Posts Tagged ‘Illustrator’
How to Create a 3D Marker in Illustrator
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There are many ways to create a marker in Adobe Illustrator, but this might be one of the quickest. It only takes three paths, some text for the imprint and a 3D effect to create a semi-realistic and freely rotatable marker. So let’s get started!
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Below is the final image we will be working towards.  Step 1Use the Pen Tool (P) to draw the following path. You will need it for the marker itself as well as for its cap. Set the Width to approximately 5 mm and the Height to approximately 12 mm.  Step 2Use the Convert Anchor Point Tool (Shift + C) to round the two corners as seen below.  Step 3Duplicate your path (drag it to the side while pressing the Alt key). Then use the Direct Selection Tool (A), select the two lower Anchor Points of the duplicated path and stretch the shape to a Length of approximately 70 mm.  Step 4Use the Pen Tool (P) to draw the tip of the marker. The Height is approximately 20 mm. Select both elements of the marker and group them (Command + G).  Step 5Select the cap (the first path), place it next to the tip of the marker and flip it horizontally (Object > Transform > Mirror).  Step 6Select the Add Anchor Points Tool (+) and add two new Anchor Points to the path: one at the left side and one at the top. Then use the Direct Selection Tool (A) to move the upper-left Anchor Point as seen below.  Step 7Remove all outlines and fill the shaft of your marker with a light gray (K=10) and the tip and cap with red.  Step 8Use a black and bold Sans-serif font for the text of the imprint. You could even add additional elements like a barcode if you want. Placing it vertically and adjusting its size at this stage is useful.  Step 9Group (Command + G) all elements of the imprint and drag and drop it into the Symbols Palette to create a new symbol. |
How to Create a Curious Owl in Illustrator CS4
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One of my favorite TV shows of all time is Twin Peaks and one of its most memorable lines is “The owls are not what they seem.” Inspired by that ominous truth I decided to create a little illustration. I chose a rather non-spooky scene set at dusk, with a curious owl sitting on a branch and some scenery in the background.
Final Image PreviewBelow 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
Take a look at what we’re aiming for, an inquisitive owl on a branch with dusk scenery in the background. I chose a soft, warm color palette to create a peaceful illustration.  Step 1Open a new blank document. The size doesn’t matter for now. In the end we’ll crop the artboard to the illustration. Let’s start by creating the eyes of the owl. Draw an orange circle with the Ellipse Tool (L) (1a). Fill it with the gradient you see in image 1b, with colors ranging from light orange to dark red. Draw a dark brown pupil also (1c).  Step 2The eye needs a couple of highlights. Draw a light orange ellipse in the top-right corner of the eye (2a) and set it to Screen, with 50% Opacity from the Transparency palette (2b). Add a secondary highlight in the bottom-left corner (2c), move it below the pupil and reduce its Opacity to 30% (2d).  Step 3Let’s add an internal shadow. Copy the secondary highlight behind the first one and enlarge it (3a). Fill it with the same color as the pupil and set it to Multiply at 25% Opacity (3b). Go to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur and choose a Radius of 5 pixels (3c). We added a nice depth to the eye (3d).  Step 4Select the main orange circle then go to Object > Path > Offset Path and and enter 5 pixels (4a). Make the new circle very dark (4b). The eye is finished so group all objects together and create the second eye. Place a guide right between them (4c).  Step 5Let’s draw the beak now. Activate Smart Guides with Command + U then draw the right half of the beak using the Pen Tool (P), while snapping to the guide (5a). Make sure the first and last points have horizontal handles (5b). Create the left half by copying and flipping horizontally the one you just drew. Grab the Direct Selection Tool (A) and use it to select the top points. Hit Command + J to join them: from the pop up dialog choose the Smooth option (5c). Do the same for the bottom points. We now have a single shape for the beak and because we kept the handles of the endpoints horizontal the joints don’t have any kinks (5d).  Step 6The beak is definitely out of scale and proportion with the eyes so let’s adjust it (6a). Go to Object > Create Gradient Mesh and choose 3 rows and 4 columns (6b). Take a look at the instructions in image 6c to color the mesh properly. The result (6d) shows the finished beak: notice the frontal highlight and the shadows at the seams.  Step 7To create the nostril draw a small brown ellipse at the top-right corner (7a). Fill it with a gradient to give it some depth (7b) then mirror it to complete the pair (7c).  Step 8Let’s draw the head now. Create two overlapping circles around the eyes and join them into a single object: the spectacles (8a). Create the head with a brown ellipse (8b) and fill it with a gradient (8c) to imply light coming from the top (8d).  Step 9Select the beak (not the nostrils) and go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow and enter the settings shown in image 9a. Add a drop shadow to the eyes too (9b) and see the result (9c).  Step 10Create the egg-shaped body (10a) and fill it with the same gradient as the head. Duplicate the head, move the copy behind it and below it (10b). Add a Gaussian Blur effect (10c) and set it to Multiply with 50% Opacity (10d). The values used for the effects may be different for you, depending on the size of your document and the raster effect settings. Just try to obtain similar results. You can see that the head’s shadow appears on the background too. We need to crop it to the body. Make a copy of the body and move it above the shadow. Select both this copy and the shadow and hit Command + 7 to create a clipping mask (10e). Now the shadow is cast only onto the body (10f).  Step 11Let’s finish the head by adding a wedge of lighter plumes. Using the guide as reference draw the right half of the wedge and make it bigger than the head. Don’t worry about the weird shape, we’ll crop it to the head with a clipping mask later (11a). Mirror the other half and join into a single object like we did earlier with the beak (11b). Use a copy of the head to create a clipping mask (11c) so the wedge is perfectly cropped (11d). Make it less conspicuous by switching to Soft Light mode with 70% Opacity (11e).  Step 12Let’s add a patch of lighter plumes on the belly. Duplicate and stretch the body and set it to Screen mode (12a). Go to Effect > Distort > Zig Zag and use the settings in image 12b to add variation to the outline (12c). Now go to Effect > Warp > Fisheye and use the settings shown in image 12d. See how the outline is a bit more dynamic now (12e).  Step 13Use a clipping mask to crop the belly to the body. You know the method by now because we’ve used it twice already (13a). With the belly selected create a new style in the Graphic Styles palette by clicking on the appropriate icon at the bottom. Apply the style to the spectacles and the wedge (13b). You might need to manually adjust the settings of the individual styles to make up for the objects having different shapes and sizes.  Step 14Draw the left wing with the Pen Tool (P) on its separate layer above the body and below the head (14a). Fill it with a two-tone brown gradient so the wing becomes darker as it recedes from view (14b).  Step 15Take a copy of the wing and move it below it. Rotate it counterclockwise around the top edge (15a) and set it to Multiply mode (15b). Now it’s darker (15c). Add a Gaussian Blur effect (15d) so it looks like a real shadow. Use a clipping mask to crop it to the body (15e). Mirror the other wing (15f). |
How to Create Vector Folk Buildings Using a Digital Tablet and Tracing Techniques
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Will another vector drawing tutorial that uses tracing techniques change the world? I hope yes, since tracing improves your way of conceiving the world graphically and representing it. The more you trace, the more you find the important visual clues to capture the world in your art. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to achieve a 1920’s folk art deco look, seen in the works of artists such as, Transylvanian architectural illustrator and researcher László Debreceni. I recommend you use a graphic tablet for this one, as we’ll be taking full advantage of pressure sensitivity. The techniques shown here work best on buildings and structures.
