In this tutorial we’ll use a combination of craft and Illustrator’s 3D tools to create a first aid icon. You can use the techniques you learn in this tutorial to create realistic rounded box icons of your choice. This works well for complex icons at large sizes and scales down nicely.

Final Image Preview

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Tutorial Details

• Program: Adobe Illustrator CS4
• Difficulty: Beginner to Intermediate
• Estimated Completion Time: 1 hour

Step 1

Open up a new document and select the Rectangle Tool (M). Create a rectangle and fill it with red.

Step 2

Got to Effect > Stylize > Round Corners and apply a radius of 30pt to the rectangle. Go to Object > Expand Appearance. This will apply the rounded corners. Make a copy of the shape, as we’ll need it again later.

Step 3

Now go to Effect > 3D > Extrude & Bevel and apply the settings you see in the image below. Make sure you add an extra highlight and a bevel.

Step 4

Go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow and choose the settings you see in the image below.

Step 5

Create a rectangle filled with gray. This will become the cross for the first aid icon. I filled it with gray for now, but later we will change it to white.

Step 6

Select the rectangle, hit Command + C + F (this will paste the object on top) and then select it with the Selection Tool (V) and rotate it 45 degrees.

Step 7

Select the two rectangles and apply the Unite option in the Pathfinder Palette.

Step 8

Apply another round corner effect (see Step 2) and set the radius to 12pt.

Step 9

Once the shape has been expanded (Object > Expand Appearance), fill it with white.

Step 10

With the cross still selected, open up the Symbols Palette and drag the cross into it. Name it "Cross" and set the type to Graphic.

Step 11

Go back to the red box and open up the Appearance Palette. There, double-click the 3D Extrude & Bevel layer to edit the effect. In the pop-up window, click on Map Art, choose “surface 1″ and select the "Cross" we just added into the Symbols Palette. Place it into the middle of the box top.

Step 12

This is what we have so far for the first aid icon.

Step 13

Let’s create an illusion of a separation to the box, so it looks like it has a top and a bottom that opens up. Take the copy of the rectangle we made in Step 2 and set the fill to none and the stroke to 1pt red.

Step 14

Select the object and go to Object > Path > Outline stroke.

Step 15

Apply the same 3D Extrude & Bevel Settings from Step 3, but add no Bevel and set the Extrude Depth to 5pt.

Step 16

Create a rectangle and fill it with a white to black gradient. Place it on top of the rectangle we just created. Make sure you set the gradient direction like you see in the image below. We will add an Opacity Mask and the black will hide the object and the white color will show it.

Continue Learning…

In Part 1 of this two part tutorial series, we learned how to code a script which converts a flat process color into its matching gradient. In this tutorial, we will learn to code a script that converts a gradient fill into a flat process color. We will melt the available gradient color into a flat process color, which will be a mixture of all the colors available in that gradient.

This entire task will be performed via JavaScript script for Illustrator. The tutorial assumes that you’re familiar with the basics of scripting. For those who’ve directly landed on this tutorial, we have a little know-how covered about Illustrator’s Javascripts in Part 1 of this series. So without further delays, let’s get started!

Vector Plus

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Tutorial Details

• Program: Adobe Illustrator and ExtendedScript Toolkit
• Version: CS3
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Estimated Completion Time: 3 to 4 Hrs

Purpose of the Script

We want this script to perform a very simple task. In Adobe Illustrator, when a user selects some objects filled with a CMYK Gradient Color, and executes this Script; the objects shall get converted into a Flat CMYK fill. This flat fill will be the mixture of all the colors available in the former gradient. See the image below for clarification.

Hence, the aim of our script is to convert a Gradient CMYK Fill into a Flat CMYK Fill.

Logic and Algorithm

The logic for melting the colors of a gradient into a single color is simple and straightforward. We’ll pick all the colors from the gradient, find their average and assign it to the object as a new color. We can understand this in five steps, as shown below:

• Step 1: Pick the color of the current object. i.e. currentColor = color of currently selected object.
• Step 2: Count the number of gradient stops in the current color.
• Step 3: At each gradient stop, pick the associated color and its CMYK values.
• Step 4: Calculate the average CMYK value for all colors available at different stops.
• Step 5:
  Assign this average CMYK value as a new color to the object.

The above algorithm can be easily understood from the pictorial representation below.

We have seen a brief overview of the logic. Let’s get started with the coding.

