DESIGN AND LAYOUT • FREE ASSETS
The Art of the Trace: Turn a selfie into a line drawing.
Make a playful portrait using this simple, relaxing technique in Photoshop on the iPad.
By Andy Wright
DESIGN AND LAYOUT • FREE ASSETS
The Art of the Trace: Turn a selfie into a line drawing.
Make a playful portrait using this simple, relaxing technique in Photoshop on the iPad.
By Andy Wright
RESOURCES
Download and explore a PSD of the artwork in this story.
Tracing gets a bad rap. It’s considered too easy, or cheating. But it’s an art all its own — the hand of the artist is apparent in every tracing. (If you don’t believe me, challenge a friend to a trace-off and trace the same the image—they won’t look the same!) Like coloring, tracing can be relaxing. It’s a great warm-up exercise because you don’t have to worry about generating ideas; you can just grab an image from your camera roll. It’s also a useful tool for understanding proportion and perspective. Getting ready to freehand a drawing from a photograph? Try tracing it first to gain an understanding of the shapes and spacing within it. In this tutorial, see how tracing an image in Photoshop on the iPad can produce a simple self-portait that you can use on your website or as a social avatar.
Pick your portrait.
Tap the photo icon in the lefthand toolbar, import an image, and adjust the size until it’s large enough for you to easily see the details you’re going to want to trace. Set the opacity of the image to 50% and then create a new layer.
Start tracing.
Choose a brush. I used Brushy Liner 1 for this version—check out a second version below to see how brush choice changes the look and feel of your portrait. Start sketching in your main shapes, like the outline of the face, neck, and shoulders. There are no rules about how to trace. It’s up to you if you want to include any background elements. (In my case, I’ll omit the apartment clutter.) Take your time and create slow, steady, methodical lines, or go quickly, making lots of marks. Each approach will provide radically different results. Turn your photo layer on and off frequently to check where you’re at with your drawing and make adjustments.
Sweat the details.
Start filling the nose, eyes, and mouth. Tracings can be streamlined or highly detailed. I’ve leaned toward simplicity but still like to include a few lines around the eyes and mouth that lend character, even when used sparingly. Try filling in lots of little lines and details for a different result. Play with line size. Use a larger line for the outer parts of the drawing and a thinner one for the interior details. For objects like eyebrows, draw an outline and then fill them using the Paintbucket tool.
Add some flare.
Once you’re satisfied with the line drawing, turn the photo layer off. Experiment with adding in elements that aren’t exact copies of the image beneath, like eyelashes or lines to define hair. Finally, experiment with adding in color. Use the Paintbucket tool to fill areas of your drawing. Add a new layer beneath your drawing and either fill it with one color for a bold, simple look, or achieve a kinetic look with scribbles of color. See examples of playful embellishments below.
I used Kyles Inkbox - Brushy Liner 1 to get a painterly look.
Loosely color in sections with a textural brush—I used Kid Crayon from Kyles Megapack.
Use the Hard Round brush to get a cleaner, Pop Art-style look.
Filled sections work especially well with a Flat Round brush tracing. Get playful—try adding abstract shapes in the background.
