. If you go to window/brushes, there's a bunch of options to play with.

I'm trying not to sound like an Adobe salesman here (I'm not btw).:icon_tongue_smilie:

[Kreatif]

Why don't you draw it by hand 1st
scan it
place it on a seperate locked layer in illustrator
trace with your pen tool

Here is a similar tut for you

Create A Vector Art Twitter Bird Character Icon In Adobe Illustrator*|*GoMediaZine

Hope it helps

[Soprano]

Why don't you draw it by hand 1st
scan it
place it on a seperate locked layer in illustrator
trace with your pen tool

Here is a similar tut for you

Create A Vector Art Twitter Bird Character Icon In Adobe Illustrator*|*GoMediaZine

Hope it helps

This is what I do, probably cheating because I'm tracing (my own) drawing but it's so much easier for me than drawing freehand.

Also have to agree with the pen tool, give it a go! I was useless at using it but I found this video tutorial which really helped, after watching this tutorial, I done the of my daughter:

Brooke by ~Lee-AnnD on deviantART

I would use a fill rather than stroke, though, I find the "wobblyness" of the lines make an image alot more illustration-ist (I'm sure I'm making words up) than with a clean straight line - but then I guess it depends what you're going for!

Oh, here's the tutorial link I used -

YouTube - Adobe Illustrator Tutorial! ::The Pen Tool::

[10thWay]

The pen tool is the most powerful tool in Illustrator and (although I do have a tablet) it's one of those tools that I actually prefer to operate via the mouse.
Also, tracing your own design is not cheating. You only cheat when you use other people's materials without authorization.

[Soprano]

The pen tool is the most powerful tool in Illustrator and (although I do have a tablet) it's one of those tools that I actually prefer to operate via the mouse.
Also, tracing your own design is not cheating. You only cheat when you use other people's materials without authorization.

Oh, that's just downright theft really lol. I just lways feel I should be able to draw these things directly onto illustrator freely, rather than having to sketch it out, scan it, then trce around it. I think I only really justify it as being "okay" becuse my sketches aren't always perfect (actually, are never perfect!) but you can make everything look perfectly proportioned etc on illustrator after tracing!

[Lea]

You certainly shouldn't feel like you are cheating. As an artist of any sort, if it's created by you, the technique getting there doesn't change the fact you created it... and from scratch too

[Neil65]

I sketch a lot of ideas and work over the scan in illustrator to tighten it up. Works every time. Initial sketching gives you that freedom to create the look. You could also try sketching it by hand and inking it up by hand too, then drop the cleaned up scan into illustrator and use live trace to give you the vector image.