Portrait: step one

I've been busy with a few assignments. This is one of them. I have a family portrait I am working on. This shows the first steps in digitizing it.

I drew the sketch earlier and got approval from the client. I scanned that sketch and placed it in Adobe Illustrator. The scan is on a template layer. The default for a template layer in Illustrator is a 50% gray. I grayed it out an additional 50% using the transparency palette and setting the blend mode to multiply.

The above figure shows how I'm starting out. I'm using the pen tool to trace my sketch. The lines are magenta so they stand out from the scan. These are all on a layer I'm calling outlines. I will use this layer to create my fills and strokes later.


Here is a detail of how I'm outlining. I'm not worried about the color or weight of the stroke. That will all change later. I use the pen tool because it gives me a much smoother outline with the fewest points.

Next time, I'll show you how to fill the areas with color.