Giving a talk at ACP Hollywood on personal branding in a few minutes. Here it is for conference attendees to follow along:
On building your personal brand
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Category Archives: how-to
Leading CICM's nationwide classroom
You all probably know from Twitter, but for those of you who don’t: I was chosen as the first intern for the Center for Innovation in College Media.
It’s a huge honor to be a part of the organization, but now it’s time to get to work. I have big plans (which Bryan said were perhaps over-ambitious), but I know I can follow through with it all.
In addition to interviews with media professionals and discussions with students, I have tutorials in mind which will be part of my “Nationwide Classroom.”
How it works
- We post a tutorial
- You take your tutorial to the newsroom/classroom
- Implement what you learn and post it to our comments
- We feature the best work as a result of our tutorial
Why participate?
- Great opportunity to learn
- Chance for national exposure
- It’s fun!
Now, give me your feedback. What do you want to learn? What should our first lesson be? Any suggestions for how to make it more interactive (I’m planning on a Q&A chat)?
Let me know:
- cicmintern {at} gmail {dot} com
- twitter.com/cicmintern
- collegemediainnovation.org
Student newspapers: Don't be afraid to break the rules
At the end of last year, Emily Kostic (web editor of Rowan University’s The Whit) wrote a blog post about New Years Resolutions for college newspapers. A few things struck me on that list:
- #5 Get away from College Publisher
- #6 …and in the process go Web First
One I’d like to add to Emily’s list is: Don’t be afraid to break the rules. These days, that’s the only way to make it in this industry.
Getting away from College Publisher
That’s right: I said it. After a recent conference call with Adam Hemphill and Miles Skorpen of CoPress, it’s official. The Mustang Daily is switching to WordPress.
The switch away from College Publisher is something I’ve wanted for the Mustang Daily since before I was even a student at Cal Poly. Not that College Publisher is bad; it’s a great starting point for newspapers who are trying to learn the dynamics of the Web. We used to be that paper. Now we get it. Now we’re ready for new things. We’re ready to generate our own revenue and move on.
Plus, WordPress is open-source. College Publisher is far from it. If we want to make changes, we have a world of developers to turn to. With College Publisher, change comes in the form of submitting a query to their support team. That makes it less than easy to be innovative.
This summer I started seriously considering WordPress as a CMS and built a mockup. But there’s a huge difference between saying, “This is what I want to do,” and actually doing it.
Our former online editor created a Joomla mockup last year, just as I had done with the WordPress, and after getting the “Ok!” from our general mananger, his plans went nowhere.
Why? Fear. Fear of not being able to pass down an open-source CMS to future online editors. Fear of failing.
That was the same concern that came up when I proposed the idea of moving to WordPress.
To me, it’s a non-issue. If my future replacement doesn’t “know” the system, then he/she has to learn it.
We’ve all been new to it at one point. The fear of learning something new is possibly what got the journalism industry in the position it’s in now.
After news that CoPress would start hosting college newspapers, I had the final push the editor-in-cheif and I needed to convince our general manager that we’re done with College Publisher.
It’s really a great deal: cheap hosting (off-campus, so we don’t have to follow strict ADA rules and pay the school for space), a support network (so that we’re not relying only on me), and a solid relationship with leaders in college journalism.
Tentative plans set our launch date for March 14. Cross your fingers for us. We couldn’t be more excited.
Structural changes to the Mustang Daily
With our big redesign come huge structural changes. With College Publisher, we were limited to posting stories based on the date of our print issue (although, to be fair, CP5 has improved). With WordPress, we’re ready to move to a 24-hour news cycle where we’re posting news continuously.
Even if your newspaper isn’t planning a major overhaul, you should still consider ending your shovelware methods.
It’s what your readers expect from you. Most students are getting their news online from the local paper, CNN, NYTimes, etc. They’re used to getting news updates all day long, and it shouldn’t be any different with a college newspaper. News doesn’t stop during the day just because the print issue isn’t done.
