If you have read some of my other type tutorials, you know I love the Appearance panel. This tutorial is no different. Using the Appearance panel, some gradients, and transforms, you can create a polished lifted type treatment. Using the Appearance panel makes it super easy to apply the treatment to other fonts and vector elements.

Final Image

Below is the final type treatment we will be working towards.

Tutorial Details

• Program : Adobe Illustrator CS5
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Topics Covered: Appearance Panel
• Estimated Completion Time: 15-20 minutes

Step 1

In a new document, use the Rectangle tool (M) to create a rectangle the size of your document and fill it with a gray color. Having a background color from the beginning will make it easier to see the changes we will be making to the text.

Step 2

With the Type tool (T), type out some text. Mine is around 100pt for big header text, but you can adjust the text to fit your needs. Next, remove any fill and stroke from the text, we will be directly adjusting these in the Appearance panel.

Step 3

With the text selected, choose Add New Fill from the pop-up menu of the Appearance panel. Change the new fill to a linear gradient with the first color stop white and the second a light gray. From the Gradient panel change the Location of the first white color stop to 40 and change the Angle to -90.

Step 4

From the Appearance panel, create a new fill like in the previous step, fill it with white, and make sure the white fill is below the first gradient in the Appearance panel. Select the white fill in the list and go Effect > Path > Offset Path. In the Offset Path dialog change the Offset to 1 px. With the white fill still selected in the Appearance panel list, go Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. In the Transform Effect dialog, change the Vertical Move to 1 px.

Step 5

From the Appearance panel, select the white fill, and press the Duplicate Selected Item button at the bottom of the panel. Select the bottom copy and fill it black. Expand the attributes on the fill by pressing the small arrow to the left of the fill thumbnail if it is not expanded already. Click on Transform to open the Transform Effect dialog and change the Vertical Move to 2 px.

Step 6

Duplicate the black fill like in the previous step and change the fill to a linear gradient. Add two more color stops to the linear gradient and change the first to black, the second to a dark gray, the second to a slightly lighter gray than the second, and the fourth to a gray slightly darker than the second. Next, change the Angle to -90.

Step 7

Expand the attributes of the new linear gradient in the Appearance panel, and click on the Transform Effect. With the Transform Effect dialog open, change the number of Copies to 10 and the Vertical Move to 1 px.

Step 8

With the four color stop gradient fill still selected in the Appearance panel, go Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow. In the Drop Shadow dialog, change the Opacity to 100, the X Offset to 0, the Y Offset to 2, and the Blur to 2. That is pretty much it!

Step 9

You can save the treatment as a Graphic Style to easily apply to other type and vector objects. Simply select your text and press the New Graphic Style button in the Graphic Style panel. Now press the new graphic style with any object to apply the style. Pretty cool!

Final Image

At this point you can make the treatment better by jazzing up the background with some grain textures and simple offsets to other text.

After I posted the latest tutorial, Create a Trendy Type Pattern Treatment, I received an email from Matt from Mad Pattern pointing out his free seamless pattern generator templates for Illustrator. After I download and played around with the templates, I was amazed! These template are pretty slick and easily let you create seamless patterns.

About Mad Pattern

Mad Pattern is a free tool for rapidly prototyping patterns. More specifically, Mad Pattern is a set of 19 Illustrator templates that automatically create seamless patterns from Illustrator artwork based on 17 wallpaper groups (I’m not extremely knowledgeable about wallpaper groups and patterns, so this Wikipedia article was an interesting read).

Some of the Features

• One template for each type of pattern
• Automatic symmetric replication
• Automatic clipping of elements drawn “out of bounds”
• Easy to save/export repeating tile (for web page backgrounds)

Using The Mad Pattern Templates

When you first open on of the template in Illustrator it might seem a little confusing at first, but it really isn’t complicated. In the template, there are step-by-step instructions to create the pattern. There is also a video tutorial of the Mad Pattern site.

Downloading the Mad Pattern Templates

Simply visit the Mad Pattern site and download!

