It’s All In The Details

CATEGORIES: Subscriber, Tutorials, illustrator tech | Adobe | May 18, 2007

When viewing an illustration, your eye will pick up subtleties in the design, even if you are not aware of them. It’s important to pay attention to the small details. Here are some tips to for taking your illustrations from tired to wired with just a few small tweaks.

1 Let there be light.

Light and color are rarely flat - why should your objects be? Adding a subtle gradient to a flat object will give it the illusion of depth and dimension.

–img-1

2 Determine a light source and be consistent.

The gradient on the main shape suggests that the lighting is coming from above and left. With that in mind, add shadows and highlights. Here, the black objects were duplicated twice (Copy>Paste in Back). A light yellow was applied to one set and nudged up and to the left for the highlight; the second set was given a darker yellow and nudged down and to the right for the shadow. Note that highlights and shadows are never solid white or gray - they should contain some color.

–img-2

–img-3

3 Do sweat the small stuff.

Pay attention to the smallest details. Even though you may not be able to see the shadows on the bolts at full size, your mind will perceive them.

–img-4

The same goes for the shadows on the post. Adding a little color to the gray and changing the values will give a more natural look to the shadows.

–img-5

You don’t have to go overboard or be flashy, but spending a little extra time will go a long way in bringing your illustrations to life.

–img-6

Share This