Of course, the change isn’t as simple as posting news updates throughout the day. The way our process is structured requires copy editors to come in around 5 p.m. to start reading over stories. With their red pens, they sit at a table and edit stories that have been printed out.
Hours are wasted between the first Word Doc printout and the flat printout. Copy editors aren’t done with the final changes until 10 p.m. each night (which is when I post the stories. That’s just wrong).
I have a few problems with this method:
- Why are the copy editors only coming in at night? Future (meaning this spring or summer) structural changes to the Daily will require copy editors on duty all day long to edit stories as they come in.
- During a time when the Web dominates the news industry, why is it our last priority? The web should always be the number one priority on every editor’s list. Not a place to dump stories that don’t fit in print or an after-thought at the end of the night. And while most editors tend to agree, they sure have a hard time putting it into practice.
- Why do copy editors need to use a red pen on a printed Word Doc? What about a little thing called a computer? Editing on paper seems so primitive. Slowly, the Mustang Daily staff has started using Google Docs for assigning article and photo assignments. And WordPress makes editing articles online even simpler.
As Greg Linch wrote on the CoPress Blog, stories can be edited on WordPress, rather than through multiple Word Doc revisions. This means the copy editors don’t have to come into the newsroom to copy edit. All they need is a computer and internet access.
- Also, as Greg notes, when print designers are ready to layout their pages, they simply pull the already-copy edited versions of the articles from the CMS. It saves time and everyone wins.
Breaking an age-old tradition
Another way the Mustang Daily is breaking the rules this quarter is through implementing a “track” system for our reporters.
Because the Mustang Daily reporters are enrolled in a class (taught by student editors), they get credit for writing. So the syllabus is structured like any other class: you do a little of everything so you can be “well rounded.”
Traditionally, it’s always (and I mean forever) worked this way– Each quarter (10 weeks) every Mustang Daily reporter writes:
- Four news stories
- Four arts stories
- Three sports stories
- One feature story (1,000+ words)
- An opinion piece
- + four miscellaneous (from any section)
- Last year, we added a multimedia requirement to that list. Starting in summer 2008, it jumped to two multimedia pieces.
But now we’re breaking the rules. We’re switching it up. Reporters are now on a track system, which works like beats. We have sports writers, news writers, arts writers and general reporters. Each reporter will do two multimedia pieces for their respective tracks.
The system is seemingly common-sense. Reporters build up their contacts in their tracks and get story leads. They get the kind of experience they’d have in a real newsroom.
We made the switch because we had crap stories for our sports section. Reporters who knew/understood sports couldn’t write for the section because they had to fulfill news/arts requirements, and news/arts writers who knew nothing about sports were trying to cover soccer games. It doesn’t work that way.
Yet somehow, for uncountable years, the system continued. Not because it worked, but out of fear of change. Because the world supposedly wanted journalists who could cut out diverse clips to paste into their portfolios.
Well the industry is changing. Physical clips don’t exist (or at least they shouldn’t). Students need experience that reflects the real industry as close as possible. College newspapers need to mirror those industry changes, or even better — come up with innovative changes the professional industry hasn’t yet.
I challenge you to look at aspects of your newspaper that have always been the same, and ask yourself if those strategies still work. And even if you think they do work, come up with ways to make them work better.
Change is the only way to win. Are you up for it?
Tips for making an online portfolio (and a new one coming soon at laurenrabaino.com!)
Interact has been lacking lately and there are a few reasons for that:
- Finals week meant a lot of studying, few online distractions
- Portfolio redesign in progress means a lot of CSS headaches
- A lot of travelling
- As I learned from Paul Bradshaw, I don’t have a community to encourage my continued blogging
A sneak peak of what my soon-to-be-released portfolio looks like:
One prototype of my portfolio coming soon at LaurenRabaino.com
Here are a few things I’ve learned about making a porfolio in the past few days:
- CSS is a must. My old portfolio was rushed in Dreamweaver through a template I created using tables. Although tables are easy and functionable, CSS is easier for manipulating the design later and it looks better to an employer. If a web producer wants to hire you and sees outdated tables in your code, you’re automatically going to look less talented.
