DHAR DHAR

For quite some days I was thinking about doing a “step-by-step” in vector illustrations. This is not a tutorial and was never meant to be one. It is a walkthrough for creating vector illustration in Adobe Illustrator CS3. The main problem with vector illustration is the amount of time it takes to develop one and the confusing regarding the choice of colors used in the shading process.

For my creation I started with a photograph showing primarily the head. You can start with any photo for that matter. As I was trying to create a portrait so accordingly the photo was chosen. Open a new document and import the image you want to illustrate. Decrease the transparency of the image to about 80% and Keep it in a separate layer. Lock the layer before proceeding.

The next step involves tracing the contours of the image with the pen tool in a separate layer. All the tracing should be done in a separate layer because when you start filling in the colors you don’t want to modify the original trace. Always lock the layers after finishing the work. That way you minimize the risk of accidently modifying something. For the hair I used the pencil tool. It is easier for me that way. If you are more comfortable with the pen tool then you can use that too. (PLATE 1)

After the tracing is done it is time to fill in the different colors. Remember as it is a vector illustration we don’t want to make it highly realistic. Avoid using gradients and brushes. I started with #E0C7A2 for the skin (PLATE 2). You can use any other color if you want. After the base of the skin is complete, highlight the shadows with a slightly darker shade preferably #C6A97B (PLATE 3).

Now it is time for applying color to the other regions of the face. (Before doing that it is better to use a new layer and lock the previous layer.) To decide upon the colors I usually study the lighting effects on the face in the original photo. As you can see in PLATE 4, I have highlighted the main folds using sharp lines of colors and then I have used a range of shades to create the various regions of the face. Colors used are #FFFFFF, #F2E1D1, #CCB296, #CCAF81, #A38155.

Illustrator CS3 has a tool known as Live Color (Select all then Edit->Edit Color-> Recolor Artwork). You can replace the existing color with various shades and experiment with the result. I will advise you to use it to determine the exact color you want.

In PLATE 5 I have added the lip to a new layer. Again lock the previous layer before proceeding. For the base of the lip I have used #D88B8F. You can use any color you want depending upon your preferences. To create the highlights I have used the pencil tool instead of pen. That allows me much more freedom in drawing this kind of shapes. The darker pink which I have used as shading is #C95366 and the dark color used in the border regions and the lower part of the upper lip is #A38273. The basic procedure is the same as was for the face. Again experiment with the Live Color tool for further refinement.
Create a new layer and Lock the previous layer.

In PLATE 6 I have drawn the ear and in PLATE 7 the background is added. Choose any background you want. Here I have used #998675 as my background.

Create a new layer and Lock the previous layer.

The next step involves creating the eyes. The details are shown in the image below. It is essential to make the eyes as realistic as possible. This is important as they are the first things which are noticed by the audience. The base of the eye is #65453C, followed by #25253F for the retina. The highlights were drawn using #332121. To make eye more appealing white dots were added to show the reflected light. (PLATE
PLATE 9 involves drawing the faint pinkish effect (#EDD5D3) over the white of the eye. This increases the realism of the image.

Create a new layer and Lock the previous layer.

In PLATE 10 I have drawn the sweater. As it was having lots of grooves all over it, so after drawing the initial shape and coloring it with #7A7E70 I used the pencil tool to create the jagged effect using the #343532 and #343532 colors. You can simplify the drawing using plane clothes and gradual highlights.Create a new layer and Lock the previous layer.

In PLATES 11, 12 and 13 I have drawn the Headphones and I have highlighted them using #999FAA. It is also better to stroke the headphones slightly with 0.75pt. I have also added the zip in the sweater in PLATE 13.

Create a new layer and Lock the previous layer.

In the final PLATE 14 I have added the effects on the hair using the pencil tool and the colors #230B0A and #2D2D2D. My hair sort of curls near the forehead, so again using the pencil tools helps here. Experiment with the Live color tool to see what appeals to you.

That concludes the walkthrough for my self-portrait in Illustrator. Experiment with different tools and colors to get the right image. It took me about 2 hours to complete the project. If more time is devoted then more details in the face and the clothes could be incorporated producing better results.
Enjoy.

Do we really need Earth Day? What difference would a single day make when for the rest of the year we remain oblivious to the environment and the Earth? If I am asked that question, my response would be yes, we need Earth Day. There are always two ways of looking at things. The glass is either half full or half empty. People asking these question have their glasses half empty. I have mine half filled. So looking at the brighter side I would counter that even if we are doing all sort of things to make the situation more critical throughout the year, still if for a single day we become conscious and make amends then that is a step forward in the right direction. If we cannot make things better we shouldn’t make them worse. There are a couple of points which I would like to highlight here. Though this is supposed to be a design and art blog, please bear with me.

