Brain image - Difficult

[dan_joyce@adobeforums.com]

I'm attempting to make a very difficult image. I want to create a brain. I would like it to be VERY realistic with all the texture. Does anyone have good tutorial for creating something with a texture like this? Maybe tree bark or something. One okay example of what I want to have (though I want it to be better) could be found at <http://www.lougehrigsdisease.net/images/brain.jpg>

Thanks
Dan J.

[Wade_Zimmerman@adobeforums.com]

This is the kind of thing that is I think best done with the gradient mesh tool along with multiple fills and strokes in the appearance palette with effects.

[LRK@adobeforums.com]

Dan,

I assume you want this totally in Illustator? If not, you could create the framework in Illustrator with layers for each section, then finish it in Photoshop.

I can't remember any particular tutorials at the moment but if I have time before I do a quick job tonight, I'll play with some ideas.

Linda

[LRK@adobeforums.com]

My job arrived and I have to start on it. I started with some ideas in Photoshop but not sure that's where you want to go. Good luck!

[John_Kallios@adobeforums.com]

I guess to make a realistic brain, you will need to know what a realistic brain looks like. Not knowing what it really looks like myself, (at least not in detail) have you gotten ahold of any cadaver images to start off with?

[Chuck_Wolff@adobeforums.com]

Or copies if Greys Anatomy?, AMA mags at the Library? Medical Illustration is a growing art, stay with it.

[LRK@adobeforums.com]

There's lots of images HERE <http://www.fotosearch.com/imageresults.asp?keyword=Brain&vendor=*>.

[Scott_Weichert@adobeforums.com]

This actually would be fairly easy to do in Illustrator. You just need to draw your basic shape then lay small gradient meshes on top of that shape to allow you to add the highlghts. A new mesh for each ridge, basically.

[dan_joyce@adobeforums.com]

I actually am working on this for those reasons. I work in a psychology dept. at a university. How exaclty to do I go about laying in the small gradient meshes? I know how to use the gradient mesh tool for things like creating curtains and what not, but not ripples like a brain. ( I do have actual brains to model mine after too.) I just don'e know how to create the ripples on the brain.

Thanks for all your help thus far.

Dan J.

[LRK@adobeforums.com]

Scott is right. That would be the best way. I guess when you said you wanted a bark texture all I could think of was Photoshop... unless you brought a repeating bark texture into Illustrator.

[dan_joyce@adobeforums.com]

Can any of you recommend a good tutorial for learning to use the gradient mesh tool in this type of a work?

Thanks

[LRK@adobeforums.com]

Here's a few I found with Google:

<http://www.crittersngifts.com/meshtut/meshtutmain.html>

<http://www.inosteve.dk/pages/mesh.htm>

<http://resources.graphic-forums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=39>

This one is put out by Adobe:
<http://www.adobe.co.uk/print/tips/illgradmesh/main.html>

[Wade_Zimmerman@adobeforums.com]

It a three fold process. Draw the shape of the brain with the pen tool copy it and paste in front twice on two onto a separate layers. Turn off the top two layers and turn the shape on the active to a gradient mesh and direct select tool select the various points to extend anchor point handles and manipulate the shapes to conform
to folds of the brain you can add more folds by clicking on the shape with the gradient tool.

Now actually what you can do I should have mentioned this is use the pen tool to also describe the folds and once you had all that in place you could also make a fourth copy on another layer select all on that layer and go to View>Guides>Make and you can lock it and now you can work over that guide layer. Once you have the shading in the folds the way you want them. Lock that layer and make visible the layer above select the strokes that describe the folds and use Effects>Stylize>Feather or outer shadow etc.

Then you can use the top layer as slightly darker and less feathered path for a little extra definition. As far as texture that you might want to then raster the art and perhaps even do that with one of the photoshop filters either in AI CS or bring it into
Photoshop.

[dan_joyce@adobeforums.com]

That helped a lot. How would I use the pen tool to create my ripples though? Do you have an example of a file where this technique was applied?

In my first few attempts, I created the shape using an oval and the pen tool. After I had the basic shape, I tried applying a graident mesh to the newly formed shape. THis won't work, right?
Thanks

[Wade_Zimmerman@adobeforums.com]

Dan you will have to fool around with the pen tool to find out how it works and the manual and online help is the best way to learn this just takes practice.

I would draw the shape entirely with the pen tool.

[Scott_Weichert@adobeforums.com]

But uhm... one large mesh for the entire shape is NEVER going to work.

You need one large shape for the overall contour, then several small shapes for the highlights. Completeing that entire thing with one or two meshes would be nearly impossible.

[dan_joyce@adobeforums.com]

Perfect. Sounds like I have a lot to learn. It also sounds like fun. Thanks for all the help.