Vectortuts+

David Pogue: Simplicity Sells

LoungeKat — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:00:16 +0000

Just because you missed that awesome conference, doesn’t mean that you can’t still watch the lectures! This weekend we’re sharing an interesting talk by technology columnist for the New York Times, David Pogue at TED. In this talk you will take a look at interface design and examples of products that get it right.

Vectortuts+ Workshop #7

LoungeKat — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:00:02 +0000

Vectortuts+ is all about helping people turbo charge their skills, and today we have another special community post that will help our readers take their images to the next level. The best thing is, you can be part of it too! Find out more at the jump.

How to Participate:

This workshop contributor has offered a piece of work that they would like help with, please keep this in mind when you share your thoughts. The images are not perfect, but they can be with the right advice and some friendly encouragement. (Vectortuts+ reserves the right to delete any rude comments)
If you’re better with pictures (let’s face it, most of us are) feel free to take a screenshot of the image using Little Snapper, Skitch or a similar program and paste a link to the annotated image in the comments section with an explanation of the tweaks.

If you want to take part in the next Vectortuts+ Workshop:

Add your work to our facebook photo gallery with a description about the piece and the help/advice you’re looking for. We will chose one to be published on our site as part of the next Vectortuts+ Workshop, if you’re not chosen straight away – don’t worry – your work will be chosen for a future session.

Image Category: Realistic Portrait

Details:

Designer: Ian Vox

Details: "Trying to refine my meshing techniques and have my own hair render style. Hope you guys could review and suggest some ways for me to further improve my craft. Thanks. Done on AI CS5"

Feedback

What are your thoughts on the work above? Critiquing work helps the artist see new possibilities, and it also helps you learn to evaluate art, which will help you take that same analysis and apply it to your own work. Participate in the comments below with your opinions on how to improve the work above.

Quick Tip: How to Illustrate a Simple Piece of Paper

Andrei Marius — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:00:07 +0000

In the following steps you will learn how to create a simple piece of paper. This tutorial will introduce you to the Appearance panel. First, you will need two basic tools and some Pathfinder options to create the starting shape. Next, using some fills and strokes, several effects, a built-in pattern and some nice blending techniques you will create your own simple piece of paper. Let’s get started.

Step 1

Create a 600 by 600px, RGB document. First, enable the Grid (View > Show Grid) and the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). Next, you’ll need a grid every 5px. Go to Edit > Preferences > Guides > Grid, enter 5 in the Gridline every box and 1 in the Subdivisions box. You can also open the Info panel (Window > Info) for a live preview with the size and position of your shapes. Do not forget to replace the unit of measurement to pixels from Edit > Preferences > Unit > General. Al these options will significantly increase your work speed.

Step 2

Pick the Rectangle Tool (M) and create a 300 by 225px shape. Fill it with R=255 G=255 B=225 and remove the color from the stroke.

Step 3

Pick the Ellipse Tool (L) and create three perfect circles (15 by 15px). Fill them with a random color and place them as shown in the following image. The Snap to Grid should ease your work.

Step 4

Select all the shapes created so far, open the Pathfinder panel (Window > Pathfinder) and click on the Minus Front button. The resulting shape should look similar to the second image. Move to the Layers panel, double click on this fresh shape and name it "Paper".

Step 5

Select "Paper", move to the Appearance panel and click on the Add New Fill button. It’s the little white square from the bottom of the Appearance panel. Obviously, this will add a new fill for your shapes. Select it from the Appearance panel, lower its opacity to 10% and use the linear gradient shown below. The yellow numbers from the gradient image stand for opacity percentage. Notice that this gradient has two overlapping sliders at 50% (Location).

Step 6

Reselect "Paper" and add a third fill for your shape. Select it from the Appearance panel, lower its opacity to 15% and use the linear gradient shown below.

Step 7

Reselect "Paper" and add a fourth fill. Select it from the Appearance panel and lower its opacity to 10%. Next, you will need a built-in pattern for this new fill. Go to Swathes panel (Window > Swatches). Open the fly-out menu and go to Open Swatch Library > Patterns > Basic Graphics > Basic Graphics_Line. A new window with a bunch of nice pattern should open. Look for the "Grid 1 pica Lines" pattern. Reselect that fourth fill and add that pattern.

Step 8

Reselect "Paper" and focus on the Appearance panel. Select the fill added in the previous step and go to Effect > Convert to Shape > Rectangle. Enter the data shown below, click OK and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Again, enter the data shown below and click OK.

