Learning Resources

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Lesson

Introduction

Illustration is the process of creating visual images to graphically show a concept, an idea, an object, or a process. Illustrations may be photograph-like. They may be in perspective with realistic colours, shading and shadows. Illustrations can take artistic license with reality, and often modify the look in subtle or exaggerated ways to enhance one or more elements of the image. Illustrations may be cartoon-like. They are used in a wide variety of applications and publications.

The following links show a variety of illustrations and illustration styles. Note that these are all copyrighted images with embedded fingerprints for tracking on the web. Please do not copy and use them.

• http://www.americanillustration.org/index2.html
• http://www.theillustrationlibrary.com/
• http://www.diterlizzi.com/
• http://illustrations.frnet.de/illustrations/
• http://www.rkm.com.au/imagelibrary/index.html

For images you can freely use, try

• http://dgl.microsoft.com/

Technical illustration is a highly specialized form of illustration. It has the added requirement that the drawing be technically accurate in every respect. Technical illustrations always start with very accurate technical drawings onto which the illustration process is layered. Frequently, technical illustrations show cutaways of interior components, and make use of transparent layers and exploded views.

Examples of technical illustration

• http://www.autotechart.com
  

Technical illustrators require a range of capabilities. They need the knowledge and skills to create technical drawings and illustrations. They need artistic talent and an ability to interpret technical details in an easy to understand visual format.

Creating Technical Illustrations

While the information you have seen thus far on technical illustrations may seem intimidating, there are simple principles and procedures behind the most complex of drawings. Most technical illustrations will be in orthographic views and/or isometric drawings. They will be drawn using technical drawing procedures. The illustration in technical illustration is the application of a variety of rendering techniques to give the drawing realism and to show the particular details that are required. Rendering techniques include

• Shading. Colour, cross-hatching, lines, tone and stippling are used to provide realism, to differentiate between components, to illustrate processes and to enhance the illusion of three dimensionality in the drawing.
• Shadows. Shadows can add more realism to a drawing
• Cutaways. Cutaways are used to show parts hidden by other parts of a drawing
• Exploded Views. Exploded views are used to show the order of assemble of components
• Transparent surfaces. Transparent surfaces are often used instead of cutaways to show hidden parts of a drawing.

Activity

Assigned activities

The purpose of this activity is to start with the sketching techniques that you learned for technical drawings and add the techniques for creating technical illustrations.

All but the last two videos are 400 by 300 DivX encoded. The last two are 320 by 240.

Tone Lines Colour Stippling Hatching	Shading Print several copies of the Isometric Block sheet with multiple cubes Using one block for each, sketch the shading technique for each of the objects used in the lesson. View the videos at the left if you need help with techniques. They show slightly different illustrations than the originals. The completed illustrations from the videos are shown below tone lines colour stippling (only one side is done) cross-hatching You may need to practice a few before completing a final set
	Shadows Make several copies of the Isometric Block sheet with a single cube Sketch the shading and shadows for the cube object. View the video at the left if you need help with techniques. Here is the finished sketch
	Cutaways Make several copies of the Orthographic Grid sheet Sketch the object with cutaway View the video at the left if you need help with techniques. Here is the finished sketch
	Exploded Views Make several copies of the Isometric Grid sheet Sketch the object with exploded view View the video at the left if you need help with techniques. Here is the finished sketch
	Transparent Surfaces Make several copies of the Isometric Grid sheet Sketch the object with transparent surfaces. The video shows a simpler drawing that the one above. The cylinders in the box are replaced with two cubes. You can use the cubes rather than the cylinders View the video at the left if you need help with techniques. Here is the finished sketch

• Scan all sketches and add an appropriate entry to your portfolio
• Publish the portfolio to your course web

Test Yourself

There is no self test for this lesson.