Alberto Montt Tutorial 2
How to
CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER Using Digital Construction Paper in Illustrator by Alberto Montt
CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR
“Everybody starts drawing when they are very young. I just never stopped.” - Alberto Montt
© 2015 Wacom
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CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR
Alberto Montt’s Artwork
© 2015 Wacom
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CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR
Table of Contents
© 2015 Wacom
01
PEN & PENCIL TOOLS
04
HAIR, SHOES & MORE
02
SHAPE BUILDER & KNIFE TOOLS
00
Tutorial INTRODUCTION
03
EYES, NOSE & MOUTH
05
About the ARTIST
04
CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
CREATE MORE PIECES The first thing to know about me and about how I draw with Illustrator is to understand that I like to keep it fun and the logic simple. Illustrator for me is like working with bits of colored construction paper. I cut up my drawings into digital pieces of paper and move them around. This way I create my characters and also save all elements in my library to be picked up later whenever I need them. For most of my work I use only a small number of tools. In this tutorial I will focus on the Pencil, Pen, Shape Builder and Knife tools.
All digital work shown in this eBook was carried out with the Wacom pen tablet Intuos Pro, using Adobe© Illustrator. Visit the Wacom website to find out how to enhance your workflow and efficiency as an artist using modern digital technology: Our pens and tablets open up new possibilities for speed and precision and give you more freedom to experiment.
Alberto Montt
Cartoonist & Illustrator dosisdiarias.com
© 2015 Wacom
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CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
© 2015 Wacom
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CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
Pencil & Pen Tools 1.
The Pencil Tool: I frequently use the Pencil tool (N on the keyboard) to create my initial shapes. I like the flow of the line and it allows me to draw very freely, to quickly get the shapes I have in my mind into the computer in a fluid way. Effectively this is like creating my rough sketch, only with the ability to quickly iterate or remove steps that don’t feel right for what I am trying to achieve. Generally I don’t like working with outlines, I just want the shapes – my little pieces of paper. For this reason I set “Stroke” (in the Pencil Options bar across the top) to “0.” This will make the stroke field blank, which is fine. If you double-tap on the Pencil tool, or press Return/Enter, you can also set the tool to “fill” new pencil strokes. This is nice because it feels like magically creating little paper clippings as you go.
© 2015 Wacom
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CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
2.
Trial and Error: You may delete the first few shapes you draw as you develop the form that works for you. Once you have the right shape you can save the file, then resize or rotate the shape to fit the story in your head. Use this shape as your guide for the primary shape of the body.
3.
Independent Elements: I will now add elements like arms and legs, once again using the Pencil tool. Each new part I draw is added like an independent piece of paper. Unlike working with real pieces of paper though, with digital tools it is very easy to copy one piece and transform it. If I need a similar piece somewhere else, in this case the right leg, I can just select it without leaving the Pencil tool, simply by holding the Cmd/Ctrl key and tapping on the leg, then holding down Cmd+Opt/ Ctrl+Alt while dragging it to a new location to create a quick copy.
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CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
4.
The Pen Tool: Once you have the character’s basic shape with all his limbs, turn this shape into a guide for your next step by selecting all of it, right-clicking on the shape and selecting “Make Guides”. This will create light blue guides that you can follow for your more refined version, using the Pen tool. The Pen tool gives you smoother lines and more control of your filled spaces.
“Pen Tip”: Like that play on words? »
Opt/Alt allows you to interrupt your drawing to use the Anchor Point tool for moving or changing control points, then go right back to where you left off.
» “Shift” constrains the next point to 45-degree increments.
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CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
5.
Be Smooth: Once you finished the first shape you can go back and make refinements like smoothing any points or adjusting the shape by using the Direct Select (A) or Anchor Point tools (Shift+C). If you have trouble correcting angles and just want to smooth them out, there’s a Smooth tool. Just press and hold on the Pencil tool in the tool bar to select it. With this tool, just tap on the troublesome angle or draw over multiple points to smooth them out.
How does Alberto Montt feel when drawing?
