Illustrate your favorite city

Concepting and Pencil Sketching

Choose your city
Pick a city. Is it your favorite city or someplace you’ve never been? What about it appeals to you? The food, art, buildings, people?

Decide what elements you'll spotlight and how they will serve your visual depiction. Perhaps you want to create a map, or just choose a single focal point like a building.

Let your favorite or most intriguing quality of the city inspire you!
Sketch many approaches and ideas
Sketch out your ideas. Try approaching your city in a number of different ways to see what works—and what doesn't.

Scan Sketch and Create Vector Artwork

Scan, clean, and prep your sketch for Illustrator
Simply scan your sketch and make any desired adjustments in Photoshop (such as cleaning it up or tweaking composition).
Bring into Illustrator
Once your sketch is ready, place it into Illustrator and convert the layer into a template layer. Next, create a new layer in which to trace your sketch.
Redraw/trace your sketch
Trace your sketch in Illustrator using a high contrast color like red or magenta so you can easily see your new linework over your sketch.

Tip: Turn off the template layer as needed to check progress.

Create Custom Illustrator Brushes

Prepare, import, and edit in Photoshop
Draw a series of lines on white paper. Use a ruler to keep them approximately straight, but try to avoid allowing one side of your line appearing too crisp and clean. Try pencils, charcoal, markers, China markers, and any other drawing tools you’d like.

When ready, scan your lines and place into Photoshop.

In Photoshop, convert to black and white, adjust levels, and clean up any errant specks or lines. Use rulers to make sure the lines are as evenly horizontal as possible. Continue to manipulate line until you’re pleased and then save. Pay special attention to the start and end of your lines.

(Remember that additional editing can be made in Illustrator.)
Adjust the image in Illustrator and select "Trace"
Place the image into Illustrator, and then open the Image Trace window.

Select Mode: Black and White, and then make adjustments.

When you're satisfied, hit the Trace button.
Ungroup objects so that only the lines remain
Select your traced image and go to: Object > Expand Appearance.

At this point, the white of the paper still exists so ungroup all objects (Command+Shift+G). Select a portion that’s white and go to: Select > Same > Fill Color. All white objects will now be selected. Hit Delete.

You’re now left with just your lines.
Convert one line into an Art Brush
Select one line to convert into an Art Brush.

While your art is selected go to: Window > Attributes. Expand this window. As default, it will be set to Use Even-Odd Fill Rule. Instead, select Use None-Zero Winding Fill Rule. This will prevent what appears to be breaks or empty spaces in your line when it overlaps itself.
Create a new Art Brush
With you artwork (line) still selected, next go to the Brushes window. Hit the expand/dropdown icon in the upper right, and select New Brush > Art Brush.

If desired, name your brush here. Make sure Stretch to Fit Stroke Length is selected. In Colorization Method, select Tints. Hit ok.
Create subsequent brushes and use them in your work
Repeat the process for all other brushes.

Then, select some line work and apply one of your new brushes.
Color your image
Once your art is traced, begin coloring. If necessary, use the Pathfinder window to create/separate shapes. Play with color until satisfied.

Create and Scan Custom Textures

Create, save, and scan textures
Use ink, brayers, markers, stamps, found paper, etc. to create textures. Make tons to start your own library.

Scan textures as a non-degradable file (like a TIFF) so you can hold onto and reuse them. If desired, scan them at 200% or larger.

Move Vector Art into Photoshop and Apply Textures

Transfer art as smart objects
Copy your vector artwork from Illustrator and paste into a new Photoshop document. When prompted, select As Smart Object.
Repeat transfer as needed
Repeat as necessary. Think about which areas you want to overlap (if any) and what you might want to texture differently. You can always adjust along the way.
Play with blending modes
If your art requires a multiplying or overprinted effect, you'll need to place each piece separately and apply blending modes.
Place textures into final file
Select a texture, copy, and paste it into your working file.

From here, you can play with hue/saturation, blending modes, masks, etc. to apply texture. Use masks or clipping masks to apply texture to only parts of your image.

Using non-destructive editing and smart objects will allow you to easily go back and edit or make changes.

Emily Balsley

designer + illustrator

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