PDA

View Full Version : Corel Drawing Help



Steve Clarkson
05-26-2010, 1:56 PM
I've been asked to recreate the attached Coke sign. I'm planning to use Rowmark plastics to make it, so I need to draw the basic design so that I can cut it out.

So the second picture is my lame attempt.

I can't really trace it, since it's not perfectly straight on.

Are there any basic sign templates (free ones) out there somewhere similar to what you would find in Corel's basic shapes or banners?

Any advice on how you would use the Corel tools (ie. Bezier, etc.) to draw this outline?

Also, If I bought red Rowmark that engraves white....I could engrave the outline and Coca Cola text......but how can I make the "DRINK" text yellow? Can Rowmark be spray painted? I was planning to buy yellow Rowmark for the circle, which I could also use for the "DRINK", but I was hoping not to make the "DRINK" look 3D.

Oh.....and any advice about making that Coke bottle look realistic?

Thanks!

Dan Hintz
05-26-2010, 2:12 PM
How detailed do you want to get?

Unless the client is willing to pay for the extra time, I would consider painting the yellow text, and possibly the yellow circle (so the colors match). Another option would be the yellow Rowmark inset for the lettering (Laserthins?) and a complete circle of yellow for the bottom. The circle looks like it is riveted on, so I would probably lean towards the latter method.

If they want a detailed coke bottle, I would suggest sublimation. If they want something a bit more stylized (and again, they pay for the time), I might split it up into several pieces of different colors (white, brown, etc.) and do an inlay.

Scott Shepherd
05-26-2010, 2:52 PM
Try this file.

You can paint rowmark for sure.

Dee Gallo
05-26-2010, 3:04 PM
Steve,

Here is a slightly better attempt at drawing the sign shape, which you can use as a starting point. You're on your own for the logo, as I do not trace copyrighted stuff. But you can probably find it somewhere in B&W anyway.

As far as the bottle goes, you might try to find a silkscreened image which will have the contours broken down into shapes for a stylized but realistic image. But dye-sub would be the best way to get "realistic". I just grabbed a pic from Google images and made it greyscale to see how it would work...not great with a low res pic.

I broke the word "drink" into shapes and fixed the k to give it a hump, then skinnied the letters a bit to match the original.

cheers, dee

Steve Clarkson
05-26-2010, 3:52 PM
Thanks guys.......I appreciate you making this for me.....but no one is really giving up their secret drawing techniques.....

Dee, it looks like you did the left side with the Bezier and the copied and flipped to make the right side.....correct? Steve I have no idea how you did yours.......

I always wondered how people got 3 or more colors on Romark......will just any old paint do or does it need to be Fusion? Any tricks I should know? Will the paint stick to engraved and unengraved areas equally well?

Thanks again!

Dee Gallo
05-26-2010, 6:07 PM
Sorry, I meant to tell you that I did use the pen, then bezier tool and flipped a copy. If I was doing this job myself, I'd weld them to make them all one piece, but I wasn't sure if you might want to adjust so I stopped there.

Good luck with it, dee

Larry Bratton
05-26-2010, 7:05 PM
Steve,
How big is this sign? Your limited to 24" x 48" in Rowmark. You must be making a smaller version of what is shown. Also, beware that Red that has a white core is difficult to laser. I heard the reason once but I did some once and it was the dickens to get it to look right. You might consider some cast red acrylic also.

Martin Boekers
05-26-2010, 8:41 PM
Steve,

Do you have a higher resolution shot to work with?

If you do, I would consider using PS or PP to select an outline.
Then you could fill it with black, save it, import it back to Corel and do a contour outline.

I played with it a bit, but the "artifacts" around the edge were too bad to make it work. If you have a larger higher res image it isn't too bad.

Remember to experiment a bit while getting the image good enough to make the selection. Sometimes it's best to kick up the contrast, other times select a color channel in channel mixer. Sometimes I've even use the find edges or a highpass filter under effects.

For the bottle I probably would lean towards dye sub also. Conde sells sheets of dye sub hard board that can be laser cut. Nice stuff!

I had about thrown in the towel on dye sub as my Epson 1400 was a real pain. I got a new Ricoh though and wow the difference is amazing! I'm actually starting to explorer dye sub again!

Marty

David Fairfield
05-27-2010, 10:46 AM
I don't use corel but I have a couple of ideas.

You can warp the original photo back to a proper plan view using photoshop or similar. That would make it easier to trace. Do half and then copy and flip it. Faster and guaranteed symmetrical.

Coca Cola font is sometimes available free from font libraries online. If the client isn't wanting an exact reproduction, the text might look cool as a raised white plexiglass part on a red plexi background.

For the bottle graphic disc, what you have there is usable, but ask for a close up. It might look a little cleaner and more consistent with your colored Plexi parts if you turned it into a vector graphic and used a limited palette. Like a silk screen. You can probably find free software on the web that turns a jpg into a vector, or somebody here might help convert the file. I'd do but I go begging myself. :o

Instead of dye sublimation, you can use a standard color printer to print it on clear decal film and transfer that to a white piece of plexi. Clear film is available from MicroMark for a few bucks, its useful stuff. Their white film is not as good.

Just some ideas. Hope you post a photo of the finished project.

Dave

Rodne Gold
05-27-2010, 12:32 PM
Coke logo is available at brandsoftheworld.com
Shhh - I didn;t say that aloud did I?

Frank Corker
05-27-2010, 1:43 PM
and the coke font is also available out there

Bill Cunningham
05-27-2010, 9:47 PM
Ya ! I downloaded a look-a-like font file called Loki-Cola from a freebee site a few years back for another job..
http://desktoppub.about.com/library/fonts/hs/uc_lokicola.htm