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Create an Inspirational Vector Political Poster

Zach Wentz on Jun 26th 2008 with 168 comments
Tutorial Details

Program: Illustrator Difficulty: Interme iate Completion Time: 1!2 hours

Download Source Files

"ource #iles #or this tutorial are a$aila%le to &remium mem%ers' (et a &remium )em%ershi*

Final Product What You'll e Creating

This tutorial is ins*ire %+ "he**ar ,aire+-s #amous *olitical *oster series #or the .%ama cam*ai/n in the 0"' We-ll %e showin/ +ou how to create this st+le o# esi/n' We-ll start with %asic ima/e e itin/ techni1ues in &hotosho* to /et our /ui e la+ers setu*2 an then we-ll 3um* into Illustrator' 4ou on-t nee an+ #anc+ e1ui*ment to o this' I use an ol er mouse that still has the ru%%er %all' !ditor"s #ote$ 5ectortuts oes not en orse an+ *articular *olitical %elie# in the *u%lishin/ o# this tutorial' 6ather2 this tutorial is #ocuse on emonstratin/ a wor7#low #or creatin/ this interestin/ aesthetic e##ect'

Color Palette
8ere is the color *alette we-ll %e usin/ #or this tutorial' There are #our colors an a *attern' We-ll %e usin/ a mi9 o# %ei/e an li/ht %lue colors'

Step %
,or this e##ect it is %est to ha$e a *ortrait st+le *icture2 *re#era%l+ o# a su%3ect that a**ears to %e thin7in/2 or loo7in/ o## into the istance' I use this *hoto #rom i"toc7*hoto'

Step &
.nce +ou ha$e +our ima/e2 +ou nee to .*en it in &hotosho* an :ro* it a**ro*riatel+' The to* o# the ima/e shoul %e cro**e to the to* o# +our su%3ect-s hea 2 an the %ottom shoul %e a %it hi/her than chest hei/ht' The cro* shoul ha$e a%out a 2:1 ratio'

Step '

;ow we nee to &osterize the ima/e' (o to Ima/e < = 3ustments < &osterize' =n a**ro*riate *osterization le$el #or the loo7 we are /oin/ #or is 5'

Step (
;ow we-re /oin/ to create our /ui e la+ers #or use in Illustrator' "tart %+ u*licatin/ +our *osterize la+er2 an name this new la+er >&attern (ui e'? Then /o to Ima/e < = 3ustments < Threshol ' We-re /oin/ to sli e our &oint until we /et somethin/ similar to %elow' We want it #airl+ ar72 %ut still with a small amount o# etail' =lso2 when usin/ Threshol 2 it is %est to use the &ea7s that +ou see'

Step )
"a$e this newl+ create la+er as >*attern/ui e'*s 2? or somethin/ similar2 as +ou-ll nee it #or Illustrator'

Step *
We nee to re*eat "te* 4 an "te* 5 three more times' @ach time a**l+ a lower threshol 2 an sa$e each new la+er' Aelow are the settin/s I use 2 a/ain notice the *ea7s'

Step +
Ae#ore we start to outline our la+ers2 we nee to create the horizontal %lue line *attern' To o this create a new Illustrator ocument' (i$e it a 8ei/ht an Wi th o# 4*9' Then create a rectan/le #ille with our li/ht %lue color BC4,D1D,E2 an co$er the to* hal# o# the can$as'

Step ,
:o$er the %ottom hal# with a rectan/le #ille with %ei/e' Then "elect =ll B:trlF=E2 an ra/ this o$er to our "watches &alette' :on/ratulations +ou-$e ma e a *atternG

Step ;ow we ha$e to sa$e this "watch "et so we can use it in our *oster we-re a%out to ma7e' In the %ottom le#t corner o# our "watches Win ow we-ll select "a$e "watches #rom the "watches Hi%rar+ )enu' ;ame it an+thin/ +ou want2 I use >*attern'? 4ou can now close this ocument2 as we won-t nee it an+more'

Step %.
;ow that we ha$e our /ui es an *attern create 2 it is time to create a new ocument in Illustrator' I use a can$as size o# I00*9 %+ 850*9'

Step %%
We-re /oin/ to start with our ar7est /ui e la+er2 this will %e our *attern la+er' We-re /oin/ to outline the la+er usin/ the &en Tool' "o to start we-re /oin/ to /o to ,ile < &lace an select our #irst /ui e la+er into Illustrator' I# +ou-$e %een #ollowin/ $er%atim2 this #ile to *lace is calle *attern/ui e'*s '

Step %&
Het-s sto* #or a moment an iscuss the *ro*er use o# the &en Tool in Illustrator' This is one area where Illustrator han e l+ trum*s &hotosho*2 %ut onl+ i# +ou use it correctl+' ,or an+ cur$e +ou %asicall+ ha$e three clic7sJ two are anchor *oints2 an the other is +our cur$e *oint' 4ou *lace +our cur$e *oint at the hi/hest *oint o# +our cur$e' 4ou *lace the anchors at where the cur$e starts an en s' .ne clic7 is all that is nee e when +ou are creatin/ a cur$e' 4ou can then chan/e the cur$e *oints to cur$es a#ter +ou ha$e one the entire sha*e' To con$ert them use the Kirect "election Tool B=E an clic7 on the :on$ert "electe =nchor &oints to "mooth icon'