Final Image PreviewBelow 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
 Step 1 – Find the Right ImageThe best is to go on site and take your photos, but if you are using stock footage try to find a picture on which the mass of your building is centered and there’s no other building or foliage obstructing the view. The photo used here is taken by me.  Step 2 – Set Up the WorkspaceUse File > Place to import your image. Place the image on the center of the artboard. Double-click on its layer and set the Dim Images value to 70%. I usually use A4 sized artboard and if the resolution of the image permits, I size it so that the mass of the building fills about 80% of the artboard.  Step 3 – Set Up Your BrushMost of the time I use Adobe Illustrator’s default brushes. Set the fidelity so the program corrects your small mistakes. Pressure sensitivity is also very important to achieve dynamic lines. Set that to have about 3 points of variation. Experiment and find the settings that fit your vision of graphically appealing lines considering your skills.   Step 4 – Start TracingIt’s a good practice to start with repetitive textures like tiles, fences and such, since this is the most tedious part and people tend to have more enthusiasm at the beginning of a project.  Step 5 – Parallel Lines and the Trick of LinesLots of parallel lines give the feeling of detail so it’s good to use them to avoid dullness. For me it’s quite hard to draw straight lines so I developed my technique of doing this (Disclaimer: it’s highly possible, that this wasn’t developed by me, but it’s how I do this). So the trick is to look in front of your cursor and not on the cursor. You want to see what you will draw and not what you have drawn. Tick number two: start drawing the line and when you feel that it is getting off course do a small hop, a small crease or wrinkle by quickly moving your pencil up and down a bit. This way your eyes will find the right line again and your lines will get a really nice texture. And voila! The overall feeling of the lines, despite the hops, is straight not to mention the added visually movement.   Step 6 – Draw the Rest of the BuildingThat’s easier to say than to do, you would think. The question is, “Where should I draw my lines?” My way of deciding on that is to look for dark areas. Sometimes a well drawn shadow can represent greatly, without making the drawing too busy or heavy. Don’t go too much into the details, it will kill a lot of time and won’t be visible on the finished drawing. Use thin, not continuous lines, just like clues to represent the edges. Find good instrumental music and drink green tea instead of coffee if you are into a tracing project, and find the peace in monotony. Your reward will be a killer looking architectural illustration! Here is some advice to improve your work methods:
 Here are our results so far.  Step 7 – ShadowsSoft shadows are not common in these type of illustrations since they were reproduced with linocuts. Blocks of full black shadows will balance the design and give a strong feeling of depth. So it is very important to find the right borderline between shadows and the rest of the image. My way of finding the border of shadows is to decide on the darkest point, and everything that is about 40% lighter in shade than my reference point, will be represented as shadow. Find what works for your illustration, as it may differ. Once you identified your shadow areas pick the Pencil Tool, set your fill to black or any dark color you prefer and start to trace the shadows. |
Create Colorful, Layered Paper Type in Illustrator
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In winter, here in the Ukraine it’s rather cold and snowy, I oftentimes find myself creating colorful illustrations that compensate for the cold weather. Today I will show you how to brighten your mood by creating vivid illustrations with layered paper text and ribbons. We’ll create custom type and use Illustrator effects extensively to optimize our work.
