Sketching

Getting Those Pesky Details Out!

Before you can even think about taking your mouse or tablet pen to Illustrator, you need to sketch some ideas out. Granted there are some pretty talented people that can bang out an image/drawing out like nobody's business without taking a pencil/pen to paper, but the reality is most people need to get a clear idea of what they are drawing. Don't worry if you aren't the best drawer in the world, I used to have classmates that couldn't draw for beans but could make 3D models that were seriously impressive. Sketching out ideas helps you hash out bad ideas and bring details into good ones.

This was a beginning sketch for the header of the site. I was planning on having a monkey hanging on to a banner in the sky, with a star floating next to its head. But I quickly realized that I have done the whole sky thing before, so I decided to scrap that idea and go with the pencil, swirly, happy face theme. I wouldn't have realized this without sketching it out first.

Tips On Drawing

In Illustrator, there are two ways to draw, with the pen tool or using shapes (or a combination of the two). Sketching helps you go through the process of fleshing out a drawing at least once, so you have an idea on how to do it in Illustrator later.

I just wanted to make a note of what you can use to sketch. I tend to use Col-Erase pencils by Prismacolor, but this is just a preference. You can use a simple ball point pen (just go light on the beginning shapes), or a regular pencil (i've used all before) you'll find what you like with more sketching.

Draw It Out

So lets get sketching!

Start off with shapes that make up the final drawing. I used 5 circles make up the skeleton of the star. After we outline the star to make the actual shape.

Clean up the inside and the main outline by using an eraser. Then we'll add eyes and a mouth!

Usually I will darken up the outline with pen if I used pencil, or a pencil if I used a Col-Erase. This step is optional, but it gives a clear outline of what the you want your final drawing to look like.

Wait A Second

"All this just to draw in Illustrator?!"
Yes, like I mentioned before, sketching helps you go through the process of drawing an object, so you'll have an easier time drawing it out in Illustrator.
Building out with shapes in a sketch is the same as taking shapes in Illustrator  and building a star that way, rather than using the preset star.
The same applies for drawing an outline for the star, its the same as using the pen tool in Illustrator.