Creating a Illustrator Pattern Swatch

The instructions in the file explain how to export as a raster image for web use, but there is a way to create a pattern swatch so you can use it in other Illustrator Documents. This is what I did:

Step 1

After you have the pattern created, select all the objects in the current layer (Command + A) and go Object > Expand Appearance.

Step 2

Use the Rectangle tool (M) and create a rectangle the size of the smaller Artboard in the middle of the document.

Step 3

Select all the expanded pattern artwork and the new rectangle and create a clipping mask by going Object > Clipping Mask > Make (Command +7).

Step 4

Create another rectangle the same size as the smaller artboard, like before, and take off any stroke and fill. Go Object > Arrange > Send to Back.

Step 5

Select the clipped artwork and no stroke /no fill rectangle and drag it into the Swatches panel. There you go! A simple pattern swatch created with the Mad Pattern Templates!

Final Image

Below is the final pattern swatch in action.

In this tutorial, I will show you how to create a trendy seamless type pattern in Illustrator using some text and icons. Although I won’t go in-depth about creating the icons, we will take a close look at creating a seamless pattern swatch. You can easily apply these techniques to other seamless pattern swatches.

Final Image

Below is the final pattern we will be working towards.

Tutorial Details

• Program : Adobe Illustrator CS4
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Topics Covered: Pattern Swatches
• Estimated Completion Time: 1 hour – 1.5 hours

Step 1

Create a new document and use the Rectangle tool (M) to create a square. For the pattern, you are going to want a square with simple values (100 px as opposed to 101.375 px) so it is easy to recall the values when moving and transforming. I am using a rectangle that is 300 px by 300 px. Fill the rectangle with a base color and take off any stroke.

Step 2

In a seamless pattern, elements that overlap edges over our square need to be copied to opposite edges to create the repeated seamless effect. If an element is hanging off the left edge 10 px, you have to make sure the element is repeated on the right edge 10 px from the edge. This seems more complicated than it really is. Basically we Copy (Command + C) an element, Paste in Front (Command +F) and move to the opposite edge with a value equal to the dimensions of the our original square’s edge (in the case of this tutorial, 300 px). It will make more sense when you see it in action in the next couple of steps.

Step 3

With the Text tool (T) create some text and choose a fun font. I am using Candy Script. I added some highlights with the Blob brush, which you don’t have to do. I also created a simple shadow by Copy (Command + C), Paste in Back (Command + B), and changed the fill of the text. Group (Command + G) all the text elements and place over the top left corner of the square.

Step 4

Since we placed the text over the top and left edge, we have to make sure it will repeats over the bottom and right edges of the square. With the text elements selected, Copy (Command + C) and Paste in Front (Command + F). With the text still selected, from the Transform panel type “+ 300 px” (the width of our original square) in the X Value AFTER the current X Value. After you press Return, you can see it moved the text the exact distant to make the pattern seamless.

Step 5

We repeated out text element on the right side, now we have to repeat our text over the bottom edge. Select both copies of the text element, Copy (Command + C), and Paste in Front (Command + F). With the copies still selected, type “- 300 px” in the Y value AFTER the current Y value. After you press return you should now see four text elements. To learn more about math function in Illustrator, read our Quick Tip: Math Function in Illustrator.

Step 6

Now that we have our first element created and placed, we can start adding other overlapping edge elements that we need to copy, paste, and move. In the next step I choose a different font and typed out some text with the Text tool (T). I used the Selection tool (V), rotated some of the text, and changed the fill of one of them. This text is only overlapping the left side, so Copy (Command + C), Paste in Front (Command + F), and type “+ 300 px” (the width of our original square) in the X Value AFTER the current X Value.

Step 7

This is a good point to add some other elements other than text. I rounded up some logos and icons that I have created in the past. I won’t go into much detail about how I created the because I don’t want to take focus away from the pattern making. Basically I used the Pen tool (P) to create most of the Illustrator icons and added different fills and shadows to give it a little depth. I start by placing the icons in spots that are overlapping the edge before I fill in the middle of the square. Since there are overlapping edges, make sure to Copy (Command + C), Paste in Front (Command + F), and change the corresponding X or Y value from the Transform panel.