Step 9

Reselect "Paper" and add a new fill. Select it from the Appearance panel, set its color at R=231 G=219 B=132 and go to Effect > Convert to Shape > Rectangle. Enter the data shown below and click OK.

Step 10

Make sure that "Paper" is still selected and move to the Appearance panel. Select the fill add in the previous step and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Enter the data shown below and click OK.

Step 11

Reselect "Paper" and focus on the Appearance panel. Again, select the fill edited in the previous step and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Enter the data shown below and click OK.

Step 12

Reselect "Paper" and focus on the Appearance panel. Once again, select the fill edited in the previous step and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Enter the data shown below, click OK and go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow. Enter the data shown below and click OK.

Step 13

Reselect "Paper", focus on the Appearance panel and add a white stroke. Make it 2pt wide and align it to inside. Select this stroke from the Appearance panel and click on the Duplicate Selected Item button. It’s the little file icon from the bottom of the Appearance panel. Obviously, this will add a new stroke for your shape. Select it from the Appearance panel, set the color at R=231 G=219 B=132 and decrease the width to 1pt.

Step 14

Reselect "Paper" and make sure that no fill or stroke is selected. Now, go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform > Enter the data shown below and click OK.

Step 15

Make sure that "Paper" is still selected and go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow. Enter the data shown below and click OK.

Step 16

Reselect "Paper", make sure that no fill or stroke is selected and go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Enter a 2px radius and click OK. In the end make sure that the Rounded Corners effect is in the top of the Appearance panel.

Step 17

Go to your Toolbar and set the fill color at none and the stroke color at R=38 G=34 B=98. Open the Brushes panel (Window > Brushes) and grab the Brush Tool(B). Select the "7pt. Round" brush and draw some simple text path as shown in the following image.

Step 18

Select all the paths created in the previous step and group them (Control + G). Select this fresh group and lower its opacity to 75%.

Step 19

Finally, you will need a simple, built-in brush. Open the fly-out menu of the Brushes panel and go to Open Brush Library > Artistic > Artistic_Ink. A new window with a bunch of nice brushes will open. Grab the Brush Tool (B), select the "Fire Ash" brush from this new window and draw a simple path as shown in the following image.

Conclusion

Now your work is done. Play around with different brushes and colors to make your own creations. I hope you’ve enjoyed this tut.

Create a Super Happy Octopus Character

Rype — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:00:08 +0000

A few times a each month we revisit some of our reader’s favorite posts from throughout the history of Vectortuts+. This tutorial by Ryan Putnam of Vectips was first published in June 24th, 2008. This is one of the first tutorials we posted on the site and is a great way to get started with shape building in Illustrator to create cute, fun-lovin’ characters. If you haven’t done this tutorial yet, then get to it now!

In Illustrator it’s really easy to create fun characters with some simple shapes and the Pathfinder Panel. In the following tutorial I will explain how to create a Happy Octopus Character. You can use these techniques and elements to create whatever character you want!

October of 2010

Step 1

Create a new document 11 inches wide by 8.5 inches tall. With the Ellipse Tool, create an ellipse that is 2.5 inches by 2.5 inches. Fill the ellipse with a green color and take off the Stroke. Next, use the Direct Selection Tool and select the bottom anchor on the ellipse and drag it down about half an inch.

Step 2

Select the oblong ellipse and Copy and Paste In Front. Select the newly copied object with the Selection Tool and grab the bottom anchor. Then squish the ellipse about a quarter of an inch up. Fill the slightly squished ellipse with a light green color.

Step 3

With the Ellipse Tool, draw five to six elongated ellipses of varying size for the spots on the head (keep the ellipses the same proportion, just change the size). Make these spots a light green, lighter than the second head shape. Select both head shapes, the spots, and Group them by going to Object > Group, or by pressing Command+G.

Step 4

To start with the mouth, draw another ellipse around 1.5 inches by 1.5 inches. Then fill it with black and apply no Stroke. Next, draw a rectangle with the Rectangle Tool about half way down the black circle. Select both shapes, press the Subtract From Shape Area button in the Pathfinder Panel. Then press the Expand button.

Step 5

For the teeth, draw an ellipse that is about .375 inches by .375 inches. Select the ellipse with the Selection Tool. Then hold down Alt+Shift, and drag to the right. Note that holding Alt copies the shape and holding down Shift constrains the movement. Select both shapes and Group them. Next, place the shape over the black mouth towards the top. Select both shapes and press the Horizontal Align Center button in the Align Panel.