Final Image PreviewBelow 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
 IntroductionToday we will create a multi-layered effect of custom type. We’ll also learn a few of the easiest ways of making ribbons and folded paper. We’ll be using Pathfinder, Illustrator effects and graphic styles extensively – this way we optimize our work and avoid routine with plenty of repeating elements. Also we’ll utilize the transparency panel and symbols to add detail, and more importantly, we’ll learn how to avoid productivity issues when dealing with multiple effects. Step 1 – Creating Custom LetteringOpen Illustrator and create a new document 1000 pixels by 600 pixels. Let’s create a background first – draw a rectangle (M) covering your canvas, fill it with a vertical, linear grayish-blue gradient that goes from lighter hue (#808A96) to a darker shade (#454C54). We’ll cover it with texture later on, but as long as every effect applied reduces the program productivity, we’ll leave it for final touches. Lock this layer for now and rename it to “BG.”  Step 2Create new layer, name it “Type.” Now turn on the grid by going to View > Show Grid. You won’t see the grid with default settings, so you’ll have to either uncheck Grids in Back option in Guides & Grid Preferences (Command + K), or turn off the background layer visibility for a minute. I suggest you do the latter, as it might be not easy to get used to grids on top of all objects. The grid is not essential for this step, but I find it rather helpful for this process. You might want to specify your grid settings in Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid, mine is 100 px with 10 subdivisions. Lastly, you can turn on the Snap to Grid option (View > Snap to Grid) for more precise construction. I chose 90 px for the letter height – so drag two horizontal guides from the rulers (Command + R) that indicate baselines. When all preparations are made, we can start creating the type. I chose to write “VECTOR” – this word does not only have meaningful sense, but also very nice and simple letter shapes. We’ll create letters that font designers usually love to start their career with – bold, simple, type, which is based on geometric shapes. Create a rectangle (M) 90×90 pixels, copy it 3 times – these are our letters “V,” “E,” “T,” and “R.” Now draw a circle (L) 90×90 px and make one copy – these are our “C” and “O.” Position future letters on the lower guide according to their sequence in the “VECTOR” word, as shown below.  Step 3Let’s modify the letters now. First, choose the Direct Selection Tool (A) and select the two bottom points of the first rectangle, now press Command + Alt + J (or right-click and choose Average), select the Vertical option. The letter “V” looks more triangular now. Now create a rectangle 10 px by 50 px, with any color, and position it over the “V” to form it’s shape. To make sure the rectangle and the letter are aligned, select both figures and click the Horizontal center alignment either on your options panel, or in the Align palette (Shift + F7). If you want to keep the position of a particular figure while aligning (for example I did not want the V-shape to move), click inside it after selecting both shapes – now the other figure will be aligned to it. Now open the Pathfinder panel (Shift + Command + F9) and click the subtract button (but don’t click Expand button yet). For the next letter “E,” create another small rectangle, this time create it 10px by 60 px. Now make a copy of it and position it exactly 20 px below the original. If Snap to Grid is on, simply Alt + Shift-drag it two gridlines down, or press Enter with the Move Tool chosen (V) and insert 20 px for vertical move and click Copy. Now select both small shapes and press Command + 8 to make a compound shape – this way we can align figures properly. Position them on the second large rectangle to form an E letter, select both large and compound shapes, now click the big one to assign the alignment object, and align them Vertical center. Again, Subtract in Pathfinder – but don’t expand now.  Note: You may want letters to appear more soft, simply replace small rectangles in this and the next step with rounded rectangles that have a small radius and the same measurements. Step 4For the “C” letter, create a rectangle 50 px by 30 px (although feel free to use one with a smaller 10 px width if you like). Again, position it over the second circle, select both shapes, click the large circle and align to vertical center. Press the Subtract button in the Pathfinder. Now we need two shapes to form the “T” letter – I took a rectangle 40 px by 70 px and made one copy. Now position them to hide the large rectangle parts, so that the letter looks proportional – I made both vertical and horizontal strokes in the “T” letter 30 px. I did not use alignment here as the Snap to Grid option helped me position shapes precisely. Finally, again select all three figures and subtract.  Step 5We have the last two letters left. I was choosing between leaving the “O” letter solid or making a hole in it. Both results look nice, but a solid “O” looks much more harmonious in this particular design, so I decided to keep it intact. Still, if you want to modify it – feel free. Create a square 30 pixels by 30 pixels, position it over the “O” and align them vertically and horizontally. Now, press the Subtract button in the Pathfinder. For the “R” letter, select the last rectangle and add one anchor point in the middle of its right-vertical side with the Pen Tool (P) – the pen cursor will turn to Add points. Now select the new point along with the upper-right corner point with Direct Selection (A) move the points to the left about 30 pixels. Now create a circle (L) 50 px by 50 px and position it to form the “R” shape – the circle should touch the upper-right figure point with its top point. Now you can combine these to shapes in the Pathfinder panel by pressing the Add button.  Step 6Now it’s time to adjust the type. First, the “E” and “R” letters are too wide. Let’s correct that. Select the left side of each of them with the Direct Selection (A) and move it to the right, while holding Shift (or simply hit Shift + Right Arrow key). Now, make sure you are satisfied with all the gaps we just made in the compound shapes. If you want to move or transform small rectangles, select it with the Group Selection Tool (white arrow with +) and adjust the position. When letters look good, select each one and click Expand in Pathfinder panel to convert it into single shapes. Change the letter-spacing now by moving letters closer to each other. We won’t implement any strict rules of font design, we’ll rather adjust kerning visually until we like the result. Lastly, select all six letters and combine them into a compound path in the Pathfinder panel by pressing the Add button and then Expand. Move the “VECTOR” word to the center of the canvas and change its fill to fuchsia (#ED0072). Turn off the Snap to Grid option now (Shift + Command + ‘), as it will only disturb us from now on.  Step 7 – Creating a Layered EffectYou can switch the “BG” layer visibility on now (make sure it’s locked though). We have two options at this point for creating the layered effect. We could work on one single object we just created, adding multiple fills to it with effects applied. This way, however, all the paper stripes and ribbons that lie between the type layers will have to be partially masked. Or we can create separate objects for every type layer, and then simply position the ribbons between them. I chose the second way, as positioning paper stripes will be easier this way, and we’ll have certain flexibility with separate type objects. Select the type, go to Effects > 3D > Extrude and Bevel. For the rotation options, enter 4 for X-axis rotation, and 0 for Y and Z axes rotation. For extrusion, enter 30 and apply. Now, with type still selected, go to Effects > Stylize > Shadow, change X-shift to 0 px and Y-shift to 2 px, change the color to K=50%. Leave the blending as Multiply, Opacity as 75%, and blur as 5 px, and apply the effect. You’ll see a subtle 3-D effect. With the type selected, open the Graphic styles panel and add a new style, name it “Type” – this way you’ll always have a backup of this object (although we may not need it, I still prefer to have it saved).  