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ON THE CD
You’ll find all the files
you need to complete
this tutorial in the folder
marked Tutorial\Photo
on this issue’s CD.
TIME NEEDED
4 hours
INFO
Peskimo
have been
creating
characters
together
over the last four years.
Their illustrations and
animations have adorned
vinyl toys, clothing,
magazines and TV sets
around the world through
their work for MTV, Sony,
Pictoplasma and others.
You can find out more
at www.peskimo.com.
ART136.tut_1 55
TUTORIAL |
ILLUSTRATOR • PHOTOSHOP
REAL-WORLD EFFECTS
Peskimo reveals how to put your vector creations out into the real world, using Photoshop and Illustrator
to combine the illustrations in your head with the realism of the world outside your front door
Everyone seems to be embracing
photorealism and heightened reality
these days, but if you’re a vector character
designer or illustrator without 3D
modelling skills, how do you compete?
You could skip the techy bit and jump
straight in with a real-life photograph.
Back in issue 133, we showed you how
to add some photographic realism to an
illustration. Considering depth of field
plays an important role in this exercise, too.
The techniques are similar when you add
illustrated elements to a photograph, but
because the photograph is flat, you will
need to create layers from the photo in
which to place your own elements.
3 Now it’s time to set up the workspace in
Illustrator. Import your photo and adjust
it to the final output size (if known). You can
A photograph comes with its own mood lower the transparency of the image if you
and character already stamped on it, so
you must react to this and pick up on the
1 First off, you’ll need to select a photo to
work with. Perhaps you will set up the
shot yourself or pick one from a photograph
find it easier to work with, particularly if it’s a
vibrant photo. Remember to lock this layer.
subtleties of the original photo when adding library, it doesn’t really matter, but it will
your characters to ensure they are make your job much easier if the photograph
integrated seamlessly. Shadows, highlights, has a single source of light shining on it. The
photograph used here has been included on
reflections and composition all play an
important role and should be considered this issue’s CD, called MedlandsBeach.jpg.
and applied in the correct manner from
planning right through to the final stages.
The obvious benefit of a technique like
this is that it comes with a ready-made
backdrop, saving you some of the time it
takes to create it yourself. However, it does
require a little more of your time in the
finishing stages. Using some of the key
Photoshop tools, you can add shadows,
reflections and highlights to characters that
will make them seem naturally integrated
into the real surroundings.
2 This illustration will have lots of similar
characters popping out from the mussel
shells, so you’ll need to draw a whole host of
4 Start creating the illustrated elements
in between the two photo layers. This will
help to ensure there is a mussel for them to
Tutorial and illustration by Peskimo different faces for them. Print out your photo pop out of. If two characters overlap, be sure
www.peskimo.com and draw some rough squiggles to create to put them on separate layers so you
some sort of basic composition. can decide where to add shadows later.
June 2007 | 55
19/4/07 06:50:10
 | TUTORIAL

ILLUSTRATOR • PHOTOSHOP

5 Apply colour to your characters and consider how this

may vary depending on how far each is positioned from
the camera. Now you can go through your sketches and
pick out the faces or features you want to put into your
illustration. For simple features, you may prefer to copy
it straight from the page – no scanner required.
8 Now introduce the next character, which will be
positioned at the water’s edge with an umbrella.
Hairy_umbrella_man.ai, provided on the CD, was
created in Illustrator. Detail and texture were added
to make it sit well within the photo. However, the area
11 Create a magenta block of colour that lines up
with two empty corners of the photo. Now
delete all the photo layers and export the image as a
he will stand in is slightly out of focus, so you will Photoshop file. If you need to save layers separately,
need to blur him to match the photograph. remember to keep the magenta boxes to help you to
line all the elements up in Photoshop.