Step 6

Select the black mouth and Copy and Paste In Front. Select one of the mouth copies and the teeth and press the Intersect Shape Areas from the Pathfinder Panel. Change the shape to white and now you have teeth!

Step 7

For the tongue, draw a .5 inch by .5 inch ellipse over the mouth where the tongue should go. Select the mouth, teeth, and tongue and and press the Horizontal Align Center button in the Align Panel. Just like with the teeth, Copy the mouth and Intersect the tongue and mouth shapes.

Step 8

Select the tongue and create a Linear Gradient from the Gradient Panel (select Linear from the Type drop-down menu in the Gradient Panel). Make the left Swatch a pink color and the right Swatch a light pink color. To change these colors, select the particular Swatch on the Gradient Slider in the Gradient Panel. Then mix the color in the Color Panel. With the tongue selected, adjust the Gradient with the Gradient Tool by clicking and dragging from the bottom of the tongue to the top.

Step 9

Group the mouth, teeth, and tongue. Then place them over the head shape. Select all the shapes and Horizontal Align Center them.

Step 10

Draw a ellipse that is .375 inches by .375 inches. Fill it with black. Draw another ellipse close to the top of the black ellipse, but smaller, and fill it with white. Next, draw another ellipse smaller than the white one, and place it closer to the bottom right of the black ellipse. Then fill it with white.

Step 11

Select the black ellipse, and the smaller white ones, and Group them. Place the eye on the head, flush with the left edge of the mouth. Next, hold down Alt+Shift. Then drag to copy the eye flush with the right side of the head.

Step 12

Start with Pen Tool and draw a bézier curve a third of the way down the head. It doesn’t have tons of curves, it just needs to get the idea across of a simple tentacle. Try to get the path to end right before the darker color of the head.

In the Stroke Panel, change the Stroke Weight to 15pt and press the Round Cap button. Next, Expand the Stroke by going Object > Expand. Also, make sure the Stroke Check-box is checked. Change the color of the tentacle to the light green you use on the head.

Step 13

Next, select the tentacle with the Selection Tool. Then hold down Alt+Shift, and drag to Copy the tentacle. Place it half way down the original tentacle. Change the color to your dark green.

Select the original tentacle and Copy and Paste In Front. Select one of the original tentacles, and the darker one, and press the Intersect Shape Areas button in the Pathfinder Panel. Now you have one complete tentacle.

Step 14

Repeat these step until you have eight legs. Keep in mind the light source for the tentacle shadows. For the tentacles on the right, I dragged and copied the tentacle down and to the left to create the shadow. Select your octopus and place him in the center of the document.

Step 15

Start by creating a new layer in the Layer Panel. Drag it below the "octopus" layer. Then hide the "octopus" layer by pressing the Visibility Icon to the left of the layer in the Layer Panel.

Step 16

Make a rectangle the size of your document with the Rectangle Tool. Then create a Radial Gradient in the Gradient Panel. Next, click just below the middle of the Gradient Slider to create a third Swatch. Make the left Swatch a light blue, the middle Swatch blue, and the right Swatch a dark blue.

Step 17

Create rectangle the is .75 inches wide by 11 inches tall. Place it in the center of your document. Next, go Effect > Distort & Transform > Free Transform to bring up the Free Transform Dialog. This is where you will see your rectangle with some anchor points.

Hold down Shift and click on the top left anchor point. Then drag it to the right anchor point’s position. Next, hold down Shift and click on the top right anchor point. Then drag it to the left anchor points original position. You might have to drag one point a little farther at first to select the one below it. Click Ok, and Expand the shape. Then fill it with white with no Stroke. It should look like two touching elongated triangles.

Step 18

With the transformed triangles selected, go to Object > Transform > Rotate to bring up the Rotate dialog. Change the Angle to 20. Then press the Copy button to copy the shape along with rotating it. Now you can transform again by going to Object > Transform > Transform Again (Command+D). Keep transforming until you are one step away from your original shape. Select all the transformed rectangles and Group them. Then change the Opacity to 50% in the Transparency Panel.

Step 19

Next, create an ellipse that is 7 inches by 7 inches and center it on you document. With the ellipse still selected, create a Radial Gradient from the Gradient Panel. Make sure the left Swatch is white and the right Swatch is black.

Step 20

Select the transformed rectangles and the ellipse. Then choose Make Opacity Mask from the Transparency Panel. Now you have a burst!

Step 21

Draw an ellipse that is .5 inches by .5 inches. Fill it with white and no Stroke. With the ellipse selected, go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Pucker and Bloat to bring up the Pucker and Bloat dialog. Then change the option to -70. Next, Expand the Appearance and change the Opacity to 50%. Now you can Copy and Paste the star wherever you like!