Step 8Now, with your type selected, go to Object > Path > Offset Path, enter 5 px for offset and apply. You’ll see a parallel shape behind the original lettering, and it will have the same effects if you combined the letters correctly. If you didn’t, there is a possibility that this figure will consist of six separate shapes or will have no effects applied. In this case, select all of them (except the original top, compound shape) and again combine them into a single one in the Pathfinder panel by pressing the Add button and then Expand button. Now click the new graphic style we just created in the Graphic Styles panel – and that’s it! The second shape has the same effects applied. Check your layers panel – both shapes must be titled as Compound path. All we need to do is change the fill color of the bottom shape to #FF0051.  Step 9We need to repeat the previous step six times, every time offsetting the bottom shape 5 px more, enter: 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 pixels. After running the Offset Path command, make sure you select the new bottom shape (as both shapes will be selected by default) and change its fill color. Below you can see eight swatches for this work. Create new swatches folder in the appropriate panel and add these colors to it, as we’ll use them again many times later. Apply these colors to each new shape. That is what you’ll have for now.  Step 10If you open your Layers panel, you’ll see eight objects on the “Type” layer – this means you did everything properly. You may want to move all the shapes a little bit – adjusting their position. You may also want to change colors at this point, if you aren’t happy with how your colors look, as Extrusion effect distorts colors a little. In this case, select every shape separately and change its color, and then create a new swatch to save it for later. I’d like to give you advice on a productivity issue. Multiple effects may slow down Illustrator – every time you move objects the program will render effects, this may reduce your productivity significantly. To avoid it, I suggest that you use Symbols. Simply drag every shape into the Symbols panel (or select it and press the New button in the Symbols panel) and name them from “1″ to “8.” Graphic symbols are very compact objects, and they need less memory. If you want to edit the shape – select the symbol instance and press the Break Link icon on the Symbols panel.  Step 11 – Making Paper StripesLet’s create folded paper stripes. I’ll show you the easiest way to make them. You can remain on the same Type layer, as you’ll need to position new objects between the shapes from the previous section. But you better lock eight type shapes for now. So, take a Pen Tool (P) and draw a shape consisting of 3-6 points – don’t drag the handles, as we don’t need smooth points. Make the shape no fill and 0,5 pt stroke, choose a stroke color from our folder – for example, pink. Now go to Effects > 3D > Extrude & Bevel, check Preview, and rotate the preview cube to get the result you like, make the extrusion between 30 and 50, then apply the effect.  Now open the Graphic Styles panel and add a new style, name it “Paper_stripe.” OK, you can expand the object now – go to Object > Path > Expand Appearance. Now press Shift + Command + G to ungroup the shape four times, and then press Command + G to group it (this is the way it works, unfortunately, and ungrouping three times does not work). You can easily transform and move the shape now. Find the best position for it. All you have to do now is drag it somewhere between the type shapes – it’s easy to do in the Layers panel.  Step 12Now we’ll add a shadow beneath our stripe. This step is optional, so if you like the ribbon as is you may skip it. Still the shadow adds realism, so I recommend you create it. Select the stripe, copy and paste to back (Command + C and Command + B), now press Command + Shift + G to ungroup it and combine it into a single shape pressing Add button in Pathfinder panel. You can’t see the shape below the ribbon, so rotate it slightly. Now change its fill color to K=60% and blur it (Effects > Blur > Gaussian blur) about 15 pixels. Go to the Transparency panel now (Shift + Command + F10) and change the shadow blending to Multiply. Now, again add a new style in the Graphic Styles panel and name it “Shadow.”  The shadow looks too harsh, so we’ll make it subtle. Now select the shadow, go to the Transparency panel and click the empty place to the right of shadow icon twice, uncheck “Clip.” The Mask icon will get a thick black border indicating the opacity mask mode – you can also see changes in the Layers panel. Create a rectangle that entirely covers a shadow, fill it with a linear white to black gradient. Use the Gradient Tool (G) to change the direction of the white to black transition, so that the white is where the shadow touches the ribbon, and black goes to where you want it to disappear. White shows the object entirely, while black masks it. Changes will be seen on the mask icon of the Transparency panel. When the mask is ready, click the shadow icon on the left of the mask – the border around it will mean you entered normal mode. Now select both the ribbon and its shadow and group it (Command + G), name the group “Stripe-pink” and lock it, which keeps all elements organized.  Step 13The rest of the paper stripes are created the same way. Draw a path with the Pen Tool that represents a side view of a future stripe, make it no fill and any color, with a 0,5 pt stroke, the apply the “Paper_stripe” graphic style. Now you can rotate the path to get the desired shape, or change the extrude settings by clicking it twice in the Appearance panel (Shift + F6). Change the stroke color to one of our color swatches, expand the appearance, ungroup it four times and group again. That’s it, now position the stripe between the type shapes using the Layers panel. For the shadow – again, select your stripe, copy and paste to back (Command + C and Command + B), ungroup and Alt-click the Add button in the Pathfinder panel, and click the “Shadow” style in the Graphic style panel – the shadow is ready! You have to position it properly by rotating and moving, and adding a gradient opacity mask. To remind you again – with shadow selected, click on the right of its icon in the Transparency panel, uncheck “Clip,” and draw a rectangle with a white to black gradient fill. Adjust the gradient transition and exit mask mode by clicking the shadow icon, group the stripe and its shadow, lock the group and name it appropriately.  Step 14Add several more stripes – 7-8 will be OK. Use the guidelines above from Steps 11-13 to create them properly. Position them between the type shapes in various directions, and add shadows below every stripe after it. Again, if you feel that effects slow down your program, simply drag every stripe to the Symbols panel to increase productivity. After creating all the paper stripes you’ll have this image.  