[Vector Master]

VECTOR TRACING
& COLORING TUTORIAL
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Prereq:

Please refer to baghead's tutorial to understand what
Vector Graphics is and how the pen tool behaves. This is
mostly an insight about my workflow and style of vectoring.

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1. Sketching

How can you begin if you have nothing to start with? It
is important, sometimes vital, that you start with a sketch.
Sketch a few iteration. And, do process of elimination
until you find which is best. Of course, this mostly applies
to any type of design/creative work. Just get in this habit.



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2. Tracing

Vectoring is tracing for the most part. So now that
you've got a rough sketch, you can trace it. But before
you can trace, you need to know how the pen tool behave.
Tame the beast, make it your best friend. It is also
important to know that you don't have to trace your
sketch with 100% accuracy, but this does not give you
excuse to be sloppy.

Place your sketch in illustrator. Double click this
layer, name it, and check Template. This will dim the
image, which helps when tracing. You may also lower the
opacity if you're planning on using the grid.
(Window > Appearance [Shift+F6]) I use the grid when
working with something symmetrical. It's a rough sketch
after all, you can't trust it that much.



2a. "Click Now, Drag Later"

This technique is easier if you're new to pen tool. What
you do is click along the curve or line of your sketch.
Then, Alt+Click and Drag to "smooth out" the point. But,
this technique takes a little more time.





2b. "Click and Drag"

This is when you're comfortable with the pen tool. You'll
trace things like it's nothing. Your paths will be
cleaner this way. Not only it's fast, you'll also save
more memory if there is less points.


As you click 2 drag to 3 to make the curve.

2c. Inspect your lines closely.

Make sure lines aretouching if they are intended to. By using the Direct
Selection Tool aka the white arrow (A), you can move a
point. (It will snap into place, you'll know because
Illustrator will tell you by those guides) When using the
Pen Tool, you can quickly access Direct Selection by
holding CTRL. The Selection Tool aka the black arrow (V)
can move paths or groups of paths as a whole, not
individual points.



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3. Giving your line art some life

3a. I like setting my strokes from 5px to 10px. But, it
depends on the illustration and your taste.

3b. Have varying widths, especially when working with more
complex pieces. For example, an outer stroke may be 10px,
but a circle inside of it has 5px, etc.

3c. If something looks plain, add some random lines to give
it some detail. Just be careful not to over-do it.



3d. Expand your strokes and edit. Select all of your stroke
paths. Object > Expand.. This will convert your lines
into shapes, meaning the strokes will be fills. (Be
careful with this. Always duplicate before expanding so
that you can change the lines later if you decided to.)



3e. When you have expanded your lines, you can have more
controlled widths. This gives more life into your piece.
You can achieve this by selecting a path and deleting a point
with the pen tool. The pen tool will have a minus sign if
you hover over a point. It doesn't always come out nice
after deleting a point so again, manually correct the
paths with Direct Selection Tool. Once you're happy with
your line art, lock it. And, Make a new layer right
underneath. This will be your colors layer.





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4. Coloring.

When working with vectors, I found it effective to start
with a maximum of 6 colors in my palette. This will not
only set up a good challenge, but will also improve the
overall look of your piece. Of course, you can have more
than 6. Again, this is personal preference and dependent
of your illustration. Just make sure it's nothing too
outrageous. Check BME's tutorial about colors. You may
also go to kuler for numerous color palettes
premade for you. For this tut, i'll just have something random.

Tip: Have one layer for each color. It's just easier to
work with when you can lock the paths that you're done
with.



5. Tints and shades

I usually use 1-3 tints and/or shades for each color i
have in my palette. But then again, depends on your
illustration and liking. I like to start with the shades
then add the tint. But before that, I need to decide
where my source of light is. 10 o'clock, 12 o'clock, 2
o'clock? It's up to you. But once you decide on the
direction of your light source, it has to stay
consistent. 12 is usually the easiest one to do.



5a. In addition, you don't want to just lay down a
shadow. Give it some distinct shape or form. You need to
give hints or suggestions that what you're creating is
not flat. Notice how how shadow curves, while some are geometric.



5b. Continue to edit and/or add details until satisfied.
I also like putting random lines to give the piece some
texture. I also add a very strong highlight. It gives the
piece more pop; it looks less flat. Just don't over-do
it. And, you're done.





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Epilogue:

The better the sketch, the better the outcome will be. I
did the sketch in Photoshop because I was too lazy to
scan a paper. But if you have the time, you can even ink
your sketch. Then, you can scan the line art, clean it up
with Photoshop, and live trace it with illustrator. Some
can get away with it and skip to coloring/shading.
If you're new with the pen tool, don't get frustrated. I,
too, struggled when I started. It takes time. I started
using the pen tool to render out focals for my sigs I
used to make.

Also, I see some people saying "only if I had a tablet."
Don't let this bring you down and stop from doing whatever.
You can achieve those varying strokes in the
Appearance panel > Stroke > Profile. and select through
your choices. These are my personal favorites. You can
always expand your strokes to have more control.



Familiarize yourself with vectors. There's many styles out there.
This is just one. You have to find what works best for
your illustrations and what works for YOU.

Spoiler (Click to View)
There may be some typos and grammatical errors. I apologize.

[Bad Meets Evil]

Well done tutorial bud. I'll add it to my compilation.

[Baghead]

Damn, nice tutorial. I really love your style.

[Invisus]

Best vector tutorial on HF. Look at that. Beautiful.

[Ne‎ro‎]

That's nothing less than amazing. Great tutorial, extremely detailed making it understandable to all of your audience.

[Sai]

Best tutorial I've seen on HF.
Great work.

[Vector Master]

Thank you everyone for the feed back. I highly appreciate it. 😁

[Studio Intramural]

Very detailed and useful tutorial! If you are looking to get into vectoring, this tutorial is a must read.

[FIZY]

Very Good tutorial i might help me . :D

[Ηades]

When it comes to lines, the brushes I make never gets saved :s No idea why..

Awesome tutorial, I like the outcome alot.

[Vector Master]

When it comes to lines, the brushes I make never gets saved :s No idea why..

Awesome tutorial, I like the outcome alot.

Make sure you actually save it. Illustrator does this funny thing: you create a new brush, it stays there until you close the program. unlike photoshop..

Spoiler (Click to View)

It would also be nice to see people post their work following this tutorial. ;)

[Anal Voyage.]

Damn, this tut is hella dope.
Learned a shit ton from this!
Nice job.

[Ienaos]

This tutorial is pure gold, thanks for this mjaj!

[Vector Master]

AV, You keep using "hella" are you from the bay?

if there are any questions, or parts of this tutorial you don't get, feel free to tell me. :P
i'll go more in depth about 'shadin' in my next tutorial.

[Anal Voyage.]

AV, You keep using "hella" are you from the bay?

if there are any questions, or parts of this tutorial you don't get, feel free to tell me. :P
i'll go more in depth about 'shadin' in my next tutorial.

Naw, I've been running my mouth a lot recently.
Guess it's being reflected in my writing. 8D