Being able to use the pen tool in Illustrator is a very useful skill. You may hear it is a long way of using the Image Trace tool, but it produces a different effect. The Image trace feature does not always pick up the detail. You could combine the two using anchors.. but thats a different story...
Open up a photo, If this is your first time using the pen tool, then keep it simple. I am using a photo I took of some pencils at my desk.
I'm going to start with the green pencil. Click on the pen tool, (the one that looks like a calligraphy pen)
and click wherever you want to start outlining the object/subject. A small dot should appear. This is called an Anchor. Wherever you click again, will create a line between the two anchors.
So I start by making two anchors- creating a line, down the side of the green pencil.
and click wherever you want to start outlining the object/subject. A small dot should appear. This is called an Anchor. Wherever you click again, will create a line between the two anchors.
So I start by making two anchors- creating a line, down the side of the green pencil.
The pink line is the new outline. Now, as I am outlining only the Green section, I will have to curve the line. This is done by clicking the other end of where the curve will be, but instead of letting go of the click, hold it down and drag it in the opposite direction of the curve. When dragging, a second 'dragging' line will appear. Do not worry, this is only to help you move the curve, it disappears after plotting a new anchor.
Before plotting a new anchor, and just after you have finished the curve, click on the same anchor, otherwise, this creates a new curve in the direction of that blue line... and you most probably don't want that. Here I have done the curve and now I need a straight line, so I click for a new anchor. And its simple as that.
Remember, to finish the outline, you must join the first anchor to the last. Like so:
-Heres one I made earlier-
So now I have made an outline of the pencil, I'm going to change the stroke and the fill to the same colour as what the pencil was. If you want to do this , make the fill transparent so you can see just the outline, then click on the eye drop tool (looks like a pipet) and click on the colour.
Once you have this, make the stroke transparent and you have a cool cartoon version of the pencil. This is just a segment of the picture. The more shapes you go over, like shadows and different lines, the better it will look.
Before plotting a new anchor, and just after you have finished the curve, click on the same anchor, otherwise, this creates a new curve in the direction of that blue line... and you most probably don't want that. Here I have done the curve and now I need a straight line, so I click for a new anchor. And its simple as that.
Remember, to finish the outline, you must join the first anchor to the last. Like so:
-Heres one I made earlier-
So now I have made an outline of the pencil, I'm going to change the stroke and the fill to the same colour as what the pencil was. If you want to do this , make the fill transparent so you can see just the outline, then click on the eye drop tool (looks like a pipet) and click on the colour.
Once you have this, make the stroke transparent and you have a cool cartoon version of the pencil. This is just a segment of the picture. The more shapes you go over, like shadows and different lines, the better it will look.
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