Pucker up, let's create a sweet pair of super glossy vector lips. Start with a sketch, scan it in, Live Trace it, then proceed to color your illustration with layer upon glossy layer until your vector lips are complete. The workflow uses the Eraser Tool to reveal the shadows below, which is a useful approach to review. Let's get to it!
Final Image Preview
Below is the final design we will be working towards. Want access to the full Vector Source files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join VECTORTUTS PLUS for just $9/month.
Step 1
First, draw the lips on paper. It's always good to start with a solid sketch. Next, scan them in, convert the scan to a black and white image in Photoshop, and then drag the image into your Illustrator workspace.
Step 2
Click on the Live Trace button and use the Default settings, or ones you prefer, so you can work with the lines and colors as vectors.
Step 3
Expand the image.
Step 4
Select all the white fill with the Magic Wand Tool and delete it, so your left with only the black line.
Step 5
Draw a red square with your Rectangle Tool.
Step 6
Send the square back with CTRL + Left Bracket Key. Select the square and the lips with the Selection Tool. After that press the Divide button from Pathfinder options.
Step 7
With the Direct Selection Tool (A) select the red color outside the black outline and delete it.
Step 8
Now with the Direct Selection Tool (A) select the teeth and change their color to white.
Step 9
Ungroup all at once (Command + Shift + G), then with the Selection tool select the red path and copy it above the original one. Verify if the action worked by dragging the copy a little to left. Then set it back to the way it was, above the original fill, by hitting Undo (Command + Z).
Step 10
Change the color of the above red to a brighter one and then start erase with the Eraser Tool. Remove the spaces where you want to leave a shadow (reveal the darker red underneath).
Step 11
Apply the same technique with a brighter color. Copy it and set it above all the reds. Same as in the previous step, erase it a little so it seems like a soft light and let the darker red underneath look like a shadow.
Step 12
Add some white lines with the same method and arrange them if it's necessary with the Warp tool.
Step 13
With your Pen Tool draw the shadow of the teeth.
Step 14
Send it under the black and red colors, and leave it only above the white color of the teeth.
Step 15
Play a little with the colors in the overall illustration until your satisfied with the results.
Conclusion
Draw a dark red square behind the final work and that's all! Enjoy!
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User Comments
( ADD YOURS )Naldz Graphics November 3rd
Awesome tuts as always=)keep them coming=)
Ronald
Gustavo Lemos November 3rd
not vectortuts quality.. could be better..
Nate November 3rd
Pretty nice looking lips =)
Adam November 3rd
shexshy!
Dan November 3rd
Nice, short but nice.
accessoire November 3rd
Well the teeth are pretty weird, don’t you think ;)?
Orama November 3rd
Was looking for a tutorial like this!
The link to the scanned image in step 1 isn’t working.
Leo Utskot November 4th
Nice. Would you mind if I used the image as a basis for a painting?
Jonathan November 4th
Looks good. Thanks for sharing.
Fede November 5th
Very nice Tutorial. I’m going to use it! Keep on with this great work …. thanks for sharing!
sc November 6th
the teeth arent right, its the black to show the gaps and the opening. too harsh, should have been dark gray to show the gaps or something, and maybe a hint of the tongue. but the actual lips are terrific!
Howard Pinsky November 8th
Love the look and style! Great tutorial!
Dybiosh November 23rd
Nice tutorial!
BTW: link to the scaned image is broken.
Sean Hodge November 24th
@Dybiosh - Thx, I got that link fixed.
ivan December 12th
hey but where is the Live Trace button?? Im really new at Illustrator so please tell me exactly what to do since I open the image in illustrator.
MindReader December 23rd
This tutorial sucks….it obviously that this method is not the best way to do it.It is like scratching in the ear with the wrong hand.
My 2 cent…
Mike December 27th
Another great tutorial. Thanks!
-web design studio
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