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Design Illustrator Foundations Introduction to Adobe Illustrator Understanding the Application

Posted by Sushant Saurabh
Sushant Saurabh
8,352 Points

Draw on pen and paper or directly on Illustrator?

Is it a good practice to draw on pen and paper first and come up with a good icon / logo / image first and then convert it to an illustrator project or directly diving to Illustrator is a better option?

Thank you

7 Answers

Julian Gutierrez
Julian Gutierrez
19,201 Points
Julian Gutierrez
Julian Gutierrez
19,201 Points

In my opinion definitely, my workflow has always been.

  1. Draw a bunch of loose sketches to get my ideas down on paper.
  2. Pick one of the sketches.
  3. Refine the sketch still with paper and pencil.
  4. Take a picture with my phone or scan image and open it on Illustrator to make it a vector image.
Farouk Charkas
Farouk Charkas
1,957 Points
Farouk Charkas
Farouk Charkas
1,957 Points

My workflow is directly on Paint (Small Projects for Kids) and InkScape (Free tool for Illustrating)

Oskar Radon-Kimball
Oskar Radon-Kimball
8,142 Points
Oskar Radon-Kimball
Oskar Radon-Kimball
8,142 Points

Everyone's workflow is different, I work similarly to Julian but an alternative I've been trying to get into more is using a tablet like a Wacom to draw my sketches directly into whatever program I'm working with: Sketch, Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.

This workflow cuts out the middle man of transferring the sketch to the program since my drawings are already digital. There are drawing programs for iPads and other tablets too, you could email files or screenshots from those to yourself as another way of keeping your sketches digital, but I personally like the feel of pencil on paper and the excuse to step away from the computer.

Sushant Saurabh
Sushant Saurabh
8,352 Points
Sushant Saurabh
Sushant Saurabh
8,352 Points

Thanks a ton for the replies :)

Francesco Belvedere
Francesco Belvedere
15,206 Points
Francesco Belvedere
Francesco Belvedere
15,206 Points

I prefer pencil/pen and paper first. There is something about working with this type of analog tool that is freeing and allows me to really explore certain concepts and shapes. You can also do this type of sketching really, really fast and almost anywhere. It adds an organic feel to my designs and I just think differently when sketching.

I then take it into the computer and refine from there.

Farouk Charkas
Farouk Charkas
1,957 Points
Farouk Charkas
Farouk Charkas
1,957 Points

My workflow is directly on Paint (Small Projects for Kids) and InkScape (Free tool for Illustrating)

Farouk Charkas
Farouk Charkas
1,957 Points
Farouk Charkas
Farouk Charkas
1,957 Points

My workflow is directly on Paint (Small Projects for Kids) and InkScape (Free tool for Illustrating)