Step 1 – Starting with the Code Structure

Open ExtendedScript Toolkit and create a new Javascript file (Command + N). Next, select Adobe Illustrator for the target application.

In the code editing area, add the following code structure for certain validations and pre-requisite checks.

if ( app.documents.length > 0 && app.activeDocument.pathItems.length > 0) { if(app.activeDocument.documentColorSpace == DocumentColorSpace.CMYK) { convertToFlat(); } else { alert("Convert the Objects into CMYK First", "CMYK Conversion required"); } }//end main if

else { alert("Either no document is available or the document is empty"); } 

We are checking if at least one document with at least one object exists, so that we can work upon it. Next, we are checking whether the document color mode is CMYK or not. This is an essential step because all the logic for color conversion in this script is based upon CMYK colors. convertToFlat() is the main function which will contain all the logic. Next, save this file as test.jsx.

Step 2

Let’s now start with the main function – convertToFlat(). We’ll check if any item is selected or not, because this script will work on the selected objects only. Hence, add the following lines of code to “test.jsx.”

function convertToFlat() {

var items = selection; var totalSelected = items.length;

if(totalSelected > 0) { // proceed with the main logic }

else { alert("Please select atleast one object"); }

}//end convertToGrad 

Step 3

Next, we will start a loop inside the “if(totalSelected > 0)” block. This loop will contain the color conversion logic, which is repeated for each selected item. But just before the color conversion logic, let’s add some more validations and checks inside that loop.

    if(totalSelected > 0) {

for(var j=0; j < totalSelected; j++) { var currentObject = app.activeDocument.selection[j];

if(currentObject.typename != "CompoundPathItem" && currentObject.typename != "GroupItem") { if(currentObject.filled==true && currentObject.fillColor.typename != "CMYKColor" && currentObject.fillColor.typename != "PatternColor" && currentObject.fillColor.typename != "SpotColor") {

// Color conversion Block

} //endif

else { alert("Fill an object with CMYK or Grayscale Gradient. Flat Colors, Patterns, Spot Colors and Empty Fills are not allowed."," Only Gradients Allowed"); } } //endif

else { alert("This script only works with Non-Compound Objects or Isolated Group items.nAny items with Groups or Compound Objects will be omitted.", "Ungroup or Isolate the Group Items"); }

}//endfor

}// endif 

For each selected item, we are checking whether it is a Compound Path or a Group Item. If so, the script shall not execute anymore and return an alert message. Further, we are checking if the fill-type of the selected item is something other than Gradient Fill. i.e. If it is a spot color, flat CMYK color or a pattern; the script shall return an alert. These checks are performed because our script will only work for gradient filled non-compound path items.
Next, we will modify the Color conversion Block.

Step 4

At this stage, we need to extract individual C, M, Y and K values for the colors residing at different gradient stops. For that, we will create some variables which will hold individual CMYK values. So, add the following variable declarations just inside the Color conversion block:

        var currentColor = currentObject.fillColor; var numOfStops = currentColor.gradient.gradientStops.length; var colorBox=[]; var cyanBox=[]; var magentaBox=[]; var yellowBox=[]; var blackBox=[]; var grayBox =[]; var cyanTotal = 0; var magentaTotal = 0; var yellowTotal = 0; var blackTotal = 0; var grayTotal = 0; 

We will see the role of each variable one-by-one:

• currentColor will store the fill color (gradient) of the currently selected object.
• numOfStops contains the total number of gradient stops available in currently selected object. This will be used to find the average of color values in later stages.
• colorBox is an array which will hold the fill-color value for all the gradient stops. i.e. if numOfStops is four.
• colorBox array will contain four colors.
• cyanBox is an array which holds cyan values for each color on different gradient stops.
• Similarly, magentaBox, yellowBox and
  blackBox hold their respective color values for each color on different gradient stops.
• grayBox is an array which holds gray values for the color on any gradient stop. This is essential because the gray color is a different specification than CMYK color specification. In case, an object contains a gray gradient, we will handle the situation separately by making use of this variable.
• Finally, we have cyanTotal, magentaTotal, yellowTotal, blackTotal and grayTotal. These variables contain the summation of all the cyan, magenta, yellow, black or gray values respectively.

Step 5

We have performed the validations and checks. We have also created necessary containers to hold color values. Next, we will run a loop which reads each gradient stop one-by-one. For that, create a loop, as shown below:

    for(var k=0; k < numOfStops; k++) { colorBox[k] = currentColor.gradient.gradientStops[k].color; if(colorBox[k].typename == "GrayColor") {

// Extract Gray Color values

}

else {

// Extract CMYK Color values

}

}//end for k 

currentColor.gradient.gradientStops[k].color returns the color of a particular gradient stop for each iteration of k.

