Designing Your Own Online Avatar

Course details

Designs dekeConstructed is a new series that breaks down the creation of cool designs so you can build them on your own. This installment is for everyone who needs an online avatar—that tiny image that has to communicate a thousand words about who you are in less than a square inch. Start by taking a photo of yourself facing forward—the traditional passport style. From there Deke McClelland takes you through the steps to transforming your photo into a cartoon avatar with Illustrator: tracing your features, refining and exaggerating the strokes, adding color and shading, and using gradients and patterns to fill in details like hair. Plus, learn some tricks for infusing your drawing with an extra bit of personality and exporting your final image in the best format for social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Learning objectives
Preparing a photographic tracing template
Tracing eyes and other features with the Ellipse and Pen tools
Roughing in hair and other complex features
Reshaping paths to enhance their accuracy
Establishing variety with stroke attributes
Coloring the avatar
Shading a face with gradients
Adding expression and personality
Saving a universally compatible PNG file

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - Welcome

1. Tracing the Base Path Outlines

02 - Preparing a photographic tracing template
03 - Tracing eyes with the Ellipse tool
04 - Tracing features with the Pen tool
05 - Drawing asymmetrical facial features
06 - New ways to draw in Illustrator CC
07 - Using the new and improved Pencil tool
08 - Roughing in hair and other complex features

2. Refining and Developing Your Paths

09 - Reshaping paths to enhance their accuracy
10 - Assembling and exaggerating eyes
11 - Reflecting and joining symmetrical shapes
12 - Separating and enlarging a face
13 - Establishing variety with stroke attributes

3. Coloring and Shading the Avatar

14 - Coloring areas with Pathfinder operations
15 - Coloring areas with the Live Paint Bucket
16 - Independently scaling facial features
17 - Updating a photographic template
18 - Shading a face to match a photograph
19 - Editing paths inside a clipping group
20 - Adding additional shading

4. Adding Gradients and Patterns

21 - Shading a face with gradients
22 - Assigning a gradient stroke
23 - Creating a seamless fabric texture
24 - Customizing a predefined pattern
25 - Designing a custom crosshatch pattern
26 - Combining gradients with crosshatching
27 - Adjusting crosshatching to suit filled paths
28 - Repositioning patterns inside paths

5. Adding Expression and Personality

29 - Curling a neutral lip into a wry smile
30 - Adding playful smile lines
31 - Clearing guides and arching eyebrows
32 - Adding selective wrinkle lines

6. Exporting the Final Image

33 - Saving a universally compatible PNG file

Conclusion

34 - Until next time