How to use pen tool to draw hair bangs?

[pragmaticleas]

Hello,

I’m trying but failing to create the overlapping and extended lines needed for cartoonish hair bangs with the vector persona’s pen and node tools.

For example, I have attached an image of supposedly a character’s hair with the areas I am having trouble with labelled.

Is it possible to outline the entire hair area first in vector persona with the pen and node tools and then add a line segment just above (A) [perhaps via snapping to existing points] and line segments extending to (B) and (C) again with the pen and node tools?

If not, are there other approaches that could minimizes the amount of vertices created while allowing snapping and continuous curvature which would work?

I would appreciate any suggestions.

[Callum]

Hi pragmaticleas,

Welcome to the forums!

You should be able to do this by  creating multiple lines with the Pen Tool. If possible could you provide a screen recording of your current process?

Thanks

Callum

[pragmaticleas]

Hi Callum,

Thanks for your comment.

I can't do a recording, but I'll try to describe what I encountered. Once I completed the outline of the hair area wherein I closed the curve, when I wanted to add a line with the pen tool between the two nodes above (A) and from the nodes left of (B) and (C), the tool seemed to only select the existing nodes but not drawing a new line from them if I have the existing curve selected first.

I have a little bit of success by drawing from (B) to the existing node which appeared to be highlighted in yellow when I attach the other end of the line to it suggesting it has snapped onto it, but when I tried to move the node with the node tool, it only moved the node in the new line without moving the node in the existing closed curve. Is this expected?

Also, I can't seem to do the same above (A) because there's no open end to the new line, so I'd end up only selecting an existing node. Do I just need to eye it and move a new line created away from the existing nodes to the points above (A) without snapping?

Am I missing knowledge of a handy gesture to activate the yellow highlights?

Thanks for your time.

[pragmaticleas]

Ah, I think I found a way to snap everything in place.

I should first create the two curves I want to snap together. Then having both curves selected with the node tool by first holding a finger down for the multi select process, I drag one of the nodes from the first curve to a node from the second curve.

Instead of drawing the line above (A) and have to deal with the discontinuity of the curvatures, I could also outline everything except for part (A), use the pen tool to draw a V, add two nodes in the outline with the node tool for snapping and finally snap the endpoints of the V to those snapping nodes.

[DM1]

You can activate screen recording option in iOS setting for Control panel. Recordinging are saved back to your iOS photo gallery and can be attached using the click to choose files and tapping Photo Library. To start or finish a recording just swipe down and across from top right corner to bring up Control Centre, then tap the record icon.

 

[pragmaticleas]

Thanks DM1. I just tried the recording tool out as per your steps; it seems pretty handy.

[DM1]

Show us what (and how) you are trying to do with a screen recording. We may then be able to give advice as to other (or better) options/techniques. 

if you turn on Show touches in General Preferences, we will be able to see where and when you touch the screen.

Check out this great video on pen tool. https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/tutorials/designer/ipad/video/272739495

If new to AD on iPad you may find this PDF version of Help file useful too. You can open it alongside the app.

 

[pragmaticleas]

Hi DM1, Callum and everyone else reading this thread,

Please see my attached vectorizing process video and let me know if there are other ways to achieve the result I am hoping for.

Thanks for your time.

 

[DM1]

You could adjust each of the lines as you draw them, but frankly your methodology is easier for this drawing.  Very good.