© 2015 Wacom
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CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
5.
Reflect For a While: Another trick I love when working with Illustrator is to use the Reflect tool to place elements that are supposed to mirror one another like arms and legs. For instance, once I finish one arm, I select it, tap on the Reflect tool (O), then tap on the point to use as the center of the body and with Opt/Alt drag another arm to the right place on the other side of the body. If you don’t hold down Opt/Alt, it will just move the first arm to the new location, so this takes a little practice.
Once you have drawn the leg, make sure the whole leg is selected, then hit “O” for the Reflect tool and tap again at the middle of the hips to define the center, then with Opt/Alt drag the new leg into place. This should make a duplicate of the leg reflected around that center point of the hips. The Reflect tool is great for when you want elements to be symmetrical.
Use the same method for the legs: With the Pen tool (P) start at the hip, drag out to get the correct initial angle. Tap at the end of the leg to create a right angle. Remember that if you want to control the arch at the other end, you can use Opt/Alt to change the exit control point.
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CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
Shape Builder & Knife Tools 1.
The Shape Builder Tool: Once all refined shapes are in place, I like to use another one of my favorite Illustrator tools: the Shape Builder. With Shape Builder, you can select all the shapes you want to combine, then by dragging across the lines where the shapes intersect combine all those objects into one. For instance, if you use basic shapes with the Rectangle tool (M) and the Ellipse (L) that overlap, you can select both of them by holding Cmd+Shift/ Ctrl+Shift and tapping on each, then choose Shape Builder (Shift+M) and drag a line through both the ellipse and the rectangle to combine them into a single shape. It is like having put all your pieces of paper into place and now finally glueing or taping them together. By building characters in pieces like that you can combine them once you have finished the overall shape. We are now set for my next favorite tool in Illustrator: the Knife tool.
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2.
The Knife Tool: The Knife tool is hidden underneath the Eraser tool in the tool palette. By holding down on the eraser, you can select the knife from the fly-out menu. With the Knife tool selected, you need to first select an area to cut up by holding down the Cmd/Ctrl key and tap on the area you want to divide.
3.
Cut It Up: Once you have created the overall shape of your character, this now allows you to segment it into logical subsets, like hair, shirt, pants, etc. To cut it up with the knife, select the primary shape to divide and make free form cuts of the paper. You just have to think about all the elements of the character you want to apply other colors or textures to.
» Cmd/Ctrl which gives you the Arrow tool; » Cmd+Opt/Ctrl+Alt which is the Group Select tool, or; » Cmd+Shift/Ctrl+Shift to tap on segments you want removed from your current selection.
Once you made your cuts, you can select or deselect segments without having to leave the Knife tool by holding:
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CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
Watch how to use the Knife Tool
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CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
4.
Head Separation & Colour: So now start separating the complete shape into its characteristic parts. Draw the knife across the neck of the character to separate the head from the body. It sounds horrible when I put it like that, but this will allow you to treat each element selectively. You can now hold Cmd/Ctrl, select the head and define its color by moving the sliders in the color panel or just by selecting from your swatches. I will usually have a color palette in mind to start with, then adjust lightness or hue from there with the sliders of the color panel. Since I work in CMYK, I will choose a skin color around C=5, M=20, Y=50, and K=0. Again, select the head by pressing Cmd/Ctrl and tap on the head, use the knife to draw the hairline. I like giving this guy a healthy sideburn. Press Cmd+Shift/Ctrl+Shift and tap on the face to remove it from the selection and select a hair color. In this case something like C=20, M=25, Y=50, and K=35.
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5.
Body Separation & Colour: Use the same method to separate the pants from the shirt. Select the body, draw the knife across the belt line, then press Cmd+Shift/ Ctrl+Shift and tap on the upper body to remove it from the selection and define the pants’ color around C=50, M=20, Y=10, and K=75. Press Cmd/Ctrl and tap on the upper body, then set the colors to around C=50, M=10,Y=0, and K=30.
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CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
6.