Step 8

Now that we have all the overlapping elements laid out, we can start filling in the rest of the square with other text and objects. I used some more text in different Susa, Sugar Pie, and Cooter Fonts. I used some more icons created with the Pen tool (P), dashed stroke elements, and warped ellipses. You can fill the square up with whatever elements you want.

Step 9

All are elements are done and now we can create a pattern swatch from the artwork! First, select the original square, Copy (Command + C), Paste in Back (Command + B), and take off any fill and stroke. We have to create this empty square copy so Illustrator can define the edges of the swatch. If we didn’t include this empty square shape, we will have a weird looking pattern that is not seamless.

Step 10

Select all the artwork and drag it into the Swatches panel. Now you can use your new seamless type pattern swatch on any object!

Final Images

Below is the final seamless pattern again. How did you do? Post links to your results in the comments! You can use these patterns on website backgrounds, Twitter backgrounds, printed projects and much more. I really want to make a throw pillow out of mine!

Last week I posted the “Win 3000 Vector and Design Elements from TrendyPack”s giveaway and today I’m happy to announce the winner! Congratulation to the winner and thanks to everyone that participated! Check to see if you won below. If you didn’t win, be sure to check out all the design elements TrendyPacks offers.

Winner

I’m giving the winner’s contact info to TrendyPacks and they will be contacting  you soon about your Infinity Design Pack! If you didn’t win, be sure to check out all the great design elements TrendyPacks offers.

• Krainiac

TrendyPacks is giving one lucky Vectips reader a Infinity Design Pack which includes 200 packs, approx 3000 vector and design elements. To enter, simply leave a comment below and let us know what is the next vector or design element you want to see in the TrendyPacks collection.

About TrendyPacks

TrendyPacks offers nearly 3000 vector and design elements of floral ornaments, banners, skulls, wings, and more.

About The Infinity Design Pack

With the Infinity Design Pack, you will have access to all products listed on the TrendyPacks.com website. You will be able to download the entire collection of vector packs , brushes packs , and Bonus free updates with TrendyPacks’ products for the next 6 months (basically for a period of 6 months, every time when they add a new product, you will be able to download it!). Currently TrendyPacks offers nearly 200 packs, approx 3000 elements.

How to Win / Rules

• All you have to do is comment below and let us know what is the next vector or design element you want to see in the TrendyPacks collection.
• Contest begins on May 13, 2010 and ends on Thursday May 20, 2010. The winner will be announced on Friday May 21, 2010.
• One winner win be chosen at random.
• Only comment once.
• Please leave a valid email address so we can contact you.

What You Will Win

• One winner will receive an Infinity Design Pack from TrendyPacks.

In this tutorial I will show you how to create a grimy text treatment utilizing Illustrator’s Blog brush, Live Paint, and a pen tablet. You can easily apply these techniques to other illustrates, type treatments and logos.

Final Image

Below is the final type treatment we be working towards.

Tutorial Details

• Program : Adobe Illustrator CS4 (This tutorial uses the Blob Brush, a tool specific to CS4. If you have an earlier version of Illustrator, refer to the Alternate Tutorial Methods step at the end of this post.)
• Hardware Needed: Pen Tablet (I used a Wacom Intous4 for the tutorial. If you don’t have a pen tablet, refer to the Alternate Tutorial Methods step at the end of the tutorial for other methods for creating the tutorial.)
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Topics Covered: Blob Brush, Live Paint
• Estimated Completion Time: 1.5 hour – 2 hours

Step 1

Create a new document and type out some text with the Text tool (T). Change the fill of the text to a light gray.

Step 2

In the Layers panel, rename your layer to “Template” by double-clicking on the layer and changing the name in the Layer Options dialog. Next, lock the layer. Create a new layer by pressing the Create New Layer button from the Layers panel and rename this layer to “Artwork”.

