Most vector illustrations give better results when they start with a drawing or photo – basically something that can be traced. In this instance, it is a drawing that was then scanned into the computer and opened in Photoshop.
As well as having a good idea of what you are creating, it helps to have a clear idea of what colours you are using. This keeps you from having to completely change the colour scheme later on. After you come up with a colour scheme that you like, save the Photoshop file so it can be edited later and also save it as an exported .png or .jpg.
Open up a version of Adobe Illustrator and create a new file in the dimensions you wish it to be and then open the .png or .jpg. Place the image in the new file. Now it is time to extract the colours that will be used in the image – basically just use the Eyedropper Tool (shortcut: I).
Next you will want to dim the original image. Double click on the layer in the layers window and a menu will pop up. Check the box that says ‘Dim the images to’ and change the percentage to 50%.
The next step is to pull out the Pen Tool and start tracing the outline of the main forms of the character. It is important to get as close to the edge as possible so it will better follow the curve of the character. Put the second ear behind the main body and make it darker than the main body colour, so as to make it appear farther away.
Trace the mouth and fill it in, then trace the tongue. It is okay if the edge goes farther than it is supposed to, because it is important to get a good curve. Next, duplicate the mouth layer and flip it from fill to line and put it on the top.
Select the tongue and the lined mouth shape and then use Ctrl + 7. This will make everything outside the mouth shape ‘masked’ and unseen. But, you can still go back and edit it though the Direction Selection Tool (shortcut: A).
To do some shading on the character, duplicate the shape of the body and apply a radial gradient. One quick way is by using shortcut: >. Then, open the gradient window and change the type of gradient from linear to radial.
Next, select the gradient tool (shortcut: G) and then select the shape that has the gradient. A large circle will appear. The black dot on the edge of the circle changes the width and angle of the circle while the white circle changes the size of the circle. The next part is mostly just figuring out how things look good on the image. This will take some experimentation. Do another shade image with the body and this time make it a dark blue that is pulled from the original image.
Now it is time to do some similar gradients, but for the shine of the body. What follows are three different radial gradients that are specifically placed. The first one has a highlight on the forehead.
Another gradient is used for a light on the bottom lip, while the lastis used to create a light under the chin. These take some experimentation to get right; so don’t be afraid to play around.
It’s the small stuff that makes things stand out. Various small shades, highlights and shadows around the eyes and forehead make the image special.
Just as with the face, do various small radial gradients with the body. Utilize clipping masks to get the images’ shapes accurate.
With this character, a nice cool glow from behind also brings something special into the image. Various bright blue gradients will fit quite nicely. This is the same blue that was painted on the original sketch in Photoshop.
The tongue is a combination of several gradients. For this one, make a shadow on the top of the tongue. There also needs to be a shadow coming from under the tongue, so create a linear black gradient. For the highlight, there is a light radial gradient and then also linear gradient.
The rest of the detail is centred on the crevice of the tongue. There is a shadow radial gradient that from the top of the shape starts as a shadow at the top of the tongue and then creates the centreline down to the tip of the tongue. Then, there are two light gradients on top of that coming from the centreline, the bottom one radial and the top linear. The next part you want to do is the deep shadow in the mouth that will make it appear that it is going back into the tongue.
To make a cast shadow for the entire character, copy the original shape for the body and flatten it to fit under the character. Make it black and then go to the menu at the top of the screen and select
Filters, then go to Photoshop Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur.
Now it is time to address the floating cherry. First, create the basic shape by tracing the original image. For the cherry, use the Elliptical Tool (shortcut: O) and then size it to fit. Duplicate the cherry’s basic shape and apply a black shadow radial gradient from below, and also one from above, behind the stem. Put the stem on a separate layer above the layer with the cherry to reduce time moving things around.
You will now want to create radial around the stem, but to do so you need to make a compound path. Create the outside circle, and then the inside circle, and then put the smaller circle on top. To make it a compound path so it looks like a donut, go to Pathfinder window and hit Exclude.
To create the effect of dripping water, trace the shape from the original image and then apply a blue radial gradient from below. Duplicate the water shape and make it completely blue, and then put it behind the main body of the cherry, and then duplicate it again to put on top to apply a slight radial gradient from above. Now it is time to apply various light radial and linear gradients to create highlights in the water.
Make a shape to create the effect of a drop of water and then apply a radial blue gradient on its edge. Then create a finer, white radial gradient to be the highlight of the drop. Then do a similar drop at the other side.
Create a shape for some last-minute highlights for the cherry and then create a clipping mask so it fits snugly to the cherry’s edge.
Now it is time to create the background shadow. Creating a large black radial gradient to fill the entire area does this. Since we added a blue highlight on the left side of the character, we also need to add one to the background because the light needs some direction or source. Do this by creating a large linear gradient.
Creating a glow around the cherry is tricky and takes some experimentation to get just right. The following steps were done after some time experimenting with layers, layer styles, colours, and opacity. A yellow radial gradient was the result, with the layer style set at Luminosity. Use the same yellow radial gradient, but set it at Normal. Now create a red radial gradient with the layer style set at Colour.
The last thing to create is the central core of the glow. Create a smaller circle that is centred over the cherry and make it a yellow radial gradient with the layer style set as Colour Dodge. Then, to make the light pop, create a large white radial gradient with the layer style set at Overlay.
To create some extra features that make the image more interesting, create lots of yellow circles in a few different sizes under the shapes that have the glow. Change the layer style to Overlay and the transparency level to somewhere between 10%-40%.
Now it is time to sit back and look at all the paths by selecting everything by hitting Ctrl + A.
Finished
After you have finished admiring all the paths, it is time to export your image. When saving the image, make sure you select Use Artboards. This means that anything falling off the artboard, or original large square, will not be saved in the image file. Don’t forget to show off all your hard work to your friends and family and continue creating and trying new things in Adobe Illustrator!
After you have finished admiring all the paths, it is time to export your image. When saving the image, make sure you select Use Artboards. This means that anything falling off the artboard, or original large square, will not be saved in the image file. Don’t forget to show off all your hard work to your friends and family and continue creating and trying new things in Adobe Illustrator!
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