ART172.
tut_illus 64
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Technique
65
01
Illustrator CS3 or later
My starting
point for a new project is
always my sketchbook.
Start by sketching some
initial ideas, looking at
reference material as you
go. Once you are happy
with it, scan it in and place
(File>Place) in a new
Illustrator document that
measures 700x700px.
Rename this layer to stay
organised, and lock it.
Isometric
vector art
made easy
Aaron Miller
demonstrates how to take
the pain out of pixel art
With todays nostalgia for all things retro, pixels are
making a comeback. The German illustration trio eBoy has
single-handedly carved a new medium pixel by pixel, and has
produced work for some of the worlds biggest brands.
Isometric graphics have since become popular with a lot
of artists and designers. In this tutorial I will show you some
techniques for producing a vector artwork using geometric shapes
and some in-depth features of Illustrator. The techniques arent
particularly hard but, when combined with characters, they bring a
new dimension to at imagery. Ill also show you a few quick
techniques for adding finishing touches to the artwork. You will find
some helpful images included on the CD to get you started,
including my sketches and some additional elements.
Aaron Miller
University College
Falmouth graduate
Aaron is a freelance
illustrator based in
Cheltenham who
specialises in
editorial and
character-based
illustration. See
more of his work at
www.aaronmiller
illustration.com
On the disc
The files relating to
this tutorial can be
located in
DiscContents\
Resources\Pixel
www.computerarts.co.uk
ART172.tut_illus 65
02
Right, lets begin with
the face. On a new layer, create a
new Ellipse (L), holding Shift to make
a perfect circle. Then, using the
Selection tool (V), duplicate the circle
by holding Alt/Opt then clicking and
dragging. Overlap them and select
them both, hold Alt/Opt and click on
the second icon, Subtract From
Shape Area, in the Pathfinder palette
(Window>Pathfinder).
03
For the mouth, create a semi
circle in the colour #E76EA9. After that,
create a rectangle and fill it with white.
Duplicate this shape, select them both
and open the Align window (Window>
Align). Click on the Vertical Align Center
icon. Group these two shapes (Ctrl/
Cmd+G) then select both the teeth and
mouth and click the Horizontal Align
Center icon in the Align window, then
the Vertical Align Top icon.
Time needed
1-2 hours
Skills
Using the
Pathfinder
palette
Using clipping
masks
Using
Illustrators
3D effects
Using
Illustrators
Blur effects
04
For the tongue, create a new
ellipse and fill with the colour #CE2A6A.
Copy the light pink semi circle we just
created in the previous step and Paste
in Front of the tongue. Use the
Horizontal Align Center if your two
shapes arent in the right place. Then
select both, Right/Ctrl-click and select
Create Clipping Mask.
05
Duplicate the eye, then align
these two (as with the teeth) and move
into place. Ive also added some cheeks
here. Now for the house: create a
rectangle, then go to Effect>3D>Extrude
& Bevel and enter the following settings:
-18, -26, +8, no perspective. For Extrude
Depth type 210pt, and press OK.
Computer Arts March 2010
25/1/10 17:26:04
66
06
Make a long rectangle, copy it
and Paste in Back (Ctrl/Cmd+B). Then,
using the arrow keys, move this below
the original to form a smaller rectangle
(dark blue #2E3050). Group them and
repeat the 3D effect but change Extrude
Depth to 185pt. Then duplicate.
07
Now copy and paste all three
shapes and go to Object>Expand
Appearance. Its always a good idea to
keep original shapes with the effects, as
expanding them makes them solid
shapes without any effects. Now we
have our basic house, lets assemble it.
08
Next we need a roof. Create a 25x25px square using
the Rectangle tool (M). Then, using the Line Segment tool (\),
click in the centre of the square and, while holding Alt/
Opt+Shift, drag it to the corners to create a perfect 45-degree
angle that divides the square from corner to corner.