Step 3

For drawing the outlines and contours of the treatment, we are going to use the Blob Brush(Shift + B) and a pen tablet. First, you need to set up the Blob Brush (Shift + B) to use the pressure sensitivity of the tablet. To do this, double-click on the Blob Brush (Shift + B) in the Tools Panel. In the Blob Brush Tool Options, you really only have to change: the Fidelity to 1, Smoothness to 0, Size to 2, select Pressure from the size drop-down menu, and change the Variation to 2. Now with these settings, the Blob Brush will utilize the pen tablet’s pressure sensitivity. Moreover, adjusting the Fidelity and Smoothness creates a brush stroke with a hand-drawn feel.

Step 4

Zoom in really close to you first letter and start tracing it with the Blob Brush (Shift + B). When tracing, vary the pressure on your pen tablet to get a hand-drawn type of stroke. Also, use multiple brush strokes in your trace, don’t just trace the whole letter with one brush stroke. I also like to start each brush stroke very light and end very light, creating tapered lines.

Step 5

Once you are done tracing the first letter, create some more Brush strokes within the letter making it more grimy!

Step 6

Now that we have our brush strokes, we can add some color to the letter. First, select all the letter artwork and select the Live Paint Bucket (K) from the Tools Panel. The Live Paint Bucket (K) converts the artwork to a Live Paint object. Now you can simply hover over the area you want to fill, cycle through your swatches with your arrow keys, and click the areas to fill.

Step 7

Select your Live Paint object and go Object > Live Paint > Expand. Next, ungroup the object (Command + Shift + G) a couple of times.

Step 8

Select your main letter color and go Object > Path > Offset. In the Offset Path dialog, change the Offset to -3 px. This value might be larger or smaller depending on the original size of your artwork. Fill the offset with a lighter shade of color from the original.

Step 9

We are done with the first letter! Now, repeat Steps 4-8 for each letter. It might take some time, but you will start to get quicker once you have done it a couple of times.

Step 10

Now that we have all the letters, we don’t need the “Template” layer anymore. Simply press the Visibility icon in the Layers panel to hide it. Next, Group (Command + G) each individual letter’s artwork. It makes it easy to modify the letters in the coming steps.

Step 11

Use the Selection tool (V) to move and rotate each letter. Use the Illustrator’s Arrange functions to bring some of the letters to the front and some to the back by Going Object > Arrange.

Step 12

To give the treatment a little more depth, we can create some shadows. To start, select the first two letters, Copy (Command + C), and Paste in Front (Command + F). Select the first letter’s copy and press the Unite button from the Pathfinder panel. Select the second letter’s copy and again, press the Untie button from the Pathfinder panel. Select the first letter’s copy and move it down and to the right. Select both copies and press the Intersect button from the Pathfinder panel. Change the fill of the new shape to a light gray, set the Blending Mode to Multiply from the Transparency panel, and Arrange the shape so it is behind the first letter, but in front on the second.

Step 13

Repeat the previous step for each letter’s shadow.

Step 14

To make the treatment a little more grimy, use the Blob Brush and create little specs around the text. Use the same Live Paint techniques as discussed before to fill in the speck shapes. That is it, done!

Final Image

Below is the final type treatment again. Try using the Blob brush and pen tablet on other illustrations and type treatments, it’s fun!

Alternate Tutorial Methods

Calligraphic Brush

If you don’t have CS4 but you do have a pen tablet, you can use a Calligraphic brush instead of the Blob Brush (Shift +B) for the outlines of the type treatment. If you have CS3, you can use the Live Paint technique or you can just create shapes of color with the Pen tool (P), Pencil tool (N), or another tool of your choice. To set up a Calligraphic brush with the same settings as the Blob Brush settings in this tutorial, click the New Brush Icon in the Brush panel. When the New Brush dialog opens, choose New Calligraphic Brush. In the Calligraphic Brush Options, change the Angle to 0, the Roundness to 100%, the Diameter to 2 pt, select Pressure from the Size drop-down menu, and change the Variation to 2 pt. Now you can outline the image with the same pressure sensitivity as the Blob Brush.

Art Brushes

If you don’t have a pen tablet, you can always use an Art brush for the outlines instead of the Blob Brush (Shift +B) . Art brushes are still very versatile, but they will not use you pen tablets pressure sensitivity. Still, you can find a brush that has similar tapered lines. My previous article Create Sketchy-Style Vectors will help in finding and creating Art brushes.