Final Image

Now all you have to do is press the Visibility Icon on the "octopus" layer in the Layers Panel to bring back the octopus, and you’re done!

New Course: Creating Vector Art

Skellie — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:24:08 +0000

In this Tuts+ Premium course, illustrator Von Glitschka teaches you a professional workflow for Creating Vector Art. Over 12 lessons and 2.5 hours of total video, you’ll get tips and techniques for sketching, using helpful plugins, Von’s “Clockwork Method”, working with shapes, using the pathfinder, layering heirarchy, coloring and detailing. If you’re not yet a Tuts+ Premium member, now’s the perfect time to give it a try – every membership comes with a 100% money-back promise. Become a member now to access the course, or learn more about Creating Vector Art after the jump!

Course Contents

Introduction
The Process (6m 22s)

Preparation
A Solid Creative Foundation (29m 38s)
Helpful Plugins (20m 10s)
Think in Shapes (9m 32s)
Pathfinder is Your Friend (10m 54s)
Combining Methods (5m 40s)
Layering Hierarchy (10m 10s)

Detailing
Balancing Base Colors (17m 58s)
Detailing Part 1 (21m 34s)
Detailing Part 2 (13m 48s)
Detailing Part 3 (12m 26s)
Final Touches (9m 29s)

The New Tuts+ Premium

The recently re-launched Tuts+ Premium is a service that provides top-tier training in a variety of creative fields. It includes a library of courses, $470 worth of educational eBooks, and 784 exclusive tutorials (and counting).

While we unfortunately can’t afford to provide the service for free, it’s only $19 a month – less than you’d spend on a couple of pizzas. I hope you’ll consider checking it out! In addition to learning a huge variety of new skills, it’s also a fantastic way to say thank you to Vectortuts+!

Quick Tip: How to Create a Cartoon Rocketship with Inkscape

Chris Hildenbrand — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:00:43 +0000

This Quick Tip will teach you how to create a cartoon rocket ship with some nice lighting using only basic shapes like rectangles, circles and a triangle. This is a step-by-step tutorial for beginners. The icons from the inkscape toolbar are added to the images to make it easier to find the tool and function I am describing in the text.

Step 1

Start with a few circles for the base, the fin and the window. I kept the right side fin gray for now as I will copy and mirror the finished left side later.

Step 2

After deforming the top of the rocket with the nodes tool, create a rectangle and place it at the base of the ships body. It’s used to cut off the base with the Path/ Difference (Control + –) command.

Step 3

Create a few more rectangles for the pattern on the ship’s body. Add another rectangle with rounded edges for the front fin.

Step 4

Duplicate the rocketship’s body. Combine this copy with the rectangles of the design via Path/ Intersection option ( Command + *). Deform the left wing next by moving the right node and turning it’s node handle to a near horizontal.

Step 5

Add a duplicate of the left wing, mirror it horizontally and place it on the right side of the ship. Move it below the body via Page Down. Create a duplicate of the rocket base for the shading. Use the node edit tool to move the left nodes.

Step 6

Change the fill of the shadow shape to a gradient fill with transparency (0% at the top and ~50% at the base). I prefer a dark purple or dark brown to pure black when creating shadows. It gives the illustration a warmer feel.

Step 7

Two more circles make the highlights to the window and another 3 circles add light to the fins. Convert those three to paths (Shift + Control + C) and move the bottom node down. Move the nodes on either side to match the rounded shape of the fins.

Step 8

To make the illustration more interesting add a second light source on the right side. It will cast a a shine onto the right side of the rocket and match the highlight we already placed on the right fin. It’s a duplicate of the dark shade object, filled white and scaled down a little. Bring in the lower left and center left node to crate an even shape.

Step 9

Add a few more circles as highlights for the window and window frame and you have your cartoon rocket ship.

Conclusion

The rocket has landed. When working with lights and shadows in your illustrations remember to keep it consistent. It can easily happen that an object created separately and brought into a scene has the wrong kind of light settings. Sometimes a simple mirror does the trick but usually it means re-working the light and shadow shapes of your objects. I hope you’ve enjoyed this tut.

Note: The tutorial works with some minor adjustments in other vector design programs such as Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw. These just use different icons, tool and command names, but the functionality is the same.

How to Create an iOS Style Sandwich Icon

Maciej Lenartowicz — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:00:11 +0000

Tired of your old icons? Follow this creative recipe to cook up a great looking iOS styled sandwich icon. We will use a few of tasty ingredients, like meshes, gradients and blending modes to spice up your design!

