

Lock Layer 1 by clicking on the padlock icon. Click on the plus sign to add a new layer on top of it. In the horizontal toolbar, click View Layers (Shift + Ctrl + L). To close your shape click on the square where you started.As an alternative for drawing in Illustrator, there is free, open source software available that allows you to do something similar: Inkscape.Īfter starting up Inkscape, don’t open but import (File > Import) the photo you’re going to use. We can use this tool to create a polygon and start creating a low-poly image.


When you first click, a square will appear at the end of your line, this is our beginning and end point of our shape. To begin drawing, select the drawing tool from the toolbar, or press the B key on your keyboard. If one area is completely white then map out that area.ĥ. To help yourself see less tonal values and help distinguish areas of similar colour, you can try squinting your eyes at the image. If one area is a similar shade of brown, then make one shape that fits that area. Rather than having a seemingly infinite array of tones and gradients (as in a photograph), we will make shapes that correspond to similar colour areas. We will be simplifying the image by limiting the number of colours. Colour blocking is the process of separating different colour areas like what we saw in our colour-by-number. It is important to observe and notice the differences between light and dark areas, as this is what will give our image dimension. We will be building our shapes based on areas of similar tones and colours. Leave this layer unlocked, as this is where you will be drawing. Make a new layer by clicking on the + or pressing Shift+Ctrl+N A menu will pop up where you can name your layer and choose the layer position.
