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

In this tutorial, I will show you how to create a briefcase icon with rectangles, ellipses, and gradients. This briefcase icon is great for web designs and user interfaces. Moreover, you can easily apply these techniques to other icons, logos, and illustrations.

Final Image

Below is the final icon we will be working towards.

Tutorial Details

• Program: Adobe Illustrator CS4
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Topics Covered: Shape tools, Gradient panel, Effects
• Estimated Completion Time: 20-30 minutes

Step 1

Create a new document and with the Rectangle tool (M), create a rectangle for the main body shape of the briefcase.

Step 2

With the rectangle selected, go Effect > Stylize > Round Corners. In the Round Corners dialog, change the Radius to 10 px. This value might be different depending on the size of your main rectangle. Next, go Object > Expand Appearance.

Step 3

Fill the shape with a radial gradient form the Gradient panel. Change the first color stop in the gradient to a light brown color and the second color stop to a dark brown color. With the Gradient tool (G), scale the circumference of radial gradient vertically, expand the gradient past the left and right borders of the shape, and move it slightly towards the bottom of the shape.

Step 4

With the Rectangle tool (M), create a rectangle about a third tall and slightly wider than the size of the main shape. Place the new rectangle over the top part of the main body shape. This will be our flap.

Step 5

With the flap shape selected, go Effect > Stylize > Round Corners and change the Radius in the Round Corners dialog to 10 px. Next go, Effect > Warp > Arc Lower. In the Warp Options dialog make sure Horizontal is selected and change the Bend to 18. Now go Object > Expand Appearance.

Step 6

Fill the flap shape with a linear gradient from the Gradient panel. For this gradient we are going to add two color stop giving us a total of four color stops in the gradient. To add the color stops, simply click just below the Gradient Slider in the Gradient panel twice. Change the first color to a brown color, the second to a light brown color, the third the same brown color as the first color stop, and the last one to a dark brown color. Select the second color stop and change the Location from the Gradient panel to 16 and change the Location of the third color stop to 34. Next, change the Angle of the gradient to -90.

Step 7

With the Rectangle tool (M), create a rectangle half the height and same width as the main shape. Go Effect > Warp > Arc Lower. In the Warp Options dialog, make sure Horizontal is select and change the Bend to -9. Expand the Appearance, fill the shape with your dark brown, and go Object > Arrange > Send Backward (Command + [ ).

Step 8

Select the main shape and go Object > Path > Offset. In the dialog, change the Offset to -8 px. Take off any fill and change the stroke color to white. From the Stroke panel, change the Weight to 2 pt and select a 5 pt Dashed Line. From the Transparency panel, change the Opacity to 25. Next, go Object > Arrange > Bring Forward (Command + ] ).

Step 9

Select the flap shape and go Object > Path > Offset and change the Offset to -8 px. With the new offset still selected use the Eyedropper tool (I) and sample the dashed line you created in the first step. Next, with the Direct Selection tool (A), select the top line in the new dashed line and delete it by pressing the Delete button.

Step 10

Create a small square with the Rectangle tool (M) and place it where the bottom of the flap shape arc. Fill the square with a linear gradient with the first color stop a gray color and the second color stop white. In the Gradient panel, change the Middle Point of the gradient to 18 and the Angle to -90.

Step 11

Offset to square by 2 px and press the Reverse Gradient button from the Gradient panel.

Step 12

Select the original square, Copy (Command + C), and Paste in Front (Command + F). With the Selection tool (V), select the top of the square and scale it vertically down to about two thirds of its original size.

Step 13

Select the offset square, Copy (Command + C), Paste in Back (Command + B), and move down slightly with the Selection tool (V). Next, change the fill to your dark brown color.

Step 14

Draw a small ellipse in the bottom half of the square shapes and draw a thin rectangle coming out of the bottom of the circle. Select both shapes and press the Unite button in the Pathfinder panel.

Step 15

Fill the new shape with a linear gradient, change the first color stop a dark gray color, the second an even darker gray color, and change the Angle to 90. With the shape still selected, Copy (Command + C), Paste in Back (Command + B), move down slightly, and change the fill to white.

Step 16

Create a rectangle from the top of the buckle shapes to slightly above the flap shape. Use the Eyedropper tool (I) and sample to flap linear gradient and change the Angle to -90.

Step 17

Select the new rectangle, Copy (Command + C), and Paste in Back (Command + B). With the Selection tool (V), widen the shape slightly and make the top of the copy line up with the top of the flap. Change the copy to your dark brown color and set the Opacity to 45 from the Transparency panel.

Step 18

Create a small rectangle on top of the flap shape. Fill the rectangle with a three color stop gradient. Change the first color stop to a gray color, the second white, and the third to a gray color.

Step 19

Use the Selection tool (V), Hold down Alt/ Option, hold down Shift, and drag a copy of the rectangle to the opposite side of the top flap.

Step 20

Use the Rounded Rectangle tool and create a thin rounded rectangle connecting the two small rectangles. With the rounded rectangle selected, go Effect > Warp > Arc, make sure Horizontal is selected, and change the Bend to 18. Next, go Object > Expand Appearance.