- But while it’s a must, CSS is an absolute headache. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible. I’ve known fairly little about CSS, all it takes is a quick Google search to learn what you need.
A great resource has been http://www.w3schools.com/css/
- Keep a consistent theme. I’ve gone with a blue/pink/black design that I’m also implementing on my blog and my Twitter. Why? Because it gives you an identity and an aesthetic brand online. If you want to transfer that look to the physical world, make your porfolio and business card match too.
- Make it easy to be found on other social networks. I linked to my Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Myspace, Interact, Newsvine, FriendFeed, Google Reader, Wired Journalists, Flickr, YouTube and Mustang Daily articles.
- Have a good footer. Speaking in newspaper terms, make sure that what’s “below the fold” is still interesting. When people scroll, make sure they don’t lose interest. My footer contains my most recent Twitter status and my most recent shared item on Google Reader.
Creative footer ideas:http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/04/08/footers-in-modern-web-design-creative-examples-and-ideas/
- Make it interactive. Although an aspect I’m still struggling with on my portfolio, interaction makes it more inticing. So far, my main form of interaction is through a rotating AJAX widget across the bottom that scrolls with my most recent photos and graphic design.
- Include a downloadable resume. Unfortunately, not everyone in the world is as web-savvy as you. It’s likely that the higher-ups who will be looking to hire you will want a physical paper resume to review. Make sure it’s easily-accessible (and readily-printable) on your site!
How to make a PDF:http://desktoppub.about.com/od/pdftutorials/PDF_Tutorials.htm
- Have an “about me” page. Although it seems pretty common sense, it can be easy to forget. Who are you? Why are you different? Why are you talented? Let them know here, and feel free to link to your outside work and associations. The more you link away from your portfolio, it shows how diverse of a network you have.
What to include in your about me page:http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/11/24/how-to-write-your-about-me-page/
- Can they contact you? If you want a job, they better be able to. If you include a contact form, make sure it works. If you include an e-mail address, make sure it’s spelled correctly and it’s easy to find.
If you have any portfolio tips to share, include them in the comments and I’ll add them to this post.Quick, easy, FREE online portfolios with Google Pages
Let’s look at this scenario: A job/internship opportunity pops up at the last moment, and as you rush to e-mail a resume to your employer, you realize that you still haven’t gotten around to making that online portfolio.
But did you know that anyone with a Google account can use Google Page Creator to create a web site: quickly, easily and for free? If you’ve never done web design before, you’re going to need a little guidance.
First of all, is Google Pages the right option for you?
- You have no idea how to make your own web page
- You have little time to teach yourself how to make your own web page
- You lack money to buy a domain or hosting
- You don’t know what a domain or hosting is
If you answered “yes” to any of the questions above, then Google Pages might be a good (but temporary) solution for your woes. I say temporary because Google Pages will not create an ideal portfolio — an employer will generally prefer a reporter who can make his/her own online portfolio with custom design because it shows HTML/web knowledge.
Plus, there are many restrictions:
- Can’t do much customization of the design, colors or modules
- Can’t do simple things like link photos to an external link (photos will only link to the original photo)
- Can’t resize photos
- Can’t embed HTML (meaning you’ll have to link externally to multimedia work)
The great part, however, is the free part. Usually, free sites are drowning in advertisements, yet, somehow, Google Page Creator doesn’t place any ads on your site. Another thing to note is that although this tutorial is directed specifically at journalism majors, the concept can be applied to anyone. And really, everyone should have an online portfolio.
