Intro to Live Paint: Cartoon Portraits on Adobe Illustrator

Hello aspiring graphic artist!

This tutorial is all about the Brush tool and Live paint on Adobe Illustrator. I believe that this is an easy/easier concept as it is just understanding the basic concepts of two tools. With that being said, I have planned this around the idea that I am teaching a Intro to design class in high school. The only main requirements for this project is a computer, mouse, and keyboard. Along with adobe access, the cost for this project can range from $1000 (when purchasing all of the items) to $0 if you already have them. I would argue the only real toss up is the adobe suite, which can cost between $10-20 a month depending on student discounts.

The core disciplinary standard that this Instructable aims to be apart of is Design in Technology and Engineering Education. This is the best standard to understand when learning about creative software. Software such as Illustrator is more forgiving on mistakes, and in turn can teach more than physical process'. This helps with understanding principles of design faster, learning the interface, and taking advantage of the technology. Adding to the list, spatial understanding and document setup is so important now. File size is just another aspect of the creative process and can become iterative when on the web. Practices that pertain to this Instructable are mainly creativity, with a side of systems thinking and making and doing. Creativity is pretty useful in all areas of Technology and Engineering, however, the design aspect is when it is needed most. In this Instructable, it is necessary that the user create their own designs and ideas and not copy mine stroke for stroke. Making and doing is just applying those ideas. Systems thinking, however, has to do with the process of understanding how those ideas are implemented, and the best way to go about it. Lastly, the context for software such as this within Engineering and Technology is Information and Communication.

Being able to communicate without words is largely underestimated and underrated. In business, it is one of the biggest booming industries to date. There is a constant need to communicate or symbolize a product's function or ideas through colors or graphics that goes largely unnoticed by consumers. These ideas, however, penetrate the subconscious and can lead to aversion or approval of a product without a coherent thought.

Supplies

Objectives

The main goal is for a high school student to be able to produce a well made self-portrait using Adobe Illustrator's Paint Brush and Live Paint tools by the end of this lesson

• Students will be able to use the brush and live paint tools more effectively
• Students will have a better understanding of the color and layer features
• Students will be able to express creativity through the use of color and flourish while designing their virtual selves

Step 1: Set Up Your Document and Choose an Image.

The actions in this step are:

1. Adobe illustrator>New>*set up page parameters*>Create

2. Drag&Drop or Copy Paste a self portrait image onto the artboard

Even in the digital world, things have an inherent size. They may not have volume, but their size relates to the information or data, which is then used to communicate over the web.

This means, understanding your medium and who or what you are creating for is always a must when starting a project. If you plan on printing this portrait, the CYMK option for color would be best. For the web, and distribution on platforms, the RGB color option is better.

So to start, I will opt for a standard letter size canvas, with the RGB color option and regular margins. This step, and just about every other one is totally up to the student, if they want a bigger canvas for screens or they want to print it. However, my aim is to give you the knowledge necessary to make those decisions.

The second part of this step is selecting an image of yourself and placing it on the artboard. It is assumed you will know how to do this, and embed the image. Make sure, however, that your face is taking up a good bit of the canvas and your image is not so low resolution as to be clear enough when zoomed in to make out details in the mouth or eyes.

Step 2: Setting Up the Layers

The actions in this step are:

1. Top left of the screen> window>layers, or click F7

2. Create named layers using the Box'd + icon, 4 or so should be good

Layer's main function on Illustrator is to keep your work organized and the foremost ideas on top. In this way, we will be completing our portrait on top of the image we have selected. Please name the layers whatever helps you remember what they are and how they function. We will need a minimum of 4 layers, but you will be able to add more if necessary.

The four layers I used at the moment of tracing the image are shown above, they include the image, notice it is LOCKED, the background, the line work, and the touch ups. It should already be known that the top three layers would not be visible on the artboard, this is indicated with the eye, and can be toggled by clicking it. The locked feature acts the same, that you may click the icon to add and remove its function, which is making the layer unselect-able on the artboard.

Step 3: Outline Your Image Using the Brush Tool

The actions in this step are:

1. Select the brush tool, or hit b> choose a line type and thickness> select your line layer (that should be above the image layer)> outline the face and features> be sure to create organic shapes with the outlines

Each step comes with leniency. For this step, I ask that you trace the major lines of your face. This should be done on a layer above your image layer. It is important that you use the brush tool, make sure that it the color is black as well. Here, I renamed my layer "outline layer", and began tracing over the major lines of my face using a .25 stroke on the brush tool. You are able to outline as much as you want, however, I may suggest not overdoing the lines in the face, as it is supposed to look more cartoonish than realistic.

