In this tutorial, you'll learn how to create an illustration of a model. We'll be creating it in vector style, though using Photoshops Burn Tool to add some dimensionality to the illustration. By the end you'll have enough information and practice to create your own. Although, it doesn't require any special ability you should be proficient in the use of the Pen Tool. Drawing skills would also help, as well as a tablet, though it's not necessary.
Third Place Tutorial Winner
This is the third place winning tutorial form the PSDTUTS First Tutorial Writing Contest. See the results of the contest here. Congratulations to Gustavo Caetano Jacinto, and everyone enjoy the tutorial!
Final Image Preview
Let's take a look at the image we'll be creating. Click the screenshot below to view the full-size image. As always, the layered Photoshop file is available via our PSDTUTS Plus membership.
Step 1
Before we start we need to find our inspiration. For this tutorial, I used this photograph I found at Stockvault. After downloading the image, open it in Photoshop.
Step 2
You'll be using many layers to create this artwork, so try to keep everything organized. Create a new layer over the image and name it "Head." Then grab your Pen Tool (P), and make sure it's set to Paths.
Step 3
Hold Ctrl + Space to select your Zoom Tool. Then zoom into the model's face. Trace the outline of her face. Don't worry about the parts covered by the hair. They'll be taken care of soon. After finishing, select the color #decfb8 and fill the shape.
Step 4
Create a new layer over the "Head" layer and name it "Hair." Repeat the same process you did with the face. Then take care with the inner side of the hair, as it will define the shape of her face. Don't worry about all hair details yet though. Then fill the shape with black.
Step 5
By now you should have something similar to the image below. It's strange so far, but we'll make it nice.
Step 6
Create two more layers under the "Head" layer and name them: "Body" and "T-Shirt." The "T-Shirt" layer should be over the "Body" layer, and both under the "Head" layer.
Repeat the same process. Beginning with the body and neck, and fill the shape with the same color as the head. Notice it's only important to correctly draw parts that won't be covered by the other layers. Then create the "T-Shirt" and fill it with a light blue.
Step 7
Now a tricky part, the Eyes. Maybe you would like to create a Layer Set only for the eyes, since we're going to use many layers. Create a new layer called "Eye." Then Zoom in and draw the shape around both eyes. Then fill it with white.
Step 8
Create a new layer, and name it "Iris." Draw the path around the iris and fill it with black.
Step 9
Create a new layer, and name it "Eyelash." Draw the path around her eyelash to contour the eyeball. Fill it with black. Use the Eraser Tool to erase all the white areas that surpass the Eyelash area.
Step 10
Create a new layer, and name it "Retina." Draw the path around the retina and fill it black.
Step 11
Create a new layer, and name it "Highlights." To give the eye a little more life, select the highlights on the iris and fill them with white.
Step 12
Now we'll give the eyes a little depth. Select the "Head" layer. Draw paths around the eyes. Right-click the path and choose Convert Path To Selection. Grab the Burn Tool (0) and set it's Exposure to around 25%. Darken those areas trying to follow the picture's intensity.
Step 13
Go a little further and darken the area around the eye using the Burn Tool.
Step 14
Go back to the "Eye" Layer and create a layer called "Eyebrows" above it. Create a path around the eyebrows and fill it with black.
Step 15
Now you're finish with the eyes, so create a new layer outside the "Eyes" Layer Group and call it "nostrils." Create a path around her nostrils, right-click to transform the selection. Then fill it with the same color you chose for her face. Open Curves (Command + M), and push the curve a little bit down to darken the color.
Step 16
Select the "Head" layer. Draw a path around the bottom edges of her nose. Open Curves (Command + M), and push the curve a little bit down to darken the color.
Step 17
Still on the "Head" layer, select the Burn Tool (0). Then darken the areas around her nose to give it form and depth. Use the picture as a reference.
Step 18
Create a new layer at the top and name it "Mouth." Then draw a path around her mouth and fill it with #fcb09e.
Step 19
Draw the contour around the darker area in the middle of her mouth. Right-click to make it a selection, then open curves (Command + M) and darken it a little.
Step 20
Select the "Head" layer. Then draw a path around the lighter skin area on the upper part of her mouth. Use the picture below as a reference. Open Curves (Command + M), and lift the curve a little to lighten the area.
