Esotropiart

Mainstream and open source vector illustration software is finally approaching the advanced way of thinking that we artists employ. Okay, so I'm not such a great artist, but I have very high expectations for what I wish to be able to achieve through graphics software. Usually these expectations are met with disappointment. I'm not extremely fond of Adobe Illustrator, and my interest in CorelDRAW has waned significantly since Corel's business model shifted to corruption.

The lesser known but formidable Serif DrawPlus and amazing open source Inkscape have stepped up to the plate in recent versions. Both have much to offer in the area of curve manipulation. I specifically wish to recreate drawings with pristine thick and thin flowing lines, such as those found in comic books. My attempts at hand drawing smooth lines tend to be shoddy at best, regardless of pen or paper choice. Perhaps the biggest frustration or impediment is not being able to correct mistakes. Ink is not very forgiving, and botched lines cannot be fixed easily if at all.

It is my hope to eventually use some of my line drawings for higher production than low resolution web presentation. In their current hand drawn state, they are hideously rough when scaled to a reasonable size. I'm always looking for a vector illustration application that provides the quickest method for producing drawings with varying line thickness.

Without going into great detail right now on how I achieved the results, here is an image that shows the difference between original pen drawn lines and computer vector graphics. I finally found a technique that, while still slow, is more manageable than previous efforts. The resulting vector lines are perfect, even if the choices of lines or drawing style isn't. Eventually I'd like to redo many of my favorite drawings using this technique. I only wish there was a faster way. There are more expedient methods, but the results stink in comparison.

Graphics applications still aren't implementing some ideas I have that would really make this sort of thing easy, but they are getting closer all the time. I can't wait to see what Serif DrawPlus X3 has to offer. Inkscape has its merits as well.

Original Ink Drawing (zoomed & cropped)

Same Area Recreated Using DrawPlus X2 & Inkscape