Since I became a professional illustrator, I have used Photoshop as my main drawing app. I developed a solid workflow in Photoshop that allowed me to do the kind of fast, effective production that is required when working with newspapers.
Last year, I started to work with Jose on animations that required vector illustrations. At the beginning, I kept working with Photoshop and then vectorizing the resulting images using Vector Magic and Illustrator.
But after a while, I realized that a substantial amount of time was required to do the conversion, and the results weren’t optimized for the animation process.
So I decided to start using Illustrator to create the illustrations for animations. I still used the sketch made in Photoshop as a guide.
Using Illustrator — First Steps:
At the beginning everything was a bit confusing. I had to adapt my mindset to a new environment. The rules were different, the tools were different, and even the interaction was different. The switch from Photoshop to Illustrator wasn’t the only change. It wasn’t very comfortable to keep using the Cintiq tablet anymore, so I started using a mouse.
It wasn’t the first time I used Illustrator — I was familiar with it — but I had never created a complete illustration from scratch in Illustrator. I faced a lot of challenges from the very beginning.
First Challenges:
- Using a mouse
I always used graphic tablets and switching to a mouse was tricky.
- Unnatural way of drawing
This has probably been the most important one. I love to work in Photoshop because it’s like painting with superpowers; it’s very natural. The mouse is the opposite, but it also has benefits. I’m still adapting to it.
- Layer system
In Photoshop, layers were essential for developing illustrations. It looks like the layers in Illustrator are more like the layers folders in Photoshop. The elements inside of the layers in Illustrator would be the layers in Photoshop.
- The Brush isn’t the main tool anymore
Instead, the Pen tool, Shapes and Pathfinder are the ones that I use the most.
- Several pieces of artwork per document
It challenges the older system of one file per document, and it has a significant impact on the folder structure system.
- GuideGuide not available
I definitely miss the GuideGuide plugin for Photoshop. I’ve created an Illustrator Action that achieves the same thing, but it’s not as flexible.
- Canvas Rotation tool not available
I love how Photoshop allows you to temporarily rotate the canvas while you draw. Working in Illustrator is more unnatural, and it’s not as useful, so I hope Adobe implements this tool for Illustrator at some point it.
- Transformation panel options
It took me some time to appreciate the options of the Transformation panel “Scale Rectangle Corners” and “Scale Strokes & Effects”. I experienced some errors because those options were unchecked. After a while, I found those options to be very helpful.
- Pixel Grid
It also took me time to get familiar with the “Align to Pixel Grid” option. I also had errors with some shapes before I knew about this option.
Illustrator as My Main Tool:
After some weeks of experimenting with Illustrator, I feel comfortable and my speed is increasing. I’m slowly polishing my workflow in Illustrator, learning new tools, shortcuts and even using some Actions.
Switching to Illustrator comes with a lot of bonuses as well. The reduced file size, the possibility of exporting any size and resolution, and the possibility of having different pieces of artwork inside the same document are great new benefits. I will write about those benefits and discoveries in the following parts.
In Part 2 I share with you how I stopped using Photoshop to create the sketches as well, and what I use instead. It has been another massive change.
Are you a Photoshop or an Illustrator user? Have you switched your primary tools recently? What are you using and how was the process? I would love you to share your experience in the comments!
