SECTION TWO
be recognizable to the reader. You merely need to suggest
the form, their own experience and imagination will f ill
in the details.
drawing program, experimenting with different shadings,
textures and combinations of shapes and layers will all
help you hone these skills and get your creative juices
f lowing as freely as the ink in your writing pen!
For example, a basic f ish form can be crated to be used
for a side view or top view just by changing the shape
of the tail. Likewise, the prof ile of the basic f ish form
can be elongated for your “pike” illustration or squished
down and heightened for that “crappie” image you need.
Once you’ve determined the desired shape, simple color,
density and texture tools enable you to detail the “f ish”
as needed.
You can illustrate subjects or create scenarios by simply
creating basic backdrops and “props” such as weeds, logs,
rocks, etc. and place your artwork as needed. Since each
piece of art can be created on its own layer (think invisible
sheet of art paper), you can stick your f ish within another
piece of artwork or between two pieces as needed (see f ish
trap example).
Oftentimes photography won’t enable you to get
the images you need to showcase points in your text.
Instructions on techniques for kayakers, for example, were
easier and more clearly instructive by using illustrations on
how to perform certain techniques. This would have been
a major effort using photography. Again, simple shapes
-rectangle and circles - the basic forms, are manipulated
to suggest objects.
Like any skill, practice is key. “Sketching” with your
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ABOVE: Oftentimes images don’t exist. Illustrations can
be created using a basic form (like the needle shape used
here).
BELOW: Sometimes a more striking image is achieved
through illustrating rather than photography - especially
when details are critical. Using one basic form (the rocks
and the glowing firewood), a fire ring was created as was
the bed of hot coals, together with other elements to create
the image needed to convey key points in an article on
cooking campfires.
HORIZONS | 13