In this tutorial I will show you how to create a simple storefront icon using some rectangles, Illustrator Effects, and gradients. This icon is great for use in e-commerce sites and the techniques in this tutorial can easily be applied to other icons, illustrations, and logos.

Final Image

Below is the final icon we will be working towards.

Tutorial Details

• Program: Adobe Illustrator CS4
• Difficulty: Beginner / Intermediate
• Topics Covered: Rectangle Tool, Gradients, Bulge Warp
• Estimated Completion Time: 30 min – 1 hour

Step 1

Create a new document and create a rectangle with the Rectangle tool (M). Keep this rectangle about half as long as it is tall. Within the rectangle, create two more rectangles. One will be the window and the second will be a door.

Step 2

Select all the rectangles and go Object > Path > Offset. In the Offset dialog, change the Offset to -5 px. This value might be different depending on the the original size of your rectangles.

Step 3

Select your main store shape and fill it with a gray color. Select the offset of the main store shape a fill it with a radial gradient from the Gradient panel. Change the first color stop in the radial gradient to a light gray and the second color stop to a gray slightly lighter than the main store shape color.

Step 4

Select both main window and door shapes and fill them with a dark gray. Next, select the offset window and door shapes and fill them with a linear gradient. Change the first swatch in the linear gradient to a gray lighter then the original window and door shapes and the second swatch a darker gray then the original window and door shapes. Change the angle to 90 from the Gradient panel.

Step 5

Select both the window and door offsets and go Object > Path > Offset. In the Offset dialog, change the Offset to -5 px. Change the fill of the new offset to a radial gradient with the first color stop a light cyan color and the second color stop to a darker cyan color.

Step 6

Select both the new offsets and Copy (Command + C) and Paste in Front (F).

Step 7

With the Rectangle tool (M), create a rectangle about one half the width of the door. With the Selection tool (V), hold the Shift key and rotate the rectangle 45 degrees. Place the rotated rectangle over the top right side of the door. Select the cyan door copy and the rectangle and press the Intersect button from the Pathfinder panel.

Step 8

Fill the new intersected shape with a linear gradient and change both color stops to white. Select the first white color stop and change the Opacity 45 and change the second white color stop’s opacity to 0 from the Gradient panel.

Step 9

Repeat steps 7 and 8 for the window.

Step 10

Create a thin rectangle slightly wider then the main store shape and place right below the main store shape. Fill the new rectangle with the same linear gradient as the first offset window and door shapes. Adjust the gradient with the Gradient tool (G) from top to bottom so the lighter part of the gradient is at the top of the rectangle.

Step 11

Create another rectangle about one fourth the height of the previous rectangle and place it inside the previous rectangle. Fill the new rectangle with a linear gradient. For this gradient we need to add another color stop to the gradient. Simply click right below the center of the Gradient Slider in the Gradient panel. Now that there is three color stops, fill the first with the same lighter gray as in the previous rectangle, the second color stop white, and the third the same gray as the first color stop.

Step 12

Create another thin rectangle, fill it will the same gradient and the main rectangle at the bottom of the store, and place below the window.

Step 13

To add some life to the store we can create a simple sign for the window. Start by typing out some text and change the font size to fit within the window. Create a rectangle slightly bigger than your text and go Object > Arrange > Send Backward (Command + [ ). Fill the rectangle in with a linear gradient with the first color stop red and the second a dark red. Adjust the gradient so the lighter part of it is at the top of the rectangle. Next, fill the text in with white. To complete the sign, select the text and rectangle, slightly rotate with the Selection tool (V), and place over the window.

Step 14

To add just a little more, create a small rectangle and fill it with a dark grate color for the door handle.

Step 15

Now on to the store awning. Create a rectangle that a little taller than the main door shape, half the width of the door, and fill it with red. With the new rectangle selected, go Effect > Stylize > Round Corners. In the Round Corners dialog, change the Radius to 20 px. Like your offsets, this might be bigger or smaller depending on the size of your building. Next, go Object > Expand Appearance. Create a rectangle to cutoff the top rounded corners of the rectangle, select both shapes, and press the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel.