Step 21
To finish it use the Burn Tool to darken shadow areas around her mouth in both the "Head" and "Mouth" layers.
Step 22
With the Burn Tool still selected, select the "Body" layer and darken the shadow areas in her neck.
Step 23
With the "Body" layer still selected, use the Pen Tool to select the shadows in both her armpits. Then right-click to transform it to selection, open Curves (Command + M), and darken those areas.
Step 24
Select the "T-shirt" layer. Then use the Pen Tool to draw around the upper lighter part of her t-shirt. Right-click to transform it into a selection, open Curves (Command + M), and lighten those areas.
Step 25
With the "T-shirt" layer still selected, the use Pen Tool to draw around the shadows in her t-shirt. Right-click to transform it into a selection, open Curves (Command + M), and darken those areas. Then use the Burn Tool to give it some finishing touches.
Step 26
Select the "Hair" layer. Then use the Pen Tool to draw around the fringes and give more detail to her hair. Fill it with black.
Step 27
Command-click the "Hair" layer to select it. Use the Down and Right Arrows to move the selection a little bit down and to the right, as in the picture.
Select "Body" layer and use the Burn Tool to make the hair shadow on her body. Do the same in the "Head" layer. Then use the Burn Tool to create some more shadows on her face. Use the picture below as a guide.
Step 28
Select the "Body" layer and use the Pen Tool to draw around the shadows on her arm. Right-click to transform it into a selection, open Curves (Command + M), and darken those areas.
Step 29
Create a layer under the "T-Shirt" layer. Select the black bra on her right shoulder and fill it black.
Step 30
Create a new layer under all the others. Fill it with a cool colored gradient background and you're done! This tutorial shows you how to simply create vector style illustrations and use the Burn Tool to add a bit of depth, softness, and interest to the illustration. It's a quick and effective style for you to use in your own illustrative work. You can view a larger final version here.
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User Comments
( ADD YOURS )Jack August 9th
Great tut man!
I’ll be using this soon!
x
Cerium August 9th
Really nice tut, I should try it
Jonathan Solichin August 9th
Nice tut mate. Great job!
Adam August 9th
Great tutorial. I’ve seen many before, but it’s always nice to practice vectors.
jason August 9th
hasn’t this been covered on this site before?
Moksha August 9th
even if covered before its always something to learn.
BroOf August 9th
I really like it! Nice tut!
Dan August 9th
Nice, good stuff going on here lately
koen buysse August 9th
hasn’t this kind of tutorial been here before (even more detailed?)
qqqw August 9th
Wow! Few minutes ago I thinking about converting real photo to vector and…? And now I see tutorial about it on psdtuts
Awesome tutorial! Awesome page! Thanks 
Sorry for my English :S
MONSTER August 9th
Not bad.
Sean Hodge August 9th
We’ve covered this type of tutorial before on the site, but not in this way. This workflow is really simple to follow and merges the use of the burn tool with the Pen Tool. Though it’s certainly up to everyone to decide for themselves. It was certainly tough to pick third place, as there were many good tutorials submitted. And we hope to be publishing more form the contest shortly.
Here are a couple tutorials we have on the site that cover this topic as well:
http://psdtuts.com/drawing/create-a-complete-vexel-image-using-photoshop/
http://psdtuts.com/drawing/create-a-basic-vexel-image/
Thx.
Moeed August 9th
Those aren’t vectors.
Brad Hall August 9th
Well technically this tutorial isn’t vector either - which doesn’t lessen it’s coolness. It mixes the vector look with the depth that photoshop can give it with the burn tool. But alas, raster it still is.
Mark Abucayon August 9th
wow this is very nice..
Moeed August 9th
@Brad
Creating there ‘vector’ style images in Photoshop using the techniques shown above is just lazy.
Nate August 9th
Good end result.
kailoon August 9th
don’t know why, I still prefer to use Illustrator to create vector. Then only edit in photoshop
good tutorial 
Dom August 9th
@moeed: Alvaro Gauzman’s tut is vector. he actually resizes part of it in the middle.