Step 21

Fill the arc shape with a linear gradient, change the first color stop to a dark gray color, the second color stop to black, and change the Angle to -90.

Step 22

Offset the arc shape by -4 px and change the stroke color to a gray color. Select both arc shapes and send them behind the smaller square shapes.

Step 23

Select all the artwork we have created so far, Copy (Command + C), and Paste in Front (Command + F). With the copies still selected, go Object > Transform > Reflect. In the Reflect dialog change the Axis to Horizontal. Next, move the reflected copies right under the original artwork.

Step 24

Create a rectangle over top half of the reflection. Fill the rectangle with a linear gradient, change the first color stop to white, the second color stop to a rich black and change the Angle to -90.

Step 25

Select the reflection and gradient and choose Make Opacity Mask from the pop-up menu of the Transparency panel. Next, change the opacity of the mask to 60.

Step 26

Create an ellipse bigger than the main briefcase artwork and fill it with a radial gradient. Scale the ellipse down vertically to about an eight of its original size. Set the Blending Mode to Multiply from the Transparency panel and place the ellipse over the bottom part of the briefcase. Select the ellipse and opacity mask and send them behind all other artwork. All done! You can also place your icon on different color backgrounds. In my example I placed the icon on a dark gray radial gradient background.

Final Image

Below is the final image again.

If you found the previous Letterpress, Sketchy, and Metal type treatment tutorials useful, then you are going to like this Stitched Label Type tutorial. Like the previous tutorials, this one relies heavily on the Appearance panel, making it easy to edit the text and apply the treatment to other fonts and vector elements.

Final Image

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

Tutorial Detail

• Program: Adobe Illustrator CS4
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Topics Covered: Appearance panel, Effects, gradients
• Estimated Completion Time: 15-20 minutes

Step 1

Create a new document and without the Type tool (T) and type out some text. Change the font to whatever you like. I suggest using something heavy like the Museo Slab 1000 font I am using.

Step 2

Before we start adding new fills and strokes from the Appearance panel, it is good to start with a clean slate. Select you text and take off any fill or stroke.

Step 3

From the pop-up menu of the Appearance panel, select New Fill. Keep the default black color for now, we will be changing it later on in the tutorial.

Step 4

Again, create another New Fill From the Appearance panel. Select the second fill in the Appearance panel and change the fill to a red color.

Step 5

Select the red fill in the Appearance panel then go Effect > Convert To Shape > Rounded Rectangle. When the Shape Options dialog opens select the Relative radial button and change the Extra Width and Extra Height to 18 px. These number might be higher or lower depending on the dimensions of you text.

Step 6

With the red fill selected in the Appearance panel, press the Duplicate Selected Item button at the bottom of the Appearance panel. Change the last red fill in the list to a gray color. With the gray fill still selected, go Effect > Path > Offset and change the Offset in the dialog to 5 px. Just like in the previous step this numerical values might change depending on the size of your text.

Step 7

Now that we have all the major shapes done, we can start by add some detail and stitching to the text. To start, select the first black fill in the Appearance panel. Change the fill to a liner gradient with the first color stop in the gradient white and the second color stop a light gray. From the Gradient panel change the Angle of the gradient to -90.

Step 8

With the text selected, choose New Stroke from the pop-up menu of the Appearance panel. Change the color of the stroke to gray, set the Weight to 1pt, check the Dashed Line checkbox, and input 2 pt in the first Dash filed of the Stroke panel. Next, go Effect > Path > Offset and change the Offset in the dialog to -2 px.

Step 9

Select the main white text linear gradient fill in the Appearance panel and press the Duplicate Selected Item button. Select the second white text gradient, fill it with a light gray and choose Multiply for the Blending Mode from the Transparency panel. Next go Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. With the Transform dialog open, change the Vertical Move to -2 px.

Step 10

Select the red color fill from the Appearance panel and change it to a linear gradient. From the Gradient panel, change the first color stop to red, the second to dark red, and change the Location to -90.

Step 11

From the pop-up menu of the Appearance panel, choose New Stroke. Next, Go Effect > Convert to Shape > Rounded Rectangle, change the Extra Width and Height to 10 px, and change to Corner Radius to 5 px. Change the stroke to a light yellow color, change the weight to 1.5 pt, and change the Dashed Line value to 8 pt.

Step 12

With the yellow stroke selected, press the Duplicate Selected Item button in the Appearance panel. Make sure you have the second yellow stroke selected and go Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. In the dialog, change the Vertical Move to -2 px. Next, change the stroke color to a light gray and set the Blending Mode to Multiply.

Step 13

Select the last fill in the Appearance panel list, change the fill to a linear gradient, change the first color stop a light gray, the second color stop to a gray color, and change the location of the gradient to -90 from the gradient panel. With the last fill still selected, go Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow. In the Drop Shadow dialog, change the Opacity to 50, X Offset to 0, Y Offset to 5 px, and the Blur to 5 px.