For each gradient stop, we are checking if the available color is a GrayColor specification or a CMYKColor specification. Depending upon that, we will implement our logic.

Step 6 – Summation of GrayColor Values

Inside the "if block" for GrayColor specification, add the following lines of code:

    grayBox[k] = Math.round(colorBox[k].gray); grayTotal = grayTotal + grayBox[k]; 

Hence, grayBox[k] will hold all the gray values for each color at their respective gradient stops.
Next, grayTotal will be the summation of these gray color values, which will be used later.

Step 7 – Summation of CMYK Color values

Inside the "else block" for CMYKColor specification, add the following lines of code:

    cyanBox[k] = Math.round(colorBox[k].cyan); magentaBox[k] = Math.round(colorBox[k].magenta); yellowBox[k] = Math.round(colorBox[k].yellow); blackBox[k] = Math.round(colorBox[k].black);

cyanTotal = cyanTotal + cyanBox[k]; magentaTotal = magentaTotal + magentaBox[k]; yellowTotal = yellowTotal + yellowBox[k]; blackTotal = blackTotal + blackBox[k]; 

To understand what is being performed here, we will take an example of Cyan color. cyanBox[k] is storing the cyan values for all the colors residing at different gradient stops. Next, cyanTotal is the summation of all these cyan values that are stored in cyanBox[k].

A similar operation is performed for magenta, yellow and black too. Once the summation is done, we can come out of the loop and proceed ahead for average.

Step 8 – Averaging the Color Values

We have gathered the individual summation of grayColor and CMYKColor for all the gradient stops. Now we need to average them. For that, close the "for k loop" and enter the following lines of code just after the closing bracelet of "for k loop", as shown below:

    } // end for k loop

var finalBlack = blackTotal + grayTotal;

var newCyan = Math.round(cyanTotal / numOfStops); var newMagenta = Math.round(magentaTotal / numOfStops); var newYellow = Math.round(yellowTotal / numOfStops); var newBlack = Math.round(finalBlack / numOfStops); 

In the above lines of code, we are dividing individual summations of C, M, Y and K by numOfStops. i.e. If there were five gradient stops, we will divide the summation of individual C, M, Y and K values with five. Thereby, returning an average of five values. These averaged values are stored as newCyan, newMagenta, newYellow and newBlack respectively.

Note the tricky case of gray and black here. The summation of K is not just blackTotal. Rather, it's a sum of grayTotal and blackTotal.

Why we have done that? There are cases when a gradient fill may contain both GrayColor stops and CMYK stops. In that case, the gray Color values are added to the K value of the CMYK color. Gray can not be added to cyan, magenta or yellow. It will fall in the category of K only.

Now we have all the new averaged values for C, M, Y and K in hand. In the next step, we will implement these values as a new CMYK color on the current object.

Step 9 – Implementing the New Color

To implement the new color, we will create a new CMYKColor object and modify its C, M, Y and K values to the ones that we just calculated in Step 7. To do that, add the following lines of code:

    var newColor = new CMYKColor();

newColor.cyan = newCyan; newColor.magenta = newMagenta; newColor.yellow = newYellow; newColor.black = newBlack;

currentObject.fillColor = newColor; 

We have created a newColor object and assigned the values of newCyan, newMagenta, newYellow and newBlack as its C, M, Y and K values respectively.

Continue Learning…

Grab some vector Valentines inspiration to fill your winter days with a warmth and heart felt happiness. Rejoice in each moment of snow, frost, every breath of wind, the stars in the sky, and a lovers hand. Feast on this massive overload of lovely illustrations. Get inspired to create for this coming holiday.

Inspiration

Spread Love.

Vector illustration by Andy Gosling.

Very unique,creative and lovely graphics. The details and the colors are spectacular. Though the ground between the roots is somewhat sterile in contrast with all the leaves. The flat horizon is also a little strange. Rolling hills perhaps?

Love Birds.

Vector illustration by Edgeplus.

Fascinating birds. I love how their wings and bodies are hearts.

Love is in the air.

Vector illustration by Don Clark.

Excellent illustration for greeting cards and children’s books. Illustration makes me wonder how the artist got those lovely brush stroke textures. Some great little touches there, like the snake wrapped around the elephant trunk. This evokes philosophical reflections.

