Three years ago, I stumbled across a piece of software on Reddit. That software was this vector art app: Vectr.
I chose to draw the Master Sword from the iconic Legend of Zelda game series.
I imported an image of the sword into Vectr and began building individual vector shapes on top of the image. I then colored each shape and turned off the borders so it ended up with a flat look.
Here’s a screenshot of my drawing with the borders colored and set to be visible:
I’ve always been pleased with how the final version turned out. Here’s the final version:
I think vector art is an art form that’s really geared toward programmers.
I think drawing vectors should appeal to programmers for these reasons:
- Can build up the drawing from smaller pieces in an iterative fashion
- Can always edit and manipulate the vectors, modifying it until you have it just right
- Don’t need to master a drawing instrument like a pencil or a paint brush
- It’s an ideal image format for icons, logos, and more
I think all web developers should learn a program to draw vector art with.
I really enjoy working with Vectr. It was an app from a smaller company and although they seem to be maintaining it, I think it has had an overall decline in development from when they were first hyping it up as a product. I’ve started playing around with Inkscape on occasion with the intention to one day switch over.