vectors, question..lol Options

[ecargnmyst]

so i just found out..youre not sposed to blur vectors..heh..i dont really get the definition of vectors..i always thought they were just colorized pics. so someone tell me the rules of vectors? for ex. not sposed to blur or anything. should the edges be smooth or can they be jaggedy? are you ONLY sposed to use the pen tool?? b/c i used lasso to outline some of mine b/c i still dont get the hang of the pen tool lol. i did a few vectors so tell me which one is an actual vector or if none of them are vectors lol
first attempt at vectoring
first attempt at vectoring after a gaussian blur experiment
2nd attempt at vectoring w/out any blurring and wtvr..but the colors dont look as layered as other ppls vectors =\ version2
3rd attempt i learned about the posterizing trick...so i posterized then colored the stuff in..but it still doesnt look like other vectors =\
(yeah i looked at the vector tutorials and these are my results..so dont link me back to any tutorials heh..i just need to know if im vectoring properly)

[ChasingLife87]

no offense but... ouch. That first one especially was really jaggedy.

I'm just learning myself, but I do know that if you use the pen tool you can get nice smooth curves, which is why you use it.

in PS (that's what I vector in), you click with the pen tool, then click the second point and drag to get your curve. Then alt+click the point and repeat. That's how you get those nice, non-jagged lines.

Hope that helped!

[*mona lisa*]

Blurring a vector takes away the meaning of a vector. If you can't use the pen tool, then it's okay. Using the lasso tool is fine, but make sure you feather the selections or it will come out very jaggedy and choppy.

Try not to pick colors of the image themselves. After you posterize it, it'll be easier to vector because it gives you an idea of how to make the shapes. But use a skin color palette or make one yourself. Don't use the eye dropper to choose your colors, it will come out very bad. You want to try to make the skin smooth, so choose colors that will blend into each other. So one shape will be one color. Then for the next layer, choose that same color but make it a tad bit lighter/darker.

You don't color the stuff in after posterizing an image. Use the lasso tool or pen tool do make the shapes that look like those in the posterized image on top of it. I hope that wasn't too confusing. Sorry.

[EXPLO5ION]

I don't know if you are using photoshop or paint shop pro, but you could look in the big book of resources for all kinds of vector/vexel tutorials.

[whomps]

If you're using the tutorials from the big book of resources, your final result shouldn't turn out like that.

[ecargnmyst]

Blurring a vector takes away the meaning of a vector. If you can't use the pen tool, then it's okay. Using the lasso tool is fine, but make sure you feather the selections or it will come out very jaggedy and choppy.

Try not to pick colors of the image themselves. After you posterize it, it'll be easier to vector because it gives you an idea of how to make the shapes. But use a skin color palette or make one yourself. Don't use the eye dropper to choose your colors, it will come out very bad. You want to try to make the skin smooth, so choose colors that will blend into each other. So one shape will be one color. Then for the next layer, choose that same color but make it a tad bit lighter/darker.

You don't color the stuff in after posterizing an image. Use the lasso tool or pen tool do make the shapes that look like those in the posterized image on top of it. I hope that wasn't too confusing. Sorry.

no..actually it was very helpful =] thnk you all and..well i tried to vector again and this is what i got..."vector" im not done yet..but is the face at least a vector? lol..hopefully i did it right?

[*mona lisa*]

You still have to practice your curves and the choice of colors. It's much better than before!
Try posting them in Pictures to get more feedback. =)