Cleaning up sketches

JMiller

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Oct 30, 2011
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Huntsville, AL
Here is a way to clean up sketches if you use CS5... CS4 & CS3 will do the same, I don't know about regular PS though(Note: I use an Intuos 4 but a mouse works just as well). This is how I clean up my sketches, it comes in handy as I can be heavy handed and a bit messy sometimes when doodling. It will remove eraser marks, smudges and mostly I find it useful instead of using tracing for adjustments, fine tuning or making corrections to your sketches. It may seem like a lengthy process but is really quick when you get the hang of it, plus you have the advantage of saving them on file for later use.

Step 1 - Sketch & ink.. inking is not mandatory but better to have a decent line.

photo 1 (2).JPG

Step 2 - Scan inked sketch or really good picture

clean up 001.jpg

Step 3 - Layer 0, this unlocks the layer

step I.jpg

Step 4 - Go to adjustments, then levels

step III.jpg

Step 5 - adjust your black and white levels... black to about 100, white 200. Of course you can play with this to your preference. Then use the dodge tool to to help eliminate any grey's, eraser marks & smudges.

step IV.jpg

Step 6 - Press Ctrl+Alt+@ and then the delete key. This locks your lines and delete's the background leaving only your image.
step V.jpg

Step 7 - lock the transparent pixel and press key D for default colors. This locks your lines/ image again and fills with black to help darken/ saturate your lines then unlock transparent pixel... not always necessary but helps if you have faint lines, especially if you don't ink.

step VI.jpg

Step 8 - Create new layer and put it under layer 0.

step VIII.jpg

Step 9 - Take your bucket fill and switch foreground/ background colors and back fill with white, then merge visible layers. You can stop here if you have the image you want, reduce the size/ enlarge whatever you need, but for practice and refinements I go a bit further.

step VIIII.jpg

Step 10 - Use your magic wand tool and click on any part of the black line, right click and select similar(this helps ensure all lines are selected), right click again and copy via layer. Go to file and create new, go back to your image and use your move tool and move the copy to the new window. You will have to adjust the canvas size which will vary to accommodate the image. Repeat the magic wand and copy via layer.

X.jpg

Step 11 - Almost finished.... use your move tool and you have a copy of your image you can place on the canvas where you want. While on the same layer go to edit/ transform and you can flip horizontal/ vertical and or rotate to place however you want.

XI.jpg

Step 12 - Select paint brush, set Opacity to 30% & flow to 60%... again this subjective, whatever your preference.

XII.jpg

Step 13 - Go big on your brush size and pass over your image. Left click and hold with each pass and your image will lighten until you are satisfied. I go until the image is faint that way when I print it's just enough to see the outlines and I can then refine, make adjustments and tweak my sketch as many times as I want.... don't forget to save image or you will have to do over!

XIII.jpg
 

atexascowboy2011

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Feb 13, 2012
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Man !
A person would have to have a PhD. to be able to understand what you just said !
Your scrollwork is fantastic as usual. :clapping:
 

Dani Girl

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NSW, Australia.
didyoung, no he's working in something else, cs... he mentioned are illustrator programs.

for how to's to do the same thing with Corel check out Arnaud's posts... they'll show you how to do scrollwork in that,... I don't know if you'll have as many bells and whistles... but I know you can do the scrollwork very oversize, scan it into the computer and max out the contrast... then trace it and you'll have your design in vector, usually takes some cleaning up though unless good enough is good enough
 

JMiller

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Oct 30, 2011
Messages
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Huntsville, AL
Thanks Jeff!... don't feel bad gcleaker, my kid's are already on their way to out pace me too.
Hey Shawn, those will work... have never used them though. As Dani said they work similar you just have to find which does what(I know big help right?)
CS5 is more artist based/painting - drawing as opposed to Illustrator which is more for vectoring/ commercial work. Illustrator would be preferred for vectoring
scroll work but you can still work around it with CS5.
 

monk

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the most perfect gem i ever made in corel-- i find when cutting, i may not like what i see ahead of the cutting point. at such time i make corrections "on the fly". things that look perfect when the layout is finished, may not seem so good when the cuts are actually in progress. for me it seems i must look ahead at all times, or disaster follows.
 

tdelewis

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Oct 10, 2010
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Location
Volant, PA 60 miles north of Pittsburgh
I have been using ink over a sketch almost from the time I started engraving. After the sketch is inked I scan into Illustrator and make adjustments for size or what ever. Then I print out for the transfer method I choose. I'm not a computer wiz. This reduces the work on the computer to just one step. It is important to use good ink. I use a technical pen by Rapidograph and their ink.
 

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