Hero Portraits
UI Art Assets
October 2023
Project Summary:
My task was to adapt 25 full-body PNGs into vector head-shots that could be easily scaled for use in the game, on the website, marketing material, and for whatever other needs the company had. I had a deadline of 2 weeks to complete this project.
Tools Used:
My Responsibilities:
• Create Vectors from PNGs without the Source Files • Revise Designs for Visual Appeal • Receive & Implement Feedback from the Art Director • Maintain Working Files to Allow Future Updates & Reuse
👇 See how I did it!
A Rough Start
Beginning Process
Image Trace: converts raster images to vector artwork
When I began working on this project, I was competent in Adobe Illustrator, but I had never tackled something of this size before. I thought, to maximize my workflow, I should use the Image Trace functionality. However, this would be slow-going and frustrating.
10x speed
To start, I had to wrestle with the Image Trace tool to get the results I wanted. This then resulted in complex paths that I had to spend time simplifying-- first: so I could work with them, second: to reduce the file size. These were also not overlapping paths, so I could not easily resize different elements without leaving blank spaces, nor take advantage of layer properties to do things like create shadows. All of this, plus more, amounted to an unsustainable workflow and time frame.
Back to Basics
Re-examining the Process
I decided to see how quickly I could work if I did the image tracing myself using basic tools and a simplified approach. Not only did this speed up the process, it created mental space so I could plan ahead and tackle the project in a way that worked best for me.
10x speed
This straightforward approach solved all the problems I had created for myself in the first step:
1. I had all the control and did not have to wrestle with any tools
2. The paths were simplified by default, so they were easy to work with and file loaded quick
3. I could create overlapping paths to change however I wanted
4. Plus, I could tweak the designs as I worked
I had previously worked alphabetically, spending varying amounts of time on each asset, depending on their complexity. To work more efficiently, I decided to work on the "easy" ones first, getting out as many assets as I could before the deadline. This would allow the company to begin using assets as they were completed while I finished up work on the remaining few.
However, I did not need any extra time, as my careful thought towards efficiency meant that I finished this project 2 days early!
Revisions
Revising the Designs
After the initial pieces were finished, I passed them to the art director for feedback, highlighting any that gave me particular trouble so I could get help from his expert eye.
My mistake with this hero was attempting to follow the original design too closely. Luckily, it was an easy adjustment.
These heroes were trickier for me. I knew that my initial setup looked cluttered, but I could not tell why. Thankfully, the art director was able to point out that each hero was angled completely differently, and he provided me a more cohesive pose.
Final Thoughts
Through this project, I proved to myself that I am quite capable! I came out of this confident in my skills as an artist, my understanding of Illustrator, and my ability to get things done.