Step 16

With the Selection tool (V) hold down the Shift key and the Alt / Option key (Shift constrains movements and Alt / Option copies) and drag a copy of the red shape to the right side of the original. Change the fill of the the copy to a light gray. Select both shapes and drag out copies like you just did, making sure they line up with the right side of the gray shape. Again, select all the shapes (you should have a total of four) and drag out a copy to the right of the last shapes. You should now have a total of eight shapes. When dragging out the copies, I like to have Smart Guides enabled ( Command U). Having smart guide activated, will snap object together when editing the shapes, making it a lot easier. For more info on Smart Guides, check my quick tip The Power of Smart Guides.

Step 17

Select all the awning shapes and go Effects > Warp > Bulge. In the Warp Options dialog, check Vertical, Change the bend to 40, Horizontal Distortion to 0, and the Vertical Distortion to 28. Next, go Object > Expand Appearance.

Step 18

Select the red shapes and fill them with a linear gradient. Add two color stops to the gradient so you have a total of four. Change the first color stop to red, the second to lighter red, the third to red, and the last on to a dark red. With the Gradient tool (G) adjust the gradient from top to bottom. In the gradient panel, change the Location of the third color swatch to 80 and the location of the second color stop to 55.

Step 19

Select the gray shapes in the awning and repeat the previous steps but change the first color stop to a light gray, the second to white, third to light gray, and the fourth to gray. Place all the awning shape over the top of the store.

Step 20

Select the main store body shape, Copy (Command C ), and Paste in Front (Command + F). Select all the awing shapes, , Copy (Command C ), and Paste in Back (Command + B). With The shapes still selected, move them down slightly and Group (Command G) them together. Select the copied awning shapes and the copied building shape, hold down the Alt / Option key, press the Intersect button from the Pathfinder panel, and then press the Expand button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the new shape with a linear gradient with the first color stop a gray color and the second a darker gray color. Adjust the gradient with the Gradient tool (G) so the light part of the gradient is at the bottom of the shape.

Step 21

Select the bottom two long thin rectangle, Copy (Command + C) and Paste (Command + V). Move the copies to the top of the awning and scale them horizontally matching the top width of the awning shapes.

Step 22

Create an ellipse a little wider than your main store shape with the Ellipse tool (L), fill with a radial gradient, change the first color stop to black , and the second to white. Squish the ellipse with the Selection tool (V) to about an eighth of its original size, and place behind and towards the bottom of the artwork. Set the Blending Mode of the ellipse to Multiply from the Transparency panel and you are all done!

Final Image

Below is the final image again.

I love simple and sleek looking icons. I love them even more when they’re easy to make, and completely versatile as a foundation for a ton of other icons. With a little practice, you can probably whip out some really beautiful icons in under a few minutes!

Final Image Preview

Below is the final image that you’ll get from working through this tutorial. It’s my logo! But as you trek through this tutorial, you’ll soon see that you can apply the steps to almost anything you want. I’m a strong believer of dissecting other people’s files to learn from them, so here is the .ai file (AICS3).

Tutorial Details

• Program: Adobe Illustrator CS3
• Difficulty: Beginner
• Estimated Completion Time: 10-15 minutes

Step 0 – Check it Out

Let’s take a quick look at what we’re making here. Wait, what? Two shapes with just some minor variations? Yep. The beauty of this tutorial is that it’s simple, but also shows tips on how to apply transparency modes and simple shapes to create the effect of light, shadow, and depth.

Step 1 – Shaping a Solid Base

Create a rounded square by using the Rounded Rectangle Tool. Make sure to hold down shift to keep it proportionally constrained. Before you let up on the mouse click, toggle the radius of the corners by hitting the up or down arrow keys. Fill the shape with a 30% black (in the swatch palette it says K=30) to a 60% Black gradient and use the Gradient tool (G) in the toolbar to get it going from top to bottom. Set the stroke to a 1px black. Select your beautiful new shape, Copy (Command + C) and Paste in Front (Command + F), then while this copy is still selected, go to Object > Path > Offset Path and set the Offset to -3 (make sure its NEGATIVE 3!). You should see a new rounded rectangle within the one you had originally made. Select the top two rounded rectangles (the copy and the offset, not the original), and go to Object > Compound Path > Make or you can just hit (Command + 8). With the new shape selected, remove the stroke and set the transparency mode to Multiply. Check below to see what it should look like by now.