Step 15 – Creating RibbonsLet’s move to the ribbons now. There are a few ways of making them. The first one is obvious – using a wavy line and the extrude effect just like we did for the paper stripes. However, there are some issues in this method – you’ll get too many shapes after expanding, not to mention that expand adds too many unnecessary points. Tons of objects you get when expanding a shape is caused by gradients that come from the shading method chosen for Extrusion. One good method to avoid it is using no shading at all. This way, after the “Expand appearance” command, the amount of shapes will be rather low, which makes it easier for recoloring the ribbon. You can go on and try it: draw the wavy line with smooth points using the Pen Tool (P), give it no fill and 0,5 stroke, the apply the “Paper_stripe” graphic style. Now after adjusting the settings, expand the appearance and look at the shapes amount. Then do the same, but change the Shading method to none – and you can add colors manually.  Step 16You can use the described Extrude method for ribbons if you like it, but I still want you to try a different approach that results in cleaner shapes and fewer objects. However, you’ll need to create them manually without any effects. Use the Pen Tool to draw a wavy line with four smooth points. The main rule here is that anchor points must lie at the top-most and bottom-most points in relation to the horizontal axis, see the image below. Now take the Scissors Tool (C) and cut the shape at every point.  Step 17Now select all parts and Alt + Shift-drag them to the right to copy. The distance depends on the width of the future ribbon. Now with the Direct Selection Tool (A), select the two left-most open endpoints and press Command + J to join them (or right-click and select Join). Do the same with the right-most endpoints. Now with the Selection Tool (V), select the new figure on the left and hit Command + J again, do the same with the right one. The only open parts are in the middle, so select them both and press Shift + Up Arrow key, so that we can see the open points. Now, again, join the two upper endpoints and then select the shape and Join again to close the path. Bring the shape back in place by pressing Shift + Down Arrow key.  Step 18You can choose one color for all three shapes now from our swatches folder. Now we must add dimension to do it and change the middle color to a darker shade. A good way of doing it is by opening the Color panel (F6), choosing HSB from the flyout menu, and moving the brightness slider to the left. You may also need to arrange parts by bringing them forward (Command + Right Bracket key) or backwards (Command + Left Bracket key). When the ribbon looks good, group all the parts and rotate or transform them to your liking, and position the ribbon between the type shapes. This method is very good for ribbons, as it produces clean shapes with only a few anchor points compared to the Extrude-Expand method. |
Everything You Ever Want to Know About Creating Seamless Patterns in Illustrator
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Adobe Illustrator patterns makes your work process easier and the result prettier. Every vector professional must know the secrets and details about using seamless patterns, as well as many approaches to creating them. In this tutorial I dive into the anatomy of patterns in Adobe Illustrator, analyzing numerous existing methods of creating a seamless pattern fill, from the easiest ones to the most complex ones.
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IntroductionI believe that most readers know and use patterns in Illustrator, but I also know that there are some users that are only now making their first steps in Theory: Understanding the BasicsI think it’s a good idea to start with the theoretical part first. This way those of you who are only starting to work in Illustrator will learn the basics 1. What is a Pattern?In Adobe Illustrator Patterns are one of the powerful tools used to decorate your artwork. It may be applied in the form of Pattern fill – one of three  2. Pattern AnatomyIn a nutshell, patterns are a group of vector objects with rectangular-shaped borders (tile). The source tile is saved as a pattern. To form the seamless pattern texture, the saved source is automatically tiled horizontally and vertically. The tile direction is guided by rulers in the Illustrator document – usually patterns start from the lower-left corner. Interestingly, when the pattern is applied to a vector object as a fill or stroke, the result is a pixel-based image. However, as the source tile is vector, it is still scaleable, so you don’t need to worry about the quality.  3. Finding PatternsWe will soon be creating our own patterns, but first I want to make sure you try the existing ones. Adobe Illustrator has a plenty of default It is possible to load other pattern libraries, for example, downloaded from open-source internet sites. To do it, go to Window > Swatch library > Other library and navigate to the saved file on your hard disk (it might have a .ai extension). Usually, when you apply a swatch from an additional library it appears in the main Swatches panel. You may also want your main Swatches panel to show only pattern swatches – for this, choose Show Patterns in the panel View Options icon.  4. Studying PatternsI recommend you to study the default patterns from inside Illustrator. To do it, simply drag the one you like onto your artboard. It is extremely useful for  5. Pattern FillPattern fills works in a simple way – it is applied as a fill to selected objects. You can apply multiple fills to any object, combining all types of fills (color, gradient, and pattern) using the Appearance panel (Shift + F6). You can also assign a blending mode and change the pattern fill opacity in the Transparency panel (Shift + Command + F10). You can transform the pattern fill in any way – moving, scaling, rotating, reflecting it, etc, along with the object itself or separately. To do it, select any transform tool you want, for example Rotate (R), click Enter, and check what exactly you want to transform – either patterns only, or object only, or both.  6. Pattern StrokeA pattern stroke is one of two types of strokes in Adobe Illustrator. Just like a pattern fill, you can combine pattern strokes with color strokes in the As for transformation, again you may rotate, move, or scale a pattern applied to a stroke separately or together with the object. If you want all strokes to transform proportionally with the object, simply check Transform Strokes and Effects in the flyout menu of the Transform panel.  7. Pattern BrushAnother pattern embodiment is the pattern brush. There are many default pattern brushes, you can find them in Window > Brush Libraries > Border_Brushes and choose the library. Brushes can be applied as a stroke effect to any path, or you can use the Brush tool (B) to draw directly with chosen type. Still you can create your own pattern brush using any pattern in the main Swatches panel – simply click the New icon in the Brushes panel (F5), select Vectortuts+ has plenty of custom pattern brush tutorials, like href="http://vector.tutsplus.com/tutorials/designing/how-to-create-a-climbing-rope-pattern-brush/">How to Create a Climbing Rope Pattern Brush, or Create a Gold Chain Pattern  Important! Saving PatternsWell, we’ve found out what patterns are and how to apply them. Still, the most important thing about Illustrator’s seamless patterns is that we can 1. Defining a PatternTo define a pattern in Adobe Illustrator, you should first create the source tile for it that will be then repeated horizontally and vertically to form a seamless texture. Anyway, you will need to create the objects to form your pattern and then save it. To save an object or group of objects as a pattern swatch, simply drag it to the Swatches panel. It is a good habit to name patterns appropriately, to do it double-click the swatch and rename it. Another option for saving a pattern is to select objects and go to Edit > Define pattern, this way you can name it right away.  2. RestrictionsActually, it’s possible to create patterns with all kinds of objects, including symbols, gradients, brushes, blends, and mesh. However, you must  3. Cropping a TileBefore we learn the process of seamless pattern creation, I think we must remember techniques of cropping the tile. As the objects we create mostly do not form a perfect rectangle or square, there are ways of defining exact pattern borders to avoid incorrect results. There are three main cropping pattern tile methods: 1. Background Rectangle – In this method, the rectangle is placed below all other objects, so that all elements stay within its borders.  