Utilizing a clipping mask – vector
As covered in Chapter 1, the world of digital art is divided up into two distinct categories, pixel (or raster) based art and vector (or math-based) art. So far in this chapter, we have dealt 100% with pixel-based art, that is, painting on mask layers using pixel-based brushes in colors of black and white.
However, another type of masking is utilized involving vector-based art, and the most common term for this style of mask is called a clipping mask. So, why is it called a clipping mask? Simply put, it clips the image to only the shape you want to see.
There are two types of clipping masks:
- Shape-based clipping masks
- Curve-based clipping masks
Shape-based clipping masks
Shape-based clipping masks use shapes, such as squares, triangles, hexagons, and so on to create the clipping mask, and only the part of the image inside the clipping mask is shown. For an example of this, take a look at the following screenshot...
