In this project, my goal was to learn how to use illustrator to the best of my ability to create something really unique. I aimed to come up with a funny word and illustrate as so as accurately as I could.
Ideation
As far as ideation goes, we really did not do much. In class, we were to draw our initials on regular grid paper and then were asked to translate those forms onto isometric grid paper that we were given.
The next step in the ideation process was to choose a word to illustrate. These are the ideas I jotted down in the notes app of my phone.After we gained an understanding of how isometric drawings work and had some word ideas, we then moved into creating 3D words digitally. Here you can see some of the experiments I did on my own that are not isometric, but just practice getting used to the illustrator tools. The bottom portion of this image shows the final five mashups that I was deciding between, along with their definitions. Out of all the words I came up with, foggles absolutely stood out to me because it just works so well. I also knew that I could be really creative and fun with the word so I chose to go with it!
Iteration
Once I finally chose the word I was going to go with, it was time to start brainstorming ideas. In a conversation with my professor, we decided that turning one of the “g”s could create a visual representation of a pair of goggles if I chose the right font. Here you can see some exploration I did with different fonts and colors. I was also just getting used to using Illustrator and the 3D tools.These are some of the details I placed in my design that were not inherently the letters. The image on the far left is the water droplet shape I created using a tutorial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21pw-fRFNmo). I then used the water drops on the fog that I created, making multiple copies, warped them into different sizes and shapes to look more natural, all to create the condensation that fog often has on a surface, as shown in the second image from the left. This image also shows the “fog” I created which I will explain in the next image below. The third image from the left shows the beaker that I created to be the “L,” which I also followed a tutorial for (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLaT4k4w6IE). I used the pen tool to create the basic shape of the beaker and then used the 3D extrude and bevel tool to make it three-dimensional. I further tweaked it after that to make it more realistic and less blocky. The image on the far right side is the bubble that I created and repeated for the bubbles over the beaker. I also followed a tutorial for this one ( https://www.youtube.co m/watch?v=OygM29WPbgA).The is the image I used for inspiration for my goggles. Source: https://www.belart.com/safety-goggles.htmlOnce I settled on a font that I liked for the goggle shape, it was time to make them look like goggles. After I used the 3D extrude and bevel techniques we learned in class, I started to experiment with the transparency of the letter. Goggles are generally transparent plastic with a colored outline on the front, so I wanted to try to recreate that here. I chose blue because in my experience most science goggles have been blue. I made the rest of the shape gray and changed the opacity of all of it to about 50%. Later on, while talking to my professor, she suggested that I put the blue G shape on the back of the goggles as well to give the transparent parts more of a boundary, so I chose to take that suggestion which you can see a little bit in the image on the right. After I got the colors to my liking, it was then time to figure out how to make the fog realistic looking. I basically created an ellipse shape similar to the center of the G with the pen tool, changed the fill to light gray with no stroke, and then used the central Gaussian blur effect and adjusted it to my liking. After creating the fog, I added water droplets to create condensation. On the right image, the left goggle is what I started out with, just basic droplets on the fog. Whilst talking with my professor again, she also suggested that I add more shadow to the drops because they were really fading into the blurred ellipse. That is what you can see me start to do on the right side of the goggles. I just went in with the pen tool on only the bottom of each drop, then used the direct selection and width tools to round out and thicken areas that would have more shadow.After I created the goggles and the beaker, it was then time to decide what to do with the rest of the letters of the word. I originally had the idea of creating a microscope to resemble the S, but I didn’t like the way it looked. It would’ve been too difficult to accurately draw the microscope in isometric view, and I also thought it just added too much commotion to the word being next to the beaker, so I did away with the idea. I ended up going with a very basic blocky font for the remaining letters because I really wanted the goggles and beaker to stand out. I made them the same color as the goggles but with full opacity and also used the gradient tool to add dimension and shading.After I got my word somewhat finalized, I then moved into creating the background. I knew I wanted the word to be sitting on the iconic science lab table, but I was unsure of the execution. I originally attempted to create the front of the table, just two brown vertical rectangles, and one horizontal black rectangle, and use the 3D tool, but the legs would be all one big long leg and it looked nothing like the inspiration picture on the left side (source: https://www.schooloutfitters.com/catalog/product_info/pfam_id/PFAM46368/products_id/PRO67348?sc_cid=Google_LNT-DEI1013&adtype=pla&kw=&gclid=Cj0KCQiAyracBhDoARIsACGFcS7sfrv062tLR4ug0eDwC1hbwGFKVenjfTYVSP-DissT1ifN53GLkOEaAjdfEALw_wcB). So instead, I took the drawing of the front of the table and used the 3D tool, but only made it the depth of one leg. I then copied and pasted that whole shape, lined the copy up a reasonable distance behind the original using isometric line guides that I created, and then filled in the rest of the table in between the front and back. I just used the black part on the top, copied and pasted it many times, and lined it up also according to my guides. I then added in the wood slats that are right under the table top as well. After I finalized the base of the table, I then added the black feet using the pen tool.After the structure of the table was complete, I then wanted to give it some texture. I used a tutorial for this as well (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCr6741pnLI). I created a light brown square on which I created a skinny dark brown rectangle that I repeated across the square. I then used the warp, twirl, pucker, and bloat tools to create the wood grain look. I then selected all the shapes and created a pattern out of them, which