Community Project: Customized Name Tag Project

LoungeKat — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:00:59 +0000

Vectortuts+ loves Illustration and discovering new talent, so today we are proud to be launching a new community project that combines both, the Vectortuts+ Customized Name Tag Project. The best thing is, you can be a part of it! Find out how to get involved, at the jump.

Create a Customized Name Tag

Inspired by the exciting news of the upcoming Envato Community Meetup in Kuala Lumpur, we thought it would fun to make some stylish customized nametags. This project aims to spark your creativity and showcase the work of our extremely talented community. Fire up your imagination and let’s get started!

All you need to do for this project is download the design template and customize the name tag in any style and theme that represents your personal style. Add your work to the Vectortuts+ Facebook Group and share your creation. We will showcase a selection of the entries on our blog.

The Deadline is Monday 13th of February. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

How to Get Involved!

Would you like to participate in the Vectortuts+ Customized Name Tag Project? It’s easy, all you need to do is Download the Template, join the Vectortuts+ Facebook Group and get creative!

How to Make a Vectortuts+ Calendar Design:

Download the Design Template
Draw your image onto the template, you can be as creative as you like, feel free to alter any or all of the illustration. We want to see creative and fun projects so go crazy!
Upload your design to the Vectortuts+ Facebook Group with a short description of your style or theme.

Guidelines:

Artwork can be any style or theme as long as it’s vector and 100% your own work.
You don’t have to spend hours and hours on your piece, the project’s aim is to be fun, fast and individual.
You may submit more than one design
When you publish your work on Facebook, please include one or two paragraphs about yourself and/or your work and a link to your website / online portfolio.
Have Fun!

Create a Paint Roller Illustration with a Grungy, Paint Text Effect

Andrei Marius — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:00:39 +0000

In the following tutorial you will learn how to create a paint roller illustration with a grungy, paint text effect. We’ll use proven pixel perfect vector build methods, add lighting and Opacity effects, and trace raster grunge effects into vector paths. Learn each step of how to create this paint roller text effect.

Step 1

Hit Command + N to create a new document. Enter 1350 in the width box and 1000 in the height box, then click on the Advanced button. Select RGB, Screen (72ppi) and make sure that the Align New Objects to Pixel Grid box is unchecked before you click OK. Now, turn on the Grid (View > Grid) and the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid).

Next, you’ll need a grid every 1px. Go to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid, enter 1 in the Gridline every box and 1 in the Subdivisions box. You can also open the Info panel (Window > Info) for a live preview with the size and position of your shapes. Do not forget to set the unit of measurement to pixels from Edit > Preferences > Unit > General. All these options will significantly increase your work speed.

Step 2

Pick the Rectangle Tool (M), create five, 25 by 1px shapes, place them one below the other and fill them with the colors shown below. Select all these paths and go to the Brushes panel (Window > Brushes). Open the fly-out menu, click on New Brush, check the Pattern Brush button and click OK.

The Pattern Brush Options window should open up. Enter the data shown below, click OK and you will find your new pattern brush in the Brushes panel. Reselect these seven, gray rectangles and delete them from the Layers panel. You won’t need those anymore.

Step 3

For the following step you will need a grid every 5px. So, go to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid and enter 5 in the Gridline every box. Grab with the Pen Tool (P) and draw a simple path like the black one shown in the following image.

Don’t worry, the Snap to Grid will ease your work. Switch to the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 110 by 30px shape and fill it with R=240, G=240, B=240. Now create a 20 by 60px shape and fill it with R=62 G=143 B=209. Place these two rectangles as shown below. Again, the Snap to Grid will ease your work.

Step 4

Reselect the black path created in the previous step and go to the Appearance panel. Make sure that you don’t have any color set for the fill, then select the stroke. Move to the Brushes panel, click on your pattern brush and go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Enter a 2px radius and click OK.

Step 5

Return to "gridline every 1px". So, go to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid and enter 1 in the Gridline every box. Focus on the blue shape and pick the Direct Selection Tool (A). Select the top, left anchor point and move it 2px to the right, then select the top, right anchor point and move it 2px to the left. The resulting shape should look like in the second image.

Step 6

Reselect the blue shape and go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Enter a 3px radius, click OK and go to Effect > Warp > Arc Lower. Enter the data shown below, click OK and go to Object > Expand Appearance.

Step 7

Disable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid), then go to Edit > Preferences > General, and make sure that the Keyboard Increment is set at 1px. Reselect the blue shape and go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -1.5px Offset and click OK.