Step 2 – More Depth

We’re basically going to be repeating what we just did to create another inner bevel. Select the original rounded rectangle, Offset it -3px, then without clicking anything, offset it -3px AGAIN. Select those two new shapes and make a Compound Path out of it. Remove the stroke and set the Transparency Mode to Screen at 25% Opacity. Time to create some environment by adding a simple shadow. Create a white Ellipse. Copy, Paste in Front, change color to black and shrink it down. Select both objects and Blend (Command + Alt/Option +B). Set the Transparency to 75% and the Mode to Multiply. Send this shape to the back (Shift + Command + [) and place it nicely under the icon. Resize it if needed.

Step 3 – The Icon

Time for the fun stuff! Create a simple shape (even a letter will do). Copy, Paste in Front, then Paste in Front again. We have three of this shape now, with the newest one selected. Tap the down arrow a couple times, then select the top two objects and use the Subtract Pathfinder. Set the Transparency to Multiply at 75%. Now select the original shape, Offset Path 3px (positive 3 this time) and give that shape a black to white gradient. Make sure the gradient goes from top to bottom with white on the bottom. Set the Transparency to Screen. And. We. Are. Done!

Conclusion

Some simple techniques, some tools we might not usually use in Illustrator, and a little bit of time can get us some awesome results. These steps are great for adding subtle depth to graphics and getting pixel perfect highlights and shadows. I’m sure you’ve noticed this style in many other graphics online, in typography and website designs too. Now you know how to do it! I hope you enjoyed it!

In this tutorial I will show you how to create a cute creature from a sketch. This tutorial uses custom brushes, the Paintbrush tool, Pen tool, and the Live Paint Bucket tool. Even if your not a huge fan of the cuteness, you can use these techniques for other illustrations, logos, and vector elements.

Final Image

Below is the final image we will be working towards.

Tutorial Details

Program: Adobe Illustrator CS4
Difficulty: Intermediate
Topics Covered: Custom Brushes, Paintbrush Tool, Live Paint Bucket tool
Estimated Completion Time: 1-1.5 hours

Step 1

Create a sketch with traditional media or in a design application like Photoshop. Once created, scan in the image and save it on your computer.

Step 2

In Illustrator, create a new document, go File > Place, find your image, and place it on your document. From the Layers panel, rename the current layer by double-clicking on layer and typing “Template”. Next, press the Lock icon for the “Template” layer from the Layers panel.

Step 3

Press the Create New Layer button from the Layers panel and rename it “Outline”.

Step 4

For the outline of the creature we are going to create two custom Art Brushes. For the first one, use the Ellipse tool (L) and create a oblong ellipse. With the Direct Selection tool (A) grab the left anchor point and drag it to left, doubling its width. Next, take off any stroke and fill it with black.

Step 5

Drag the new ellipse shape into the Brushes panel and choose New Art Brush from the New Brush dialog. With the Art Brush Options dialog open, keep the default options except change the Method to Tints from the Colorization Method drop-down menu.

Step 6

For the second custom brush, create a very narrow ellipse and fill it with black. Like in the previous step, create a new Art Brush and set the Colorization Method to Tints.

Step 7

Now that we have our two custom brushes, we can start tracing the sketch, But before we start, there are some tips you should be aware of.

Paintbrush tool or Pen tool

You can use the Pen tool (P) or Paintbrush tool (B) to create the paths that you will apply the custom brushes to. I prefer to use the Paintbrush tool (B) because it is quick and your selected custom brush is automatically applied to the path. If you are going to use the Paintbrush tool (B), it is a good idea to set some of the Paintbrush tool’s (B) options. To do this, double-click on the Paintbrush tool (B) from the Tools panel. When the Paintbrush Tool Options dialog opens, change the Fidelity to 10. This creates a smooth line with using the Paintbrush tool (B). If you are going to use the Pen tool (P), simply selected your created path and select the desired brush from the Brushes panel.