Love Wallpaper.

Vector illustration by Wallcoo.net.

The world through the window of the heart. Excellent wallpaper for your computer. The direction of movement is from right to the left (plane, birds) and is composed so the spectator sees it as a coming. Coming of Love.

Broken Love Type.

Vector illustration by Tom.

Interesting 3D composition. Good combination of colors. It turns out robots can love. In my opinion he is broken.

Sunset Love Song.

Vector illustration by toinjoints.

This is a musical message to his beloved girl. I love the small hearts and the little kitty; the style is so unique.

Bleeding Love.

Vector illustration by Yunart.

That’s rather sad. Love is cruel. The artist drew perfect hands and hair.

Love Wallpaper.

Vector illustration by mohammadamiri.

Funny character perfectly contrasts with the soft pink background. Interesting drawing technique and texture of the background. Good combination of rough and gentle.

A Simple Love Poem.

Drawing artwork by 2DCale.

Thoughts of the poet about love. What else can you think of on Valentine’s day? The artwork is done in warm colors; cute characters cause a smile. The sun’s rays and the background texture add warmth to the image.

Kittens in Love…. Sleeping.

Adobe Photoshop CS2, Wacom Graphire4 A5. Artwork by DarthEldarious.

They are in love and already have a little one. This is a beautiful composition, in the bottom cushion guess the outline of the heart. The main color is pink. What kind of love without the pink color? With a combination of green and pink, I would argue.

Love…

Vector illustration by MrEdgar.

The night is the time of lovers. Artwork uses a wonderful composition making use of bright moon against a dark foreground.

Love…

Vector illustration by thewiseninja.

Heart spreads love. Bubbles adds some contrast in the bottom of the composition.

See more…

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to make your own realistic, electronic piano in Illustrator. We’ll create quite a few shapes and apply various gradients and blends to make this vector instrument. Even though it’s a bit of work to put all this together, the techniques used in this tutorial are fairly simple. Set aside a couple hours for this one!

Final Image Preview

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Tutorial Details

• Program: Adobe Illustrator CS4
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Estimated Completion Time: 2 Hour

Below is the final image we will be working towards.

Step 1

Open a new document with sizes 1654px by 600px. Create a wide rectangle using the Rectangle tool (M). Go to Effect > Stylize > Round Corners and set the Radius at 10px.

Now go to Object > Expand Appearance, then create another rectangle a little bit wider than the first one and position it as shown below. Open the Pathfinder panel and click Minus Front. Fill it with a Linear Gradient.

Step 2

Correct the curves of the upper two points of the rectangle using the Convert Anchor Point Tool as shown.

Step 3

Create a rectangle using the Rectangle Tool (M) and position it as shown. Fill it with a gray color, copy it using Command + C, and paste it by using Command + F. Move it a few pixels up, using the arrow keys on your keyboard and change he fill color to black.

Step 4

Create a rectangle filled with a white color using the Rectangle Tool (M). Position it at the beginning of the black rectangle and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. In the open window apply the following settings: for Move set Horizontal to 25px, set the number of copies to 51, leave everything else at the default, and then click OK. Now go to Object > Expand Appearance and fill the keys with a Linear Gradient as shown.

Step 5

Copy the group of electronic pianos keys using Command + C, followed by Command + B to paste in back. Move the duplicate shapes a few pixels down and change the color to gray.

Step 6

Create a rectangle using the Rectangle Tool (M), position it as shown below. Fill it with a linear gradient with colors from white to gray, Stroke color – black and Weight 1pt. Reduce the Opacity to 50%.

With the rectangle still selected, go to Object > Path > Offset Path and set the Offset to -2px, click OK. Change the fill color of the newly created shape to black and set the stroke to none.

Set the Opacity back to 100%, move the shape a little bit up. Now select the rectangle you filled with black and the rectangle you filled with a linear gradient and reduce the Opacity.

Go to Object > Blend > Blend Options and in the new opening window set the Spacing to Specified and Steps to 10. Click OK and straight after that go to Object > Blend > Make.

Step 7

With the blend shape still selected, go to Effect & Distort > Transform & Transform and in the new window inert the following settings: set Horizontal to 48px, Copies to 1, and click OK. Go to Object > Expand Appearance.

Step 8

Now select the second black key from the group and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform, and in the window enter the following settings: Horizontal of 30px, Copies at 1, and click OK. Then go to Object > Expand Appearance. Now select the third key and go to Effect > Transform > Transform and in the new opening window do the following settings: Horizontal: 45px, Copies: 1, click Ok.

