Finally its time to fill in all the necessary colours and details.
I am struggling to decide what specifics might be of interest to you...?...
its all Coreldraw work from here, so if there is a specific question about how I create something?, just ask.
I use a combination of Corel solid and gradient colour fills for most of the colouring/texturing.
My goal is usually to maintain as much vector elements as possible...
but some things are more easily visualized with a photographic bitmap.
So I may blend the two.
As you can see in the first photo, I have applied the stainless steel overall texture (bitmap) as a background layer.
And, over top, more layers that are simple vector outlines.
I will apply various line colours and line thicknesses depending on whats need for each area/element of the model.
With all work, I am constantly thinking about the scale of the model, and how big or small things will be when printed.
Some things may stand out well on the computer screen, but are hardly visible when printed at real size.
I'm also aware of colour contrast...having learned that increased contrasts work better for inkjet printing, and small scale models.
So I will often go to extremes making lights lighter, and darks darker.
Referring to actual photos of a DeLorean, I lay out details first in vector art...for example the car's grille and headlight setup.
And I will create as much as possible in vector with colour fills, transparent overlays (shadows, etc), gradient fills, varying line thicknesses, etc
But the headlamp sealed beams I can sample from an actual photot (and save some time).
Because the final headlamp bitmap is so small, it will be small data size.
*I take the simple vector drawn outline of a headlamp, and lay it over the real photo of a headlamp...
resize the photo to fit the vector part, and then using Corel's shaping tool, I intersect the outline with the photo
and create a new bitmap that is just the headlamp.
I duplicate it until I have four small headlamp bitmaps, position them within the model artwork, then combine them into one larger bitmap.
The process will retain transparency around the headlamps, so it can be placed on a layer under, and on top of, other vector art.
In this screengrab, only the headlamps are bitmaps, everything else you can see in the image is vector art.
A close up shows you how I used some sampled parts from a real photo of the DeLorean taillights.
Because of the very small size in this area, I could have used ordinary colour fills and gradient effects to simulate the lenses of the tail lamps,
but I already had a photo close at hand, so I used it.
(just lazy I guess...but again, because the final tail lamp insert is so small, the bitmap will have a very small data size)
Once again, everything else you see is simple layered vector artwork (using various Corel techniques, like transparency levels).
If there is anything else you want explained (re Corel technique), don't hesitate to ask.
Once I have completed all artwork, there will be one more final build.
And if there are no further adjustments to be made, I will photograph the completed model.
With every Koolwheelz model, I need at least two photos for public display... and as thumbnails on the Download page...
which I will also use on the model sheet as sample images of the completed model.
Now that the model is completed, its time to lay out the Letter size Model Sheet...
all the model parts need to be arranged to fit on the page, with as much free space as possible between the parts.
Every Koolwheelz model sheet must also include the upper banner, title and sample photos,
along with my logo, copyright info, and any directions that need to be included.
I also try to include a simple assembly diagram if space allows, otherwise I may create a separate Assembly sheet.
Oh, and most importantly, all the necessary Fold Lines must be included on the model.
I try to add as many possible, wherever space allows, to show the builder where to score and crease the model for assembly.
I will vary the type of line, line thickness and colour, to help illustrate the proper assembly.
Finally, I publish the model sheet directly out of Coreldraw to a PDF.
I have Adobe Acrobat Pro installed on my system which can integrate itself directly into my graphics program,
and publishing to PDF becomes one of my saving options.
This also allows me to set my own parameters for the PDF save (to balance output quality and overall file size).
*I want the best quality of everything without breaking the bank on data size!
A typical Koolwheelz model sheet is usually less than 2mb in size, but some go a little more.
As I mentioned at the start of this post...if there are any questions about how to do things in Corel...or how I do things...just ask.