What you’ll need:
- A Google account (you should really have one anyway for great features like Gmail, Google Docs, Google Checkout, Google Reader… oh, don’t get me started on why you need Google to live)
- A gameplan: What pages are you going to have on your site? Do you have content for each of those pages?
Step one: Choose your layout and your look
The great thing about Google Pages is, while you can’t do a custom design, they give you more than 40 great pre-made templates to choose from. Go with something professional. Remember that you can always change the template later, but I suggest choosing one you’ll stick with. Otherwise, you’ll have to go through and change the template on each individual page — which can be a pain in the butt.
Although you can’t really customize the layout of your page, you get three basic options, which is more than enough for now. In the sample portfolio I created, I used the first option.
Step two: Create your pages
The following are the pages I used in my sample portfolio, although you’ll probably do your own thing:
- Home (everyone must have this)
- Writing
- Multimedia
- Photography
- Resume (It’s probably smart for everyone to have this page too, regardless of your major/profession. But be careful! Think about whether you really want to include your home address and phone number on the web! I say stick with e-mail address)
- Contact
Step three: Create your navigation
If you’re not a web designer, this part can sometimes be easy to forget. You’ll want to do this immediately after you make your pages so you can design around the navigation. Because Google Pages doesn’t allow you to insert custom modules, it can be hard to find a spot for the nav later.
Depending on which layout you chose, your navigation will either go horizontally across the top (under your page title) or down the left column.
- Type the name of each page into your nav area
- Link each text item to one of your pages
After you’ve linked each menu item to the right page, copy and paste your menu into every page so you don’t have to recreate it over and over again.
Step four: add your content
- Adding text: Pretty self-explanatory. Simply type where you want text to exist. Make sure to use the same font to keep your site looking clean and consistent.
- Linking to external articles: I suggest you link to wherever your writing is posted on the Web instead of having to make a new Google Page for each piece.
- Inserting images: You can add images from a remote place on the web or from your computer. The downside is that you can’t control the size of your image or where it links. You can align an image to the left or right by simply dragging it to the corner of a module.
- Publishing your pages: Click “Publish” at the top of the page when you’re ready, or go to your site manager and publish all your pages at the same time
Other tips and tricks:
- Keep it visually engaging. Try to have one visual element on each page. Break up your text with white space and by making certain words bold or different colors (make sure you stick to the same palette as your theme though)
- Link to social networks. On the contact page, include external links to your Linked In, Facebook, Twitter, blog, Flickr, e-mail address and any other social network you feel comfortable showing to an employer. Promote yourself! (And on the flip side, include a link to your Google Page on your resume and business card)
- Change it later. Remember that Google Pages should be your temporary solution. You should really buy your own domain and learn HTML so you can create something less generic.
Good luck! If you have any other questions, post them in the comments. After you finish the final product, please post a link to it in the comments too.
Teaching audio slideshows in the newsroom
Richard Koci Hernandez, an Emmy-winning multimedia photojournalist who just left the SJ Mercury News to work at Berkeley, said the switch from the newsroom to the classroom was easy.
“I was already teaching in the newsroom, so it was a seamless transition,” he said via a recent e-mail interview.
Newsrooms are a place where people are constantly testing their boundaries and learning new skills. And their teachers? The Web gods of the newsroom who taught themselves through online tutorials, books and seminars.
And the better the teacher, the better the quality of your content and your Web site.
In a college atmosphere, audio slideshows will probably be the starting point for any online editor who is trying to teach multimedia basics. Here are a few tips for how to do it without going insane:
Understand it
Teachers can’t teach if they don’t know what they’re doing. Make sure you know the basics first. Write out everything you know about audio slideshows. Take a look at a few of these resources:
- “Producing Audio Slideshows” from Advancing the Story
- 9 tips for recording audio for the web from 10,000words.net
Be clear
Don’t just briefly explain the concept to your new multimedia reporters. Sit down and really show them what an audio slideshow is. For the little extra time you spend initially explaining the assignment, you’ll save hours and hours later.