Go to Object > Expand Appearance. Now select the fourth key and again go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform and in the window enter the following settings: Horizontal of 28px, Copies at 1, and click OK. Then go to Object > Expand Appearance. Now select the fifth key and again go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform and in the new window enter the following settings: Horizontal of 28px, Copies at 1, and click OK, then go to Object > Expand Appearance.

Step 9

Now select the last five keys of the electronic piano and go to Object > Transform > Move and in the enter the following settings: Horizontal of 175px and click the Copy button, repeat this until you get the required result. To do this you can use the keys combination Command + D, take a look at the picture below to get a better idea.

Step 10

Create a rectangle using the Rectangle Tool (M) like the one shown below. Then fill it with a gray to dark gray linear gradient.

Continue Learning…

Livebrush is a new and innovative drawing program. It’s not a full vector application like Illustrator®, nor does it have the myriad features of Painter® or Photoshop®. Livebrush creates graphics with a simple stroke of a “motion-enabled” brush, which means it responds to your mouse’s movement to modify the line and apply different styles. That’s the “live” part — no two strokes are the same, and each can have infinite variations. This unique brush is what makes Livebrush fun — and addictive.

Downloading Livebrush

Livebrush is better understood once you jump right in and try it. It’s a free download and will run on most modern computers and operating systems. Livebrush is an Adobe AIR application. It’s not made by Adobe, but rather runs in Adobe’s AIR framework. When you install Livebrush, AIR will be installed as well (if you don’t already have it).

The Interface

When you first open Livebrush, a new “project” is started by default. The Livebrush interface contains six basic elements: The “paper,” or drawing area, the Project Bar and Tool Bar, plus three panels: Styles, Tool Settings and Layers.

Drawing

Let’s get right to the fun part — drawing. Make sure the Brush tool is selected, then choose a style from the pre-sets in the Styles panel. Here, I’ve used the Floral Basic style. Paint a line with the brush to get a feel of it.

As you can see, Livebrush adds a new layer in the Layers panel for each stroke. These layers can be turned off and/or deleted. You can also change the color of the locked background layer by clicking on the swatch at the top right corner of the panel.

Tool Settings

Take a look at the Tool Settings panel. Under the Behavior tab, there are settings for Velocity and Friction. These are the two basic settings which determine the behavior of the live brush

Velocity: Adjust this slider to set the “speed” of the brush when drawing. A higher setting will let the brush keep moving after you’ve stopped drawing.

Friction: Sets the “resistance” of the brush. A higher setting slows the brush while drawing. With no friction at all, the brush would keep moving indefinitely. Try different combinations of velocity and friction to see how they interact.

Mouse Up Complete: When checked, the brush will stop immediately (regardless of the velocity or friction settings) when you release the mouse click.

To get a sense of how each brush will behave, you can click the Preview icon (an eyeball) at the bottom of the Styles panel. Click through the styles to see a demonstration of each. You can change the color of the preview background, by clicking on the swatches menu in the upper left corner, or you can just delete it.

While in preview mode, you can change the settings of each style and get live, updated previews. You could spend all day doing this! For example, preview a simple smooth brush, then as it’s previewing, change the color, the opacity, the line type, etc.,

Decos

You’ll notice that some brushes add swirls, leaves or other flourishes to the line as you draw. These are called decorations, or “decos,” for short. The decos are not part of the line, but are small graphic files that are added to it, based on the settings of the given style. Decos can be GIF, JPG, PNG or SWF files.

Continue Learning…

Plunge with me on a vector ocean dive. In this tutorial, we’ll create a shell with pearls in a unique ocean scene. We’ll be using various effects, such as: mesh, blend, warp, clipping mask, opacity mask, depth of sharpness, editing of swatches, and pathfinder box. Have fun diving in and then surfacing!

Final Image Preview

Below is the final image we will be working towards. Want access to the full Vector Source files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join Vector Plus for just 9$ a month.

Tutorial Details

• Program: Adobe Illustrator CS3
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Estimated Completion Time: 60 – 90 minutes

Step 1

Let’s start with the pearl creation. Open up a new document and select the Ellipse Tool (L), then use it to create an ellipse. Set the fill color to C=2, M=7, Y=24, and K=0, without a stroke.

Step 2

Select the ellipse you made and take Mesh Tool from the panel of tools. Put in the ellipse and center the first point.

