Illustrator question

[GTJC460]

After checking out Andrew's business card and Sam's portfolio on istockphoto, I'm curious how much time is involved in creating the digital artwork that is shown in the portfolio.

I ask, because with the graphic programs that I use (mostly 3d cad stuff), I personally know how long it would take me to draw one of these vector images.

Is there some kind of "shortcut" or something that I'm has eluded me? Or do I just need to put in some time and properly learn how to use the adobe software?

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Hi Bert

That's a really tough question because the answer is always how good and familiar you are with the software. Like anything, the more you use it the better, and quicker at it you become. I hate to say it but it really is the old story of practice, practice, practice. For me, the card too a couple of hours but of course that was using Sam's clip art as a background graphic that I manipulated to what I wanted. The scrolls you see on the card are only a corner of the overall design I downloaded.

It also depends on the day. Sometimes I can knock stuff out really quickly and other days it just seems to take forever. I suspect we are all the same in that regard

The other variable is also how good you want the finished item. There is a world of difference between professional and amateur graphic design, clip art and photography.

This is where places like I-Stock are great. You can download professional designs and start manipulating to what you so desire and concentrate on the overall design. To build it from scratch takes a lot longer and you may, or may not, depending on your computer skills, come up with a better or worse design.

I guess the other thing is also the time factor. So if you have the time then start from scratch but if your time is severely limited, then use what's available. Better to get the job done than always waiting in the "must do before I die" pile

I'm actually going through a bit of a learning curve with Illustrator now since I've changed computers. I used Core Draw for so long I could use it blindfolded but since I've brought an I-Mac that doesn't support newer versions of Corel, the learning curve with Illustrator is all new to me…………groan

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Sam]

Bert: I've said before that I can draw and engrave three or four scrolls in the time it takes me to draw one in Illustrator. I'm probably very slow and no doubt others are faster, but when it comes to detailed shaded scrollwork, it consumes a lot of my time.

If there's a shortcut it might be the scroll tool in Illustrator which makes a good backbone in short order. Nearly all of my designs are drawn on paper first, then brought into Illustrator and traced by hand (no auto tracing), so I don't get much use of the scroll tool. Another shortcut would be copying and pasting elements, which you obviously are aware of. But as Phil Coggan pointed out, the end result can look like copy & pasted cloned design. This might be ok for graphics used for product packaging, but probably a bad choice for custom engraving.

For other things I'm pretty fast with Illustrator, such as laying out type for transfer or tracing a logo, etc. Illustrator is fantastic for that.

 

[monk]

what's the deal with the i-stock downloads? is one able to use such anyway wanted ? or is the material copywritten or qtherwise protected ? just curious

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Hi Monk

I'm not sure of the exact legal status.

When you buy anything from I-Stock, or similar web site, you are buying a license to use that design/photo pretty much how you please. There are one or two exceptions to this but I'm not exactly sure what they are.

Generally you can manipulate the design/photo to anything that you want. That includes adding to it or subtracting from it. Many graphic designers like to use the clip art as a base for something else.


Cheers
Andrew

 

[Sam]

Here you go, monk. ISTOCK PHOTO LICENSE AGREEMENT

It's kind of long, and I won't pretend to know it very well. As Andrew said, purchasers purchase a license to use the artwork according to the agreement, and there are various levels such as unlimited print runs, items for resale, etc.

 

[Phil Coggan]

I don't know anything about Illustrator or any other scroll making software, but like Sam and Andrew pointed out, it's good for certain things, and I would include in that, simple, straightforward designs, I know that if I was proficient with it and no matter how fast I was, I would never be able to re-create some of the complicated designs with it that I have posted here such as the "Ryder" gun.
These designs are inspirational and just flow from the tip of a pencil, to create an instant idea, which might or might not work would take too long to think about as how to mechanically go about it and in the time it takes to actually do it the idea might have gone.

Overlapping intertwining scrolls and leaves etc can be very time consuming by hand, let alone with a mouse

Phil

 

[matthew.townsley]

Hey Bert,

What CAD programs do you use? And what vector work do you want to do?
I know I used to use a couple (solidworks for one), and doing simple vector art is quite hard in 3d CAD programs. For general vector work, Illustrator is very powerful, and within that, the pen tool is the tool you would want to be familiar with, as it allows you to trace and produce almost any shape.

My advice would be to familiarise yourself with pen tool, there a helpful tutorials to learn the keyboard shortcuts as well. I can go and find them for you if you want.