- Remind them of the basics that may come naturally to you by now (e.g. don’t talk over your interviewee, bring extra batteries, hold the mic 6+ inches away, ask open-ended questions).
- Show them what an audio slideshow is. Give them samples of the best quality so they aim high (great resource: interactivenarratives.org)
- Give them your specific expectations for quantity (e.g. 30 photos and 3 minutes of audio)
- E-mail/write out tips/expectations for them. They won’t remember it all, so it’s nice to have a go-to sheet
Start simple
Assign fluffy, arts-related audio slideshows to take your reporters’ multimedia virginity. Interviews/photos are generally easier to get, so the focus is more on the production end. Make sure it’s not a time-sensitive slideshow. There is nothing worse than trying to teach someone Garageband/Audacity on a deadline (ok, actually there are… just thinking about teaching Flash gives me a headache).
Go with them the first time
Or let them go with you when you’re covering something for a multimedia piece. Let the reporter get comfortable with the process of recording audio that will be used beyond simple transcription.
- If they have questions on the spot or technical problems, they have the comfort of turning to you — their teacher — for advice
- If you notice the reporter doing something wrong, you’re there to offer immediate feedback (but try to remain a mere observer. Don’t be too intrusive on the reporter’s space).
Editing: No such thing as too picky
Teach it right the first time. Don’t think that a reporter can get away with sloppiness the first time around. It’s hard to break a bad habit later.
- Show them shortcuts in the audio-editing program you’re using
- Drill your stylistic preferences into their brains (e.g. Do your audio slideshows use a title slide? An ending slide with your news site’s URL? Do you fade the sound between speakers/ leave silence?)
Let the reporter control the mouse/keyboard
- It will be hard to not take control (you can do it 10x faster anyway, right?)
- Let the reporter stay in control. The more control he/she has the first time, the easier it will be (psychologically) to do an audio slideshow alone the next time around
Be patient
- Reporters who haven’t touched an audio editing program before are going to be intimidated
- Give constant encouragement (even if they’re screwing up). Say “You’re learning fast, but one recommendation would be…)
- They will ask you the same questions over and over if they’re not comfortable with the program yet. After the first few times, answer with: “You tell me…”
- Be available while they’re editing.
- Keep smiling. Don’t get grouchy or upset.
- When they’re done, tell them “good job” and then go over how to make it better for the next time
Take better photos: Rule of thirds
You’ve probably heard old photography rule of thumb, but do you understand it?
I always thought the “rule of thirds” meant to compose your subject into one of three evenly-split sections, either horizontally or vertically. As I quickly learned in my photojournalism class: I was wrong.
Rule of thirds: A photography/design guideline that composes the most interesting elements of a photograph in visual “hotspots” at intersections of each third (horizontally and vertically).
Too many words? For the visual learners:
Why it works
- By putting points of interest at hotspots, your photo becomes more balanced
- Eyetrack studies show that when people look at photos, their eyes go to the hotspots, not to the middle of the photo
- The composition works with, not against, the natural way we see things
Questions to consider when taking a photo:
- Where are the points of interest?
- Where am I intentionally composing photo elements?
- Will I be editing/cropping this photo later?
Practice makes perfect
The technique sounds easier than it really is. Whether you’re a wedding photographer or a photojournalist, elements like good lighting and focus and “the moment” are probably your priorities. Trying to picture a grid is probably the last thing on your mind.
I hate to throw the cliche out there, but practice makes perfect. Walk around downtown and try the technique. Go to a park or a sporting event and try to make it part of your natural routine.
If it’s still too much to think about, then you should at least keep the rule in mind when digitally post-processing your photos later.
Example in action
Consider these two photos from Nader’s visit to Cal Poly. Which one is more visually engaging?
In this first example, Nader’s face is between the main hotspots. Although the mic and his hand hit the spots almost exactly, they’re not the most visually engaging aspect of the photo. Because he’s a speaker at a podium (which is already boring to being with), his face should be the biggest appeal.