Adding Stripes: Let me show you how to quickly add stripes to the character’s shirt using the same method. With the upper body selected (Cmd/Ctrl+tap) use the knife and just draw a bunch of sweeping cuts through the upper body. Once you are done drawing the stripes hold Cmd+Shift/Ctrl+Shift and tap on all of the stripes where you want to leave the color the way it is, then make the selected area a darker version of the same hue by dragging the K slider on the color panel up to about 50. I might change the hue a little by dragging the “Y” Yellow up to around 10.
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7. Creating a Mini Library: With this character I will show you how I use Illustrator to create mini libraries of objects that I can use in this drawing as well as in future drawings.
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CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
Eyes, Nose & Mouth 1.
The Eyes: In an open area of the drawing or canvas, use the Ellipse tool to draw what is effectively the outer area of the whole eye, the whole socket, I guess. Then with it press “I” to grab the Eye Dropper tool, select the skin color of the face and increase the black level just a little on the color panel, 4 or 5 points should do.
2.
Copy & Drag: Select and copy the eye so far: Pressing Cmd+F/Ctrl+F will place an exact duplicate in the same place. Then hold Opt/Alt to scale only top and bottom, creating a thinner ellipse. While it is selected dial it down another 10 points of black, then repeat the process. Select Cmd/Ctrl+tapm, Copy Cmd/ Ctrl+C, paste in the same place (Cmd/Ctrl+F), scale it thinner and make it darker again by dragging the “K” slider 10 more points to the right. Do this one more time, this time to create the eyeball, then fill it with white by dragging the “K” all the way back to the left.
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3.
Iris & Pupil: Create the iris and pupil using the ellipse with Opt+Shift/Alt+Shift. I will give him blue eyes (C=20, K=around 25). Then for the pupil just adjust K to around 60. As I said earlier, I am a fan of simple shapes, which also goes for the texture of the iris.
4.
Add Star: Under the Ellipse there is a Star shape: after selecting it and clicking in the pupil area, it will ask for radius 1 + 2. I leave it with 25 + 50, but will increase the points to 17 or 18. Just tapping OK or hitting Enter will place the star. Now resize it holding down Opt+Shift/ Alt+Shift to keep it a perfectly circular star. Place the star over the iris, then hit Cmd+[/Ctrl+[ to push it back behind the pupil.
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5.
Add Highlights: To add highlights, I will create two small circles filled with solid white and put them in the upper left of the iris.
6.
Copy Eye: Once you have built a complex right eye, you can select the whole thing holding Cmd+Opt/Ctrl+Alt and drag a copy of it to the correct position until it looks fine as the left eye. If you want to save the eye for a character you might be using frequently, you can now copy this new eye and paste it into a new file called “eyes” to build on a library of eyes for future use.
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CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
Watch how to create eyes
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CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
7.
The Nose: When I want to use more organic shapes, like for the character’s nose, I will frequently just grab the Pencil tool (N) and draw the shape I want. This one looks like a funny cucumber. I will then resize and transform it, then put it in place. You can always use the Eye Dropper tool to select a color from the character to make it match.
8.
Pencil Tool Options: If you are going to be doing a lot of pencil work, you can double click on the Pencil tool in the tool bar and adjust the behavior of the pencil, for instance to always have it fill new strokes with your selected foreground color. I will usually only use the Pencil tool to add elements that were not part of my original shape, otherwise I will continue using my Knife tool (from underneath the pencil fly-out menu).
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9.
The Mouth: Select the face and, with the knife, slice the area that will be the mouth. Press Cmd+Shift/Ctrl+Shift and tap to deselect the face, then give the mouth the right color (about C=5, M=55, Y=50, K=35).
10. The Teeth: Once you have the character’s mouth, add teeth using the same method; select the mouth by cutting it out with the knife, then just draw some fun teeth. Let’s be honest, nobody has white teeth, so just a few dots of blue, yellow and black will do. Do the same for the tongue: select the mouth Cmd/ Ctrl+tap, then draw a slice that looks right. Give it about C=5,M=55, Y=55, K=0, then cut out the back side of the mouth and increase the black (K) by about 30 points to give it the right shade. The same way you can quickly build any elements your character needs.
