Vector. What is good and what is bad? (Part 1)

Any microstock contributor has surely received rejections of this kind: “We are very sorry, but this file is not suitable for our photo bank. Due to the rapid growth of our collection, we pay attention to each submission, but unfortunately, we cannot accept all.”

Particularly frequent are such rejections at the photo bank iStockphoto. These types of rejections are called rejections for non-compliance. Non-compliance, in a general sense, implies that your work contains something that prevents it from being accepted into the photo bank’s collection. But what does this actually mean? What does this non-compliance consist of??? To demonstrate this kind of non-compliance rejection, microstock inspectors from iStockphoto provided two vector illustrations of the same subject.
The first vector illustration shows an unsuitable or non-compliant result for the iStockphoto photo bank. This is precisely the situation where it is easier to demonstrate errors and comment on weaknesses in the illustration than to explain in words. In the second illustration, errors or non-compliance have been corrected, making it suitable not just for any photo bank, but for a demanding one like iStockphoto.
In the vast majority of examples, this non-compliance does not relate to the concept of your illustration and the objects as a whole. Rather, this non-compliance shows how well you handle the task. Every small decision, sometimes even one that no one pays attention to, will affect the result of your work. Now, just sit back and try to understand what, in the opinion of the microstock inspectors at iStockphoto, makes a “good” vector better than a non-compliant vector twin.

VECTOR DETAILS

In the early days of vector creativity, previews of vector illustrations were very small, 270-pixel images that could not be enlarged for viewing. But those times are long gone, and now vector illustrations have previews that can be enlarged just like photographs. However, there is a downside to this, as now your illustrations will be scrutinized more closely than before. Therefore, you need to examine your work closely before uploading it to the photo bank.
So, are the curves in your illustration smooth or angular? Do the outlines of objects carefully touch the edges of one another, or do you leave flaws in haste? Sometimes, the positive impression from viewing a vector preview instantly vanishes for the buyer at first glance at the original. Yes, as strange as it may sound to some microstockers, buyers are very good at spotting shoddy work.
The first example of the illustration looks quite nice in the preview (what a cute little dog!), but let’s slightly enlarge the preview, and all the problems come to the fore. The dog’s fur is crumpled, as if the “dry clean only” label was ignored. The outlines of objects cross over one another, leaving gaps. And the eyes?! Such flaws seem to semaphore to the buyer: “This is shoddy work!” and “I still can’t figure out how to use the Pen tool!”. Fur should not look dirty and stained!
However, in the second illustration, the dog looks much neater upon zooming in. After correcting all the flaws revealed in the first illustration, the dog’s fur became smooth, and each strand ends with a neat sharp tip; the eyes are now perfectly round, and you can even see the dog’s cute whiskers. A photo bank buyer is unlikely to notice the first illustration since, metaphorically speaking, it has vector fleas. Meanwhile, the second illustration of the dog is ready for acceptance into the iStockphoto photo bank collection!

WORKING OUT VECTOR DETAILS

If you think that carefully drawn details are only important for images on paper, you are deeply mistaken. Attention to detail is crucial no matter where and what you are drawing, even if it’s just a simple seamless pattern, but microstock inspectors still evaluate the neatness of execution in vector illustrations upon acceptance.
If you do not use zoom, from a distance, the first illustration is indistinguishable from the second, but upon using zoom, it becomes clear that this is clearly a raw job that even a kind teacher would not grade. There is a sense that too little time was allocated to create this illustration. The lines in the illustration are not smooth and are jagged. Everything looks sloppy and untidy. Notice the bud: the distance between the petals should be the same, but here it is anything but uniform. Poor care will finish off this sad plant. The entire illustration looks like a failed auto-trace.
The second illustration from a distance does not differ significantly from the first. But what happens when we use zoom? Here we see that the first pattern looks like its creator had a bit too much to drink at last night’s party, while the second pattern was created by a true master of their craft. In the second illustration, the curves are smooth, the distances between the petals are consistent, and the tips of the leaves are well-defined and sharp. The shapes of the inner and outer curves perfectly mirror each other. The contour never intersects. Very good work!… Now you can rightfully head off to the party.

