Vector: 1/3 or 4
In my high school Commercial Arts class, the teacher assigned us to write a story which would demonstrate our understanding of Adobe Illustrator software. His intention, I think, was that we write a story about completing a design, explaining the process step-by-step like a tutorial. I went in a slightly different direction.
Numerous skin colored highlights and shadows blend to create a gradient on The Illustrator's face as he watches over the city from the rooftop. Suddenly, something catches his eye. A rather unusual man is walking the streets below. The man's most striking feature is his head, which rests between his legs like a codpiece while something entirely different protrudes from his neck. His knees bend backwards and his thumb has switched places with his middle finger (this has kept him from his dream of becoming a movie critic; two thumbs up from him is considered insulting). His pink leotard is decorated with a square inside of a circle. It is Illustrator's archenemy, Crappy Design!
Illustrator attaches an anchor point to the ledge of the building like a grappling hook and holds the second in his hand. This new line segment twists and curves as he swings to the ground like a jungle man on a vine. Crappy Design turns to look at him. "You!" he shouts. "I'm sick of you." He uses his favorite weapon to color Illustrator with a tacky leopard skin swatch. Illustrator is distracted and CD prepares to fire another shot.
But Illustrator uses his magic wand to select the weapon (the weapon happens to be the only thing on Earth that uses its particular sickly brown color) and lift it from Crappy Design's hand. Focusing on CD, our hero doesn't realize that he is about to be jumped by dozens of thugs. Of course, he couldn't have noticed; the devilish henchmen have turned their transparency to zero, making them invisible! Illustrator is overpowered. If only he can reach the dial on his belt...yes! He says "Transform" and is immediately twenty feet tall. The thugs hang on for dear life as they are lifted into the air. Their captive shakes them off like a dog shakes off water after its bath.
In the confusion, Crappy Design has run off. He's two blocks away already. Genius that he is, Illustrator knows that he can catch the villain without going anywhere. He needs only to move the rest of the world. With his magic wand, Illustrator selects himself. He presses the inverse button on his wand and begins to pull. The universe itself is moving around him, including Crappy Design. In moments, Illustrator's enemy is running towards him. Still a giant, Illustrator plucks Crappy Design from the ground. He creates a cube and uses his make with top object vision to distort Crappy Design. The villain becomes completely angular with no curves or bends. He can't move! Illustrator straps his belt around the cube and turns the dial down. Within moments, Crappy Design can fit in his pocket. Our hero triumphs again.
Join Illustrator next week when the multiplying Con Troll C breaks out of prison. The terrible Troll enacts his most diabolical plan yet, copying a massive army that can take over the design world. Meanwhile, the original fiend has a score to settle with our hero. Can Illustrator survive and save us all yet again? Find out next week.
As my title here implies, I wasn’t done with the graphic design superhero idea just yet. In a college class I took focused on Adobe Illustrator, the final project was entirely of our own choosing. I thought it would be fun to do a package design for an action figure, and I needed a superhero character to base it on. Thus The Illustrator became The Vector (Adobe Illustrator and similar software are referred to as "vector-based"). The back of the package also includes Crappy Design, Con Troll C (renamed "The Duplicator", although the troll doll influence is still evident in his appearance), and a new villain called the Eraser.
Meanwhile, in another class, I was assigned to make a movie poster. Why not continue with the same character? (The reflection in his goggles, if you can't tell, is a fireball or explosion. The tagline doesn't make much sense without it.) (And don't ask why he's lit the way he is.)
The seeds of the character and his story were planted in my head, and there was no getting rid of them now.
Numerous skin colored highlights and shadows blend to create a gradient on The Illustrator's face as he watches over the city from the rooftop. Suddenly, something catches his eye. A rather unusual man is walking the streets below. The man's most striking feature is his head, which rests between his legs like a codpiece while something entirely different protrudes from his neck. His knees bend backwards and his thumb has switched places with his middle finger (this has kept him from his dream of becoming a movie critic; two thumbs up from him is considered insulting). His pink leotard is decorated with a square inside of a circle. It is Illustrator's archenemy, Crappy Design!
Illustrator attaches an anchor point to the ledge of the building like a grappling hook and holds the second in his hand. This new line segment twists and curves as he swings to the ground like a jungle man on a vine. Crappy Design turns to look at him. "You!" he shouts. "I'm sick of you." He uses his favorite weapon to color Illustrator with a tacky leopard skin swatch. Illustrator is distracted and CD prepares to fire another shot.
But Illustrator uses his magic wand to select the weapon (the weapon happens to be the only thing on Earth that uses its particular sickly brown color) and lift it from Crappy Design's hand. Focusing on CD, our hero doesn't realize that he is about to be jumped by dozens of thugs. Of course, he couldn't have noticed; the devilish henchmen have turned their transparency to zero, making them invisible! Illustrator is overpowered. If only he can reach the dial on his belt...yes! He says "Transform" and is immediately twenty feet tall. The thugs hang on for dear life as they are lifted into the air. Their captive shakes them off like a dog shakes off water after its bath.
In the confusion, Crappy Design has run off. He's two blocks away already. Genius that he is, Illustrator knows that he can catch the villain without going anywhere. He needs only to move the rest of the world. With his magic wand, Illustrator selects himself. He presses the inverse button on his wand and begins to pull. The universe itself is moving around him, including Crappy Design. In moments, Illustrator's enemy is running towards him. Still a giant, Illustrator plucks Crappy Design from the ground. He creates a cube and uses his make with top object vision to distort Crappy Design. The villain becomes completely angular with no curves or bends. He can't move! Illustrator straps his belt around the cube and turns the dial down. Within moments, Crappy Design can fit in his pocket. Our hero triumphs again.
Join Illustrator next week when the multiplying Con Troll C breaks out of prison. The terrible Troll enacts his most diabolical plan yet, copying a massive army that can take over the design world. Meanwhile, the original fiend has a score to settle with our hero. Can Illustrator survive and save us all yet again? Find out next week.
As my title here implies, I wasn’t done with the graphic design superhero idea just yet. In a college class I took focused on Adobe Illustrator, the final project was entirely of our own choosing. I thought it would be fun to do a package design for an action figure, and I needed a superhero character to base it on. Thus The Illustrator became The Vector (Adobe Illustrator and similar software are referred to as "vector-based"). The back of the package also includes Crappy Design, Con Troll C (renamed "The Duplicator", although the troll doll influence is still evident in his appearance), and a new villain called the Eraser.
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