Making avatars with Flash

[Firestar27]

I saw the guide on making avatars in Illustrator, but what about making avatars in Flash? It uses similar tools (same company), but it is different. Any help?

[Castaras]

You'd have to ask Abardam or Rex Idiotarum...I've done a little with flash for avatars, but can't really do much with it....

[Abardam]

Never used Illustrator, so I can't make any comparison.

(I'm going to be using a scrapped avatar (TLB beat me to it) because it's the only one I have where I didn't delete the draft layer.)

Anyway, what I do is first I sketch quickly the draft with the paintbrush tool.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f350/abardam/almostavatardraft.png

Then, layer by layer, I draw the avatar. (Usually with the line tool and then paint bucket. And curves with the pointer tool. This one is 13 layers.)
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f350/abardam/almostavatar.png

Then you know delete the draft layer when you're done (it's going to show in the export, even if you hid it).

Other stuff I use:
-Pencil tool + Smoothen (for really irregularly shaped lines)
-Gradients (try to use sparingly)

[Firestar27]

Thanks, but I'm not really one for the paintbrush tool as I am for the line and pointer tool. But I'll try it out.

[Neftren]

I prefer Adobe Illustrator, although Flash is useful for animated avvies on other sites...

One rule of thumb to always remember when using Adobe products:
PENCIL IS YOUR LIFELINE. USE IT.

I have yet to obtain my own copy of Photoshop to play around with, but Flash and Illustrator are very nice.

[boomwolf]

Don't use flash.
Use fireworks.
Same makers, different applications.
Actually they are meant to be used both when making animations (draw in fireworks, then move it to flash.)

[The_Chilli_God]

Actually they are meant to be used both when making animations (draw in fireworks, then move it to flash.)

Wait, that's how you're supposed to do it?
Blast. I actually thought I was being clever by doing that.

[Firestar27]

Don't use flash.
Use fireworks.
Same makers, different applications.
Actually they are meant to be used both when making animations (draw in fireworks, then move it to flash.)

Unless fireworks has similar tools, it will then take a few months getting used to the fireworks tools. And unless Fireworks is free, I'm not getting it. Money was spent on Flash, and that was enough by itself. Also, how would you move art from one product to the next (Assuming Flash 8, not Flash CS3) without saving it and making it a symbol in flash? You wouldn't be able to shape tween.

Besides, I don't have Illustrator (or Fireworks for that matter) so I was originally wondering how the techniques were different. I got a few answers, so thanks (I never really considered using a brush draft or using the pencil, I'll try it out).