Thursday, 10 August 2017

Illustrator Practice


Task 1- Batman Logo:

In order to gain an understanding to the basics of illustrator and how to use it, our first task was to make a batman logo. This ensured that we were using different tools on the software, so we could get used to using them for any future work.
This only took one lesson, in which I followed a tutorial given to me. This consisted of using shapes such as ovals and then using pathfinder to cut this shapes to turn it into the bat in the logo. This was the hardest part, but once that was done, all that was left to do was add the background oval and to colour it in; and my version of the logo is featured below. For the bottom part of the wings four ovals were used to cut out this shape, as you can see below, and it is this technique that we can now use in a variety of future projects to get a desired, straight cut shape that looks even throughout.








Task 2- Mickey Mouse:

Our second task straight after this was very different to the first, as we didn't have a tutorial to follow, but instead we had to copy an image of Mickey Mouse. The image I copied is featured below on the left; and replicating this was very time consuming, as I had to figure out what shapes and tools to use myself rather than referring to a tutorial. However, I found that after this task, I was able to successfully use the Illustrator software independently, as I was gradually getting used the the various tools and what they do.
For Mickey Mouse, I started off with the basic shapes, creating three circles and then joining them together to create the outline of his head. From this I then adjusted the shape and curves to make it look more like the character's, and then I began to go into detail with his facial features.
For his face, I overlapped two ovals to get this heart shape that he has at the top of his head, and also repeated this for his cheeks, before combining the objects to create one overall shape.
Next was detail by creating his eyes, nose, mouth, etc. The eyes were relatively easy as they consisted of using the shape tool to create ovals, as well as for the nose. The mouth however was the hardest to design to replicate the original photo, as I had to use tools other than the shape tools. For example,  I had to use the pencil tool to draw the corners of his mouth when the lines where thinner, and I then used the anchor points and handles so curve and shape the line into place.
I used the same technique for the tongue, as I personally felt that this was quicker than trying to find a combination of shapes to resemble it.
After this was done, I was able to do an extra task which involved using text and changing the shape of letters to possibly create your own font design. This was done by typing the text in a starter font of my choice, then selecting 'create outlines' and again using the anchor points and handles to put them in the position I wanted.
The final result is shown below on the right:





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