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11. The Details: The more detail you add, the more you develop the character itself. Add some spots with the ellipse, holding Shift to make a bunch of little circles on the tongue. Just remember that you are effectively just adding a lot of easy-to-create little paper stickers.
The hidden messages in Alberto Montt’s artwork.
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CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
Hair, Shoes & More 1.
Add Hair: I will give my character some big hair by adding an oval to his hair (L for the Ellipse tool), dragging out a nice roundish oval and positioning it to line up with his hairline.
2.
Combine with Shape Builder: Hit “I” for the Eye Dropper tool and select the hair color. Then go back to the Shape Builder tool once again (Shift+M) and combine everything to be a part of his hair. You just need to add feet and hands now before finishing the guy by adding more details to the rest of the drawing.
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CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
Watch how to use the Shape Builder Tool
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3.
Draw Shoe: With the Pencil tool (N) I will create a more natural shoe rather than building it with shapes. Sometimes it is just easier to get the right feel that way. Once you get the right shape it is back to the Knife tool to cut it into its individual parts. Remember: little pieces of paper.
4.
Shoelaces and holes: Make a quick cut for the heel and a line across the bottom for the sole, darken it a little by sliding the black (K) value to the right. Slice a nice toe and heel (Cmd+Shift/Ctrl+Shift) and lighten the main body of the shoe. With the body still selected, cut the area for the laces and shade it a little, then use the Ellipse tool and quickly (Opt+Shift/Alt+Shift) drag a hole for the shoe laces, then press Cmd/Ctrl and drag to copy the hole into all the right places.
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5. Socks: Use the Rectangle tool (M) to make a sock, color-coordinate it by making it bluish. Push the sock behind the shoe by going to Object > Arrange > Send to back, or just by hitting the Cmd+[/ Ctrl+[ keyboard shortcut. Give the sock some quick stripes, like you did with the shirt, using the Knife tool.
6.
Copy for Library and Symmetry: Once finished, we now have a shoe for the props library as well, but more importantly: select the whole shoe, then press Cmd+Opt/Ctrl+Alt and drag it to create a duplicate of the shoe, then transform it into the right position for the other foot. With the whole shoe selected transform it by holding the Cmd/Ctrl key to drag it into the new shape and position.
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7. Hands: You can quickly draw a hand with the Pencil tool as well, then duplicate it for the other hand. With both selected, push them behind the sleeve with the right click Arrange > Send to back (Cmd+[/Ctrl+[) again.
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8.
Belt Loops: I will now make a simple belt-loop shape with the Rectangle tool (M), darken it, then add some dots to give it texture. Now, like the shoes, select the whole shape and duplicate it to the other locations by holding (Cmd+Opt /Ctrl+Alt) and dragging.
9.
Finishing Touches: For the finishing touches and to add shading I will use the same method I used to add stripes and details to the shoes, but use the knife to cut the shaded areas out and darken them accordingly. Now you have created a simple character and hopefully caught a few good tips along the way.
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ABOUT THE ARTIST Chilean illustrator and cartoonist Alberto Montt has illustrated more than 40 children’s books and is working regularly in advertising and marketing. His celebrated blog “Dosis Diarias” (“Daily Dose”) was awarded the “Best Blog in Spanish” by the German broadcast network Deutsche Welle in 2011. The cartoons featured have been published in ten volumes across Latin America and Spain and appear regularly in newspapers and magazines around the world. “Daily Dose” receives over 120,000 unique visits per day. Alberto Montt has published several books on different subjects, including his very first graphic novel:
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Achiote, a collection of autobiographical anecdotes. His illustrations of the epic poem “La Araucana” were selected for the IBBY Honour List (IBBY: International Board on Books for Young People), receiving numerous literary accolades. This year, the artist will launch a limited edition line of sneakers in collaboration with Puma. To find out more about his work, visit:
dosisdiarias.com
facebook.com/# @twitter
32
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CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER Using Digital Construction Paper in Illustrator by Alberto Montt
CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR
“Everybody starts drawing when they are very young. I just never stopped.” - Alberto Montt
© 2015 Wacom
02
CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR
Alberto Montt’s Artwork
© 2015 Wacom
03
CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR
Table of Contents
© 2015 Wacom
01
PEN & PENCIL TOOLS
04
HAIR, SHOES & MORE
02
SHAPE BUILDER & KNIFE TOOLS
00
Tutorial INTRODUCTION
03
EYES, NOSE & MOUTH
05
About the ARTIST
04
CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
CREATE MORE PIECES The first thing to know about me and about how I draw with Illustrator is to understand that I like to keep it fun and the logic simple. Illustrator for me is like working with bits of colored construction paper. I cut up my drawings into digital pieces of paper and move them around. This way I create my characters and also save all elements in my library to be picked up later whenever I need them. For most of my work I use only a small number of tools. In this tutorial I will focus on the Pencil, Pen, Shape Builder and Knife tools.