In the second example, his face and his brightest, most visible logo hit two of the uppermost hotspots. It’s slightly more visually intriguging that the side, profile shot. It feels more balanced and natural.
What are “important” visual components?
- Faces
- Shapes (especially circles)
- Bright colors
- Eyes
- Anything else that catches your attention
Breaking the rule
That being said, sometimes breaking the rule of thirds and settling with complete symmertry or complete imbalance is ok:
kafirwall.deviantart.com
yondus.deviantart.com
But you know what they say: “You’ve gotta know the rules before you break them.”
Make your résumé reflect your talent… visually
If you know a thing or two about graphic/web design, make your résumé mirror your knowledge.
When a “new media” journalist has a résumé made off a Microsoft Word template, it shows nothing about the creativity that person has.
I recently redesigned my résumé to give it that Twittery feel. Why?
- Using elements that are popular in web design show that I actually pay attention to web design trends
- It’s eye-catching. What would be more memorable? Times New Roman with a bulleted list, or Helvetica in colorful boxes?
- If I have “graphic design” listed as a talent, I sure as hell better have a unique résumé. In a way, the design of your resume is your own advertisement for yourself.
A few other tips for journalists’ resumes:
- Keep it short and clean. While this applies to pretty much every résumé, it’s especially important for a journalist. Journalists are supposed to be pros at keeping things concise and to the point. The first hint at whether you’re truly capable of that is through your resume.
- Run it through spell check. Again, this is more important for a journalist than it would be for an engineer. If you can’t copy edit your own resume, how can you be expected to copy edit your stories?
Who would you hire as your new media reporter?
Here are some other great ideas for resume design:
- Brand yourself. Give yourself a logo that you use on your résumé, your business card, your Web site and your blog. It’s a goal I have for myself, in fact. It gives you an identity and establishes your credibility
- Use color. I often hear the use of color/borders/shapes as huge résumé no-no. I disagree. Use color appropriately. Draw the readers’ eyes to the parts that are important, use it as a separator or as an accent.
- Use white space. Don’t make your résumé look like a novel. Again, applying basic principals of Web design, less text is better. Don’t distract the recruiter. Use bulleted lists and keep it clean.
Now, here’s some inspiration. Go open Photoshop, Illustrator, inDesign or all three and make yourself a new 
resume masterpiece. Even if you’re no good at graphic design, it’s easy to use good fonts and a little color to make your resume sparkle.
Vector illustration tutorial
Getting started
This tutorial is for those who already have basic/intermediate knowledge with Adobe
Example of a vectored image
Illustrator. This can also be done in Photoshop, but I recommend Illustrator just because you have more canvas space to work with. Keep in mind that I myself am an amateur at doing this, so don’t be too hard on me.
What is a vector-based image?
Vector graphics use geometrical elements such as points, lines, curves, and shapes. As opposed to raster graphics, vector-based images retain their resolution at any size because it’s all based on mathematical proportions.
This type of digital art has kind of a cartoon-like feel to it. Many people wrongly assume that this effect is created using some type of pre-made Photoshop filter. In actuality, it takes hours –if not days — of precise hand work to create a vector graphic like this.
Why should I learn it?
It’s good to know how to create vector graphics if you’re a Web designer or a student journalist. That way, you won’t have to rely on stock images to spice up your site icons or your Flash multimedia story. Plus, they’re just really fun. I’ve made a few and printed them out at 8x10s for my new apartment.
Step No. 1: Get a photo
Start with a decent sized photo that has good quality/lighting. The higher the resolution, the better– you’ll want to be able to zoom in on it (pushing CTRL + and CTRL – to zoom in and out, either in Photoshop or Illustrator) to see the details.