Final Image

Now we have a nice stitched type treatment. Even better, it is fully editable! You can change the font or even apply it to other vector objects. I suggest creating a Graphic Style to make applying the treatment extremely easy. Simply select your text treatment and press the New Graphic Style button in the Graphic Styles panel. Below are some examples of different text and icons. Have fun!

It’s almost Valentine’s day and rather than getting your loved one the same old cheap gifts you get every year, why not create a chocolate covered strawberry illustration for them? You can easily apply this illustration to your own greeting card, t-shirt, or anything else you can think of. Moreover, you can apply this tutorial to other illustrations and logos.

Final Image

Below is the final image we will working towards.

Tutorial Detail

• Program: Adobe Illustrator CS4
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Topics Covered: Ellipse tool, Pencil tool, Pathfinder panel, Gradient panel, Custom Art Brush
• Estimated Completion Time: 20-30 minutes

Step 1

Create a new document and create an ellipse with the Ellipse tool (L).

Step 2

With the Direct Selection tool (A), grab the bottom anchor point, hold down the Shift key (to constrain the movements), and drag it down about one quarter of the original size of the ellipse.

Step 3

With the Direct Selection tool (A), grab the top anchor point, hold down the Shift key, and drag it down about one eight the original size of the ellipse.

Step 4

Fill the new shape with a radial gradient from the Gradient panel. Change the first color stop in the gradient to red and the second color stop to a darker red.

Step 5

With the Gradient tool (G) adjust the radial gradient so the lightest part of the gradient is at the top of the shape.

Step 6

Create a small elongated ellipse toward to top center of the berry shape. Fill the ellipse with a linear gradient with the first color stop a light orange and the second color stop orange. Adjust the gradient with the Gradient tool (G) so the lightest part of the gradient is at the top of the ellipse.

Step 7

With the small ellipse selected, go Object > Path > Offset. Once the Offset dialog is open, change the Offset to 4 px. This measurement might be different depending on the dimensions of you artwork.

Step 8

Fill the offset ellipse with a linear gradient with the same reds as the main berry shape. Adjust the gradient so the darker part of the gradient is at the top of the shape.

Step 9

Select both shapes, Copy (Command + C), and Paste in Front (Command + F).  With the copy still selected, move it above and to the left of the original ellipse shapes.

Step 10

Repeat the previous steps placing copies of the small ellipses around the berry shape. When you are placing shapes close to the edge, rotate them with the Selection tool (V) to follow the curvature of the berry.

Step 11

For this next step we are going to use the Pencil tool (N) because it is a quick way to draw paths. Before we start drawing with the Pencil tool (N), it is a good idea to set some tool preferences so we can get a smooth line while drawing. First, double-click on the Pencil tool (N) in the Tools panel to bring up the Pencil Tool Options. The option that we are most concerned about is the Fidelity. I like to set mine at 5 pixels to ensure a smooth line. You can always play around with these settings if you don’t like the line path quality in the next step.

Step 12

Now that our Pencil tool (N) is set. start drawing a shape around four or five of the smaller ellipses. Hold down the Alt / Option key when you are almost done to connect the beginning and end points. With the new shape selected, go Object > Arrange > Send Backward (Command + ]) until the shape is behind all the small ellipses.

Step 13

Select all the small red-gradient ellipses encompassed by the pencil shape, go Object > Path > Offset, and change the Offset to 10 px.

Step 14

With the new offset ellipses still selected, hold shift, and select the pencil shape. From the pathfinder panel hold down Alt / Option and press the Minus Front button. Next, change the fill of the new shape to a light red color.

Step 15

With the Pencil tool (N) draw a organic shape encompassing the bottom half of the berry.

Step 16

Fill the new shape with a linear gradient. For this gradient we need to add an extra color stop. To do this, simply click on the middle of the Gradient Slider in the Gradient panel. Change the first color stop to light brown, the second to a dark brown, and the third to your first light brown. Next, select the middle color stop and change the Location to 70 in the Gradient panel.

Step 17

Select the chocolate shape and Copy (Command + C) and Paste in Front (Command + F). Do this one more time so you have three total shapes. Select the top copy and move it down and to the left slightly. Next, select the moved copy and the one underneath it and press the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Change the color of the new shape to a dark brown color.

Step 18

With the Pencil tool (N) draw a new highlight shape towards the bottom of the main chocolate shape. Fill the new shape with a linear gradient and make both color stops white. Change the opacity of the first color stop to 40 and the second color stop’s opacity to 15 from the Gradient panel.

Step 19

Create a couple more highlights around the top left curves of the main chocolate shape. Fill each new shape with the same white gradient as in the previous step.

Step 20

Create a couple more chocolate drops with the Pencil tool (N) and apply the same gradients as in the previous couple steps.

Step 21

Now we can move onto the leaves and stem of the strawberry. For the leaves we are going to create an custom Art Brush, making it easy and quick to create the leaves. To start, create an ellipse with the Ellipse tool (L).