THE RISE OF INDIA AND CHINA

A few days back I was reading an article about how the rapid growth in the developing world particularly India and China has increased the level of pollution and effected the environmental situation. It’s true that as US and most of Western world had done in the past; these developing countries are also trying to race ahead on the back of the fossil fuels. They too like their western counterparts have paid less attention to the environmental cause and instead have given higher priorities to the cause of human development. Often the US and the EU try to pressurize these countries to create environment centric policies. Most of the time these countries tend not to heed these warnings and argue that when the west was developing during the early 20th century there were no restrictions of such kind, so why should there be one now.

I totally agree to their sentiments, but when you are trying to develop and grow into a future superpower, you should take on some added responsibilities as well. As Peter Parker in Spiderman says, “with great power comes greater responsibilities”, so India and China should also take steps to ensure that development goes hand in hand with environmental conservation. They should take initiatives to develop newer and better technologies to curb the pollution and environmental problem. Grass root level measures in the schools and villages should be started to educate the future generation in environmental studies. They should promote alternative forms of energy and lessen their dependence on fossils fuels. Only when they bear the same responsibilities as the now developed countries, they can truly become global superpowers.

The other point I would like to highlight is

ALTERNATIVE FUELS IN INDIA

We have all studied in school how alternative forms of fuels like the solar energy, wind energy, nuclear energy, biogas and others are better and cleaner than the fossil fuels. But how many of us have really used any one of them. A very small minority of the population can boast of using anything similar to these. The problem is not in the concept or the attitude of the people, but it is in the implementation. Apart from the social studies books nowhere you can find information about how and where these forms of energy are available and the lax attitude of the government is exacerbating the already sorry situation. So what can be done? The solution would be to use resources (as they say in economics) effectively and efficiently. What I mean by that is use the natural materials local to a region to generate sources of energy. For example, the North East has ample water resources, so harnessing the hydroelectric power would be the most viable option. Coming to the North, the eternal shine there can be effectively trapped to create energy sources. In the coastal regions, the sea can be used as a mighty source of constant energy. Along the same lines, windy places like the Lower Himalayan region can be used to produce cheap wind energy. Similarly mini bio fuel plants can be installed in every town and village. These can collect the excreta from the entire community and produce cheap and easy fuel for the masses. Many such solutions can be devised to make the reliance on fossil fuels lesser.

Finally, Save the Planet Earth. It’s the only place we have got.

The font is a free font available on the internet. I am searching for the original font author, I will update as soon as possible.

CRY stands for “Child Rights and You”. It is a non-profit organization devoted towards improving the living conditions of millions of children across India. This banner has no commercial purpose at all.

So, it is Earth Day today. The day to mark the beginning of the awareness which created the whole new concept of sustainable and healthy environment. Here are my contributions to the cause. I have made some Wallpapers and I would like to share them with you all.

JUST CLICK ON THE IMAGES AND SAVE THEM WHEN THEY APPEAR IN A NEW WINDOW OR RIGHT CLICK AND CLICK “Save Link As”

The image has been taken from the Wikipedia site and the fonts are free fonts available on the internet. I am searching for the original font author, I will update as soon as possible.

I have just completed my 50th post here. Kudos to me for holding up. . .One thing which I have observed from my brief stay here is that blogging is very tough. I have seen enough abandoned blogs and empty posts to understand that. Lack of commitment and time coupled with the constant need to come up with good posts simply drives people away. As many blogs are started out of curiosity, so when the initial excitement wears off, the whole blog thing simply seems futile. Moreover, initially the traffic is low. If you are very lucky then you may get the big break in the blogging world but for most of us mortals it is always the difficult way around. Lack of traffic kills the enthusiasm of the writer and the blog is abandoned for ever in the vast blogosphere. Crossing this initial hurdle is perhaps the most important thing.

JUST CLICK ON THE IMAGES AND SAVE THEM WHEN THEY APPEAR IN A NEW WINDOW OR RIGHT CLICK AND CLICK “Save Link As”

For more information on how to blog effectively visit Problogger.