<

Step %'
Ae#ore we can outline our #irst la+er2 we nee to loa our &attern into the "watches Hi%rar+' To o this select .ther Hi%rar+ #rom the "watches Hi%rar+ )enu in the "watches win ow' Then loa the "watches #ile +ou sa$e #rom "te* D'

Step %(
.7a+2 so %ac7 to outlinin/ our #irst la+er' :reate a new la+er %elow the #ile +ou 3ust *lace into Illustrator' This la+er will hol our outline' We *lace it %elow %ecause it is easier to see what we-re outlinin/ that wa+' ;ow we /ra% our &en Tool2 /i$e it a "tro7e o# ;one2 an a ,ill o# our *attern' Then start outlinin/ all the %lac7 areas with the &en Tool' The 7e+ is to a$era/e it out2 on-t #ollow too closel+ to the /ui e la+er' Just rou/hl+ outline2 an on-t worr+ a%out our cur$es2 as we-ll #i9 that a#ter we create our outline' Note: This is the most te ious *art o# the *rocess'

Step %)
4ou mi/ht ha$e notice that there are *ortions in the mi le that are li/hter that we 3ust went ri/ht o$er with outlines' Well we-re /oin/ to #i9 that %+ outlinin/ those usin/ the same *rocess' ,ill those with our %ei/e color2 as shown %elow' We-ll o this on a new la+er 3ust a%o$e the *attern la+er' =#ter +ou-$e one that2 +ou shoul ha$e somethin/ similar to the #ollowin/'

Step %*
;ow we smooth out the sha*es we 3ust create ' We want most o# our *oints to %e smooth2 %ut I #in it loo7s %etter i# +ou lea$e a #ew the wa+ the+ are' 5iew the e##ect %elow #rom smoothin/ %oth the *attern an %ei/e la+er' Note: I ma e this ima/e out o# or er an the *attern was wron/2 on-t worr+ a%out the color i##erence'

Step %+
;ow we 3ust o this same thin/ #or each la+er' 6ou/hl+ outlinin/ it2 then outlinin/ the hi/hli/hts with the color imme iatel+ %elow it2 an then smoothin/ out our outlines' The ne9t la+er shoul ha$e soli li/ht %lue2 #ollowe %+ re 2 an then #inall+ our ar7 %lue'

Step %,

.7a+2 +ou shoul ha$e somethin/ li7e the #ollowin/' The te ious *art is o$er' ;ow to ma7e it loo7 li7e a *oster' ,irst we-ll *ut a %ei/e #ille rectan/le %elow all these la+ers2 this will ser$e as our %ac7/roun '

Step %;ow we-ll nee to *ut our re an li/ht %lue hal$es in' We-re /oin/ to o this 3ust a%o$e the %ei/e rectan/le la+er' 0se the 6ectan/le Tool to *lace the two rectan/les'

Step &.
.ur *oster is loo7in/ *rett+ /oo ' Het-s create the s*ace nee e to a the ins*irin/ te9t at the %ottom' 4ou-ll *ro%a%l+ ha$e to enlar/e +our can$as area' To o this /o to ,ile < Kocument "etu*' I a e 300*9 onto mine'

Step &%
;ow e9ten +ou %ei/e rectan/le so that it co$ers the new len/th o# +our can$as' Then create a new rectan/le #ille with our ar7 %lue color' It shoul %e a 1uarter the size o# main su%3ect'

Step &&
Time to a our ins*irin/ wor ' We-ll use li/ht %lue #or the #ont color2 an we want to chan/e the te9t settin/s so that the wor #ills most o# the ar7 %lue rectan/le' To chan/e the s*acin/ %etween the characters2 use the :haracter )enu' This is a$aila%le to us when we are usin/ the Te9t Tool' I use the #ont )+ria &ro'

<

Step &'

=lmost #inishe 2 we nee to clean u* our %or ers a little %it' ,irst2 select e$er+ la+er2 %ut +our %ei/e la+er' Then create a (rou* B:trlF(E' Then 5erticall+ an 8orizontall+ =li/n them to the art%oar '

Step &(
;ow we-re /oin/ to clean u* the e /es o# our *oster' :o$er the la+ers that we /rou*e in a rectan/le o# an+ color' Then use the &ath#in er Tool2 an select "u%tract "ha*e ,rom =rea'

Conclusion
Wa+ to /o2 we-re oneG We mana/e to create a reall+ awesome e##ect without nee in/ a whole lot o# artistic a%ilit+' We also learne how to e##icientl+ use the &en Tool2 an a nice wa+ to use &hotosho* an Illustrator in tan em' This is m+ #irst tutorial2 so I-m sure there will %e 1uestions' ,eel #ree to as7 in the comments2 an I-ll tr+ an answer as 1uic7l+ as I can' Than7sG