Vector Pioneer
Illustration by John Ingles ? sgraphix.com

Vector Pioneer

IMO the best part of any creative conference is the people you meet. This year at the Creative South Conference, I met John Ingles, a long-time veteran in communication arts. He illustrated products for Porsche, Yamaha, etc., in vector form long before stock image houses were typical, and vector art was the best way to deliver high-resolution images (resolution independent actually) for any usage.

John helped beta test Illustrator in the late '80s, and the art he created using Adobe Illustrator 3.0 to make the following vector-based illustrations is jaw-dropping when you consider that version didn't have the following functionality at that time:

  • No Preview Mode building (Outline Mode only)?
  • No Layers
  • No Mesh Tool
  • No Gradient Mesh Tool
  • No Offset Path Functionality
  • No Rubber Band assist when building with the Pen Tool

Yet John masterfully figured out how to do it with the tools and functionality available in version 3.0 to produce his illustration.

No alt text provided for this image

The level of realism in this Porsche vector illustration is stunning, considering it's over 30 years old now. John would build the starting and end shape and use the shape blending functionality in Ai to achieve the same results someone would get now using the 'Mesh Tool.' It was a painstaking process.

No alt text provided for this image

Here is Outline Mode view on this Porsche illustration. Outline Mode is the visual environment he had to create the vector artwork in since, at that time, you couldn't build in Preview Mode. So he'd make adjustments, save his file, then render it in Preview Mode to see how it was progressing.

This back and forth method was modus operandi with Illustrator in those days. Unfortunately, only the competition at the time, Aldus FreeHand, could build in Preview Mode, and that was the app I was using myself starting in 1991.

No alt text provided for this image

Here is a violin vector illustration John created around the same time.

He illustrated all kinds of products, such as this Yamaha speaker. The level of detail is amazing. Vector art in the late '80s and '90s was used in the same manner as CGI today, but with less flexibility, since it's locked into a fixed perspective.

No alt text provided for this image

Need a some vector art tennis shoes? Try these on for size.

No alt text provided for this image

Meeting John and his wife De was one of the highlights of attending the Creative South Conference in Georgia. John's depth of knowledge about Illustrator and his work history filled in many memory holes for me and connected many dots. It was fun getting to know him and hearing about his creative journey and experience.

John's job was ultimately phased out with changing times and technology, and the company sold. But, like any creative pioneer, he learned new skills as a web developer and coder and focused on starting his new creative business with his wife, Smiley Graphix Studio.

John and his wife's latest creative venture is based on their mutual passion for the outdoors, nature, and the environment and can be found at WildRooted.com.

You can also follow John on his social media accounts:

Susan Margaret Shaw

Digital, Ink, and Pencil Illustration - Digital Composition - Press Production

1 年

These are fantastic! Getting the mesh warp to work the way I wanted it to was such a pain but worth it when completed. Thankfully they were for imprint templates so I didn't need the level of detail as above.

回复
Gavin Amspaugh

I am a Graphic Designer graduate of The Modern College of Design. Specializing in Logo Design, Branding, Web Design, and the Adobe Suite such as Illustrator, Photoshop, XD, and InDesign.

2 年

That is mind blowing for me, seeing vector art from before I was even born!? Very interesting article, I would love to meet this guy too!

Malcolm White

Self Employed Graphic Artist and Designer

2 年

I love this. This is how we did it back then... and before that it was airbrush on cardboard with countless cutout maskings so no vector at all. Amazing how far we have come with mesh gradients etc now for more control on vector illustrations so they look more like a photoshop file but able to be enlarged without loss of detail. I do miss the old days of problem solving in Adobe illustrator though to achieve effects but in saying that there will always be problems to be solved when doing illustration renderings haha.

Brian Gonzales

Director | Solver Collective Digital Agency

2 年

Stunning. I can’t believe he did that with no layering. Just madness in the curve details. Love it. Thanks for sharing his story.

回复
David Smoak

Designer + Photographer — Agriculture / Heavy Equipment / Outdoor Lifestyle / Education / Non-profits / Concerts

2 年

Amazing.

要查看或添加评论,请登录

Von Glitschka的更多文章

  • Adobe MAX and Text to Vector Generative AI

    Adobe MAX and Text to Vector Generative AI

    FRIENDS Reuniting with fellow creative friends at Adobe MAX and forging new connections is always the highlight of any…

    85 条评论
  • Digitally Inking in Adobe Illustrator

    Digitally Inking in Adobe Illustrator

    Analog Drawing The creative process is different for everyone. It certainly doesn’t have to be perfect.

    6 条评论
  • Modern Kulture Art Project

    Modern Kulture Art Project

    As of yesterday, I’ve created 321 ‘Modern Kulture’ designs over this past year. I’ve set my total at 365, and if…

    12 条评论
  • Week 1: Improve Your Creative Process

    Week 1: Improve Your Creative Process

    My flagship course for LinkedIn Learning is titled 'Drawing Vector Graphics.' The course comes from my book 'Vector…

    5 条评论
  • A Systematic Creative Process

    A Systematic Creative Process

    The creative process is different for everyone, and the following images are simple documentation of how I approach my…

    18 条评论

社区洞察

其他会员也浏览了