: Prepping graphics to make silk screen for pottery First time posting here. Lovely to meet you all! I'm wanting to learn how to take a graphic I find online, say of a comic character, and

@Caterina889

You really don't get "the first image into something like the second image".

While there may be some steps to reduce color and add contrast to images such as your first example, nothing will ultimately end up looking like solid line art, like your second example. It's a complete myth that you can create line art from a painting. You can't. You can merely create a less detailed painting from a painting.

If you need solid line art, the only real choice is to draw it. You can do this in any software which allows you to draw. Or even on a piece of paper with a pen. Converting a solid drawing to screen-print-ready art isn't an issue. The problem you'll face here is trying to convert a painting to line art.

That being posted, a painting with solid, flat coloring may offer some ability to merely remove colors and tweak levels to intensify an existing outline.

For example... relatively flat color like this:


Source: Dribble - Peter Quill

..... can be refined to keep only the black key line.

However, to try and accomplish the same thing with a full-on, digital painting, like your first example, is a no-win situation. It can't be done with any automated processes or setting adjustments.

Software can do a lot these days, however it can't do everything. You still need some manual artistic skill to accomplish some tasks.

Vote Up Vote Down

@Debbie163

how do I get something like the first image into something like the last image? Is there even a name for such a process?


Yeap, the name for this is: Draw it again.

The second image has a totally different style.

You could try some things like converting the image to CMYK and then contrast it a lot the black channel but it will not work on this image. You need to draw it in Ilustrator.



Other programs besides Ilustrator?

The Options are Corel Draw, Afinity Designer and Inkscape.

Vote Up Vote Down