2. Dividing Objects – To crop the pattern, create a rectangle on top of all objects to match the tile. Now you have two options: either select all objects and press the Crop button in the Pathfinder panel, or select the top rectangle and go to Object > Path > Divide objects below and delete the leftovers. Now you can save the perfectly cropped pattern.  3. Invisible Borders – This method is the most advanced and popular. Create a rectangle matching the tile borders, make it NO fill and NO stroke (dark rectangle on the image below) and send it to back of the entire stack (Shift + Command+ [). This invisible shape will define the pattern borders, this way you can avoid dividing objects.  4. Transparency and BlendingIf you use blending modes or opacity for objects in your tile, the future pattern will inherit them, and the object with such pattern applied will Still, if you want to correct it, I suggest that you either use a solid-colored background included in the pattern itself, or turn all objects to flat-color or 100% opaque ones. To do it, select your tile objects and go to Object > Flatten Transparency and adjust settings. You may want to check Preserve alpha transparency, converting objects with blending modes to flat-color but preserve their opacity level, or check Preserve Overprints (works for 100% opaque shapes) to keep blending modes intact, converting elements to 100% opaque. This way yo may choose how to handle transparency to convert objects to flat-color or 100% opaque (or both) shapes.  As an example, I will use this option when creating patterns later in this tutorial. You can use whatever objects you like, but I want you to try one nice technique - I'll show it in case you want to recreate it. For the patterns created below I took multiple objects made with the help of the Tilde key (~) and the Snap to Grid (Shift + Command + ') option. To make them, grab any shape tool, from the Rectangle to Star to Spiral, and start drawing an object pressing the Tilde key. This way we get multiple copies, and we can scale and rotate them while drawing. To make the result more pleasant, adjust your grid size by going to Preferences > Guides and Grid (Command + K), turn the Grid on (Command + ') and Snap to Grid (Shift + Command + ') on. Then select the objects created, reduce their opacity, change the color, and change the blending mode to your liking. You can also try pressing other modifier keys when drawing along with Tilde, like Alt to draw from the center, or Shift to constrain the proportions (or both, if you have enough fingers) to get interesting results. Also, try the Spacebar to move shapes while drawing. You can then combine the resulted shapes in various abstract figures, duplicating and transforming them to your liking.  Practice: Creating Seamless PatternsThere are numerous methods for creating seamless patterns, from the easiest to the most complex ones. The first and foremost rule for correct pattern creation is to make it seamlessness. This means a tile should be constructed in such a way, that elements on its right border perfectly match ones on its left border, and top and bottom borders match as well. This way, when a pattern is tiled horizontally and vertically it looks seamless. Below I use simple forms just for demonstrative purpose, you can apply these methods to create more complex patterns. I will explain all pattern techniques I know in the practical guide below, starting from the primitive one and moving to complex techniques involving precise calculations. 1. The Easiest Method.It's obvious that any object or group of objects can be technically saved as a pattern, although it won't necessarily work well seamlessly. Still, we'll start from this primitive (and the least popular) way to create a pattern - drawing any object and dragging it to the Swatches panel. If the object has a rectangular shape, the pattern will be correct, as the pattern tile border will match the rectangle border. If, however, the object isn't rectangular, the tile borders will be assigned according to the object bounding box. This way, if we simply save a star or circle as a pattern, the tile will still be rectangular with empty space added automatically. Of course, this is not what we usually want, but sometimes this method may produce interesting results.  2. Within the BackgroundAs it follows from the previous step, patterns should be saved with rectangle borders to look correct. One good and simple way of doing it is creating The program takes the borders of the entire group as a tile, in this case they will match the background rectangle. To make sure the tile is formed correctly and the pattern will be seamless, position all the inner objects within the background. This method is used in the tutorial A Beginners Guide to Digital Textile Printing, demonstrating what nice results may be produced. Save the entire group as a pattern and see the outcome.  Note: if you need no color background for your pattern, you still can position objects to your liking and crop the tile with the Invisible borders 3. ReflectionAnother method worth mentioning that produces very nice-looking results is mirroring. The idea of it is creating a symmetric pattern. Symmetry To create it, draw a rectangle background tile and put the main objects onto it. Here I used simple shapes to create a digital sound wave just to illustrate the idea. Try to position objects so that they overlap one vertical tile border (in the image below it's the right border). Move and transform elements to get the result you like, then copy the background rectangle (Command + C) and paste it in front (Command + F), then bring it to front (Shift + Command + ]). Select everything and crop all objects by pressing the Crop button in the Pathfinder panel (Shift + Command+ F9) – and you’ll have one-half of the future pattern. To create a second half, select all elements and choose the Reflect tool (O), now Alt-click on the tile’s right border and enter a Vertical axis, and click Copy. Both parts will perfectly match now (you may want to reflect the pattern again by the horizontal axis).  4. From the EndThe methods above are quiet straightforward, and they are not enough at all for making more complex seamless textures. Sometimes you need to start from the end, creating not the only one tile, but rather the entire pattern of many tiles, and find the initial tile later. |
Use Illustrator to Create a Fun, 3D, Character Logo
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In this tutorial we’ll use illustrators 3D tool to create text with depth. We’ll give the letters personality by placing them at angles and choosing a fun font. We’ll add a crazy rabbit character and unify all the colors as we add simple shading. Lastly, we’ll give this fun logo a sticker effect. We cover quite a bit of ground in this tutorial, so fire up Illustrator and let’s begin!
