Work with perspective

How-to
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published

In part two of his masterclass, Derek Lea explains how symbol usage, feather effects and clipping masks can be used to add texture, colour and perspective to your tattoo-style illustration.

When you begin to examine traditional Japanese art, you'll notice, in a variety of instances and uses, a differentiation between the dimensional qualities of subject matter and its pattern fills. Subject matter is often rendered in a somewhat proper perspective, adhering to the rules of 3D, yet patterned areas within the same image are often flat and two-dimensional, giving the artwork a unique appearance overall.

It is this distinct style that you'll focus on here, in part two of our Illustrator masterclass. Last time around, you created the line work of the illustration using Illustrator's brush features. This time, you'll make full use of Illustrator's symbols features. This will enable you to use instances of a group of objects over and over, replicating the scales of the fish and giving the pattern a 2D appearance.

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