Ungrouping 3D objects
You will find that 3D objects that have been
expanded are grouped in multiple groups. To split the group
up, hold Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+G. Repeat this a few times to ungroup
it completely.
09
Select everything and use the Divide function from the Pathfinder palette,
remembering to hold Alt/Opt to expand the shape. Then Ungroup and rotate the shape,
holding Shift. Make sure the roof is the same width as the original rectangle we made
for the house. Apply the same 3D settings as to the house shape, then expand the
appearance, remembering to keep a copy of the original to the side of the artboard just
in case.
10
For the chimney, I use a longer rectangle, copy part of
the roof to get the same angle and then click Subtract From
Shape Area. Applying the 3D settings with a depth of 100pt, I
resize it and add it to the illustration.
VisualguCideVto
In pictures: a
rk of
the career and wo
iters
our Technique wr
Aaron Miller
The illustrator selects five
favourite recent works
Computer Arts March 2010
ART172.tut_illus 66
Ammo magazine illustration August 2009
My contribution to the first issue of Ammo
magazine, which features some truly talented
illustrators and designers.
Ph7labs collaboration October 2009
A collaborative piece between myself and Ph7labs, exploring
texture and depth.
www.computerarts.co.uk
25/1/10 17:26:06
Technique
Isometric vector art made easy
67
11
Its starting to come together,
so I create some bricks and start to add
details to the house. Ive added a
window and a door, along with some
other elements. To get the perspective
on the windows, create them as usual in
2D, and then add the 3D settings and
select 0pt for Extrude Depth. Ive
included some swatches on the CD so
you can see my colour palette.
12
Hey Aaron! What about the
face we made at the beginning of this
tutorial? I hear you shout. Good point
the face. Once you are happy with the
look of it, copy and paste a new version
then select it all and drag it into the
Symbols palette (Window>Symbols).
Select Graphic.
13
Remember I told you to make copies earlier on? Well,
select your copy of the house, the one with the 3D settings
applied to it. Click on Map Art then select your characters face
from the drop-down symbol list. Position the face, click OK,
then set Extrude to 0pt. Then expand this new shape. Ungroup
it and delete the unwanted bits. You should be left with just the
face, so drag this onto your artwork.
16
15
14
Keep adding more details, such as tiles. I used the
Pen tool to create a rough tile shape. Select this then hold Alt/
Opt and drag to create a copy. Hit Ctrl/Cmd+D (Object>
Transform>Transform Again), and keep pressing it until you
have a line of tiles, then select them and repeat the process.
As we did with the face, make the tiles a symbol, and add
them to the roof, making sure you select Map Art and then
the fifth surface.
Christmas 2009 promo December 2009
A promotional piece that I sent out to companies, design agencies and other
illustrators as a Christmas card.
www.computerarts.co.uk
ART172.tut_illus 67
Now lets add a background
and give the house some ground to
stand on. I drew a rectangle and added a
gradient with the colours #29ABD1 and
#C5E09A. Then draw a larger ellipse,
overlap it and applied a blur
(Effect>Blur>Gaussian Blur). For Radius,
put a value of 50 pixels. Experiment with
different opacities until you are happy
with the final result.
Alphabit December 2009
My contribution to a collaborative project set up by
Julian James, for which 26 artists created one letter of
the alphabet each for a large poster. All profits went to
Children In Need.
You are nearly complete this
is when you can let your creativity show
and add any more elements you wish,
such as clouds, a sun, trees or plants.
Dont forget to put a drop shadow
underneath your house character. On
the disc, Ive included an Illustrator file
with some extra elements too!
ThisPlace09 December 2009
A booklet put together for the UN
Copenhagen Summit, in conjunction with
Twitter. It included responses to the
question: Whats worth saving in
#thisplace? The idea was to highlight the
immediate impact of climate change,
based on individual tweets.
Computer Arts March 2010
25/1/10 17:26:08
