Survival Techniques

• 1. Survival Techniques& File Types The Corresponding structural elements of art are line, shape, value, texture, and color. In art the artist is not only the contractor but also the architect; he or she has the vision, which is given shape by the way the elements are brought together. - Art Fundamentals, Theory and Practice

2. Use your Brain as the Tool of Choice

• Illustrator a tool

• Autotrace adds unnecessary points and shapes, creates really weird colors and can make detailed areas to simple.

• Stick to the pen tool and use your eye to judge where points should go, rather than relying on a computer to do your work for you.

• Draw, Sketch, Doodle.

3. The Creative Process Dont be a Tooler be a Thinker

• Communication

• Research

• Concepts

• • During this step the only computer you should turn on is your Brain

• Refinement

• Fresh Eyes

• Execution

• Comps

• Final Art Delivery

• Achieving

• Closer

4. Communication

• After All this is called Communication Arts

• Learn to discuss, request information, and quote projects.

• You can never have to much information.

• The designer knows what directions are appropriate and what are not and the client knows the scope of what will be done.

• Write out a contract every time.

5. Research

• Study anatomy, illustrations, or other concepts before embarking on your design.

• You can never have to little reference.

• Artists block??? Go to the Internet, your portfolio of sketches, See what the competition is doing.

• NEVER COPY OR TRACE OVER ANY WORK THAT ISNT YOURS WITHOUT PERMISSION!!!

6. Concepts

• Sketch, Doodle, Draw!!!

• Keep all your research and assignment information on hand. Stay on Target!!!

• This process can take days of refining ideas.

• Keep a sketch book with you at all times and keep thumbnails of old projects.

7. Refinement

• Pick the greatest ideas from your thumbnail sketches and start the refining process.

• Archive your ideas whether they have been used or not.

• Sketch it out, erase, redraw and repeat until your concept art is exactly the way you want it.

• Leave little or NO guess work.

• One more step before entering the Digital Realm

8. Fresh Eyes

• You are looking to produce a finalized sketch that you can simply use to build your art from.

• Know exactly where your headed both conceptually and aesthetically.

9. Execution

• If you havent done the proper prep work and you skip to this step you will be Executing your creative process literally.

• The computer is a tool.

• Scan it in or use your Graphics Tablet to stencil in your artwork.

• Build it.

10. Comps

• Make sure you are going in the right direction with you client.

• Give them progress reports.

• Write out a description that is clear and distinct relaying your thoughts and reasoning behind each design approach.

• Dont leave your client guessing.

11. Final Art Delivery

• Use appropriate file formats discussed with you client before hand.

• CMYK for printing and RGB for web.

• Always build clean files, name layers, no hidden layers or loose points, close objects. KEEP IT CLEAN!

12. Archiving

• Digital Environment and its ever changing design applications

• • Keep an .eps file of your Illustrator work

• You never know when you might need to reopen the file. Especially when your in school.

13. Closer

• Always follow up with a client

• Ask them if its ok to add them you your promo list.

• • Building a list of potential clients.

14. File Types

• .eps ~ saves points and curves. Transfers to other programs. Older version of Illustrator can open in Newer version of Illustrator.

• .pdf ~ maintains bitmap as well as vector images. Secure. Use when showing client progress of a project.

• .png ~ is a bitmap image format. Designed to replace .gif. Uses only RGB designed for the web. Employs Lossless Data Compression (like zip files)

• .jpeg ~ bitmap image format for photographs. Employs Lossy Data Compression

• .ai ~ an Illustrator file