Step No. 2: Base outlines
First you’ll vector the basic shapes and colors. Use the pen tool in either Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop to trace along the outlines. It doesn’t have to be perfect, keep it simple. As you can see, I traced the body, with pretty rough skin tones and the hair and shirt. To connect your shapes with the pen tool, just click back where you started. Use the eyedropper to get the colors you want.
Step No. 3: Start the face
Next you’ll want to do basic facial features. Eyebrows, nose and mouth. For the nose, rather than tracing the outline, just get the nostrils and any defining shadows. You don’t have to worry about the eyes yet. We’ll get to that in the next step.
*TIP: Change the opacity regularly to see beneath back to the original image you’re tracing. It’s also helpful to group together similar parts that you want linked by right clicking and choosing “group.” You can go within these group to edit by double clicking.
Step No. 4: Eyes
Now we’re going to do the eyes. They can be a little bit tricky. Just take your time with them. Start off just tracing the whites. Try to be as exact as possible. You’ll also have to be patient because you’ll be changing the transperancy a lot to be able to see back to the original eye.
After you trace the white, use the main color (in this case brown) to trace around the interiors. Add a lot of detail to the color of the eye. Do variations of shapes and colors (I used green on mine) and take down the opacity to make them really pop.
Step No. 5: Shadows, lips
Now we add the shadows. You may want to add a slight gradient over your original face shape. On other deep shadows, just use a shade a little darker than the color below. This is where you’ll really define your style of vectoring. Use your own judgment to get it just right. Just trace over the main shades you see. You’ll also want to do a few of the finer details like adding creases to the lips.
Step No. 6: Hair
The hair in my example isn’t too complicated. But with hair that has different shades and highlights and shapes, you’ll need to get really creative. For vectors like that, the hair will probably be what you spend half of your time on. Pay close attention to where the light falls. You can even add more highlights when none exist, just to really give it that “vectored” touch. For women, focus on the shape of the hair and the it’s parted. Focus your shapes toward the direction of that part. For men, pay close attention to the actual hairline and sideburns.
*Tip: add a subtle gradient with the darker color away from the light souce.
Step No. 7: You’re done!
When you’re done, you’ll probably have more than 200 layers. This piece was obviously very rushed (completed in about 3 hours) for the purposes of this tutorial, but to get a really good quality vector illustration, you’ll probably find yourself spending days or weeks on a single piece. But don’t worry– time flies when you’re vectoring.
You’ll really need to get comfortable with the pen tool. The more often you vector, the better you’ll get. As for the purpose… hell if I know. It looks cool and its fun to do. It’s digital art. And if you’re not really an artist and you suck with a pencil and canvas– don’t worry. It takes no real talent to be able to do this. It takes taste and patience.
Have fun!
Additional Tips:
- Save your vector as an Illustrator file, an EPS, or (in photoshop) a PSD. That way, your image isn’t flattened and you can close it to come back later to work on it.
- Save OFTEN.You seriously want to be saving your work every few minutes, or else you’ll be one grumpy person when you recieve that much-hated “error” message.
- Don’t get frustrated. If this if your first time vectoring, it’ll be difficult. You’re probably not best friends with the pen tool yet and you’re not going to be able to know how to do things. In fact, your first vector is going to look pretty horrible. No worries. You’ll laugh at it in a month after you’ve perfected this art.
- Make sure you have a lot of time. Don’t start doing this is you’re going to go to work/class soon. You’ll get addicted. You’ll be up for hours.
Remember:
- It will look ridiculous the first time. Until you get comfortable with the pen tool, you will not be happy with the initial result. I’ll dig through old folders to try to find my first vector ever, and you will likely laugh your ass off. It takes time. Be patient. Good luck.
UPDATE: I found the original files for the first two vectors I ever attempted (this was around May 2007). I’m risking a lot of dignity by posting this, but I’m optimistic that it will give you hope. A little practice is all it takes. Laugh all you want, really.
This is an updated version of a tutorial I wrote on Hubpages in May.