Step 22

With the Direct Selction tool (A) grab the right anchor point of the ellipse and drag it right to about double the original width. With the point still selected, press the Convert to Corner button from the Control panel. Next, fill the shape with a green color.

Step 23

Copy (Command + C) and Paste in Front (Command + F) the ellipse shape twice. Select the top copy and move it down and to the left slightly. Select the two top copies and press the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Next, fill the shape with a light green color.

Step 24

Select the main green shape and (Command + C) and Paste in Front (Command + F) twice. With the Selection tool (V), move the top copy up about half way up the original shape and rotate it so the points of the shape touch. Select both top copies, press the Minus Front button, and change the fill to a dark green color.

Step 25

Select the main green shape and (Command + C) and Paste in Front (Command + F) twice. With the Selection tool (V) move the  shape up and rotate it slightly, select both top copies, press the Minus Front button, and change the fill to a darker green than the previous step.

Step 26

Select all the green shapes and drag them into the Brush panel. When the New Brush dialing opens, select the New Art Brush radial button. In the Art Brush Options keep all the default settings.

Step 27

Use the Brush tool (B) with the new art brush and draw a leaf on the top of the strawberry. You might have to change the stroke of the path if the shape is too big or doesn’t look correct. When creating these brush strokes, make sure the darker part of the brush is facing down and the pointy part of the brush is facing away from the berry shape. If this is not how it looks after creating the path, press the Stroke Options button at the bottom of the Brush panel. When the Stroke Options dialog opens, you can select the Flip Along or Flip Across options until you get the desired arrangement.

Step 28

Create five to six more brush stroke with the Brush tool (B) and custom brush.

Step 29

Select all the brush strokes, Copy (Command + C) and Paste in Back (Command + B). With the copies still selected, go Object > Expand Apperance. With the expanded brushes still selected, press the Unite button from the Pathfinder panel. Next, move the new shape down slightly.

Step 30

Select the main berry shape, Copy (Command + C), and Paste in Front (Command + F). Select the copied berry body shape and combined leaf shapes and press the Intersect button from the Pathfinder panel. Change the fill of the new shape to a grey color and set the Blending Mode to Multiply from the Transparency panel.

Step 31

Use the Pen tool (P) to create a stem shape for the strawberry. Fill the shape with a linear gradient with the first color stop  green and the second a darker green. With the stem selected, go Object > Arrange > Send Backward (Command + ]) until the bottom part of the stem is hidden from the top leaves. All done!

Final Image

Below is the final image again.

I am a huge fan of the updated Appearance panel in the Illustrator CS4. I have really found the Appearance panel to be useful when creating type treatments that I constantly need to repeat.  One of these styles is a metal type treatment. This tutorial is pretty similar to the Letterpress Font and Sketchy Font tutorials in that it uses the Appearance panel to create a type treatment that is fully editable when it is done.

Final Image

Below is the final type treatment we will be working towards. You probably have seen many other metal type tutorials, but in this one you will be able to edit the text after the effect is created!

Tutorial Detail

• Program: Adobe Illustrator CS4
• Difficulty: Beginner
• Estimated Completion Time: 15-20 minutes

Step 1

Choose a font (I am using Museo Slab 700) and type out some text with the Type tool (T). I like to start with a clean slate in the Appearance panel, so take of any fill or stroke on the type.

Step 2

From the pop-up menu of the Appearance panel, choose New Fill. Next, click the swatch thumbnail in the Appearance panel of the new fill and change the swatch to a linear gradient.

Step 3

For this step we are going to add two Color Stops to the gradient to give us the metal effect. First click on the Gradient Slider in the Gradient panel around in the middle of the other two Color Stops. Next, add another Color Stop to the Gradient Slider so you have a total of four. Change the first Color Stop to a 70% black, the second to white, the third to 100% black and the last to a 30% black.

Step 4

Now that we have the correct Color Stops, we need to adjust the gradient. Within the Gradient panel change the Angle to -90. Next, select the white Color Stop and change the Position to 45%, then select the black Color Stop and change the Position to 50%. Finally, select the Midpoint in-between the black and 30% Colors Stops and change the Location to 35%.

Step 5

From the pop-up menu of the Appearance panel, choose New Fill. Select the second fill in the Appearance panel and change the linear gradient to a two Color Stop linear gradient. Change the first Color Stop to a 32% black and the second to 100% black. Make sure the gradient Angle is set to -90%.

Step 6

With the new fill still selected in the Appearance panel, go Effect > Path > Offset Path. When the Offset path dialog opens, change the Offset to 1 px. This might be different depending upon the dimensions of your text. If you click the arrow for the latest fill in the Appearance panel you should see the Offset effect under it.

Step 7

Make sure the two Color Stop fill is selected in the Appearance panel and press the Duplicate Selected Item button from the bottom of the Appearance panel. Select the new copy below the first and click the Offset Path item. When the dialog opens, change the Offset to 2 px. Next Change the first Color Stop in the new fill selection to 10% and the second Color Stop to a 60% black.

