Art Deco Style for Digital Illustration

Art Deco Style for Digital Illustration

“So there you have it! We have completed the course. Again, thanks for giving me the chance to teach you how I create beautiful Art Deco Illustrations. Now it is time for you to mirror the process and come up with your creation. Go over the contents of the course as many times as you need, studying them carefully. Take the exercises I have proposed to you as preparatory work for your project. I tried to walk you through the process using my own as a template and framework. I want your final project to display the steps you took and the result of it. If there is something that you do differently, do not be afraid of showing it. The more varied the projects, the more we can learn from each other. Before saying farewell, I would like to go over the essentials of my creative process. The first steps: understanding the brief and producing the first drafts The first step is to understand what the client is looking for. Typically, you will receive a brief and meet up with the client so you can talk about the theme and mood of the illustration. In the brief, you can also expect to find some reference images and the prospective uses of your illustration. Make sure you research on your own. Look for images related to the key concepts of the projects. From there, you can start applying your vision and skills through the creation of the first drafts.

Selecting the right draft Usually, the first draft is the foundation of our illustration. However, before processing it with our software of choice, we need to turn it into our final draft. To do so, we have to select the sections from our initial draft that stand out. I showed you that using tracing paper is a great way to "collect" such sections. You can add details like the hairdo or the facial features at this stage. The same applies to the hands. From there, you can work on larger sections, like the torso and shoulders. Remember that tracing paper allows you to play with angles and positioning. Decorative or complementary elements can also be added here. Once you have found the right look and feel, you are ready to transfer the image to Illustrator. Colour processing You can scan the draft or take a picture of it. I usually divide the general composition into a layer for the image itself, the one I just posted, and another layer for the frame. You can part these main layers into more layers, one for every subset of the sketch. I find that method to be very useful, as layering sections and grouping objects allow me to refine parts where I misplaced something. Then, I focus on getting all the colour transitions right and make the whole composition harmonic, colour-wise. Be mindful of how the gradient is supposed to transition within the illustration, is the transition top to bottom, or the other way around? The post-production This is the stage where I usually make the retouches that will take this illustration to the next level and make the client happy. Post-production entails working on the textures, the typography, and the ornaments. , Keep in mind that adding a layer of grain is not always necessary. It is up to you and what the illustration requires. Now, Art Deco is known for its distinctive use of typography and ornaments, so chances are you will want or need to apply text and motifs, patterns, and borders. Finally, get the artwork ready to be transferred into different formats, such as A4. That's why the layer group is so important. You have to consider getting your illustration for narrow and wider formats. Once you have your project ready, click on "Create your project" and submit it. I encourage you to communicate with your fellow students. I am so excited about seeing your project, but I cannot guarantee that I can provide feedback right away. Please, be patient, and rest assured I will get back to you regardless. See you! ”

Partial transcription of the video

“Final Project Hi, we are at the end of this Domestika course. Throughout the lessons, I've been talking about the different principles of Art Deco and how you can bring them into a contemporary illustration. I hope you've enjoyed my inputs on this particular style and that watching my illustration process has sparked your curiosity. And I hope you feel ready to now create your own piece of illustration in Art Deco style. I want you to be original and creative when uploading your projects. I want to see your unique composition around the topic. I will also like to see your own take on color....”

This transcript is automatically generated, so it may contain mistakes.

Course summary for: Art Deco Style for Digital Illustration

• Level: Beginner
• 97% positive reviews (478)
• 13128 students
• 4 units
• 16 lessons (2h 23m)
• 3 downloads

• Category

  Illustration

• Software

  Adobe Illustrator

• Areas

  Digital Illustration, Fine Arts, Poster Design, Traditional illustration