Vector and Raster work...
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Hi everybody,
Please direct me to a particular class or discussion if this has been covered in depth:
Is art that is done in raster (specifically procreate) limited in the latter part of the process in working with a publisher/author, like when file sizes need to be changed etc.?Alongside working to do children's illustrations, I am working on making patterns and stock illustrations. It seems that Adobe Illustrator/vector is best for this. But it has made me wonder, what is the point of doing children's illustration in Procreate if say it will look pixelized when changed later? I am just wondering if I should abandon Procreate altogether, and learn Adobe (which terrifies me frankly) since my other goals involve vector definitely.
Thanks
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@Katt Adobe illustrator is definitely the preferred program.
I use procreate, and it does become pixelated if you enlarge, but that's because it's pixel based and anything pixel based will do this. I set mine to bilinear and I don't suffer any loss or decompression when moving side to side.
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Is art that is done in raster (specifically procreate) limited in the latter part of the process in working with a publisher/author, like when file sizes need to be changed etc.?
It's not the point that one is more limited than the other than it is that they both used differently. If you're creating raster artwork you need to create it to the specs that the publisher provides. If you're not working with the publisher you created as large as you are able to due to you can always reduce an image but rarely can you enlarge a raster image past a certain point with satisfactory results.
vector artwork has issues as well not so much with enlarging but could cause problems with vector art being reproduced at too small of a size. If a vector artwork is reduced to small it can lock up a printer a rip or other software due to being unable to clock the points used to create the artwork.
Alongside working to do children's illustrations, I am working on making patterns and stock illustrations. It seems that Adobe Illustrator/vector is best for this. But it has made me wonder, what is the point of doing children's illustration in Procreate if say it will look pixelized when changed later? I am just wondering if I should abandon Procreate altogether, and learn Adobe (which terrifies me frankly) since my other goals involve vector definitely.
Thanksif you're looking to do textile type work or pattern type work find out what the standard file format is for that industry. I know the places I'm familiar with for that type of work either prefer or require vector artwork not raster.
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I’d say the first thing anyone considers when choosing whether to work primarily in vector or raster should be what style of art they want to create. That might be a very hard question in itself, but it’s better to let your personal aesthetics guide your chosen technical process rather than the other way around. If you love clean shapes and crisp lines, working in vector can be a great choice and has the added advantage of scaleability. Jessica Hische is a great example of someone with a very vector-centric style who branched into doing a few children’s books. Her illustrations definitely have that vector look, which may or may not be what you’re going for! If you prefer your work to look more painterly, raster is going to be the best option. In my digital work I try to emulate the look of my analog work as closely as possible, so raster just makes sense. The vast majority of children’s book illustrations are not vectors, so there’s no reason to worry that you wouldn’t be producing work up to industry standards if you use Procreate. That said, even if you primarily work in raster it can’t hurt to learn how to create vectors for certain situations! I use both when doing things like wedding stationery: raster for the floral illustrations and vector for the custom lettering, for example. So for licensing work, it would probably be super handy to have both skill sets!
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I recently ran into this issue as well... doing some character avatar for client's app. It sounds like app companies prefer vector illustration even though for my client I believe their brief and target audience can be better served by a textured style illustration I normally do in Procreate.
Is there any technical reason why vector is preferred while the client have no intention for the avatars to be anywhere other than in their app and website? Normally I thought the only reason vector becomes absolutely necessary is when they intend to print large formats?
Is this another case of them not fully knowing the tech before crafting their requirements? Style wise they told me the pieces they like and they are all heavily textured stuff created in Procreate, so I am feeling the disconnect with them asking for vector which doesn't serve the general art direction.