All digital work shown in this eBook was carried out with the Wacom pen tablet Intuos Pro, using Adobe© Illustrator. Visit the Wacom website to find out how to enhance your workflow and efficiency as an artist using modern digital technology: Our pens and tablets open up new possibilities for speed and precision and give you more freedom to experiment.
Alberto Montt
Cartoonist & Illustrator dosisdiarias.com
© 2015 Wacom
05
CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
© 2015 Wacom
06
CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
Pencil & Pen Tools 1.
The Pencil Tool: I frequently use the Pencil tool (N on the keyboard) to create my initial shapes. I like the flow of the line and it allows me to draw very freely, to quickly get the shapes I have in my mind into the computer in a fluid way. Effectively this is like creating my rough sketch, only with the ability to quickly iterate or remove steps that don’t feel right for what I am trying to achieve. Generally I don’t like working with outlines, I just want the shapes – my little pieces of paper. For this reason I set “Stroke” (in the Pencil Options bar across the top) to “0.” This will make the stroke field blank, which is fine. If you double-tap on the Pencil tool, or press Return/Enter, you can also set the tool to “fill” new pencil strokes. This is nice because it feels like magically creating little paper clippings as you go.
© 2015 Wacom
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CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
2.
Trial and Error: You may delete the first few shapes you draw as you develop the form that works for you. Once you have the right shape you can save the file, then resize or rotate the shape to fit the story in your head. Use this shape as your guide for the primary shape of the body.
3.
Independent Elements: I will now add elements like arms and legs, once again using the Pencil tool. Each new part I draw is added like an independent piece of paper. Unlike working with real pieces of paper though, with digital tools it is very easy to copy one piece and transform it. If I need a similar piece somewhere else, in this case the right leg, I can just select it without leaving the Pencil tool, simply by holding the Cmd/Ctrl key and tapping on the leg, then holding down Cmd+Opt/ Ctrl+Alt while dragging it to a new location to create a quick copy.
© 2015 Wacom
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CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
4.
The Pen Tool: Once you have the character’s basic shape with all his limbs, turn this shape into a guide for your next step by selecting all of it, right-clicking on the shape and selecting “Make Guides”. This will create light blue guides that you can follow for your more refined version, using the Pen tool. The Pen tool gives you smoother lines and more control of your filled spaces.
“Pen Tip”: Like that play on words? »
Opt/Alt allows you to interrupt your drawing to use the Anchor Point tool for moving or changing control points, then go right back to where you left off.
» “Shift” constrains the next point to 45-degree increments.
© 2015 Wacom
09
CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
5.
Be Smooth: Once you finished the first shape you can go back and make refinements like smoothing any points or adjusting the shape by using the Direct Select (A) or Anchor Point tools (Shift+C). If you have trouble correcting angles and just want to smooth them out, there’s a Smooth tool. Just press and hold on the Pencil tool in the tool bar to select it. With this tool, just tap on the troublesome angle or draw over multiple points to smooth them out.
How does Alberto Montt feel when drawing?
© 2015 Wacom
10
CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
5.
