How to Create a Geometric, WPAP Vector Portrait in Adobe Illustrator
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Transcript of How to Create a Geometric, WPAP Vector Portrait in Adobe Illustrator
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How to Create aGeometric, WPAP VectorPortrait in AdobeIllustratorby Wedha Abdul Rasyid 17 Sep 2013 113 Comments English
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Tuts+ has the honor to present to you a vector tutorial from a true legend, Wedha Abdul
Rasyid.
Wedha, originally from Indonesia, created his art work in traditional mediums early in
the 1990s, which later in early 2000, crossed over into the digital world. Vector being
the natural choice for such a colorful, geometric style.
Since then, it has gained major popularity in Indonesia, with several communities
dedicated to the creation and showcasing of portraits in a WPAP style, with members
in their thousands! With the resurgence of the geometric trend, it's fair to say that
WPAP may venture out of Indonesia and into more aspects of design.
The following is a tutorial on how to create a WPAP (Wedha's Pop Art Portrait) portrait
in Adobe Illustrator, by the WPAP master himself!
1. An Introduction to the WPAP Process
WPAP's main goal is to represent the faces that are already familiar to us, with a new
and different style, but it still must be easily recognizable. Different in a sense of being
more unique, more dynamic, more striking and of course, more visually pleasing to see,
I hope.
With that in mind, the WPAP creative process is based on two main processes; the
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Length:
Long
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Illustration Art Vector Geometric
Retro Graphic Design Adobe Illustrator
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About Wedha Abdul Rasyid
Creator of Wedha's Pop Art Portraits,
Native Indonesian Pop Art
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faceting process and the coloring process. I do these two processes simultaneously
when creating a new portrait.
The Faceting ProcessIn the faceting process, by tracing the image, I divide the human face into facets. Every
facet (plane) is formed based on the different degrees of dark and bright areas seen on
the original photo. Every facet is formed by straight lines, instead of curved lines. This is
because facets that are formed by straight lines will appear stronger than a facet
formed by curved lines.
Before we start the process, we should begin to see and assume the face of a human
being as a shape that consists of many flat surfaces on a sphere, just like the ball in the
below image. This is how best to describe the faceting process.
The Coloring ProcessIn coloring, to show something stronger, I only use flat colors, instead of a gradual
colors. Although the colors look as if they collide with each other, effort should be made
to make it look three-dimensional.
Creative experts will classify colors in groups. You have groups of hot colors, warm
colors, cold colors. Think of them in terms of dark and light colors, ignoring the actual
hue. Think more of colors in highlights, mid-tones and shadow. The differences in these
groups make it possible for us to make a dimensional composition. No matter what
color you choose, as long as you pick it from the right group, the result should work well
in this format. Therefore it is important to experiment with color.
2. Prepare Your Document
Step 1The faceting process is based on photo tracing. So the photo selection is important
because a good photo in quality, image sharpness, lighting and resolution, will help you
to create a good final rendering of a WPAP piece.
Aim for a photo that has even lighting and does not hit extremes, either in light or
shadow. Also make sure that the image is sharp and in focus. For this tutorial I'm going
to be creating a portrait of my beloved Grand Daughter, Ola.
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Step 2Open Adobe Illustrator and create a New document (File > New). Set the size and
other settings as shown below.
Step 3Go to File > Place and locate your reference image and place it on your artboard.
Lock the layer the photo is contained in and then Create New Layer above the photo.
This is where you'll be drawing your faceted shapes.
3. Create Your First Shapes
Step 1I usually start the tracing process by selecting an area with a definite boundary between
the dark and bright areas. This is so I can easily do the tracing. And the smallest part
usually becomes my first choice. In this case, the eyes and the surrounding areas.
Using the Rectangle Tool (M), I trace the highlight in the iris, that still seems vague in
the photo. This shape has a fill with no stroke. All shapes created will be in this style.
Step 2In the original photograph, the iris, purple and eyelid edges have a dark color and it's
clear to where you can define the edges of this shape. I will trace this section, this time I
will use the Pen Tool (P).
Step 3Of course, the highlight you've drawn in the first step will now be hidden by the new
layer. To make it visible, while the iris and eyelid still active, you will need to rearrange
your shapes by going to Object > Arrange > Send to Back. At this stage, the "white"
of the eye has a clear edge, so you can go ahead and create this shape to complete
the eye. As easy as this is, it's about to get more difficult.
4. Create More Complex Shapes
Step 1We will now trace the closest area next to the previous objects. Unfortunately, we have
here no vivid and clear boundary between the dark and bright area. This makes it more
difficult in creating the shapes for the portrait.
Facing such a case, intuitively, you have to be confident enough to determine the
boundary for the shape. A solid grasp of the human face and a good image to work
from can help a great deal here.
Create your straight edged shape along the corner of the eyelid, making sure you
overlap the shapes for the eye so it doesn't leave any gaps between the shapes. Then
as before, rearrange the shapes by going to Object > Arrange > Send to Back.
Step 2We come to the same problem for the next shape; no visible boundary for the shape.
Again, with confidence you will need to create the shape. Notice how I've created a not-
so-square shape and distorted the shape so it shows the darker shadow cast from the
eyelashes. You will find similar shapes throughout which use this same method.
Step 3This is a problem you will come across over and over again. It may be a boring and
tedious process, however it is the only way to create a proper WPAP composition. You
may think of using Posterizing or Live Trace, but no, I don't use those facilities as they
do not create the same style.
Step 4We are still going to find the unclear and even invisible boundaries for each potential
shape. The best way to overcome this problem is through the experience of repeatedly
creating artwork in this style.
The process is duplicated throughout:
Draw the shape with the Pen Tool (P) using only straight lines.
Fill with the appropriate color given it's exposure to light.
Select the shape and rearrange it by going to Object > Arrange > Send to
Back.
All portraits will use a different series of shapes, so I can only show you the shapes I've
drawn for Ola's portrait. I start by drawing further shapes around the eye area.
Step 5Then I work on the shapes for the other eye and nose. I then connect these areas with
shapes and add white shapes for areas under extreme light.
Step 6I use larger shapes in the less detailed areas, such as the cheeks and neck.
Step 7The hair starts with thinner, parallel sided shapes on diagonals. Remember to avoid
using curves at all costs.
As you can see, I love to make facets with vertical or horizontal sides. This will
strengthen the overall composition and style. My priority is always facial resemblance,
this is the most important element of the portrait.
5. Play with Color
After going through several revisions, this is my final artwork. Choosing the right color is
the most difficult part in the process of WPAP. This can be a hard element to grasp
when working with the style as a beginner.
Step 1If you're starting out, it will be easier if you paint it from the beginning with the grayscale
tones, as you can clearly see which areas use dark and bright shapes. From there, you
can build up the number of colors you introduce to the process, however it's not until you
use a full color spectrum that you'll create a more striking portrait.
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Step 2We can try to play with colors to create a different aesthetic. Try using Illustrator's
Recolor Artwork feature to experiment with different combinations of colors.
Awesome Work, Wedha!
We'd like to thank Wedha for his wonderful tutorial and insight into his unique style of
rendering portraits. He's a great example of how a great traditional style of art can
cross over perfectly to vector and have such an impact in our respective vector
communities. We're left inspired!
Have you created a portrait in this style? If so, please share with us your
creation!
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