Professional illustrator: Pen Lines and coloring a cartoon in Adobe Illustrator CS5

Real Time demonstration Ian shows how he creates vector line art and adds some flat colors to a cartoon in Adobe Illustrator on a Wacom Cintiq UX21. The background sketch is a bitmap drawing he created in Alias SketchBook Pro software, which can also be viewed as a short video clip on this same channel. Enjoy.

FAQ: The brush is a normal calligraphic brush in Adobe illustrator using the pressure sensitivity of the pen. These results can not be achieved using only a mouse.

My name is Ian David Marsden and I am a professional illustrator and cartoonist (and flash animator).

An interesting fact about be:
I drew the first Google Doodle. Ever.

I am available for contract work. Please contact me directly: info@marsdencartoons.com.

More samples of my work and animation on my homepage:
http://www.marsdencartoons.com

Download my print portfolio here:
http://www.marsdencartoons.com/PDF/marsden_PF_2011e.zip

Follow me on Facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ian-David-Marsden/41413210908

Follow me on Twitter here:
http://twitter.com/#!/marsdencartoons

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Marsden
• Wacom
• Cintiq
• UX
• 21
• How
• To
• Draw
• Sketch
• Cartoon
• Adobe
• Illustrator
• Vector
• Artwork
• Comics
• Inking
• Art
• Illustration
• Digital

[rosielxxrik]

Hi I am just starting out with this program, so this will be a silly question but how do you make it so that you can color over the lines of the drawing without the lines disappearing under the color?

[idmars10]

@rosielxxrik Hi, there are several ways you could achieve this. The easiest and cleanest it to put your line work on one layer and then add coloring on other layers below the line art. Another possiblity for example would be to switch the blending mode of the coloring to 'multiply'. Have fun experimenting with your program! :)

[Rulkling]

what brush is that please tell me

[idmars10]

@Rulkling I am using a calligraphic brush with pressure sensitivity (you can modify the existing ones or make your own) and the pencil tool for shadows.

[nanas2810]

sir lan,you using the the pressure sensitivity by tablet to make the brush looks like pressured,i bought bambooo fun and its seem its not been pressured when im draw,,,can you tell me why? what type of brush you using to make it looks pressured?

[idmars10]

@nanas2810 it should work pressured. Try changing the brush modifications manually and saving your own brushes (you can save your own brush library in illustrator). Use a calligraphic brush as a basis for your drawing brushes. Hope this helps.

[rosielxxrik]

@idmars10 thanks!

[Forsiller]

If only I mastered Illustrator in this way, it would make things so much easyer...

What's the name of the song ? mp3 ?

[InnerHeavy]

FUCKING AWESOME.

Very usefull technique with shadows by pencil. Thx

[idmars10]

@kervin3233 yes I do know the difference and so can you if you google it. :)