Author: Adri

I'm a freelance graphic designer.

In this tutorial you will learn how to vectorize your images in a more easy way. First time you will be doing this probably you will think that I’m kidding, but take another image and make the tutorial again and you will see that I’m right.

This is what you’ll be doing:

Step 1

Open the image in Photoshop. In this case it’s not necessary to duplicate your background image because you will work all the time in separate layers.

Take the Pen Tool (P), make sure you have Paths option selected (you will find this option in the top left hand corner of the Photoshop window), and start selecting her skin. Don’t worry about the hair and t-shirt. You will have all in layers later and you’ll see how easy it will be to rearange everything.
After you make the path – right click on the image and choose Make Selection, set the Feather Radius to 0.

Step 2

Make sure your foreground color is #e3bba1 and that you are in a new layer. Press Alt + Backspace to fill the selection with that color. Rename the layer: Skin (double click on its initial name in order to change it ) and make the layer invisible for the moment.

Step 3

Using the same technique make the sunglasses. Don’t forget to make a new layer and to rename it. After you fill the selection with color go to Edit -> Stroke. Choose a width of 4 pixels, pick a color a little darker than the one you used to fill the glasses, and hit Ok.

Now you have your frame around the sunglasses.

Step 4

Make a new layer and name it Hair. Repeat the step above. Fill the selection with a brown color.

Put this layer under the hair but above the skin.

Step 5

Notice that in the original image the hair is behind sunglasses (on the left hand side). So Ctrl + Click on the sunglasses layer thumbnail (you will notice that your cursor will change) in order to select it. Now you can take the Eraser Tool and delete the hair that’s above the sunglasses. Because the sunglasses are selected you will only erase the hair that’s in the selection.

Step 6

In case you’re fine with the sunglasses’ shape you can skip this step. But I noticed that my shape is not so great so I have two options: I can make it again or I can copy the left side of the sunglasses, put it in a new layer, flip it horizontally and position the selection where the wrong one used to be.
I’ve chosen the second option.

If you want to delete something from your image is always better just to mask that part. You never know when you’ll need it again. So hit the Add layer mask button (at the bottom of the Layer Palette), make sure your foreground color is black, take the Brush Tool and start to brush over the left part of the sunglasses. If you want to bring back what you’ve just hidden just change the foreground color to white and brush over again.

Step 7

Use the same technique and create the t-shirt.

And this is what you have so far:

Step 8

Let’s create her mouth now. After you’ve done with the shape, take the Pen Tool again and this time just make the little lines you see in the next picture. One line at a time.

After you draw the line don’t choose Make selection anymore, instead, choose Stroke Path. From the drop down choose Brush Tool and make sure your brush has 0 Hardness and the Master Diameter is somewhere around 2-3 pixels, depending on how large you want the lines to be.

Make a new layer, set the foreground color to white, take the Brush Tool and start to brush like you see in my picture. That will give a glossy aspect to the lips.

Step 9

Use Pen Tool again to make the nose. Use Make selection and Stroke Path.

Step 10

Use the Stroke Path again to add details to the t-shirt and Make Selection to add the shadows from the original image.

Step 11

Turn all the layers off, let visible only the one with the skin, reduce its Opacity to about 30% and make a new layer above it.

Set the Master Diameter of the Brush Tool to 4 pixels, set the foreground color to #d6ab8f and start to outline her shapes.

Don’t forget to make her ring and bracelets, set the Skin layer opacity again to 100% and to turn on the other layers.

Result

Final image should look similar to this:

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial

Adri

Thank you Jason for following my tutorials and for your appreciations !

Jason

Nice one Adri like always :)
Vector art seems to be popular and tutorial like this helps people make their own

Naomi

Awesome :D

Claudia

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Claudia

http://paintingdrawing.net

Edwin

Great Tutorial and very detailed, easy to follow. Nice.

Gangstafier

Thanks for the tutorial, I used it to make my first self portrait. I turned it in to class today, I will be sure to post back my grade! ;)

didim

just perfect and easy, thanks for sharing

Stephanie

Neophyte question...when I try to create the Glasses layer, the pen path on Skin interferes. How do I get the old pen path to go away on the new layer?

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