Reflect For a While: Another trick I love when working with Illustrator is to use the Reflect tool to place elements that are supposed to mirror one another like arms and legs. For instance, once I finish one arm, I select it, tap on the Reflect tool (O), then tap on the point to use as the center of the body and with Opt/Alt drag another arm to the right place on the other side of the body. If you don’t hold down Opt/Alt, it will just move the first arm to the new location, so this takes a little practice.
Once you have drawn the leg, make sure the whole leg is selected, then hit “O” for the Reflect tool and tap again at the middle of the hips to define the center, then with Opt/Alt drag the new leg into place. This should make a duplicate of the leg reflected around that center point of the hips. The Reflect tool is great for when you want elements to be symmetrical.
Use the same method for the legs: With the Pen tool (P) start at the hip, drag out to get the correct initial angle. Tap at the end of the leg to create a right angle. Remember that if you want to control the arch at the other end, you can use Opt/Alt to change the exit control point.
© 2015 Wacom
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CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
Shape Builder & Knife Tools 1.
The Shape Builder Tool: Once all refined shapes are in place, I like to use another one of my favorite Illustrator tools: the Shape Builder. With Shape Builder, you can select all the shapes you want to combine, then by dragging across the lines where the shapes intersect combine all those objects into one. For instance, if you use basic shapes with the Rectangle tool (M) and the Ellipse (L) that overlap, you can select both of them by holding Cmd+Shift/ Ctrl+Shift and tapping on each, then choose Shape Builder (Shift+M) and drag a line through both the ellipse and the rectangle to combine them into a single shape. It is like having put all your pieces of paper into place and now finally glueing or taping them together. By building characters in pieces like that you can combine them once you have finished the overall shape. We are now set for my next favorite tool in Illustrator: the Knife tool.
© 2015 Wacom
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CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
2.
The Knife Tool: The Knife tool is hidden underneath the Eraser tool in the tool palette. By holding down on the eraser, you can select the knife from the fly-out menu. With the Knife tool selected, you need to first select an area to cut up by holding down the Cmd/Ctrl key and tap on the area you want to divide.
3.
Cut It Up: Once you have created the overall shape of your character, this now allows you to segment it into logical subsets, like hair, shirt, pants, etc. To cut it up with the knife, select the primary shape to divide and make free form cuts of the paper. You just have to think about all the elements of the character you want to apply other colors or textures to.
» Cmd/Ctrl which gives you the Arrow tool; » Cmd+Opt/Ctrl+Alt which is the Group Select tool, or; » Cmd+Shift/Ctrl+Shift to tap on segments you want removed from your current selection.
Once you made your cuts, you can select or deselect segments without having to leave the Knife tool by holding:
© 2015 Wacom
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CREATE A CARTOON CHARACTER USING DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PAPER IN ILLUSTRATOR Contents
Watch how to use the Knife Tool
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4.
Head Separation & Colour: So now start separating the complete shape into its characteristic parts. Draw the knife across the neck of the character to separate the head from the body. It sounds horrible when I put it like that, but this will allow you to treat each element selectively. You can now hold Cmd/Ctrl, select the head and define its color by moving the sliders in the color panel or just by selecting from your swatches. I will usually have a color palette in mind to start with, then adjust lightness or hue from there with the sliders of the color panel. Since I work in CMYK, I will choose a skin color around C=5, M=20, Y=50, and K=0. Again, select the head by pressing Cmd/Ctrl and tap on the head, use the knife to draw the hairline. I like giving this guy a healthy sideburn. Press Cmd+Shift/Ctrl+Shift and tap on the face to remove it from the selection and select a hair color. In this case something like C=20, M=25, Y=50, and K=35.
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5.
Body Separation & Colour: Use the same method to separate the pants from the shirt. Select the body, draw the knife across the belt line, then press Cmd+Shift/ Ctrl+Shift and tap on the upper body to remove it from the selection and define the pants’ color around C=50, M=20, Y=10, and K=75. Press Cmd/Ctrl and tap on the upper body, then set the colors to around C=50, M=10,Y=0, and K=30.