Fill the resulting shape with white and make a copy in front (Command + C > Command + F). Select this copy and hit the right arrow twice. Reselect both white shapes and click on the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Select the resulting shape and lower its Opacity to 30%.

Step 8

Reselect the blue shape and go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -1.5px Offset and click OK. Again, fill the resulting shape with white and make a copy in front (Command + C > Command + F). Select this copy and hit the left arrow twice. Reselect both white shapes and click on the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Select the resulting shape and lower its Opacity to 30%.

Step 9

Re-enable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). Pick the Ellipse Tool (L), create a 4px circle and place it as shown in the first image. Select it along with the blue shape and click on the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel.

Step 10

Reselect the blue shape, focus on the Appearance panel and simply click on the Add New Fill button. It’s the little white square from the bottom of the Appearance panel. Obviously, this will add a new fill for your shape.

Select it from the Appearance panel, lower its Opacity to 30% and use the linear gradient shown in the following image. The yellow zero from the gradient image stands for Opacity percentage. Make sure that this new fill is still selected and go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -1.5px Offset and click OK.

Step 11

Reselect the blue shape and a first stroke. Make it 1.5pt wide, align it to inside, and set its color at R=153, G=200, B=220. Make sure that this shape is still selected and click on the Add New Stroke button from the bottom of the Appearance panel. Select this new stoke, make it 0.75pt wide, align it to inside, and set its color at R=32, G=93, B=153.

Step 12

Pick the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 5 by 6px shape and a 6 by 3px shape, then place them as shown below. Select the top shape and go to Effect > Warp > Arc Lower. Enter the data shown below, click OK and go to Object > Expand Appearance. Select the bottom shape and go to Effect > Warp > Arc Upper. Enter the data shown below, click OK and go to Object > Expand Appearance.

Step 13

Reselect the path with the pattern brush and make a copy in front (Command + C > Command + F). Select this copy and go to Object > Expand Appearance. Select the resulting group of shapes and click on the Unite button from the Pathfinder panel. Duplicate the resulting path (Command + C > Command + F).

Step 14

Select the top shape created in the twelfth step, along with one of the shapes created in the previous step, and click on the Intersect button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with black and lower its Opacity to 15%. Select the bottom shape created in the twelfth step, along with the remaining shape created in the previous step, and click on the Intersect button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with black and lower its Opacity to 20%.

Step 15

Move up to the gray rectangle. Select it and go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Enter a 2px radius, click OK and go to Effect > Warp > Bulge. Enter the data shown below, click OK and go to Object > Expand Appearance.

Step 16

Reselect the shape edited in the previous step and focus on the Appearance panel. Select the fill and replace the flat color with the linear gradient shown below. Make sure that this fill is still selected and go to Effect > Stylize > Inner Glow. Enter the data shown below and click OK.

Step 17

Reselect the shape edited in the previous step, add a new fill and select it from the Appearance panel. Set its color at R=240, G=240, B=240. Now lower its Opacity to 10%, change the blending mode to Multiply, and go to Effect > Artistic > Sponge. Enter the data shown below and click OK.

Step 18

Reselect the shape edited in the previous step and add the first stroke. Make it 1.5pt wide, align it to inside and set its color at R=240, G=240, B=240. Select it from the Appearance panel and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Roughen. Enter the data shown below and click OK.

Make sure that this stroke is still selected and click on the Duplicate Selected Item button. It’s the little file icon from the bottom of the Appearance panel. Obviously, this will add a copy of the selected stoke. Select it, decrease the size to 0.75pt and set the color at R=209, G=211, B=212.

Step 19

Pick the Rectangle Tool (M), create two, 3 by 8px shapes and place them as shown in the following image. Select both shapes and go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Enter a 1px radius and click OK.

Select only the left shape and go to Effect > Warp > Arc Upper. Enter the data shown below, click OK and go to Object > Expand Appearance. Select the right rectangle and go to Effect > Warp > Arc Lower. Again, enter the data shown below, click OK and apply Object > Expand Appearance.

Step 20

Reselect the two shapes created in the previous step, fill them with R=230, G=231, B=232, and add a 0.75pt stoke. Align it to inside and set its color at R=147, G=149, B=152. Move to the Layers panel and drag these two shapes below the large, rounded shape. In the end it should look like the second image shown.

Step 21

Pick the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 12 by 3px shape, and place it as shown in the following image. Fill it with R=230, G=231, B=232, and go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Enter a 1px radius, click OK and go to Effect > Warp > Arc Upper. Enter the data shown below, click OK and apply Object > Expand Appearance.