Step 3

Now we deform a mesh line by using the Direct Selection Tool (A).

Step 4

Add mesh lines using the Mesh Tool (U).

Step 5

Let’s start to paint the pearl. Select points by using the Direct Selection Tool (A) and change the colors. Feel free to get creative and experiment here. Rename the layer to “pearles1.”

Step 6

Now we will create the shell. We’ll begin with the creation of the structure of our shell. We’ll use 9 colors. I used the CMYK color mode.

Step 7

Over the “pearles1″ layer create a “shell” layer. Select the Rectangle Tool (M), then use it to create rectangles, and fill them with sample shell colors. Experiment here. Note: Rectangles should not be crossed.

Step 8

Now we group all rectangles. Create above one rectangle of the same size as the group. Now align a rectangle horizontal and vertical by using the Align box. We then fill the rectangle with a linear gradient.

Step 9

Select the rectangle you made and change the Blending mode to Darken and Opacity to 50% in the Transparency palette.

Step 10

Select and group all the rectangles and go to Object > Transform > Move… Position it 12 px (width of group of rectangles) Horizontal and press Copy. Now press Ctrl + D forty times.

Step 11

Select all the textures and apply Divide from the Pathfinder palette. Ungroup all textures. Now displace the horizontal segments of a texture by using the Selection Tool (V).

Step 12

Select and group all textures. Duplicate and place a texture to the side. It is useful to us for working with the bottom part of the shell.

Step 13

Select a texture and go to Object > Envelope Distort > Make with Warp… Apply the settings you see below. Select this object and go to Object > Expand.

Step 14

Select the object you made and go to Object > Envelope Distort > Make with Warp… Apply the settings you see below. Select this object and go to Object > Expand.

Step 15

Select the object and go to Effect > Distort and Transform > ZigZag… Apply the settings you see below. Select this object and go to Object > Expand.

Step 16

Select the Pen Tool (P), then use it to create a shell shape. Now reduce to the size of a texture height.

Step 17

We duplicate a shell and click on Toggle Visibility in the Layers box. It is useful to us for work in following steps.

Step 18

Now select the form and texture of the shell, then make a Clipping Mask.

Step 19

Now we will add shade to the shell. Select the duplicate shape of the shell (see Step 17) and fill it with a radial gradient, and make the layer visible. Change the Blending mode to Multiply at 47% Opacity in the Transparency palette.

Step 20

Rotate the top part of the shell. Under the layer “pearles1,” create an “Internal shell” layer. Select the Ellipse Tool (L), then use it to create an ellipse. Select the Pen Tool (P), then use it to create the bottom part of the shell as shown.

Step 21

Duplicate an ellipse and select the bottom part of the shell. Now use this ellipse and apply Subtract From Shape Area in the Pathfinder palette, then press Expand.

Step 22

Take the texture, which was duplicated in a Step 12, and reduce its height.

Step 23

Select the texture you made and go to Object > Envelope Distort > Make with Warp… Apply the settings you see below. Select this object and go to Object > Expand.

Step 24

Rotate and place a texture under the bottom part of the shell.

Step 25

Repeat Step 18 to make the bottom part of a shell. Select the texture and go to Trim by using a Pathfinder palette or make a clipping mask.

Step 26

Now create the shadows on the bottom part of a shell. Repeat Step 19 for this.

Step 27

Now we’ll work on the internal part of the shell. Select the ellipse and add anchor points by using the Pen Tool (P). Then deform the shape a bit.

Step 28

Now create a new shape by using the Pen Tool (P).

Step 29

Fill the bottom shape with a linear gradient.

Step 30

We the top shape with a linear gradient.

Step 31

Now create a new shape by using the Pen Tool (P) and fill the shape with a linear gradient.

Step 32

Select both the top shapes and apply a Blend (Object > Blend > Make). Apply the settings you see below.

Step 33

Let’s create a pearl necklace. Go to the “pearles1″ layer. Select the pearl we created earlier, duplicate it and move it by using the Direct Selection Tool, while holding Alt.

Step 34

Add some more threads.

Step 35

Go to the “shell” layer. We create a shade from the top part of a shell. Go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow… Apply the settings you see below.

continue learning…

The gradient mesh is one of the most powerful tools in your Illustrator toolbox, but it’s also one of the trickiest to get the hang of. This year I’m determined to master this amazing tool, so I’ve searched the web far and wide to pull together the best free training materials. This collection of tutorials covers everything from basic gradient mesh tool to some full on photorealistic vector designs. If, like me you have a mission to get to grips with gradient mesh, look no further than this collection of resources.