Camouflage or cryptic coloration is a way of making a visible organism invisible. Wikipedia mentions that “camouflage allows an otherwise visible organism or object to remain indiscernible from the surrounding environment”.
There are many insects and reptiles that exhibit camouflage most notably the chameleons and the stick insect. These are the finest examples of this phenomenon in action. But recently I had the opportunity of observing another insect showing remarkable levels of cryptic coloration. Here I am including some photographs.
This are the photos of a butterfly. Most people don’t believe it when I show them these photos. The first question always is about the head. Infact the head is so well concealed that it is almost impossible to distinguish. The manner in which the butterfly has imitated the dry leaf is simply stunning. If you look closely then you can also observe that the two wings are not similar to each other, instead they represent the two sides of the leaf, the upper photo showing the top part and the next photo showing the bottom part. This kind of camouflage is almost unheard of.

Why do the butterflies exhibit this kind of stuff? The answer is to protect themselves from the predators. Cryptic coloration is one of the several defense mechanisms which the butterflies use. Other defense mechanisms include the use of chemicals and behavioral defenses. For more information I would recommend the Wikipedia page.

The diversity in nature never fails to amaze me. Every time I watch Discovery Channel or NGC or Animal Planet I wonder what more this world has to offer. Our rampant use of natural resources and the relentless pressure on Mother Earth has wrecked havoc on this Planet. We need to conserve this amazing place of ours for the next generation. Let us save the Earth.

I recently saw a tutorial by nicu about making gears using inkscape. The tutorial was highly informative and the end result was truly amazing (after you put the colors). Truly inspired I set about making my own gear in the program i best know, Adobe Photoshop. Unlike Inkscape there is no tool to automatically create gears in PS, so the process involves creation of each individual tooth separately and then merging the entire figure with a circular ellipse. After that the usual process of hit and trial follows to determine the exact shape and texture of the finished product. To create the metallic finish I downloaded some metal textures from the internet. The textures can be found here. This is my final render of the Photoshop gear.

Though the figure looks artificial due to the shiny surface, this could be avoided by employing a matte finish. To create more realistic gears the principle will be the same, only the texturing and the lighting has to be improved. It is also better to give the gears a rusty look. Also creating multiple gears together improves the composition and makes the scene more realistic.

Here are some of the photographs I took at my place. These three photos were taken at different times of the day and are of different places.

CRY stands for “Child Rights and You”. It is a non-profit organization devoted towards improving the living conditions of millions of children across India. This banner has no commercial purpose at all.

Here I present two examples of the Gradient effect I blogged about in my last post.

The first one shows a demo web page created using Photoshop and illustrates the gradient effect on the buttons. The gradient is applied as a blending option and not over the image as a layer.

The second example shows the cloth effect using the B/W Noise Gradient. I have blurred the gradient a bit to make the sharp edges vanish. The work is just a test piece and as such details are not there.

Today I present “the stallion” which was created using Photoshop. This actually is a very famous wallpaper which I traced and then applied the gradient effects and the metallic texture. The background is simply a noise gradient selected to contrast with the metallic body of the horse. The original image was Black over a red background which was actually too hot to handle for me.

I have observed that when the black-transparent gradient is applied over any metallic texture the effect is very realistic. The gradient should not be applied as a layer but instead it is better to apply it as a blending option. Then by adjusting the opacity the required effect can be obtained. It is also suitable for designing buttons on web pages.

Noise gradient is used as a background here. It is also a very handy tool for creating my splendid effects. If used right then along with the hue/saturation tool it can used to create simple cloth effect. By changing the various settings for the noises available many variants of the gradient can be obtained.

Here is a “Ninja Weapon” I designed along with Mayur when we were at Mumbai. We had nothing to do and decided to test whether Photoshop is the best or Paint Shop Pro. Mayur drafted the original concept and I rendered it in Photoshop. The Paint Shop Pro design is not with me now but that was also a masterpiece. Whether it is aerodynamic or not we don’t know, but I like the design. I especially like the green bulbs in between. They make the contrast between the yellow shield and the blades more clear. Moreover the hue covers the entire spectrum from the hot to cold colors. This makes the image balanced and attractive.

Coming to the question of whether Photoshop is the best or Paint Shop Pro, my verdict would be that it depends. It depends on what your skill level is, what you intend to create, what you want the design for, etc. As Photoshop is widely used and tutorials are easily available, so learniing it is easier and knowing it helps. On the other hand, Paint Shop Pro is cheaper and most the stuff in Photoshop can be done using it. The only flip side is that it is not the industry standard, so investing in it can be tricky. Ultimately for our design both Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro score equally well and so both are clear winners.

CRY stands for “Child Rights and You”. It is a non-profit organization devoted towards improving the living conditions of millions of children across India. This banner has no commercial purpose at all.