Card Book Illustrations

If you have considered publishing your own ideas but were not sure on how to go about having illustrations done for your book, look no further. I've always been fascinated by art and when reading books about cards, I've long been drawn (unavoidable pun) to their illustrations as much as the descriptions. I've drawn illustrations in more than half a dozen card magic books and here's the process I use!

WHAT TOOLS YOU'LL NEED

WACOM drawing tablet and stylus (pen)

Laptop or PC

Drawing/Painting software

Camera (for reference photographs)

STEP BY STEP PROCESS

1.       Let’s assume you’ve already decided which are the most helpful moments to illustrate. Getting some help taking photos can make things easier but if you have a tripod and use a timer/delay function on your camera, then generally you can manage taking the photos by yourself.

2.       I’ve found that choosing the right shots/angles and composition is the most important aspect of reference photos. I’d say that the more experience you have drawing, it’s less important for photo quality to be crisp, because you can adjust information more in your drawings using your drawing knowledge and experience.

3.       My illustrations usually include lighting to help better describe forms and depth, so I aim to set up the shots with high-contrast lighting and then I’ll experiment with light direction to get the best dark areas for each illustration. A dark background in your photographs usually makes your hand and the cards stand out and easier to see at the edges.

Illustration Digital Workflow

1.       I draw each illustration by tracing the photographs using a Wacom pen and tablet.

2.       I’ll add a shadow/tone layer above the line layer, also use a hard brush to draw and fill in shadow areas. Do not use paint bucket to fill. Paint shadows in black at 100% brush opacity and adjust layer opacity afterwards as desired (I like around 35% for shadow layers)

3.       For speedy workflow, you can use actions to instantly create, arrange and name all the layers you’ll need, and always lock layers you’re not working on.

4.       I’ve created card index pip files to copy and place when “drawing” card faces, and similarly a card back design which can be dragged into the illustration file. To position these, I’ll set the layer blend mode to multiply and use the transform tool to match perspective in the illustration. They each have their own layer and I’ll usually just erase areas obscured by fingers, other cards etc. I’ve also made court card files that can be repurposed in a similar way to speed up the illustration process.

5.       The drawing process takes a little trial and error to find your best approach to controlling the line. Sometimes I’ll draw lines thicker than I need and tidy any wobbles using the eraser tool.

6.       I’ll often use a thicker brush to outline and a thinner brush for wrinkles, fingernails, etc. Sometimes I’ll copy/paste and reposition details such as knuckle wrinkles to make each drawing look more consistent.   

Basic photos taken against a darker background area and with high contrast lighting

First, a line drawing layer is completed

Next, a shadow layer is added to the drawing

Other details such as back and face details are added.

A half-tone filter can be applied to the shadow layer for a cool shadow/tone effect for black and white line illustrations

TIPS TO REMEMBER!

#1. A GOOD PHOTO: Consider the most important moments your need to illustrate. This will help avoid taking photos at the wrong moments, or of things that really don't need to be illustrated beyond written descriptions. Be sure to capture the moments that DO need a photo. Aim to capture the angles and moments that best illustrate your written descriptions. Don't worry too much about crisp focus. Even an out of focus shot can be fixed by drawing over it with a clean line. As long as you choose the right moments, good angles and each photo has good lighting contrast to create some shadows, the photos will be suitable for illustrations.

#2. CONSISTENT DETAILS. Due to the repetitive nature of drawing cards and hands, it pays to keep details consistent. Decide on consistent ways to draw finger nails, wrinkles on knuckles, etc. Having a "shorthand" for these types of details means that your drawings will look more consistent, and will also save you time interpreting the details of your photographs. (see above)

#3. DRAWING COURT CARDS. Previously, I created my own court card for illustrations but in subsequent projects, I've used standard court card designs after realizing there are no big IP concerns for the commonly used court card images. Having court cards ready as digital line art is much faster than drawing them from scratch every time, especially when more of the face of each court card is showing.