Peter Voth Design — Vector Line Portraits
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Sorry if this text is a little longer, but I would like to tell you something that has been on my mind for some time. I get messages almost daily asking how I do things. I don't want to rule out that I will do more detailed tutorials in the future, but currently I am fully concentrating on doing the best work for my clients. Besides, I don't see myself as a teacher, but as an apprentice. I'm learning every day. As an example and as help I post this picture. First of all, the FAQ:
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1. 100% of my work is done with Adobe Illustrator. I didn't use a tablet but illustrate with the mouse (Logitech MX Master 2S). For the lines I use the pen and anchor point tool.
2. to separate the lines for shading I use the scissors for anchor points.
3. for a faster execution I programmed the keys of my mouse accordingly.
4. apart from that, I don't use tricks or shortcuts. I try to transfer the manual and organic feeling of etchings and engravings into the computer. From my point of view, this doesn't really work with brushes.
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The picture shows the development of my style over the last two years. At A you can see one of my first attempts of line based portraits. This very simple style as a profile and without shading brings you to focus on the right things to understand proportions and important features. But this style also has its own challenges and is not necessarily as easy as it looks. At B I started to add very simple shading. I simply used vertical lines of the same thickness. It took me a while to learn how to use shading. Practice is enormously important here. In principle I used the same technique at C, but I started to illustrate portraits in different perspectives. Here, too, the shades remain constant in one thickness and without interruptions. D shows the current state of my technique. Here you can clearly see the more complex influences of traditional line engraving. In my opinion, frontal portraits are heavier than side profiles. The shades get their special effect by interruptions and different thicknesses, depending on the brightness and darkness of specific regions of the face.
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Me elsewhere
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© 2018 Peter Voth