Step 8

For the next couple of steps it is good idea to have the treatment on a dark background so you can see the effects. Create a rectangle with the Rectangle tool (M) and place it behind the other artwork.

Step 9

You can stop here if you would like but you can really jazz up the treatment by adding some sprites. The cool thing is you can add these in the Appearance panel as well as the other effects! Start by creating a new fill it the Appearance panel and making sure you select the top most item. Go Effect > Convert to Shape > Ellipse. In the Shape Options dialog, check the Absolute radial button and change the Width and Height to 50px.

Step 10

With the new fill still selected, change it to a radial gradient. You only need two Colors Stops for this effect, so delete any other Color Stops in the gradient. Next, change the first Color Stop to white with a 80% Opacity and change the last Color Stop to white with 0% Opacity.

Step 11

We can position the burst wherever we like. To do this, make sure the same item is selected in the Appearance panel as the previous step and go Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. In the Transform Effect dialog, change the Move Horizontal and Vertical positions to the desired amount.

Step 12

With the latest item select, press the Duplicate Selected Item button in the Appearance panel. Select the new duplicated item and press the arrow to the left of it in the Appearance panel, showing all the effects in the item. Click on Ellipse to bring up the Shape options and change the Absolute Width and Height to 25px.

Step 13

With the adjusted ellipse still selected in the Appearance panel, go Effect > Distort & Transform > Zig Zag. In the Zig Zag dialog, change the Size to 10 px and the Ridges to 2 (you might have to change the Size to more or less depending on the original size of your text).

Step 14

We are done! That was pretty easy. You can easily create this effect without the Appearance panel, but creating this effect like in this tutorial you can easily adjust anything with the text without changing the effect. It is also a good idea to create a Graphic Style for easy implementation to other text and objects within Illustrator. Simply select the text with the metal treatment and press the New Graphic Styles button in the Graphic Styles panel. Now just select some text or other object and select your new Graphic Style!

Final Image

Below is the final image with a couple of other fonts and object with the applied Graphic Style.

Tutorial Details

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

Final Image Preview

Below is the final image that you’ll get from working through this tutorial. Sweet huh! Here is the original phone image from Engadget. I’m also a strong believer of dissecting other people’s files to learn from them, so here is the .ai file (AICS3).

Step 1 – The Pattern Shapes

Create a new document in Illustrator with a Basic RGB Document Profile. 600px x 800px, 72ppi is good. Let’s start of with the patterned background. Create a 25px x 25px square using the Rectangle tool (M). Then using the Line Segment Tool ( \ ), click in the center of the square, and while holding Opt+Shift, drag it to the corners to create a perfect 45° angle that divides the square from corner to corner. Do the same with the other side. Select everything and use the Divide Pathfinder from the Pathfinder Palette. Here is what you should have so far.

Step 2 – Finishing the Pattern

Now that each triangle within the square is a separate shape, we are going to color them in using shades of gray to give the shape some depth. The colors I am using are top: 20% black, left+right: 50% black, bottom: 70% black. The stroke is still there and we don’t want that, so select everything, hit ( X ) which switches focus between fill and stroke and then ( / ) which removes color. Now using the Rectangle tool (M) again, while holding Opt + Shift, drag from the center of the shape to just outside of it. Then hit Cmd + Shift + ( [ ) to send it to back. Give that square a 30% black. Copy that shape, paste to back (Cmd + B), make sure the fill and stroke is set to none, select the entire shape, and drag it into the swatches palette. this creates a pattern swatch that you can use. If you’re having weird issues, make sure the no-fill no-stroke square is all the way in the back.

Step 3 – The Background

If the pattern looks good, you can delete the original shapes or drag it off the artboard to the side. (if you do delete it but find out later that you need it again, just drag the swatch from the Swatches palette into the artboard to get your original editable pattern shape) Now create a large rectangle that fills up the artboard and fill it with your brand spankin’ new pattern. If all went well, it should look like one of those crazy studded belts you see those heavy metal rockers wearing. Copy the background shape and paste in front (Cmd + F). Fill it with a radial gradient and set the transparency to Multiply. I used R33/G188/B252 for the inner color and R0/G82/B138 for the outer color. Using the Gradient tool (G), give the background an effect of being lit closer to the top. This gives the entire background a cool, very editable color cast. It’s handy to use this method instead of coloring the actual pattern shapes blue because now if i wanted to change the color from blue to orange or to even a gradient mix of colors, i can easily do that just by changing the color of this shape. I’ve done this many times when having to create multiple icons of the same design but with different colors and trust me, it saves you hours of work.

Step 4 – The Beam

This is the fun part. Zoom way in to your background (best keyboard shortcuts ever? Cmd+Spacebar+Click to zoom in and Cmd+Opt+Spacebar+Click to zoom out) and create a rectangle that covers maybe 12 or so “studs.” Check the pic below if that doesn’t make sense. Make sure the rectangle perfectly covers the studs to the edges. Give the shape a Linear Gradient from a nice orange (R251/G164/B25) to black (R0/G0/B0) and set the transparency to Screen. Use the Gradient Tool and drag from the top of the shape to the bottom to give it a nice fade effect as if it was moving upwards and leaving a trail of light.

