Digital Animation -Live Trace Drawing

2. WHAT IS LIVE-TRACE DRAWING?
Live-trace drawing is a drawing technique that uses a line
to imitate or to go over lines of sketches, drawings,
photos and images on a given angle or perspective. The
purpose of live-tracing is to copy a picture on a blank
surface.

3. STEPS TO DO A LIVE-TRACE DRAWING IN
ILLUSTRATOR.
Step 1:
Choose a image to live-trace.

4. Step 2:
Go to Transparency and
choose 60 in opacity then
lock the layer.

5. Step 3:
Create a new layer and use
the pen, brush or the pencil
tool to trace over the image.
Then select all the lines and
group them.

6. Step 4:
Go back to the first layer and
hide or close the image to
check if the lines is traced
properly on the image. Then
copy this layer and hide it.

7. Step 5:
Open the first layer and trace
the shade line on the second
layer with the lines then group
them.

8. Step 6:
Repeat the same principle as
“Step 4” but don’t copy the
layer.

9. Step 7:
Copy the first layer, bring the transparency back to 100
opacity and place it beside the second layer with lines.
Highlight lines in the second layer and choose the live-paint
tool.

10. Step 8:
Use the eyedrop tool on the image at the right then use the
live-paint tool to fill in the colors on the second layer on the
left.

11. Step 9:
Hide the image and the stroke
lines in the second layer.

12. Step 10:
Open the first layer that was
copied and place it in front of
the second layer. Use the
eyedrop tool to copy the
colour of the image stroke line
with the traced lines.

13. Step 11:
Go on the keyboard, hold
“ctrl” and press “C” to copy
the artwork then hold “ctrl”
one more time and press “B”.
The artwork will be copied at
the back of the image. Go to
stroke and increase the
weight to 8.

14. Step 12:
The steps are complete!!