Illustrator Exploration: Vectorizing Landscapes/Seasons
Part 1: Vectorizing [OG] Photo: Spring
Image Credit: https://christophermartinphotography.com/tag/mountains/
I decided to use this photo of Moraine Lake taken by Christopher Martin to vectorize. I wanted to hand vectorize because it would be easier to change the colors according to the season.
1a. Using Gradient and Pen Tool
I used the pen tool and the gradient tool to create a base illustration of the background. I overlayed the reference behind the vectorized image to make sure the proportions are accurate. I used a tablet to draw in each point, and I wanted to have a blocky feel so I did not curve any lines.
Left: Each separate section highlighted, Right: Vectorized sections overlayed OG photo
1b. Adding details
I continually used the pen tool and gradient tool to add in details. I also used the eyedropper to reference original photo's colors to make it accurate.
I found making the tree details the most difficult because it involved many segments and points that I drew in with the pen tool. I almost used the brush tool for the dark pine trees in the bottom left because it would have been easier, but it would have taken away from the artistic style of the landscape.
By far the most time consuming were the mountains. I started off with rough highlights. I freehanded these while not directly referencing the OG photo because it would have been harder to imitate all the details in the mountain. I squinted to get a clearer idea of the shapes. I thus added the shading, and to the very right are all the vector points I had.
1c. FINAL PRODUCT
This is my example of a spring landscape because of the season seen in the photo. I think that this part definitely took the longest because I had to hand carve each vector, but I love how it turned out.
Part 2: Vectorizing Winter Landscape
Image Credit: https://www.mountainzone.com/nature/mountain-lakes-winter/
I used the same reference photo of Moraine Lake, except when it was winter. It helped drastically when I decided the colors because simply looking at winter landscapes still made it hard to image how Moraine Lake would look in winter.
2a. Recoloring Spring Landscape
So I essentially took the spring landscape and colorized it according to the reference photo of Moraine Lake in the Winter. Using the same process, I used the pen and gradient tool to create the effect.
2b. Adding Details
I continued recoloring it by sampling the colors from the reference photo. This process still used the spring landscape's shapes, just different colors. However, it did not look quite complete because I felt like I needed to add more snow.
When I added the snow, it finally looked complete. This process took the longest for the recolor because I had to draw in each individual snow chunk. I think the hardest were the mountaintops because I did not want the snow to look haphazard/not intentional, so I erased all the vectors I made previously and redid them. I am happy with how they came out. This is definitely my favorite out of all the vectorized images.
1c. FINAL PRODUCT
This is my final product, and I loved how it came out, especially the snow chunks on the pine trees and the rock in the foreground.
Part 3: Vectorizing Fall Landscape
Image Credit: https://www.latimes.com/travel/list/california-road-trips-fall-vibes-halloween-foliage-pumpkins
Unfortunately, I could not find a fall photo of Moraine Lake so I borrowed a reference photo of Mammoth Lake that looked similar. I found this landscape was the easiest to colorize because I did not add any more elements to the OG spring landscape vector.
2a. Recoloring the landscape
I changed the color palette to warmer colors because in addition to the orange/red/yellow leaves, I think the dusk sky also emphasizes fall. I did not change the pine trees as most do not change color during fall.
2b. Adding details
I continued to add details like the shading and the trees to either different hues or different values. I did not want to change the existing shapes of the orange/red trees.
2c. Adding finishing details
I finished it off by adding the highlights in the mountains, the water reflection, and the clouds. I wanted the clouds to blend into the sky since it was dusk, thus the gradient colors. I did not use the pen tool at all for this landscape, just the gradient tool.
2d. FINAL PRODUCT
Overall, I liked how chill it was recoloring this landscape without a direct reference, yet managing to make it fall-themed.
Lower Thirds Mockup Examples
I made mockups for an imaginary game named "Cyberpsycho" and an introduction to the creators of the game.
Part 1: Title Screen
I used a font named "Over There" on dafonts.com for the title. For the subtitle, I used "Neuropool X" because it was more readable, simpler, but still sci-fi themed.
Image Credit: https://www.creativefabrica.com/product/cyberpunk-city-street-sci-fi-wallpaper-3/
I thus used this image reference (left) and overlayed the title text and a multiply blend mode to make it more readable.
Part 2: The Lower Thirds
I started off by doing the same text combo with the title screen. I just made three different roles: lead designer, UI/UX director, and lead programmer. In the image above, it shows the "Lead Designer: Xeuro Reiyna" role.
I used the pen tool in Photoshop to make the central shape for the lower-thirds. I used the gradient tool to make the blue/pink gradient with the shape.
To make the pink text pop, I used a dark purple background. I used the brush tool to color in the lower thirds. I used this exact template for each of the lower thirds.
Examples of the two other lower-third templates.
Part 3: Lower Third Mockups
Image credit: https://pixexid.com/image/cyberpunk-space-person-hvj2slfb
I used this image from the internet to add as a filler for the role. Again, it is just a mockup so this is how the motion graphic would theoretically look like.
Added with the lower-thirds, this is what the mockup would look like.
Image Credit: https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/15/games-inbox-final-fantasy-7-remake-vs-cyberpunk-2077-smash-bros-minecraft-and-fable-release-date-12059506/
For this mockup, I did a similar process. I made sure to find a reference photo that had enough space on each side to accommodate the lower-third caption. I referenced official art from Cyberpunk 2077 since it had a similar vibe to the hypothetical "game" I was making.
This is the final mockup, and I liked how the caption did not cover his face since most of him is still visible.