Gradient mesh capabilities

You only have to glance at amazing artwork such as this motorcycle rendering by Yukio Miyamoto to realise how powerful the gradient mesh tool can be. It allows the most minute control over colour gradients, enabling you to recreate highlights and shadows that help produce photorealistic images.

I like to think of the gradient mesh like the great Nunchaku, it’s a weapon of awesome capabilities that when used to its full potential by masters like Bruce Lee or Michelangelo the turtle looks insanely awesome. However it takes years of practice to become a true ninja. The same goes with the gradient mesh, when in the hands of a veteran, it can be used to create some unbelieveable photorealistic artwork, but it takes time, dedication and mental power to become a true master. Wrap a scarf around your head Karate Kid style and let’s get down to some serious training with these tutorials!

Gradient mesh tutorials

Tips for Working with the Gradient Mesh Tool In Illustrator

How to Make a Vector Military Cap Icon

Illustrator Tutorial: Gradient Mesh Flower

Create a Yummy Ice Cream Icon with Mesh Objects and Blends

Create realistic illustrations using Illustrator’s Gradient Mesh

Vectors Imitate Life with Gradient Mesh

Gradient Mesh Tutorial

Illustrate a Pair of Sweet Gradient Mesh Cherries

Gradient Mesh Bell Pepper Tutorial

Master the gradient mesh tool

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Video Tutorials

Sometimes it’s handy to get that extra level of help from a video screencast. These tutorials help you understand the actual workflow and see the techniques in action.

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In this tutorial, we’ll explain how to create magical Celtic knots. Ornaments accompanied Celts in life and in death. Ornaments decorated clothes, books, furniture, ware, weapons, and gravestones. I’ll show you three ways to create Celtic knots in vector – from simple to the difficult. The last techniques allows one to create knots of any complexity. Intrigued? Read more!

Final Image Preview

Below are the Celtic knots we will be working towards in this tutorial. Want access to the full Vector Source files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join Vector Plus for just 9$ a month.

Tutorial Details

• Program: Adobe Illustrator CS3
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Estimated Completion Time: 60 minutes

Step 1

Let’s open a new document in Illustrator (File > New) and enter the size 600 px by 600 px (but you can choose any size you want). I used the CMYK color mode to use it for printing.

Now select the Rounded Rectangle Tool, and create a rounded rectangle without fill, and with a black stroke. The radius can be changed by pressing the arrows up or down button, while keeping the left button of the mouse held down.

Step 2

Open the Appearance and Stroke palettes and create multiple strokes as shown.

Step 3

Select a Rounded Rectangle and go to Object > Transform > Rotate, then enter the angle 90 and press the Copy button.

Step 4

Select both rounded rectangles and apply Object > Expand Appearance, and then Object > Expand.

Step 5

Select the Live Paint Bucket (K), then fill a few areas with white as shown below

Step 6

Change the fill to black and fill in areas as shown.

To convert the Live Paint group into individual paths press Expand on the top tool panel. Now group (Command + G) all the objects.

Step 7

Select the Ellipse Tool and create an ellipse without a fill and a black stroke. Align them along the vertical and horizontal as shown.

Step 8

Select the ellipse and create multiple strokes (see Step 2).

Step 9

Select the ellipses, go to Object > Expand Appearance, Object > Expand. Select all objects and apply a Live Paint Bucket (K) (see steps 5 and 6).

Step 10

Select the Live Paint Bucket (K), set the fill to black and fill in areas as shown below.

I congratulate you! The first simple ornament is ready!

Step 11

The second way. Now we start weaving the ornament from three simple elements. For convenience of work go to View > Show Grid. Create the first element. Select the Rounded Rectangle Tool and create a rounded rectangle without fill and a black stroke.

Step 12

Select a path and add two points as shown. Select the Scissors Tool (C), cut the left and right new anchor points and delete the right bottom part of the path.

Step 13

Create multiple strokes.

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We have another great Vector Plus tutorial available exclusively for Plus members today. If you want to learn how to create retro typographic illustrations, then we have an awesome tutorial for you. This one will teach you to control color and add subtle effects, after tracing your custom lettering sketches.

