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

Introduction

Welcome

Tracing the Base Path Outlines

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

Refining and Developing Your Paths

Reshaping paths to enhance their accuracy
Assembling and exaggerating eyes
Reflecting and joining symmetrical shapes
Separating and enlarging a face
Establishing variety with stroke attributes

Coloring and Shading the Avatar

Coloring areas with Pathfinder operations
Coloring areas with the Live Paint Bucket
Independently scaling facial features
Updating a photographic template
Shading a face to match a photograph
Editing paths inside a clipping group
Adding additional shading

Adding Gradients and Patterns

Shading a face with gradients
Assigning a gradient stroke
Creating a seamless fabric texture
Customizing a predefined pattern
Designing a custom crosshatch pattern
Combining gradients with crosshatching
Adjusting crosshatching to suit filled paths
Repositioning patterns inside paths

Adding Expression and Personality

Curling a neutral lip into a wry smile
Adding playful smile lines
Clearing guides and arching eyebrows
Adding selective wrinkle lines

Exporting the Final Image

Saving a universally compatible PNG file

Conclusion

Until next time