vector cars..

[randy]

is there any tutorials out there on how to draw cars...i see alot of good work on this web site.

[CRWPitman]

People have been asking for me to do one on another site, so if I do I'll post it here as well. Although it'll be less about making a car and more about something specific - maybe about using transparencies to replicate photorealism.

I'm no expert though, so there may be an easier way than a tutorial from me.

[randy]

i am very new to adobe illustrator so i just interested more of a line drawing like the picture below.. what step should i take.. in applyin the color

[CRWPitman]

It depends - I work from photos, so it's basically colour sampling (changing if necessary) and choosing the right lines to portray the reflection.

If you're colouring something you drew by hand, I don't think I'm much help because I find that pretty difficult. You have to learn how to visualize the curvature of the car, and choose a light source to base your highlights and shadows from.

[randy]

will be working from photos.. tracing the outlines from photos.. i just need to know how i go about coloring it. do i go from light to dark.. do i use transperant colors to get the highlight look..???

[CRWPitman]

Well - I usually try to sample colours from the picture and use gradients. You have to look and see from the photo where to put the gradients... Sometime they go front to back, sometimes top to bottom, sometimes both.

Highlights I usually draw with solid edges on top, as the solid edge makes it look shiney. A lot of people now use gradient meshes, but I find them to be infuriating sometimes and somewhat difficult to use / control. I find a similar look can be acheived with blends and transparencies, although the file size is larger, and draw time is too when you're working on it.

For example, say you have a fender that fades from lighter to darker top to bottom, but also from front to back slightly. Usually what I would do in that case is to draw the fender, and fill it with a gradient from front to back (whichever is darker overall). Then I'd make a copy of this shape and align them perfectly on top of each other. I'd then fill to top shape with a gradient of the fade from top to bottom - but make the gradient from the lighter colour to black. Then I'd set the transparency type to "screen", or something similar, to allow the light colour to overlay but the black to be completely transparent (and if it's too bright, make the overall shape a bit opaque). I hope that makes sense...

I also find it easier to work in smaller pieces. For example, I draw the whole side of the car, and then chop it up using the cutlines of the sheet metal. You can then fill the doors and fenders and such seperately - but makes sure the colours on the matching edges match (where the fender meets the door should be the same colour for continuity).

I also use blends a lot, if I want a "gradient" with an irregular shape. But keep in mind that a blend is basically a set number of cloned objects (between two seperate objects you choose), so unlike most Illustrator objects it technically does degrade when you zoom in (you are able to start to see the seperate objects).

[CRWPitman]

i am very new to adobe illustrator so i just interested more of a line drawing like the picture below.. what step should i take.. in applyin the color

Example - look at the picture you attached, in particular the black area of the hood. It looks kinda complex, but it's basically 3 shapes. The area as a whole is split into 2 larger sections - the part near the front of the hood is in general darker, and is a gradient that fades from dark to light, right to left (it also looks like a radial gradient - it's circular). The section on the top of the hood is lighter, and it's made to look like a highlight. It's again a gradient, from the top left to the bottom right (looks to be a regular, linear gradient). Then on top of those there are some lighter areas to simulate the reflection of the door. Those could be easily made by drawing them overtop both the other gradients, and filling them with a solid light colour. You could then make it semi-transparent, to see the "paint" beneath.

The whole car is basically made in a similar technique - broken up into gradients.

[warking@mac.com]

I am putting a step by step video together. It will be done in chapeters for download or CD.
It should be ready with in a few week.

[vmagic118]

Always looking for a great tutorial and after looking at your work I can not wait for your Tutorial...:cool:

[randy]

thanks for all your tips and advice.. I still have a lot to learn .. all i have is the outline of the car..can't wait for a step by step tutorial..

[warking@mac.com]

My website has some info on it in the tutorial section about the up coming car video.

[randy]

great tutorial for a beginer like me.. can't wait for the whole tutorial..