LINE WORK

In Adobe Illustrator, there are several default settings for outlines, although if you wish, your lines can have any thickness. The editor allows you to draw various lines that resemble those drawn with paints or chalk! However, it must be acknowledged that many designers spend years using only the default settings in Illustrator. To rise above this template crowd, you need to elevate your work with lines to a new level.
Looking at the first piece, it’s not that bad. Good proportions, decent detail, and even the colors are quite acceptable. But it could be so much better! Notice that all the outlines and elements created with lines are the same, flat, boring, with rounded edges. All lines in the illustration have the same visual weight compositionally. Identical lines are acceptable for various charts or technical drawings, but this is not the situation. Quite often, even in those same drawings and technical illustrations, varying line thickness is used for differentiation. So, such line work as seen in the first illustration detracts from both the style and individuality of the piece.
Now, the second illustration is much more successful. It employs various line settings, with thickness varying from very thin lines to thick ones. The diverse lines in the illustration look more natural. The thickest outline is around the entire shape of the hand, which adds a sense of generalization and wholeness to the composition. Also, the thickness of the outlines decreases depending on the significance and role of the elements within the composition. In reality, objects don’t have outlines, but if they did, I am sure their thickness would vary, and the contour wouldn’t default to black. By changing the thickness, color, and shape of the outlines, good results can be achieved. You can even create your own exclusive brushes. Working with lines initially seems quite complex, but it elevates your vector illustrations to a new professional level.

AUTOTRACING

Now I would like to focus on one of the quite common drawing mistakes: issues with tracing utilities. Beginner designers often place high hopes on the capabilities of tracing utilities. Such software is quite simple and doesn’t require much mental strain. But could it be that this is just the first impression and it’s not that straightforward? Unfortunately, auto-tracing can really degrade the image. To achieve an acceptable result, the original file needs serious processing. More often than not, it will be much faster to trace the image manually.
In the first illustration, you see an automatically traced image of a cowboy on a horse. The contours of the image are jagged and messy, and since the original photo was slightly overexposed, the horse’s neck and the cowboy’s shirt are nearly invisible (notice the head just floating in the air!). Don’t forget that if your photo doesn’t have good quality, the final tracing result can be terrible, and you will spend a lot of time getting it to an acceptable standard.
The second illustration was traced manually. It took about 10 minutes longer than the auto-tracing of the first illustration. Now, if you take a closer look, the forms in the image are smooth and clear. Plus, the neck line of the horse and the cowboy’s shirt were added, making the outlines more expressive. The tail and mane were also cleaned up, and the saddle details were simplified to avoid overloading the composition.

COLOR AND COMPOSITION

When creating a vector illustration, a designer makes a significant number of decisions. It’s essential to determine which object will occupy which space and what color fits each object. On the one hand, the ability to choose gives the illustration a substantial advantage over photography, where the photographer is limited by the viewfinder’s space and their skills in Adobe Photoshop. But on the other hand, the unlimited choice regarding color and composition leads to inevitable mistakes.
This problem is vividly illustrated by the first example. Essentially, the “composition” in the first illustration doesn’t create an atmosphere. The forms in it compete against each other for the viewer’s attention rather than integrating with each other, as should be the case in good composition. Nothing creates a direction for the gaze. The viewer’s eye simply jumps from object to object across the image space. The situation is exacerbated by poorly rendered elements of the image. A designer looking to acquire such a work will find it challenging to use that background. A chaotic mess of similar elements placed randomly leaves no chance even to position text.
The second illustration looks more logical. There is a clear movement, and all elements of the composition are tied to one goal – to direct the gaze to the main, central object of the composition – the sphere. The arrows placed on the right not only give us a direction for movement but also add stability and balance to the composition. The color structure effectively connects and unifies the elements of the second illustration.

Continuation of the article on preparing vector illustrations for microstocks follows…