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6.
Adding Stripes: Let me show you how to quickly add stripes to the character’s shirt using the same method. With the upper body selected (Cmd/Ctrl+tap) use the knife and just draw a bunch of sweeping cuts through the upper body. Once you are done drawing the stripes hold Cmd+Shift/Ctrl+Shift and tap on all of the stripes where you want to leave the color the way it is, then make the selected area a darker version of the same hue by dragging the K slider on the color panel up to about 50. I might change the hue a little by dragging the “Y” Yellow up to around 10.
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7. Creating a Mini Library: With this character I will show you how I use Illustrator to create mini libraries of objects that I can use in this drawing as well as in future drawings.
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Eyes, Nose & Mouth 1.
The Eyes: In an open area of the drawing or canvas, use the Ellipse tool to draw what is effectively the outer area of the whole eye, the whole socket, I guess. Then with it press “I” to grab the Eye Dropper tool, select the skin color of the face and increase the black level just a little on the color panel, 4 or 5 points should do.
2.
Copy & Drag: Select and copy the eye so far: Pressing Cmd+F/Ctrl+F will place an exact duplicate in the same place. Then hold Opt/Alt to scale only top and bottom, creating a thinner ellipse. While it is selected dial it down another 10 points of black, then repeat the process. Select Cmd/Ctrl+tapm, Copy Cmd/ Ctrl+C, paste in the same place (Cmd/Ctrl+F), scale it thinner and make it darker again by dragging the “K” slider 10 more points to the right. Do this one more time, this time to create the eyeball, then fill it with white by dragging the “K” all the way back to the left.
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3.
Iris & Pupil: Create the iris and pupil using the ellipse with Opt+Shift/Alt+Shift. I will give him blue eyes (C=20, K=around 25). Then for the pupil just adjust K to around 60. As I said earlier, I am a fan of simple shapes, which also goes for the texture of the iris.
4.
Add Star: Under the Ellipse there is a Star shape: after selecting it and clicking in the pupil area, it will ask for radius 1 + 2. I leave it with 25 + 50, but will increase the points to 17 or 18. Just tapping OK or hitting Enter will place the star. Now resize it holding down Opt+Shift/ Alt+Shift to keep it a perfectly circular star. Place the star over the iris, then hit Cmd+[/Ctrl+[ to push it back behind the pupil.
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5.
Add Highlights: To add highlights, I will create two small circles filled with solid white and put them in the upper left of the iris.
6.
Copy Eye: Once you have built a complex right eye, you can select the whole thing holding Cmd+Opt/Ctrl+Alt and drag a copy of it to the correct position until it looks fine as the left eye. If you want to save the eye for a character you might be using frequently, you can now copy this new eye and paste it into a new file called “eyes” to build on a library of eyes for future use.
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Watch how to create eyes
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7.
The Nose: When I want to use more organic shapes, like for the character’s nose, I will frequently just grab the Pencil tool (N) and draw the shape I want. This one looks like a funny cucumber. I will then resize and transform it, then put it in place. You can always use the Eye Dropper tool to select a color from the character to make it match.
8.
Pencil Tool Options: If you are going to be doing a lot of pencil work, you can double click on the Pencil tool in the tool bar and adjust the behavior of the pencil, for instance to always have it fill new strokes with your selected foreground color. I will usually only use the Pencil tool to add elements that were not part of my original shape, otherwise I will continue using my Knife tool (from underneath the pencil fly-out menu).
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9.
The Mouth: Select the face and, with the knife, slice the area that will be the mouth. Press Cmd+Shift/Ctrl+Shift and tap to deselect the face, then give the mouth the right color (about C=5, M=55, Y=50, K=35).
10. The Teeth: Once you have the character’s mouth, add teeth using the same method; select the mouth by cutting it out with the knife, then just draw some fun teeth. Let’s be honest, nobody has white teeth, so just a few dots of blue, yellow and black will do. Do the same for the tongue: select the mouth Cmd/ Ctrl+tap, then draw a slice that looks right. Give it about C=5,M=55, Y=55, K=0, then cut out the back side of the mouth and increase the black (K) by about 30 points to give it the right shade. The same way you can quickly build any elements your character needs.