This Tutorial is Filled with Creative Techniques

Illustrative typography has become an increasingly popular direction for creating dynamic and personal designs, using words and letterforms instead of more common pictorial elements. Over the past 18 months, I have explored this approach in my own work, often using popular quotes as a starting point for the design. The letterforms, shapes, patterns and choice of colors have developed over this time to reflect my own style, but this tutorial can be used with a variety of hand-drawn typefaces of your own.

Tutorial Details

• Program: Illustrator CS4
• Difficulty: Intermediate to Advanced
• Estimated Completion Time: 5 hours

A preview of the final image is below.

Plus members can Log in and Download! If you’re not a member, you can of course join today! You can view the final illustration below.

This is a Detailed and Professional Tutorial

Plus members can Log in and Download! Otherwise, Join Now! Below are sample images, which show some of the development of this tutorial.

Vector Plus Membership

As you know, we run a premium membership system here called Plus that costs $9 a month (or $22 for 3 months!) which gives members access to the Source files for tutorials as well as periodic extra tutorials, like this one! If you’re a Plus member you can log in and download the tutorial. If you’re not a member, you can of course join today!

As you know, each month we round up some of the best vector content on the web. This month, we found a ton of amazing tutorials, freebies, and inspirational posts including some excellent holiday themed tutorials and freebie sets, screencasts, and stunning round ups. Please take a moment to review some of the fantastic vector content released during the month of December.

Tutorial Wrap

• 

  How to Draw a USB Flash Drive

  This day and age just about everyone I know carries around a USB Flash Drive. I remember the days when everything had to be put onto a floppy drive or CD. Flash drives make our lives so much easier. This tutorial from Ai Monkey demonstrates how to use advanced Illustrator skills to create a vector USB Flash Drive.

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• 

  Reader Tutorial: Geometric Flower Effect Logo in Illustrator

  This stunning tutorial from Abduzeedo demonstrates how to create a flower effect for a logo or icon. This flower effect uses colors and shadows to create a really amazing effect.

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• 

  Create a Vector Christmas Ball

  You know it’s that time of year when holiday-themed tutorials start showing up. This really nice tutorial from PeHaa demonstrates how to create a vector Christmas ornament using Illustrator’s 3D revolve tool and a bit of creative mapping.

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• 

  Screencast: Create Intricate Patterns in Illustrator Using SymmetryWorks 5

  Pattern creation in Illustrator is not exactly the easiest thing to do. In fact, it can be darn right impossible without the proper tools and experience. SymmetryWorks 5 is a plug-in that makes the whole process very easy. This short screencast that I recorded demonstrates the abilities of SymmetryWorks 5.

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• 

  Illustrator Revolve Tool To Evolve You

  I always enjoy seeing articles and tutorials written in a fresh and new ways. This tutorial from Democrazy uses some fun illustrations and a bit of humor to demonstrate how to use Illustrator’s pen and 3D revolve tool to create some interesting effects.

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• 

  Turn a Sketch Into a Crazy Santa Illustration

  This fantastic Santa Clause Illustration tutorial marks Ai Monkey’s second appearance in this round up and demonstrates how to turn a sketch of a crazy Santa Clause into a very nice vector Illustration which can be used as a guide for creating complex characters.

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(FREE!) Download Picks

• 

  Free Christmas Themed Sketchy Vector Graphics Pack

  You probably already guessed that there would be at least a couple holiday-themed vector freebies this month. This free Christmas-Themed vector graphics pack from Spoon Graphics includes some nice sketchy illustrations of snowmen, reindeer, and yes, even a penguin.

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• 

  Free Christmas Vectors – Santa, Snowman and Reindeer

  Santa Clause, snowmen, and reindeer are 3 essential ingredients to any holiday illustration. This free set of Christmas vectors from Pattern Head includes all three. Feel free to use this set in your next holiday design.

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• 

  Social Networking Icons (10 Colors/2 Styles)

  Our friends at Think Design Blog have always created nice social networking icons. Their latest set includes a whole lot of social networking icons available in all sorts of styles. Each set can be used on your website for free.

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• 

  Detailed Vector Weapons Pack

  There’s only 1 thing cooler than vector skulls and that’s vector weapons. This set of detailed vector weapons from ArtAmp on DeviantArt can be used to chop, slice, and shoot your way through your next design. These vectors are perfect for t-shirts, posters, and anything else you can think up.

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• 

  Drawn Floral 2

  It wouldn’t be a vector freebie round up without including a nice set of vector floral designs. This set of vectors from Stock Graphic Designs on QVectors includes two really nice, hand-drawn, floral vectors to include a decoration in your next design.

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