It's About Dang Time
A vector project by Allie Richter
The Objective
Creating a photo realistic vector graphic is not an easy task. The target of this project was to create a watch using illustrator that could be mistaken as an actual photo. To accomplish this goal, the use of gradients, colors, shadows, highlights, and textures would be used to create the illusion of the real materials used on a watch. It needed to have the shine and depth of a real watch. And boy oh boy did it need a lot of time, effort and tears put into it.
The Sketching
Even though a reference photo was used, sketching was still a big part of the process of this project. For me sketching helped me to visualize each individual part of the watch. By breaking it down into simple shapes, I was able to really hone in on how I was going to create each part of this vector graphic. For example, instead of drawing the hands of the watch as one, I broke them down into parts. This helped me to achieve the final result of stacking the hands to create depth.
The Nitty Gritty
I think it is important to see the progression of things through time. The screenshot above was one of my first drafts of the watch. I started by making simple shapes and creating the overall shape of the watch. I wanted to be sure that the overall outline of the watch was right before adding to much detail. After consulting with family and peers, I received some useful feedback. I was encouraged to play around with gradients and blur to achieve shine, which I incorporated on all of the metal pieces of the watch. The importance of achieving the shadows and highlights inside of the face of the watch was also pointed out to me. Through hours of work I was able to achieve these features on the watch.
The Final Product
Even though this project gave me a few wrinkles and gray hairs, I am happy with the outcome. When looking at the watch beside the reference photo it is hard to tell which is which, I would call that a success. The metal and glass aspects of the watch look realistic because of the meticulous use of gradients, shadows and highlights. I could have spent many more hours perfecting every part of this watch, but at some point you have to call it finished...and it was about dang time.
