Saturday, April 15, 2017

A Little Rusty

Lately I have been spending a considerable amount of time with Adobe Illustrator. It is a program I have enjoyed immensely from the first time I used it. So much so that I want to be able to to a lot more different types of art with it. 

I was no slouch with it but I used it primarily for maps and charts when I was working for Gale. I always saw that it has so much more potential. Recently, I spent time learning some of the deeper functions and tried making a panel of corroded metal. I have always loved weathered surfaces and "used" things and I wanted this to look as authentic as possible.

The hardest part of the drawing was getting the various textures to mesh in a convincing way. The program balked at a few of the things I wanted it to do but eventually it relented. I found that I was using a few too many layers with thin transparencies and adjustments and as I weeded them out I was able to get the patina look I wanted. It also made the program bog down less. 


Texture seems one of the hardest things to accomplish in Illustrator but I am working on a personal library of photographed surfaces that will be vectorized and  find their way into future art.

Things got really exciting!

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