I then applied to each piece of the table legs. This was actually a very irritating process because no matter what size I made the pattern or how I manipulated it, there were always seams in the pattern on the legs. I combated this by going in and connecting the pattern using the pen tool, but I had to redo this every time I moved the table, but it ended up working out well enough. I also had to create a separate pattern that was rotated 90 degrees for the horizontal parts of the table so the grain would be going horizontally, which you can see in the image below.Now began the enjoyable part for me. Adding in all the random details and fun objects was super fun because I had the freedom to do just about anything I wanted. The first thing I did was add in the bubbles that I talked about above and that made the word really flow upwards a little bit rather than be straight across the table. While I was doing this, I added in the wall and floor because I could barely see the bubbles while I was trying to move them around. I just went with a lighter blue for the wall to accent the dark blue in the word and an off-white color for the floor. I knew from the start that I wanted a spilled beaker on the table next to the word. Unlike the beaker I used for the L, creating this beaker wasn’t as straightforward because it was laying down. I basically just messed around with different techniques but ended up creating an ellipse shape and using the 3d tool to send it back into space. Before I expanded the shape, I just rotated the ellipse around a few degrees so it looked like it was laying on the table. I then created the goo that was spilling out of the beaker. I originally wanted it to be green but I ended up changing it to orange because it complimented the blue better. This was honestly quite difficult to draw in. I used the pen tool to just kind of make a blob, rounded it out with the direct selection tool, and manipulated it until it looked the most natural to me. I added in some shading as well.Here you can see the color change as well as some other details I added. I decided to make the goo spill off the table. Because of the 11×17 board size, I really tried to add details that filled up the space efficiently without bringing in too much commotion. I thought that adding the little drips of goo and the pool on the floor would draw the eye downwards with the path of the falling goo. I also added more shading and highlights, which were hard to articulate. I, again, just used the pen tool to draw random blobs and rounded them out with the direct selection tool. For the “piles” of goo, I added a shadow to the bottom of them to add dimensionality and thickness to the goo. I also added in these fun posters on the wall because what is a science lab without cheesy posters? I found these images online, imported them into Illustrator, and just used the 3d effect to give them some dimension rather than being flat to the wall. Image sources: overreacting (https://www.teepublic.com/poster-and-art/9880787-i-think-youre-overreacting-funny-science), safety goggles (https://www.amazon.com/stores/SignsDirect/page/8FF9FBAA-A615-4204-9159-F71E24C37E6C?ref_=ast_dp_bln_nofrnas_sto&store_ref=bl_ast_dp_nofrnas_sto).I also added in this poster from https://www.redbubble.com/i/poster/I-Tried-It-At-Home-Science-Funny-Science-by-mooon85/46560309.LVTDIAfter I had my background basically complete, it was time to add the dictionary definition of the word. My professor really wanted us to incorporate it into our design, not just have it plain and in the corner. I asked the group chat that we have for our class for suggestions on how to incorporate it intentionally, and someone suggested putting it on a piece of paper on the floor. It was a fantastic idea but I will be honest in saying that it was a task! After messing around with different techniques, I ended up simply using the pen tool to draw a polygon using the isometric line guides I had. I also originally made it look like notebook paper but it didn’t work out. The most difficult part of this process was figuring out how to warp the words. I ended up using a tool under the “3D and Materials” tab to create this effect. I selected plane, and just messed around with the X, Y, and Z rotations until it looked flush to the paper. This took a lot of guesswork to do, but once I figured it out, I instantly loved the way it turned out. It was at this moment that I realized that The words and lines on the page didn’t really work well together, and in order to change the words I would have to redo the whole process again, so I just got rid of the lines and I’m glad I did. Then I decided to make the goo splatter onto the paper. I used the same techniques as before, and also created little drops that splatter all around and also fall from the table. With the goo splattered on it, I really wanted to make the paper look rough and like it had been on the floor for a while. I used the direct selection tool to make “rips” on the page, and used the line tool with a brush stroke to create a skid mark effect as if someone had stepped on it a few times.The image on the left is all of the different layers I acquired over the course of creating this project. The right side just shows a few final touches I added in. I chose to make the other letters smaller to emphasize the G’s. I also put a light gray stroke on the other letters to make them pop a little more and I think it helped bring them forward more. I also added tiles to the floor, and a stroke on the floor to better separate it from the wall. I finally added a little crack to the beaker in the front using the pen tool.
Reflection
I actually really enjoyed creating this project. This was my first time really using illustrator to this extent and I really enjoyed learning about all the tools and getting familiar with the software. I was also very impressed with the things that I accomplished throughout this process. I don’t consider myself to be super creative or good at drawing but this really surprised me. I guess it’s all in the tools you use. There were, however, a few things that I did not particularly enjoy about this project. This really overworked my computer and I honestly wasn’t sure if she was going to survive, but she did. We had a few crashes but it could have been much worse than it was. Also because I didn’t have a clue how to use most of the tools in illustrator, this project took me a very long time to complete. I will say though, I really enjoyed most of the hours I spent on it, I just underestimated how long it would take me. If I were to go back and change anything, I definitely would retry the goo. Something about it still looks a little off to me. I also received a comment in our critique about how the L beaker looks more like an I and I very much agree. I would maybe go back and make some kind of L-shaped beaker so it is better communicated.