Prouve August 9th
Nice tut, but it seems not finished, you should maybe add reflect to the hair, more shadows etc…
Chuck August 9th
This is a great tutorial… I’ll use it very, very soon.
Willie August 10th
Why not do a “vector style” illustration in illustrator as an actual vector?
zvonko August 10th
detail detail detail detail….thats the mantra….thnxx
CREATESOMFING August 10th
Awesome Tutorial! The end result is awesome ..
sohaib August 10th
Beautiful tut … explained perfectly …. thanks
Elliot August 10th
pretty nice, but we’ve already had a tut like this… boring
Max | Design Shard August 11th
Very useful tutorial, thanks
Max | Design Shard
insic August 11th
yey! now i can create a vector version of my photos. very nice!
silvercr.deviantart.com August 11th
this is an extremly basic vector , i belive you can
do better , she doesn’t look like the real picture.
it need’s some improvement.
JPH August 11th
Awesome - can’t wait to give this a try.
Abhisek August 11th
Awesome! Never thought it can be done with PS
macias August 11th
Nice but i thjink it’s easier to work like this in Illustrator or Corel Draw….
yamainac August 12th
Yo!!! Nice one!!!
Darrin August 12th
I think we all know that Illustrator is the method of choice here, but its good for beginners to know and learn the pen tool in PS.
Jason August 12th
This is a great beginner tutorial, and to be honest, one of my favored practice styles. Honestly I had never thought about the selection/curves method to lighten and darken parts of an image, I generally stuck to burn and dodge, however, I like the method shown and plan to use it in the future. And for the fact that these have been posted before, yeah, similar methods have been posted, but each may show differing methods and techniques, and in my opinion, I’d rather have a bunch to look at and learn from. If they were carbon copies of each other, yeah, get upset, but each artist has their own method.
K3v August 12th
Kinda simple to do in my opinion, you just need to know how to use the pen tool
Anjey August 14th
Is there some other ways to get the same result?
Shane August 14th
very skillful stuff… thanks for posting.
Ninh August 19th
that’s great!, I think i’ll design the image of my girlfriends like to it, ^_^
Booley August 19th
Some people here are being anal about this tutorial. I suppose Elliot and Moeed are “experts” and earn millions per year making photorealistic vector art. As for Prouve and silvercr.deviant, of course the drawing doesn’t look like the real picture… we are comparing a *photograph* to a “beginner level” illustration. What on Earth are you expecting? Jeez people, get off your high horses and/or get off this comment page. Thankfully, most of the other comments here are actually positive. It’s always disappointing to see some bad apples in the bunch, but worms just can’t resist free food. Neither can birds like myself, who can’t stand to see worms wriggling around with reckless abandon.
Paula August 26th
Didn’t your moms ever teach you “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all!”? Or, “You can’t please all of the people all of the time, but you can please some of the people most of the time.” I think, PSDTUTS is doing a good job of pleasing most of the people with these well-written tutorials.
Sometimes, it’s hard to follow a tutorial when the writer assumes you already know a technique (such as using the pen tool). PSDTUTS is good about including every single step so beginners or intermediates can follow along. If someone already knows a particular technique, skip over it and get a grip! The rest of us are still learning and would like to do so without being belittled!
Again, another great tut! Thank you so much!
stan September 6th
well said paula, nice tut, thanks
templespt September 7th
is it not a vector because it won’t output as a vector, or is it actually not a vector. i thought eps was a vector format.
vidya September 30th
wow great tutorial…
janki October 2nd
i really liked it.
i had tried my own pic before,but after this tutorial i realised howmuch detailing is recquired, as specially the eye part.
thanks
kate October 10th
WOOW!! cool, very
Permana Jayanta October 13th
I’m going to try it on my photo …
thanks for the great tuts
Sero October 14th
come ‘on thats not a vector, THAT IS A VEXEL!!!!!!!
in the moment erase tool was used, it turn a vexel ¬__¬
VECTOR in photoshop is possible when you keep all your layer like shapes layers,
so, when you use erase tool or brush tool you need a rasterize layer! and that its not vector -.-”
Nick October 28th
@Sero
It says vector STYLE…not a true vector. It is the LOOK we’re aiming for.
Ravindra Khanande October 28th
Your Message…Very funy…..
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