Step 5 – The Light

Create a 75px circle with the same orange-to-black gradient and place it in the center of the top square of our bream of light. Set the gradient to radial and set the Transparency to Screen. Now go to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur and give it a 10px blur. Copy the shape and paste it in Front (Cmd+F). Using the Selection Tool (V) while holding Opt+Shift, drag one of the corners of the selection box in to shrink the copied circle a bit. Copy and Paste that one in front, and shrink a little more again. You should have 3 circles now. This will give us a nice light source that is super bright in the middle, but fades nicely.

Step 6

Copy the beam and light shapes, move them around, change the colors, and you have yourself an awesome google phone styled design!

Conclusion

We used some pretty fundamental Illustrator techniques and tools to create a sweet design that was inspired by online findings. Simple patterns, some powerful uses of transparency to create light and movement, and a great way to add color and depth in a very editable way to increase productivity are all techniques that can easily be applied to other ideas and work. I hope you enjoyed it!

Want to Contribute to Vectips?

You can contribute vector freebies, tutorials, and other Illustrator related articles. Simply fill out our Vectips Writer Submission Form (scroll halfway down the page).

Halloween is almost here, and I’m sure some of you need to do some last minute graphics for a client project or maybe so graphics for your Halloween party. So in this intermediate tutorial you will learn how to create a zombie illustration with a pen tablet from a photo. Have fun utilizing the Blob Brush and Eraser tool in recreating this tutorial or apply these techniques to other ghoulish illustrations!

Final Image

Below is the final zombie illustration we will be working towards.

Tutorial Details

• Program : Adobe Illustrator CS4 (This tutorial use 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
• Estimated Completion Time: 1 hour – 1.5 hours

Step 1

First, you need to find a scary or angry portrait to trace. I purchased a image from iStockphoto.com. You can do the same or take a picture of yourself. The resolution of the image is not hugely important, just make sure you can make out some of the face details in the portrait.

Step 2

Create a new document in Illustrator, go File > Place, navigate to the folder with your image, and click the Place button.

Step 3

Once placed, use the Selection tool (V) and scale the image to your desired size. From the Layers panel, click the Lock icon on the placed image layer. To keep better organization of the layers, double-click on the image layer and rename it to “Image Template”. Next, press the Create New Layer button and rename it to “Outline”. We are going to do most of our tracing in the “Outline” layer.

Step 4

For tracing the image. We are going to use the Blob Brush (Shift + B). This is a new tool in Illustrator CS4, but if you have a version below, you can still use a Calligraphy brush (Refer to the Alternate Tutorial Methods step at the bottom of the post). The Blob Brush (Shift +B) settings are set using a pen tablet’s pressure sensitivity. For this tutorial, I am using a Intuos4 Medium sized tablet. If you don’t have a pen tablet refer to the same Optional Methods step as noted previously.

To set up the Blob Brush (Shift + B) to use the pressure sensitivity of you pen tablet, double-click on the Blob Brush (Shift + B) in the Tools panel to open the Blob Brush Tool Options. In the dialog, uncheck Keep Selected, check Selection Limits Merge, Change your Fidelity to 2, Smoothness to 0, Brush Size to 5 pt, select Pressure from the Size drop-down menu, Variation to 5 pt, Angle to 0, and Roundness to 100%. These Blob Brush settings will create a stroke that can be varied by the pressure of the pen tablet.

Step 5

Now that we have our Blob Brush (Shift + B) settings, we can start tracing the image. In the “Outline” layer, start tracing the predominate lines in the image. When tracing with the Blob Brush, vary the thickness of the stroke by applying less presses for thin parts of the stroke and more pressure for the thick parts of the stroke.

Step 6

When tracing the image I keep the Eraser Tool (Shift + E) handy for erasing mistakes and subtracting from the traced elements. You can set up the Eraser tool (Shift + E) to work like a subtractive Blob Brush (Shift + B). To set the Eraser tool (Shift + E) up, double click on it in the Tools panel. In the Eraser Tool Options dialog change the Angle to 0, the Roundness to 100%, the Diameter to 5 pt, select Pressure from the Diameter drop-down menu, and change the Variation to 5 pt. Now you can use the Eraser Tool (Shift + E) just like the Blob Brush (Shift + B) to correct mistakes and subtract from your tracing stokes. For example, I used the Eraser Tool (Shift + E) to subtract a highlight from the eye.

Step 7

Continue tracing and erasing the predominate lines in the image with the Blob Brush (Shift + B) and Eraser tool (Shift + E) until you have traced them all. You can exclude lines as you feel is necessary. For example, in the image I chose, I’m not tracing the beard on the man’s face. You can also toggle the visibility of the “Image Template” layer to see how the outline is going by pressing the Visibility icon of the “Image Template” layer from the Layers panel.