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11. The Details: The more detail you add, the more you develop the character itself. Add some spots with the ellipse, holding Shift to make a bunch of little circles on the tongue. Just remember that you are effectively just adding a lot of easy-to-create little paper stickers.
The hidden messages in Alberto Montt’s artwork.
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Hair, Shoes & More 1.
Add Hair: I will give my character some big hair by adding an oval to his hair (L for the Ellipse tool), dragging out a nice roundish oval and positioning it to line up with his hairline.
2.
Combine with Shape Builder: Hit “I” for the Eye Dropper tool and select the hair color. Then go back to the Shape Builder tool once again (Shift+M) and combine everything to be a part of his hair. You just need to add feet and hands now before finishing the guy by adding more details to the rest of the drawing.
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Watch how to use the Shape Builder Tool
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3.
Draw Shoe: With the Pencil tool (N) I will create a more natural shoe rather than building it with shapes. Sometimes it is just easier to get the right feel that way. Once you get the right shape it is back to the Knife tool to cut it into its individual parts. Remember: little pieces of paper.
4.
Shoelaces and holes: Make a quick cut for the heel and a line across the bottom for the sole, darken it a little by sliding the black (K) value to the right. Slice a nice toe and heel (Cmd+Shift/Ctrl+Shift) and lighten the main body of the shoe. With the body still selected, cut the area for the laces and shade it a little, then use the Ellipse tool and quickly (Opt+Shift/Alt+Shift) drag a hole for the shoe laces, then press Cmd/Ctrl and drag to copy the hole into all the right places.
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5. Socks: Use the Rectangle tool (M) to make a sock, color-coordinate it by making it bluish. Push the sock behind the shoe by going to Object > Arrange > Send to back, or just by hitting the Cmd+[/ Ctrl+[ keyboard shortcut. Give the sock some quick stripes, like you did with the shirt, using the Knife tool.
6.
Copy for Library and Symmetry: Once finished, we now have a shoe for the props library as well, but more importantly: select the whole shoe, then press Cmd+Opt/Ctrl+Alt and drag it to create a duplicate of the shoe, then transform it into the right position for the other foot. With the whole shoe selected transform it by holding the Cmd/Ctrl key to drag it into the new shape and position.
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7. Hands: You can quickly draw a hand with the Pencil tool as well, then duplicate it for the other hand. With both selected, push them behind the sleeve with the right click Arrange > Send to back (Cmd+[/Ctrl+[) again.
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8.
Belt Loops: I will now make a simple belt-loop shape with the Rectangle tool (M), darken it, then add some dots to give it texture. Now, like the shoes, select the whole shape and duplicate it to the other locations by holding (Cmd+Opt /Ctrl+Alt) and dragging.
9.
Finishing Touches: For the finishing touches and to add shading I will use the same method I used to add stripes and details to the shoes, but use the knife to cut the shaded areas out and darken them accordingly. Now you have created a simple character and hopefully caught a few good tips along the way.
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ABOUT THE ARTIST Chilean illustrator and cartoonist Alberto Montt has illustrated more than 40 children’s books and is working regularly in advertising and marketing. His celebrated blog “Dosis Diarias” (“Daily Dose”) was awarded the “Best Blog in Spanish” by the German broadcast network Deutsche Welle in 2011. The cartoons featured have been published in ten volumes across Latin America and Spain and appear regularly in newspapers and magazines around the world. “Daily Dose” receives over 120,000 unique visits per day. Alberto Montt has published several books on different subjects, including his very first graphic novel:
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Achiote, a collection of autobiographical anecdotes. His illustrations of the epic poem “La Araucana” were selected for the IBBY Honour List (IBBY: International Board on Books for Young People), receiving numerous literary accolades. This year, the artist will launch a limited edition line of sneakers in collaboration with Puma. To find out more about his work, visit:
dosisdiarias.com
facebook.com/# @twitter
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