Tim Griffiths Illustration and Digital Design

March 2005

Illustrations, Illustrations and Illustrations - Which is your flavour?

When asked to create an illustration, my first question is "What sort of style do you have in mind?" Every artist has his or her way of doing things - even in these days of software executed artwork. How ever there are several distinct flavours or artistic style that create very different impressions.

Line

Line artwork is the most simple in execution. This can indicate minimalist, stripped-down. The style can use the clean lines of a pen, such as a blueprint drawing; or the rougher look of pencil - both of which can be emulated in digital methods.

Tone

Tonal work is usually combined with line work, and gives more depth to an image. The areas of varying tone giving additional shape by indicating shadows and highlights. Cartoon-style imagery uses this to some extent - combined with bright colours.

The example shown was recently created for a client's technically-minded marketing material, and its style matches the clean, modern company brand image.

Watercolour/wash

Watercolour and wash styles use some lines, inconjunction with pale, translucent colours. This is tending to convey very traditional messaging.

Its use for illustrating this PDA-ype device causes a double-take, as there is a contrast between the technological subject and the messaging inherent in the 'rough', traditional styling.

Flat colour

This is usually a very bold, stylized technique, that eshews toned areas to give form, and uses areas of solid colour instead. The artwork appears as if strongly lit - any shadows are sharp-edged and solid looking.

The Apple iPod campaign uses an extreme form of simple, flat colour imagery.

Photoreal

Photoreal is one of the most complex illustration styles to achieve. I achieve this look by purely creating 3D computer models, or and compositing them with carefully drawn background artwork. The 3D models can be coloured by using reference photographs, or digitally hand-drawn ‘texture maps’.

Such techniques can create imagery difficult to photograph in the 'real' world.

Also, an illustration brochure is available in PDF for download, TGIADD Illustration (650kb).

Previous issues:

February 05 - PDFs : Christmas 04 - Flash authored Christmas message : November 04 - website usability : October 04 - Christmas illustrations : September 04 - illustration and animation

Contact us to see what we can do for you, whether it is illustration, general graphic design or related to your web site.

To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please email info@tgiadd.co.uk, with ‘unsubscribe’ in the subject field.

	[TGIADD website]
	Tim Griffiths Illustration and Digital Design March 2005
	Illustrations, Illustrations and Illustrations - Which is your flavour? When asked to create an illustration, my first question is "What sort of style do you have in mind?" Every artist has his or her way of doing things - even in these days of software executed artwork. How ever there are several distinct flavours or artistic style that create very different impressions. Line Line artwork is the most simple in execution. This can indicate minimalist, stripped-down. The style can use the clean lines of a pen, such as a blueprint drawing; or the rougher look of pencil - both of which can be emulated in digital methods.
	Tone Tonal work is usually combined with line work, and gives more depth to an image. The areas of varying tone giving additional shape by indicating shadows and highlights. Cartoon-style imagery uses this to some extent - combined with bright colours. The example shown was recently created for a client's technically-minded marketing material, and its style matches the clean, modern company brand image.
	Watercolour/wash Watercolour and wash styles use some lines, inconjunction with pale, translucent colours. This is tending to convey very traditional messaging. Its use for illustrating this PDA-ype device causes a double-take, as there is a contrast between the technological subject and the messaging inherent in the 'rough', traditional styling.
	Flat colour This is usually a very bold, stylized technique, that eshews toned areas to give form, and uses areas of solid colour instead. The artwork appears as if strongly lit - any shadows are sharp-edged and solid looking. The Apple iPod campaign uses an extreme form of simple, flat colour imagery.
	Photoreal Photoreal is one of the most complex illustration styles to achieve. I achieve this look by purely creating 3D computer models, or and compositing them with carefully drawn background artwork. The 3D models can be coloured by using reference photographs, or digitally hand-drawn ‘texture maps’. Such techniques can create imagery difficult to photograph in the 'real' world.
	Also, an illustration brochure is available in PDF for download, TGIADD Illustration (650kb).

	Previous issues: February 05 - PDFs : Christmas 04 - Flash authored Christmas message : November 04 - website usability : October 04 - Christmas illustrations : September 04 - illustration and animation
	Contact us to see what we can do for you, whether it is illustration, general graphic design or related to your web site. To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please email info@tgiadd.co.uk, with ‘unsubscribe’ in the subject field.