Case Study - The Watch
Objective
The objective for this project was to study and produce a hyper-realistic watch in vector art form. Through this study we will see how gradients, patterns, and mask can be applied to help produce and highly detailed piece. It will also be a challenge to recreate materials in the watch such as metal, glass, and leather as these often have a lot going on in their appearance that might seem impossible to reproduce in vector form.
To start this project we are really going to have to study the various parts of different watches and decided which one we want to replicate for our case study. Through this process I chose a handful of watches and really looked at the minor details and shading within the watch.
One thing I noticed in this process is that it is different from creating our own digital art where we create concept after concept. Instead we have to sketch and reproduce what we see. This is different form our typical coming up with ideas as we reference life instead.
Digital Illustrations
Once we studied various watches it was time to choose one and start laying out the foundation in illustrator for success. This was a huge process as I started with basic shapes, gradients, and then shading and details.
With each step the watch became more and more complex. Through feedback I was able to adjust shading and lighting to really recreate the watch as a whole. This was helpful as while it is still drawing from life, I found myself missing little details others would catch.
One of the most difficult parts of the project was also the leather. We can take advantage of gradients and shadows to recreate metal, but leather was a whole new ball game for me. I took advantage of shading, patterns, and artist effects within illustrator to recreate the leather to the best of my abilities.
Below you can see my progress with my reference photo to the left. Below that you can see all the paths that make up the vector art.
Overall this project both pushed me and my computer as a designed. I learned a lot especially about recreating something form life in illustrator. While there are more applicable programs for this it was interesting to create such a case study within this program and work within the constraints I had.
It was also a great challenge learning what I could and could not do within the program. Working with gradients and other elements in illustrator I was able to experiment and find ways to recreate effects I would have never though of using. I definitely learned some things that can be applied to future projects.
