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Intro
What is a Vexel?
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Tutorial Test your skills
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News
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TUTORIALS
How to create a Vexel of your own
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT Cristiano Siqueira // AKA CrisVector
Issue 1 Spring 2015
what is a
vexel? “V
exel� is a simple combination of the words vector and pixel, and it is used to describe a style of digital art which is entirely pixel-based, but looks like vector art. Vector uses mathematical equations to create lines and shapes in images whereas vexels are also raster works in pixels. Vexels can also be created using any graphic program like Photoshop, Gimp, Flash, Freehand, Illustrator etc. or the combination of one or more.
2 | Vexel | Spring 2015
Vexels are quite flexible to create and there are various methods of creating great vexel art, but the overall process is to stack shapes of a certain shape and color to create a whole image using multiple layers. One can also use gradients, paintbrushes, and airbrushes or any freehand tool like a pencil to give it a desired and unique appearance. What makes vexel arts so amazing is that each piece takes hours to complete which requires patience, lots of hard work and talent.
VEXEL
Steps //
TUTORIAL PART 1
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Chose your brush size. Usually use 1px, 3px and 5px brushes. 1px creates the small strands of messy hair, 3px and 5px for more substantial wisps.
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Make a path with the pen tool. Bear in mind that we are working in vexel here. When using the pen tool, always use the “Paths” option, as opposed to the “Shape Layers” option. (To chose this, with the pen tool selected, check the upper-left corner of photoshop, just underneath “file, edit, image” There are three boxes, the one with a pen inside of it.) The Shape Layers option makes vector and the whole reason to use vexel is because of the things you can do more freely with vexel -- creating hair using the stroke path method being one of them.
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Right click with your path made. Chose “Stroke Path” and make sure you have “Simulate Pressure” checked in the pop-up dialogue. Press OK and viola! Pro-tip: After making the path, by holding down ctrl and clicking somewhere on your palette, you can.. Well, I’m unsure of the proper term, so I will say you can close the path. When you’re done with the paths, you can press enter on your keyboard to make them go away! That way you can do several wisps at a time when working with hair. t o b e c on t i nue d ...
Quote of the day //
For more realistic hair, you can make a crazy jumble path around your body of hair with a 1px brush, you can create those messy stray hairs.
“
Creativity is “ allowing yourself to make
P R O -T I P :
mistakes. Design is knowing which ones to keep.
- SCOTT ADAMS
3 | Vexel | Spring 2015
NEWS Calling all artists! The Vector X Vexel PH in partnership with with ATI, Wacom, CIIT, and Kakampi will be having their second Vector the Future: Art convention and Exhibit on April 12, 2014 in Santa Monica, California from 1:00PM to 6:00PM.
WEBSITE OF THE MONTH www.designer-daily.com Designer Daily is a place for designers to find inspiration, resources, and thoughts that will be useful to their daily work. It is maintained by Mirko Humbert, a Swiss graphic and web designer who is available for freelance work.
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT Cristiano Siqueira // http://www.crisvector.com/1/
Cristiano Siqueira is better known by his handle, CrisVector. He hails from Sao Paulo, Brazil and is easily one of the biggest names within the vector art community. His client list includes Nike, Playboy, Gillette, Microsoft, The Wall Street Journal, Richmond Publishing and many more. I was honored to have him create a tutorial exclusively for my book, Adobe Master Class: Illustrator, because Cristiano rarely gives others insight into his workflow. If you are an active member of the vector community, or simply admire the look of vector art, Cristiano Siqueira, aka CrisVector, is one artist we all know and whose amazing art is something we all aspire to. His has developed and refined his unique style has over the years, and his more recent style, which uses pressure-sensitive strokes within line art compositions, further separates him from the pack. Editor // Rob Mitchell Graphic Designer // Dean Loock Editorial Assistant // Jenny Gordon
Circulation Manager // Stacy Jones
Vexel Headquarters 165 Pico Blvd CA 91316
7457 Santa Monica Blvd CA 91270 805 745 8936 www.vexel.com 4 | Vexel | Spring 2015