How to Make a Car Into an Outline in Illustrator CS
It is time consuming to draw a car realistically with the right perspective and proportion. However, the tools and layers available in Adobe Illustrator make it possible to convert photographs to drawings. With a bit of practice, and a good clear photograph to trace, you can create accurate, believable outline drawings in Illustrator.
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Instructions
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Open Adobe Illustrator, and make sure the "Layers" and "Stroke" palettes are open. If they're not, click on "Window" in the horizontal menu and check the correct palettes. You will be using the long vertical Toolbox on the left of the screen, as well.
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Go to "File," "New," and set up a new document. Make it 5 inches in width and 5 inches in height, and choose "CMYK" for the "Color Mode." Name your document, and click OK.
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Go to "File," "Place," and select a car photo from your computer files. Click OK. You'll note the photo is now on a layer in your "Layers Palette." Name the layer "car photo." Click the empty box next to the "Eye" icon to lock the layer so you will not accidentally draw on it.
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Create a new empty layer by clicking on the third icon at the bottom of the "Layers Palette." You will see the words "Create New Layer" as your cursor hovers over it. Name this layer "Car drawing."
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Set the thickness of your stroke in the "Stroke Palette" at the lowest setting, or "0.25" for a thin outline. Make sure the stroke setting in the Toolbox on your left is set at black, red or whatever color you prefer for your drawing.
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Use the "Pen Tool" from the Toolbox to trace the outline of the car on the drawing layer. The secret to a smooth outline is to make a line from point to point on a straight edge, and to use many points to go around curves. If you need to adjust a point or to correct part of the drawing, click on the white arrow at the top right of the Toolbox. The "Direct Select Tool," as it is called, allows you to grab points anywhere along your outline and move their positions.
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Trace all of the car's body lines and then trace the lines for the doors, windows and all other details, except the wheels. To check your outline, punch out the "Eye" icon on the photo layer to turn it off, so you can see the drawing layer by itself. Look for anything that needs correction. Then click the "Eye" again to make the car photo visible.
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Draw wheels and tires on your car drawing using the "Ellipse Tool." To create the wheel itself, draw a series of three circles close together, one slightly smaller than the other.Then, use the "Pen Tool" to trace the spokes and hubcaps, Draw two bigger circles to represent each tire, one circle inside the other.
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Turn off the photo layer again by clicking on the "Eye" to see how realistic the drawing looks. If you're happy with it, you're ready to save it as an AI or a PDF file. If you save it as a PDF, be sure to check "Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities," "Embed Thumbnails," and "View PDF After Saving" on the "Adobe PDF Options" dialog box. Then, click OK.
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Tips & Warnings
To find car photographs, check online stock photo sites or scan a car photo from a magazine into your computer. Try to use a side view, which will make the tires easier to simulate.
Adobe Illustrator Cs2 has a "Live Trace" feature that allows you to trace photos and drawings more easily. In older versions of Illustrator, the Auto Trace feature only works well with very simple images, so the "Pen Tool" is preferable.
If you decide to color in your car drawing, use a gradient for the body color to give it highlights and shine.
AI or Illustrator files are not compatible with other software and cannot be opened without Illustrator. Saving your file as a PDF makes it viewable by others, and gives you the option of making it a smaller file.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit automobile image by Franco DI MEO from Fotolia.com