IMPORTANT: when moving forward from this step, be sure that you close your neck line and it is not left open ended. Moreover, make sure that all lines intersect with themselves or another line if you want to add color to that feature. For this step, I always zoom in a lot to make sure of intersection, otherwise you will have to come back to this step later and revert progress

Again, this step is just the major lines of the hair face and accessories on a separate layer. Be sure to close your neck with some sort of flourish. Be creative, a chopped off head is not compelling or interesting, try adding dynamic lines or shapes!

Step 4: Prep: Choose Your Colors and Gap Options

The actions in this step are:

1. Object> live paint> gap options> large

2. If you wish, preselect colors and place them on a different layer, you will be able to refer to theses colors quickly using the eyedropper tool (I) in the next step

Once you have outlined all the major lines your self portrait picture. The next step, or this step, is to prepare the gap options and colors.

The gap options is just a precautionary idea. It has to do with the live paint we are about to make. When selecting gap options, it will ask about gap detection. Gap detection is what the computer does when we create live paint on a set of lines. If your lines are not intersecting, the gap detection will help the paint stop with in the shape you selected to paint. I always set my Gap Detection to large.

Lastly, comes another creative aspect. Once your lines are done, you should select colors and shades for the prominent features of your portrait. To preserve my colors, I very simply created a layer with squares, filled with the color of my choosing. I had a hat, so I selected a light and dark blue. For my face I selected a brown and used the color pallet to select the lighter and darker shades. You should do the same, don't forget your hair. An important note here is to learn about the color picker. It is in your best interest to know how the shades differ within the picker, as this relates directly to the primary principles of design. Please play around with the colors of the skin until you find what you believe best suits you and your portrait!

Step 5: Live Paint

The actions in this step are:

1. Highlight all the lines in your outline layer> Object> live paint> make

2. Click and hold on the corner of the shape builder tool icon, and release on the right facing arrow to the right of the tool pop out menu. This will give you easier access to the tools needed.

3. Using the live paint bucket and live paint selection tools, fill in your design.

For the second to last step, highlight all of your lines of your portrait only, go to object, live paint, and make. You may have to confirm, if so, say yes. Please then tear out the live paint bucket and live paint selection tool from the tool bar on the left. It is under the shape builder.

The live paint MAKES shapes that are then able to be filled with color. So if your lines are all enclosed, if you were to use the live paint selection tool and click on a section of your portrait, it should resemble the third photo in terms of highlighted nature. Once a part or shape is highlighted, select the fill color you desire and that part will fill in. There are many ways to go about filling your portrait in. Some like to use the live paint selection, others like to use the bucket. Either way, once your live paint is made, you will have the choice to choose any color you want for any enclosed shape on your portrait.

This part requires you to take a step back and paint in bold strokes. Choosing the right color is key to attaining a good cartoon effect. In addition, the colors should also follow basic color theory and be pleasant or intriguing to the eye. Our last step will build upon this concept

Lastly, select the live paint lines as a whole and increase the blackline stroke/thickness in the top left of the interface. This will bring about the black line tracing done earlier. You can make it as thick or as non-existent as you wish.

Step 6: Highlights, Lowlights, Pupils

The actions in this step are:

1. New layer> Add organic highlight and shading shapes to the design> Repeat the live paint process, but adding only highlights and shadows

This is an addition to the previous step. Create a new layer, or select one that is not being used and is on top of all the others. Then with the brush tool, create areas of highlights, low lights, and an area for the pupils, keeping in mind tones and shading of the portrait. This step will give more depth to the cartoon, and is a chance to also add more color and personality to the design.

Once you have created the highlight areas on the top most layer, go to live paint and MAKE, once again. Then fill in the areas you created with the highlights and shading akin to skin tone.

This step may be challenging to get the hang of, as a block of highlight or shade might look funky if created wrong or the color too prominent. Be sure to mess around with the shape and color until it seems right!

Step 7: Take a Step Back!

Don't forget to make it yours!

Personalize your portrait with anything else that you have learned thus far! Make use of the empty background. Explore different ways to make the neck dynamic and appealing. Most importantly, Save your work!