Final Image PreviewBelow 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
 Step 1Let’s open a new document in Illustrator (File > New) and select the size "Letter" (but you can choose any size you want). I used the RGB color mode for this one but if you want to use it for printing you should choose CMYK.  Step 2We will start with the 3D looking font. First, find a nice font (In this tutorial I use Lamebrain BRK, then be sure to have enough space between each letter (I used 100 here), and go to Type > Create Outlines.  Step 3Take the dot on the "i" away by using the Direct Selection Tool and add a stroke to the text. Be sure to select Round Cap and Round Join in the stroke box to get a smoother effect.  Step 4Select the text and go to Path > Outline Stroke.  Step 5Then go to Object > Ungroup. Select one of the letters and click Unite in the Pathfinder box. Do the same for each letter.  Step 6To get a nice cartoon effect, you can select each letter and move, rotate, and scale a bit.  Step 7It’s time now to make the 3D effect. I changed the color of the text to red so it’s will be easier to see the 3D effect on them. Select a letter and go to Effect > 3D > Extrude & Bevel.  Step 8In the 3D Extrude & Bevel panel, check the Preview option and choose an Extrude Depth (I used the default). Then you can move the box to get the angle you want. You can also change the perspective. do the same for each letter and change the angle a bit for each one.  Step 9For each letter done, select it and go to Object > Expand Appearance.  Step 10You will see some white space between the shapes, but don’t worry, we are going to take it away. Select a letter and hit Shift + Command + G (Object > Ungroup) twice. Then select only the front shape of the letter (ex. the light red "C") and make a copy (Command + C). Select the whole letter, including the front shape, and add a small stroke (0,5) with the Round Cap and Round Join selected. Go to Object > Path > Outline Stroke, open the Pathfinder box, and click on Unite. When those steps are done, paste the front shape’s copy back on top (Command + F). You need to do the same for each letter again.  Step 11You now have your 3D effect! I changed the color of the shapes before the red made me crazy.  Step 12Remember that we deleted the dot on the "i" previously? Let’s create a nice red star using the Star Tool!  Step 13Repeat Steps 7 to 10 to get it in 3D and then change the colors.  Step 14Now add a black stroke to the text. Select everything, copy (Command + C) and paste it to the back (Command + B). Click on Unite in the Pathfinder box.  Step 15Add a black 10 pt stroke!  Step 16Go to Object > Path > Outline Stroke and click on Unite in the Pathfinder box.  Step 17Double-click on the black shape to get into it and create a shape to cover every part left in white.  Step 18Select the black shape and the new one and click on "Unite" in the Pathfinder box. Double-click outside of the shape, to get back to the text.  Step 19To add some effect to the text, create some round shapes.  Step 20Select the front letters in the text and click on Unite in the Pathfinder box. Make a copy of the shape in front (Command + C and Command + F). Select that shape and the round one (in green) and click on Intersect in the Pathfinder box, while holding Alt. Then click on Expand. Do the same with the star. |
Create a Stylized Avocado in Illustrator
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In this tutorial, we'll explain how to create a cut avocado with simple shapes, blends, and textures. We’ll design both the outer skin, yummy light green avocado filling, and the inner core. Let’s get started!
Final Image PreviewBelow 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
 Step 1Open up a new document and select the Ellipse Tool (L), then use it to create an ellipse.  Step 2Select the Pen Tool (P) and add a path point on each side. Grab the Direct Selection Tool (A), then use it to move the added points inward to make it look more like an avocado shape. Make a copy and put it aside.  Step 3Select the shape and add a 4pt Stroke. Then go to Object > Path > Outline Path.  Step 4Select the outlines shape and go to Effect > Stylize > Zig Zag and apply the settings you see below.  Step 5Create a rectangle filled with green and place it behind the shape.  Step 6Select both and in the Path Finder Palette, chose Divide. Then select the outer part with the Direct Selection Tool (A) and delete it.  Step 7This is our simple avocado shape for now. You could save the last two steps if you fill the shape right in the beginning with a color before outlining the stroke.  Step 8Take the copied shape from Step 2 and scale it down. Place it towards the bottom and fill it with a lighter green.  Step 9Select the outline and fill it with a brown.  Step 10Make another copy of the shape with the lighter green, scale it down and fill it with an even lighter green.  Step 11Select the green shapes and apply a blend with the specified steps shown below.  Step 12Create another oval like shape or take another copy of the shapes we created and fill it with a beige radial gradient.  Step 13Make a copy of the pit shape on top and alter the outline with the Direct Selection Tool (A). Move the gradient slider around if you think it gives it a better contrast. |
How to Create Stereo Headphone Plugs in Illustrator
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In this tutorial, we'll explain how to create a headphone plugs with cables using gradients. The techniques covered in this tutorial can be used to create other types of wires and electrical equipment as well. Let’s get started!