Avoid Paths with Sharp Angles

When creating stroked paths with the custom brushes I try to stay away from creating paths with angle less then 90 degrees. As you can see in the example below, Illustrator tends to add weird remnants in angled paths. To get around this I use two different paths each with minimal anchor points. Curvier paths are usually alright.

Use Stroke Weight

If the brush you apply is too thick, you can adjust the Stroke Weight form the Stroke panel.

Alternate Brushes

Use the different brushes we created to add line variance in the trace. I use the first brush when I want a stroke thicker at one end compared to the other.

Change Direction of Brush

To change the direction of the brush stroke, select your stroke and press the Brush Options button at the bottom of the Brushes panel. In the Stroke Options dialog, you can check the Flip Along or Flip Across check-box until you reach the desired direction. This works great for the first brush we created. Depending on the path, you might need to switch the direction so the thick or thin part of the stroke is on the desired side of the path.

Step 8

With the Paintbrush tool (B) or Pen tool (P) start tracing your sketch making sure you are in the “Outline”layer and you are thinking about the tips in the step above. For the shapes that will be filled black, use the Pen tool (P) to create the shape. You can also use the Ellipse tool (L) or Rectangle (M) for any shapes like the eyes of the creature.

Step 9

Finish outlining all the dominate lines and shapes of the sketch.

Step 10

Select all the brush strokes by going Select > Object > Brushed Strokes and the go Object >Expand Appearance.

Step 11

Now that we are done creating the outlines for the character we can start coloring the illustration with the Live Paint Bucket (K). First select a set of main colors for the creature. I chose pink and white. You can create these colors by mixing them in the Color panel and pressing the New Swatch button in the Swatches panel.

Step 12

Select all your artwork and choose the Live Paint Bucket (K) from the Tools panel. This will automatically convert the artwork into a Live Paint Group. With the Live Paint Bucket, hover over the open spaces you want to fill. Use the arrows keys to cycle through the colors you want to fill the spaces with. When you cycle to the desired swatch, click in the desired open area to fill it.

Step 13

Select the Live Paint group and go Object > Live Paint > Expand.

Step 14

Now that the Live Paint Group is expanded, use the Magic Wand tool (Y), hold down the Shift Key, and select all the colors in the artwork. Once selected, Cut (Command + X) the shapes. Create a new layer from the Layers panel, label it “Color”, place the new layer below the “Outline” layer and Paste in Front (Command + F) the colored shapes.

Step 15

The creature is looking pretty good, but let’s add some shadows to give it more depth. With the Pen tool (P), create shadow shapes in the “Color” layer. Fill the shadow shapes with darker colors than your original colors. Continue until you have created all the shadow shapes.

Step 16

To make the colors a little more vibrant, change the fill color of the outlines in the “Outline” layer. I also used one of my custom brushes to add more detail to the eyebrows. This is a good point to touch up or add any more detail you think the illustration is lacking.

Step 17

We are almost done, but to make the illustration really pop, let’s put it on a colored background. Create a new layer from the Layers panel, label it “Background”, and place it above the Template layer and below the “Outline” and “Color” layers.

Step 18

With the Rectangle tool (M), create a rectangle, and fill it with a color.

Step 19

We can also add some depth to the background by creating some bigger brush strokes. Use the Paintbrush tool (B), select a color slightly lighter than your background, set stroke weight very high (around 8 pt depending on the size of your artwork), and create a brush stroke. Create about 15 more brush stroke and mix up the Stroke Weight for some of them.

Step 20

For the finishing touches create some shadows below the creature with the Paintbrush tool (B) and a darker color than your background. All done!

Final Image

Below is the final image again. These techniques work really great on other illustrations and vector artwork especially for t-shirt designs.

Fuctastic has created an awesome skull illustration for the readers of Vectips. Download the illustration and check out all the intricate details! It is a great illustration to use by itself or pick through the many elements used to create the skull!

Illustrator Version: CS4 and Illustrator 10 EPS
License: See Terms in Download