Step 22

Reselect the shape created in the previous step and add a 0.75pt stroke. Set its color at R=147, G=149, B=152, and align it to inside.

Step 23

Select all the shapes created so far and group them (Command + G). Select this fresh group and go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow. Enter the data shown below and click OK.

Step 24

Reselect the group created in the previous step and make a copy in front (Command + C > Command + F). Focus on this new group and change the color of the handle. Replace the existing properties with the ones shown in the following image.

Step 25

Let’s continue with the background. Pick the Rectangle Tool (M), create a shape the size of your artboard, and fill it with the radial gradient shown below. The white number from the gradient image stands for Location percentage. This means that you need to select the little diamond icon and drag it to Location: 65%.

Step 26

Reselect the rectangle created in the previous step, add a new fill, and make it black. Select it from the Appearance panel, lower its Opacity to 20%, change the blending mode to Multiply, and go to Effect > Sketch > Note Paper. Enter the data shown below and click OK.

Step 27

Once again, select the shape created in the previous step and add a third fill. Select if from the Appearance panel, lower its Opacity to 10%, change the blending mode to Multiply, and use the radial gradient shown below.

Step 28

Pick the Pen Tool (P) and draw some simple lines that will make up your text. Select these paths, remove the color from the fill, add a 110px, white stroke, then go to Object > Path > Outline Stroke. This will expand the stroke. Move to the Layers panel, focus on these new shapes and give them a name. It will be easier for you to find them in the later steps.

Step 29

Rotate the paint roller groups and place them as shown in the following image.

Step 30

Let’s focus on one of the white shapes. I’ll start with the "T2". Select it, move to the Appearance panel and remove the color from the fill. Make a copy of this path, select it, and fill it with black.

Step 31

Reselect the black shape created in the previous step and go to Effect > Brush Stroke > Sprayed Stroke. Enter the data shown below, click OK, and go to Object > Expand Appearance.

Step 32

Reselect the path created in the previous step. First, go to Object > Live > Trace > Make, then go to Object > Live Trace > Tracing Options. Enter the numbers shown below, make sure the Ignore White box is checked and click Trace.

Step 33

Reselect the shape edited in the previous step and go to Object > Live Trace > Expand. Select the resulting group of shapes and go to Object > Compound Path > Make.

Step 34

Reselect "T2" and make a new copy in front (Command + C > Command + F). Fill this copy with white then select the compound path created in the previous step and fill it with R=35, G=31, B=32.

Step 35

Reselect the two paths edited in the previous step and go to the Transparency panel (Window > Transparency). Open the fly-out menu, click on Make Opacity Mask, then uncheck the Clip box. Reselect this masked shape and go to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Enter a 1px radius and click OK.

Step 36

Reselect "T2", make a new copy in front (Command + C > Command + F), and bring it to front (Shift + Command + ] ). Fill it with black and go to Effect > Sketch > Note Paper. Enter the data shown below and click OK.

Step 37

Step 38

Reselect the shape edited in the previous step and go to Object > Live Trace > Expand. Select the resulting group of shapes and apply Object > Compound Path > Make.

Step 39

Reselect "T2" and make a new copy in front (Command + C > Command + F). Fill this copy with white, then select the compound path created in the previous step, and fill it with R=35, G=31, B=32.

Step 40

Step 41

Reselect "T2", bring it to front (Shift + Command + Right Bracket key), and fill it with the linear gradient shown below. Lower its Opacity to 30% and go to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Enter a 1px radius and click OK.

Step 42

Reselect the two masked shapes, lower their Opacity to 60%, then select them (along with the shape edited in the previous step), and group them (Command + G).

Step 43

Focus on the "V2" shape and repeat the techniques used in the last thirteen steps.

Step 44

Use the same techniques for the "T1" shape. The only difference is that you will need to mask the final group. Make a copy of "T1" and drag it above the group (in the Layers panel). Fill it with the linear gradient shown below and go to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Enter a 1px radius and click OK.

Step 45

Select the shape created in the previous step, along with the "T1" group, and go to the Transparency panel. Open the fly-out menu and click on Make Opacity Mask. In the end your group should look like the second image shown.

Step 46

Move to the "V1" shape, repeat the techniques mentioned in the previous steps, and you’re done.

Conclusion

Now your work is done. Here is how it should look.

