Super Hero: Free Illustrator Tutorial

Topics Covered in This Illustrator Tutorial:

Live Trace & Live Paint, Tracing Hand-drawn Images, Coloring Live Paint Objects, Brushes, the Flare Tool

Exercise Preview

Exercise Overview

Converting hand-drawn sketches into scalable vector graphics is a fundamental workflow in professional illustration. Illustrator's Image Trace feature transforms this traditionally time-intensive process into an efficient, repeatable workflow. This exercise demonstrates how to leverage advanced tracing parameters to maintain sketch authenticity while creating clean, editable vectors. You'll master the complete workflow—from initial trace optimization through Live Paint coloring and final composition refinement.

Tracing the Superhero Sketch

1. From the Illustrator Class folder, open the file super hero.ai.

2. Save as yourname-the super hero.ai, then hit Save.

3. In the dialog that appears, leave the default options checked and click OK.

4. Choose the Selection tool .

5. Go to File > Place.

6. Locate super hero sketch.psd and click Place.

7. Click once anywhere in the artboard to place the file at its actual size. Avoid clicking and dragging, which will distort the original proportions and compromise trace accuracy.

8. Make sure it's still selected, and in the Control panel (at the top of the screen), click the Align To button and choose Align to Artboard.

9. Next to it, click the Horizontal Align Center button .

10. Also, click the Vertical Align Center button .

11. Still in the Control panel, click the Image Trace button.

12. The superhero scan has now been traced using Illustrator's default parameters, but you'll notice significant detail loss. Professional tracing requires custom optimization. Open the Image Trace panel (Window > Image Trace) to access advanced controls.

13. In the panel that opens, ensure Preview is checked at the bottom to see real-time adjustments.

14. At the top, set the Preset to Sketched Art—this preset is specifically optimized for hand-drawn artwork.

15. In the Image Trace panel, click the triangle to the left of Advanced to reveal granular controls.

16. Set Noise to 1 px and hit Tab. This critical adjustment eliminates scan artifacts while recovering previously lost sketch details—you'll see dramatic improvement in line fidelity.

17. Set Threshold to 180 and Paths to 90% (hit Tab both times). These values optimize the balance between detail retention and vector efficiency.

18. Click the Trace button to finalize the conversion. If Trace appears grayed out, the Preview function has already applied your adjustments.

19. In the Control panel, click the Expand button to convert the live trace into editable vector paths.

    File Placement Best Practice

    Always click once to place files at actual size rather than clicking and dragging. This preserves the original dimensions and prevents unintentional scaling that can affect image quality.

    Critical Image Trace Settings

    Sketched Art Preset

    Optimized for hand-drawn artwork with balanced detail retention and clean vector conversion.

    Noise Reduction

    Set to 1px to eliminate scanning artifacts while preserving important line details.

Adding Some Color

1. Go to Object > Live Paint > Make. The visual appearance remains unchanged, but your artwork is now a Live Paint Group—indicated by the distinctive starburst bounding box handles .

2. Deselect the artwork by clicking off of it.

3. Choose the Live Paint Bucket tool . If it's not visible, click and hold the Shape Builder tool to access the tool group.

4. Notice the color swatches positioned above the bucket cursor—this provides immediate access to your color palette.

   

   NOTE: If only one color swatch appears above the cursor, click the Properties panel's Fill swatch to access the Swatches panel, then select any swatch to populate the cursor palette.

5. Press the Left and Right Arrow keys to cycle through available swatches—this allows precise color selection without interrupting your workflow.

6. Move the cursor over the superhero without clicking yet. Live Paint automatically detects fillable regions and highlights them with bright red outlines—this intelligent detection prevents color bleeding between areas.

7. Use the Arrow keys to select appropriate colors, then click on outlined regions to apply fills. Reference the guide below for professional color choices:

   

   • Exercise caution with black strokes: These render as fills in Live Paint groups and can be accidentally recolored. Use Undo immediately if you inadvertently change line work.
   • Don't overlook details: Fill teeth with white for professional finish quality.
   • Zoom for precision: Use high magnification levels when targeting small or intricate areas to ensure accurate color placement.

With your character fully colored, the next step involves creating an environmental context that enhances the overall composition.

Adding a Background

1. Go to File > Place.

2. In the Illustrator Class folder, locate city sketch.psd and click Place.

3. Click once on the left side of the artboard to place the file at actual size. Maintain original dimensions to preserve the intended scale relationship between character and environment.

4. Choose the Selection tool .

5. Position the city sketch at the bottom of the document to establish a ground plane.

6. With the city sketch selected, access the Image Trace panel and change the Preset to Silhouettes—this creates dramatic contrast perfect for background elements.

7. Under Advanced in the Image Trace panel, uncheck Ignore White to ensure complete trace coverage.

8. In the Control panel or Properties panel, click the Expand button to convert to editable vectors.

9. Click off the artwork to deselect it.

10. Choose the Group Selection tool . If it's not visible, click and hold the Direct Selection tool to access it.

11. Select the white sky area above the cityscape and press Delete to remove it—this creates transparency that allows for more sophisticated layering effects.

12. Choose the Selection tool .

13. Select the cityscape again.

14. In the Properties panel under Appearance, click on the swatch next to Fill.

15. In the Swatches panel that opens, apply the dark green fill to create environmental cohesion.

16. With the city still selected, go to Object > Arrange > Send to Back.

    Note that the cityscape doesn't move behind the superhero because they exist on separate layers—this layer structure provides compositional flexibility.

17. Select the superhero.

18. In the Tools panel, double-click the Scale tool to access precise scaling options.

19. Next to Uniform, enter a Scale of 110% and click OK to create stronger visual dominance.

20. Choose the Selection tool and position the character optimally within the center of the document.

21. Press Cmd–Shift–A (Mac) or Ctrl–Shift–A (Windows) to deselect all elements.

The final phase involves adding dynamic visual elements that convey motion and energy, transforming a static illustration into compelling action artwork.

Adding Finishing Touches

1. Select the Paintbrush tool .

2. Near the bottom of the Properties panel in the Brush section, click the Brush Libraries button (far right). From the menu, choose Artistic > Artistic_Calligraphic to access specialized brush collections.

3. From the panel that opens, select the 5 pt. Oval. For clarity, access the Brush panel menu and select List View to display all brushes with descriptive names.

4. In the Properties panel, set the Stroke to black and ensure Fill is set to none for clean line work.

5. Using the Paintbrush tool , create dynamic action lines emanating from the hero's back. These motion lines are essential visual language in comic and action illustration—they convey speed, direction, and heroic arrival.

   

6. When finished, close the Artistic_Calligraphic brush panel to declutter your workspace.

7. Choose the Flare tool . Locate it by clicking and holding on the Rounded Rectangle tool (or Rectangle tool) to access the shapes tool group.

8. Position your cursor at the back of the hero's belt area and click-drag to create a large solar flare effect. This adds dramatic lighting that enhances the superhero's powerful presence. If the initial result doesn't meet your vision, simply undo and experiment with different drag directions and lengths.

9. Select File > Save and close the file. You've successfully completed a professional illustration workflow that can be applied to any hand-drawn artwork requiring vector conversion and digital enhancement.