it takes tiiiiiiime

getting the right l33t skillz to produce a wicked vectors can only be done through experience (or phenomenonally gifted people).

i don't use vectors!
i suck at vectors!
i hand draw, scan and then clear/colour in photoshop.
i think trav does the same.

and, btw, thanx for mentioning me beside those great artists dude! i don't think i deserve that...but thanks!

Sook.

i don't vector.
i've just practiced drawing that way for years.
if my pen work has a little fluff or bleed to them, i use photoshop 'cut out filter' while it's still just my scanned black and white inkwork....on a setting of (levels-2) (edge simplicity- on anything from 4 to 6, expirimentally) (and edge fidelity is up to you. about 2 or 3)
all this of course, if you've scanned your work at like 300 or 400 dpi.

you can pretty much get the same result from livetracing your inkwork in CS, but sometimes that comes off too cold and perfect for me.

i use a mouse

Woah! Thanks for the namedrop, but I don't belong on that list!

I suck at vectors, I only worked out how to use the pen tool a few months ago. And I can't draw with pen and paper at all well - no exaggeration. Most of my designs are made by making shapes in photoshop and fiddling with them until they look ok! They take me far longer than they should.

If I could sketch stuff decently to begin with, I'd make much better designs.

Still, I'm awfully flattered!

d3d and glennz have wicked vector skills

i fucking hate vectors. everyone tells me it's quicker. i agree in the end it can look tighter, and of course, be blown up to any side, but i guarantee that with my years of practice, i can turn out the same product my way faster...and then if i still need it vectored, i drag it into illi and livetrace it.

i know im not on your list, but i use illustrator all the time.

and if you are talking illustrator/freehand it takes practice and getting comfortable with the tools. the pen tool i always hated until i learned how to use it, understanding how to control the anchors. and learning what you can do with all the other tools too.

practice like anything else.

i still don't understand where i have to place anchor points on vectors...it drives me crazy!

wherever you want to adjust the flow of the line. add and anchor and then adjust the grabbers. you can break the tension on the grabbers with the "V" looking tool which is associated with the pen. is that what you mean Adam?

The pen tool is mighty and complex. On the other hand, there is something to be said for the hand drawn look.

i tried and tried a zillion times to use illustrator...but everytime iwas like: Oh i understood!...i messed the whole thing up...so i quitted. :)

the pen tool is mightier than the sword!

I can't use illustrator either. I really should learn.

i hear you. i avoided illustrator and opted for doing things in photoshop, but now im the other way around. i only use photoshop when working with photos. its all in what you get used to using. i dont think one is necessarily better than another, if you can do it the way you know how - i wouldnt change.

it took me ages to find out how illustrator worked, i still consider me a noob after 5 years

ah, this is great information, them boyz up there got mad skillz yo!

The pen tool is mighty and complex.

I was going to say some dorky thing about "the pen tool being mightier than...." something, but then I saw this, and I think I can manage to control myself. =]

Annnnnd Ricco beat me to it whilst I was typing, anyway. =]

haha!

trav the only reason i took up vector was because i fucking hate ink bleed. it cost me some of the life in my work but i'm so glad not to have pens run out or paper rip or have to refill clutch pencils that i'm prepared to spend years perfecting (or imperfecting) energetic lively vector art. natural media just pisses me off that much. call me a control freak.

you guys are dirrty!

heh! sorry verdana! didn't do that on purpose...
i apologize! :)

Wow

Cheers very much for all the feedback, much appreciated.

and corey8 - sorry i missed you dude

I'm stunned that yous all believe you shouldn't be compared to one another - I consider you guys to be up in the Threadless Elite - along with d3d and glennz ( apologies again for missing yous first time round)...

And it seems I have been missinformed, i thought that everything had to be created in a vector package freehand/illustrator then imported into photoshop and saved down. ( I had always thought in the back of my mind that that was a little strange - why couldn't the threadlesss heads just provide an illustrator template?)

So this is great news, after years of fiddling with anchor points, pens and pencils (damn you auto-smooth!) in Freehand MX, i've been allowed all along to sketch it out, then whack it straight into photoshop.

Ironically, i'm actually pretty shit hot with Freehand and illustrator (prefer Freehand mind you). I use it all the time at my work (real money earning work, not the fun-side stuff).

Once again, thanks ever so much.

Once again, thank YOU! I never get mentioned in these kinds of lists. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

draw --> scan --> Corel Draw or Illustrator --> PhotoShop