Final Image PreviewBelow 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
 Step 1Open up a new document and select the Rectangle Tool (M). Create a rectangle. This will be used for the cable. We will keep it simple, for now set it to the default white fill and black stroke.  Step 2Duplicate the rectangle below the first (Alt-drag).  Step 3Create another rectangle and set the height to the same as the two long rectangles together, as shown below.  Step 4Duplicate the small rectangle five times. Either use Alt + drag and the Command + D or use the Blend Tool. Select all of them and align them along the vertical.  Step 5With the shapes still selected, distribute them now horizontally . Step 6Create another rectangle and repeat the Steps three to five times.  Step 7We now have six smaller rectangles and seven slightly taller ones in between.  Step 8Again, create another more square rectangle next to the smaller ones.  Step 9Create yet another rectangle, but make it slightly bigger. Use the Direct Selection Tool (A) to select both right side points, then use the Scale Tool (E) to scale them up, while pressing Shift + Option.  Step 10Create one more square looking rectangle.  Step 11Add another one and make sure you keep the sizes oriented with the previous ones.  Step 12We are now moving on to the thin part of the plug. Create another rectangle, which is the same height as the last one, but much thinner. Quick Tip: You could just duplicate the rectangles and scale them to the correct sizes. |
Create Flash Animations Entirely in Illustrator
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The world of animation can seem really intimidating &mdash between AfterEffects, Flash and everything else, there’s so much to learn. And who has time? Never fear &mdash you can create simple Flash animations without ever leaving the familiar confines of Illustrator, and without any knowledge of Flash. Here are two easy ways to get things moving.
Final Image PreviewBelow are two final SWF animations we will be working creating. 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
Video TutorialI’ve created this video tutorial to compliment this text + image tutorial. Method I: Blend and MorphFor this type of animation, in which one shape transforms into another (and another and another, if you wish), we’ll use the Blend Tool to make the in-between shapes, then release each shape to its own layer, then export these as a sequence for the Flash file. Step 1Since this animation will be used on the Web, start with a new RGB document. Here I have four simple icons, representing the four seasons. Select all the shapes, then center-align them horizontally and vertically, using the Align panel (or the Control panel). Make sure that each shape is on the same layer.   Step 2Double-click the Blend Tool in the tool palette to bring up its options. Choose Specified Steps in the Spacing pull-down menu, and type 8. That will give us a smooth transition between the shapes, but won’t make too many layers.  Step 3With all the shapes selected, go to Object > Blend > Make.  Step 4With the blended shapes still selected, go to Object > Expand. This will separate the blend into individual shapes. For this effect to work, the individual shapes must be disassociated from one another, so go to Object > Ungroup.  Step 5The ungrouped shapes should still be all on one layer. In the Layers panel, make sure the layer is highlighted, click the flyout menu, and choose Release to Layers (Sequence). You’ll notice that each shape is now on its own layer, and each layer has a different color. If you don’t see this, go back and make sure you have ungrouped the expanded blend.   Step 6Go to File > Export and choose Flash (SWF) as the file format (NOTE: Depending on the version of Illustrator and/or the version of Flash you have installed on your computer, the file format might be called Macromedia Flash). Choose AI Layers to SWF Frames as the Export method. Now click the Advanced button to bring up more options. Choose Lossless as the Image Format. Click Looping, so that your animation will play over and over again. The default settings are fine for the rest of the SWF Options dialog box, but you may want to experiment with them in future projects. Step 7To see your animation in action, do one of two things: Click the Web Preview button in the SWF Options dialog box, which will launch your default Web browser and play the animation. Or, save the SWF file, then drag it onto a blank browser window to play it. Options1. When working with a Blend to create an animation, you may have noticed the Animate Blends checkbox in the Advanced SWF Options dialog. This does what it says: it uses the blend for the animation and separates each expanded shape in the process. So you really don’t have to do Steps 4 and 5, but it helps to understand how Illustrator creates the animation. 2. If you prefer, the Illustrator file can be exported to Photoshop, then opened in ImageReady to create animations there. Follow Steps 1 through 5 above, then export as a Photoshop (PSD) file. The key here is to check both Write Layers and Maximum Editability in the Export Options dialog box. When you open the file in Photoshop, you’ll see each layer (in this case, all 29 of them) is preserved. You can then jump to ImageReady and edit the animation frame by frame.  Now that you understand the basic concept, you can experiment will all sorts of blends and morphs. For some really trippy animations, try using 3D objects or gradient-filled shapes. Method II: The Appearance PanelStep 1Again, start with an RGB file. I’m using this simple zombie silhouette, with a fill of black and a stroke of none. I’m going to add a series of strokes to the outside of the shape, so that when animated, the strokes will radiate out from the shape. Select the shape, go to the Appearance panel and choose Add New Stroke from the flyout menu. In CS4, all the modifications to this new stroke can be made directly in the Appearance panel. Going from left to right, first click the word Stroke to bring up the Stroke options. Click the third icon next to Align Stroke to align it to the outside of the shape. Next, click the color swatch to apply the color (I started with black), and then finally choose the stroke weight in the third field.   Step 2To add the remaining strokes, you could repeat step one over and over, changing the options, color and weight each time. But to save a bit of time, simply click the Duplicate Select Item icon at the bottom of the stroke panel to make a copy of the stroke. Now choose the copy (it should be the one UNDER the original), and change its color to a very dark blue (or whatever you want), and the weight to 2 points. Repeat this procedure several times, adding a lighter and thicker stroke each time. The end result should look something like the image below. You’ll see each additional stroke in the Appearance panel.  Step 3Go to Object > Expand Appearance. This will expand and separate the strokes.  Step 4Ungroup the expanded strokes, and just like you did in Part I, select the layer in the Layers panel and choose Release to Layers (Sequence) from the flyout menu (for this method, you really have to do this step). |
Winter Vector Inspiration and Snowy Resources
Snow covered landscapes, everywhere white fills the streets, and the sky. In the mean time; happiness and inspiration exist inside the human soul. Let’s look at a collection of vector, snowy worlds. This post is filled with both winter inspiration galore and resources to keep you busy during these winter months.
Inspiration
Winter Scape
Fall of Snow
Winter Solitude
Snow is so great
Frost
Winter wonderland: penguin
Naalia 03
Fall’in love with the moon
Winter Air
Continue Learning…