12 Open the
converted
Illustrator elements
in Photoshop. Flatten
the layers to replicate
the order and layout
in Illustrator and copy
them all together into
one document before
lining up the magenta
blocks. Open and
import the

6 This face is made with lines, but no fills. Here we drew

one line for the mouth, copied it and increased the
thickness of the lower line to create the lips. Once you are
photograph to this
document and line
it up with the two
completely happy with the line thickness, select
Paths>OutlineStrokes. This will prevent the thickness
from changing should you choose to re-size the face.
9 Once finished, copy the character and then
reflect and reposition it beneath it on a different
layer – bottom points touching. Remember that the
blocks, resizing
as necessary.

reflection will need to be altered a little to show the

inside of the umbrella, because the photo is taken
from an elevated viewpoint.
THE PHOTO IS KEY
The most important tool
when trying to create
a piece like this is the
original photo, so you
should use it to its full
advantage. When adding
your own shadows,
highlights or reflections,
take what is already in
the photo as a rough
7 You can create a quick
block of colour on one
side to help with the creation
guide for opacity levels, of shadows and highlights.
Because the characters are
directions and distortion.
Often it’s the small things
such as focus and
cylindrical, shadows will be
fairly uniform. You will need to
10 Insert the final character, iRed_monster.ai,
within the water. Repeat the process of
copying and flipping on to a new layer to create a 13 Go through each individual or group of blue
characters and, using the Bezier curve tool,
shadows that make or add shadows to the contours reflection. Because this reflection is further away, make a selection around the mussel shells they
break the realism of your of the creatures that are you can get away with less specific detail and the emerge from. Complete the shape, select the
final illustration. flowing over the landscape. reflection will be distorted, so you don’t need to positional tool and Ctrl-click the new shapes layer
make any more alterations. preview to create a marquee of the shape.

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 TUTORIAL |

PHOTO SET-UP
We used an existing
photo for this picture, but
if you are taking a photo
especially, you can make
life a little easier for
yourself. When taking a
photo specifically for this
type of project try to
leave extra room in the

14 If the mussel shells are out of focus

in the photograph, feather the
selection as necessary before cutting it from
the image. Now reselect the shape layer and
choose Edit>PasteInto. This will copy it in
place to a new layer with a layer mask, which
can be deleted if you like.
17 Shadows should be judged and then
added largely by eye. The important
factor is to look carefully at the existing 20 Select the reflections space and fill
a new layer beneath it with the
composition if possible.
Always take a clean shot.
Then, without moving
shadows and try to emulate them, following colour of the adjoining water, otherwise the the camera, add dummy
the shape of the surface. You can draw a shape reflection will be ghost-like. Add some noise models to the scene to
for the shadow, then blur this and add cut-outs and apply a bit of motion blur to mask the cast shadows or other
on top, or draw it with the Airbrush tool. Use block of colour a little more. elements where you may
whichever method works best for you. need them.

PHOTO SELECTION
When you’re choosing
a photo, don’t choose an
image that was taken
with three different
spotlights, because this
just creates three times

15 To give your characters depth within

this photographic environment,
locate the highlight block that you created in
as much work when
creating all the shadows
and highlights. Macro
step 11 and give it a good blurring. Ctrl-click
the character layer and add this selection as
a mask on the shadow/highlight layer.
18 Now, move on to the additional
characters. The fellow with the
umbrella has highlights and shadows just like 21 Use a similar technique with the
monster in the background. Add a
shots are great because
they give a clear sense of
depth and allow for the
the blue characters, so apply this in much the mask to the reflection and fade this out. The addition of a much wider
same way. You’ll also need to think about the density of the water means it isn’t crystal variety of characters and
shadow cast by the umbrella. The character clear and only reflects close to the subject. creative elements.
will need to be blurred a little as a result.

22 Finally, add
some shadows
to the hairy guy
standing on the right-
hand side, by the water.
After a little colour-
tweaking to make sure
you’ve matched the
final elements to the
photograph, the
picture is complete.
You can use these
methods for any photo

16 Now merge the highlight layers with

the relevant blue character and
features (eyes, lips, mouth) layers. Go
19 Apply Gaussian Blur to
both the character and reflection, then
blur his reflection a bit more and take the
– just make alterations
depending on the
photographic style and
through the characters in sections as they Opacity down to around 70 per cent. Use the technique that you’ve
appear further from the camera and apply familiar masking technique to hide the used– i.e, fish-eye or
different values of Gaussian Blur to match reflection behind the shells and don’t forget to harsh flash. You’ll find
their immediate surroundings. erase the part of reflection that is still left endless options to
standing on the water’s edge. explore with this.

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