Step 8

Now that we have the predominate lines, go through and add extra lines around the current ones, embellishing the features like eye sockets, cheek bones, mouth, and so on.

Step 9

Our zombie is starting to look pretty grisly, but let add some more horror with the Blob Brush (Shift + B) to the teeth and around the face. Add extra strokes to the teeth to make them look old and worn. Also, add more strokes around the face where the skin has ripped off. You can even use the Eraser tool (Shift + E) and erase sections of the head and ears where the skin has ripped off.

Step 10

Now that the outline is done, we can add some color. First, create a light green grey color from your Color panel and save it as a swatch in the Swatch panel. Next, select all the outlines and choose the Live Paint Bucket (K) tool from the Tools panel. Hover over the area you want to fill with the Live Paint Bucket (K), cycle through your swatches with the arrow keys until you find you light green color, and click to fill the area. Illustrator will then convert the strokes to a Live Paint Group. Continue filling in the area with the Live Paint Bucket until you have filled in the zombie. You might notice that it is hard to get every little area, but don’t worry, we will fill these areas in the next steps.

Step 11

Select the Live Paint group and go Object > Live Paint > Expand. With the Magic Wand tool (Y) select only the green color. Once selected, Cut (Command + X) the green objects. In the Layers panel, create a new layer, label it “Color”, drag the layer below the “Outlines” layer, and Paste in Front (Command + F) the green colored shapes.

Step 12

In the new “Color” layer, use the Blob Brush (Shift +B) to add shadows with a green grey color darker than your first green color.

Step 13

Use the Blob Brush (Shift + B) to create white highlights around the zombie’s face.

Step 14

Now we can start adding some other color to the teeth and exposed skull areas. Use varying shades of a dingy yellow color to color these shapes, and like the last couple of steps, use the Blob Brush (Shift + B).

Step 15

Add some more color to the illustration in the eyes and add some blood around the illustration.

Step 16

Create a new layer from the Layers panel, name it “Background”, drag it below the “Color” layer, and create a grey filled rectangle with the Rectangle tool (M) filling the artboard. Next, with the Blob Brush (Shift + B) create some light grey highlights on the top of the shirt.

Step 17

To add a little extra fun, place some type over the shirt. I used the font Feast of Flesh from Dafont and filled it with the same zombie green color in the face. Also, I shifted all the elements, except the background color, up. All done! Hope you have fun with this grisly zombie!

Final Image

Again below is zombie illustration all done.

Alternate Tutorial Methods

Calligraphic Brush

If you don’t have CS4 yet but you do have a pen tablet you can use a Calligraphic brush instead of a Blob Brush (Shift +B) for the outlines of the zombie. 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 tutorials, 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 5 pt, select Pressure from the Size drop-down menu, and change the Variation to 5 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 outline 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. This technique is similar to the tutorial I wrote for Vectortuts called Illustrate a Grunge Style Talking Skull in Vector, so check it out to learn more. My previous article Create Sketchy-Style Vectors will help if finding and creating Art brushes.

Well, it’s Blog Action Day 2009 today and the topic is Climate Change. So I decided to create a fun sun character tutorial. This intermediate tutorial is great for logos, children illustrations, and other projects relating to climate change. Moreover, you can easily apply this tutorial to other illustrations, logos, and projects!

Blog Action Day Day 2009: Climate Change

Climate change is an important issue that affects everyone on this planet. If you are reading this, you are probably a designer, illustrator, or involved in these industries in some way. Being part of these industries, we have a unique responsibility to visually communicate issues such as climate change. That makes it fun an easy to spread the word about climate change through artwork like in this tutorial. Even if you are not part of the design industry, you can learn more about climate change form the Blog Action Day site.

Final Image

Below is the final illustration we will be working towards.

Tutorial Details

• Program : Adobe Illustrator CS4 (tutorial can be completed with other version of Illustrator)
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Estimated Completion Time: 30 minutes – 1 hour

Step 1

Create a new document and with the Ellipse tool (L), create an ellipse.

Step 2

Fill the ellipse with a radial gradient from the Gradient panel. In the Gradient panel, change the first color stop in the gradient to a light orange color and change the second color stop to a orange color. Next, from the Gradient panel, select your first light orange color stop and change the Location to 43. Select the Middlepoint on the Gradient Slider and change the location to 60. With the Gradient tool (G) move the center of the gradient slightly up and to the right.

Step 3

Create a new ellipse and fill it with a radial gradient. Make the first color stop in the gradient white and the second color stop a light gray color. Change the location of the gradient’s Middlepoint to 87.

Step 4

Create a new smaller ellipse in the center and to the right of the previous ellipse. Fill the ellipse with a radial gradient with the first color stop a light cyan color and the second color stop a dark cyan color. Change the location of the gradient’s Middlepoint to 87.

Step 5

Create another ellipse in the center of the previous ellipse and fill it with black. Next, create two other smaller white ellipses and place them over the black ellipse. Now we have an eye!

