I’ve occasionally come across those who would like to see my method to drawing in Adobe Illustrator. You see, I don’t really draw/ink on paper very well due to me having a very unsteady hand. Technology helps me realize exactly how I see the illustration in my head and… makes me actually look like I have talent.
Many folks don’t understand how I can literally “draw” in a software program, let alone Illustrator… which tends to have a misconception as an unfriendly drawing program. But, to that I say, “Au contrair!” -Not sure if I spelled that right, but you see what I’m getting at. Drawing in Adobe Illustrator has proven to me to be THE drawing program. Each version is more user-friendly than the last. I highly recommend it and despite popular belief, there really isn’t much of a learning curve.
My method is to scan in my roughly drawn sketch, make adjustments in Photoshop, then place the art in Illustrator and go to town. This is a sped up version of that very approach. The background song is “Yakety Sax” by Boots Randolph.
In real time, the process can be quite laborious and time-consuming. Using Adobe Illustrator has allowed me to fine-tune my inkings on sketches so that I look like I know what I’m doing. Ha! I was never born with a steady hand, but now I need not care. As a side note, the more detail in the drawing, the more laborious the process. If I was inking Conan the Barbarian, I would probably just use pen and paper.
Till next time…
David (Cali Dingo)