Quick Tip: How to Create Vector Mascot Characters Using a Graphic Tablet

Iaroslav Lazunov — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:00:27 +0000

Today Russian illustrator Victoria Vasilyeva will share the secrets of her Illustration skills with us. She specializes in illustrating children’s books, advertising, creating characters and icons. In this Quick Tip you will learn more about how to take an illustration client from concept to final artwork, let’s get started!

Step 1

Several times I have been asked to teach drawing or describe in detail how something has been created, but I don’t think I have the authority to teach anything anybody because I’m still learning. But I can tell you how to follow the same process of learning. For example, let’s take one of my characters — a cook — I will tell you about the stages of its creation and its working aspects.

The process starts when a customer comes to me and asks me to create a cook character. After easy and casual conversation, I usually find out what is required of me, what style, color, suggestions, and other details.
After acknowledging the customers wishes and the necessary requirements (if any) I start to imagine the possible outcomes and I will keep thinking about it until the next morning. When I’m daydreaming about the project, I visually go over different images, perspectives, character types, colors. Some people come up with this on the fly, but my mind needs to be relaxed and my eyes closed. After the meditation I proceed to sketching. In order to chose the right direction, I suggest three different variants to the customer.

The customer chooses the good natured chef.

With some direction from the client, I then change some of the characters features.

As an example I then position the refined character in one of the poses they require.

When the customer is happy, I proceed to drawing of all the positions.

When the outlines are approved, I then move onto coloring.

I understand that you are much more interested to know the nuances of drawing itself, rather than the stages of communication with the customer. So get down to work, omitting the process of creating a sketch, I will show you how I work with vector.

Step 2

Paste your sketch in the workspace of Adobe Illustrator (File > Place). Set the opacity of the sketch to 50%. Start drawing a smooth outline with a brush in a new layer above the sketch. By the way, to draw such outline seems to be a heroic deed, therefore I create the outlines with Graphic Tablet. I use the Paintbrush Tool and Blob Brush Tool for the outline.

The Paintbrush Tool creates a regular opened path which thickness depends on the pressure on the stylus.
The Blob Brush Tool creates a line that represents an object with a closed outline.

Settings for the Paintbrush Tool:

Settings for the Blob Brush Tool:

By varying the pressure on the stylus, we get a "live" line.

Step 3

Create another layer, place it between the sketch and outline layers. I’ll be using this layer for the color.

Using the Pencil Tool (N) and the Pen Tool (P) tools, I am creating color vector objects in this layer that convey the color of basic objects. Usually, at this step, I define basic colors. In my case the choice of tools depends on what shape the object will be. If it is flat with a clear outline, I find it will be easier to use the Pen Tool. If an object has an irregular "playful" outline, such as hair, then I use the Pencil Tool.

Often, I find it difficult to create the outline of a desired shape for the first time. In such cases I usually draw a simple object in an arbitrary shape and then edit it. For this purpose, the settings of the Pencil Tool (N) must be able to edit the selected path. As a result, we get something like the following image.

Step 4

I like images with black outlines, but this style is very demanding for the accuracy of the lines. With this image I prefer to work with color contour which for me is much easier to create. I’m making the outline a lot darker than the basic color. Sometimes it may be completely opposite colors. In any case, strive to achieve harmony.

Step 5

This is my favorite stage of work. I’m starting to add new objects that define the shadow, light, fine details and patterns, which strongly affect the overall impression on the image. I draw objects absolutely arbitrary, not just trying to get into shape of the outline, but setting the right shape inside of it. Then with the help of the Pathfinder panel, I cut off the unnecessary part from the shadow.

This is how it is done, duplicate an object according to which the shadow will be cut (Command + C, Command + F). Select the upper outline and shadow, and then click on the Divide button from the Pathfinder panel. With the help of the Direct Selection Tool (A) select and remove the unwanted objects.

As a result of such coloring, I get a cook.

As a result, I have 3 layers: a Sketch, Coloring, and Outline. Remove the layer with a sketch. Leave the Coloring layer unchanged, and to apply to the layer with an outline Object > Expand Appearance. This action replaces all the brush strokes of the paths with the closed objects.

Step 6

At the final stage, when the character is colored, the outline is colorful. I take the Blob Brush Tool and start putting focus on increasing the thickness of the contour in the areas of the picture where the shadow is. Next, remove all the unnecessary data from the file, for example, all the colors in the Swatches panel, all the brushes from the Brushes panel, and all the symbols from the Symbols panel. This allows you to slightly reduce the file size. Save the file with the following settings.

Conclusion

I hope you found this Quick Tip to be useful, if you have any questions on creating your own vector illustrations, you can write them in the comments section below.