Step 6

Select the white eye ellipse, Copy (Command + C), and Paste in Back (Command + B). With the copy still selected, move it up slightly. Change the fill of the ellipse to a dark orange color. Select the white ellipse again, Copy (Command + C), and Paste in Back (Command + B). This time, move the copy down slightly and change the color to a light yellow color.

Step 7

Select all the eye shapes, Copy (Command + C), and Paste in Front (Command + F). With the copies selected, move them to the right of the main ellipse shape and scale down slightly with the Selection tool (V).

Step 8

With the Rectangle tool (M) create an rectangle about the width of the eye shape and about a fourth of it’s height.

Step 9

Go Effects > Stylize > Round Corners and in the Round Corners dialog, change the radius to 10 px. The radius might change depending on dimension of your artwork. Just play around until you get something similar to the preview image below. Next, go Object > Expand Appearance.

Step 10

Go Effects > Warp > Arch. With the Warp Options dialog open, make sure the Horizontal radial button in selected, change the Bend percentage to 25, and change the Horizontal Distortion to 40. Next, go Object > Expand Appearance.

Step 11

Change the fill of the warped shape to a linear gradient. Make the first color stop in the gradient a red-brown color and the second color stop a dark red-brown color. With the Gradient tool (G) adjust the gradient so the darker part of the gradient is at the bottom of the shape.

Step 12

Copy (Command + C) the eyebrow shape and Paste in Back (Command + B). With the copy selected, move it down and to the left slightly. Change the fill of the copy to a dark orange.

Step 13

With both eyebrow shapes selected, rotate them to the left slightly with the Selection tool (V). Copy (Command + C) the eyebrow shapes and Paste in Front (Command + F). With the copy selected, go Object > Transform > Reflect. In the reflect dialog, select the Vertical radial button and press OK. Next, move the copies to the other side of the face above the other eye. Select the dark orange shadow of the copies and move it the left side of the eyebrow.

Step 14

Create an ellipse about the size of one of the eyes and place it in-between the eyes towards the bottom.

Step 15

Fill the new ellipse with a radial gradient. For this gradient we are going to add one more color stop, making a total of three color stops in the gradient. To do this, click in the middle of the Gradient Slider in the Gradient panel. Next, change the first color stop to a lighter orange color than your original light orange from the main sun shape, change the middle color stop to the same orange color as the main sun body shape, and change the last color stop to the same light orange as the main sun shape. Change the first Middlepoint of the first two color stop to 65. Finally, with the Gradient tool (G), scale the gradient so the center of the gradient is in the top right corner of the ellipse.

Step 16

Copy (Command + C) the nose shape and Paste in Back (Command + B). With the Direct Selection tool (A) grab the bottom anchor point and drag in down and to the left, creating a shadow.

Step 17

Create an ellipse about half the size of the main sun shape. Draw a rectangle covering the top half of the ellipse. Select both shapes and press the Minus Front button in the Pathfinder panel.

Step 18

Fill the new mouth shape with a linear gradient with the first color stop a red-brown color and the second color stop a darker red-brown color. With the Gradient tool (G) adjust the gradient bottom up so the darker part of the gradient is at the top of the mouth.

Step 19

Copy (Command + C) the mouth shape and Paste in Back (Command + B). Move the copy up slightly and change the color to your dark orange color. Copy (Command + C) the mouth shape and Paste in Back (Command + B) again. This time, move the shape down and change the fill to your light orange color.

Step 20

Create an oblong ellipse that is about one third the size of the mouth. Copy (Command + C) the ellipse and Paste in Front (Command + F). Move the copy down slightly and scale up about a fourth of the original size. Next, select both shapes and press the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel.

Step 21

Fill the new shape with your dark orange color. Copy (Command + C) the shape and Paste in Back (Command + B). Next, scale the copied shape up and change the color to your light orange color. Center both shapes on the bottom of the mouth shapes you have already created.

Step 22

Select the newest curved shapes you created, Copy (Command + C), and Paste in Front (Command + F). Scale down and rotate the shapes to the left with the Selection tool (V), then  place them on the left top side of the mouth. Next, Copy (Command + C) the original curved shapes, Paste in Front (Command + F), rotate and scale the shapes to the right, and place on the right side of the mouth shape.

Step 23

Select the main dark mouth shape, Copy (Command + C), and Paste in Front (Command + F). With the Selection tool (V), hold down the Shift key and scale the copy bottom up slightly. Still with the Selection tool (V), squish the copied shape from the bottom up until the copy is about one fourth the original size. Change the first color stop in the linear gradient to white and the second to a light orange. Also, change the Location of the Middlepoint to 80.

Step 24

With the Star tool (found under the shape tools in the Tools panel), click on the artboard to open the Star dialog. In the dialog change Radius 1 to 30 px, Radius 2 to 15 px, and the Point to 3 (your radius dimensions might be different depending on the dimension of your artwork, just make sure that Radius 2 is half the size of Radius 1). Squish the triangle shape horizontally to about half it’s original size. Place the triangle over the center of the teeth to the right . Next, select the teeth and the triangle and press the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel.

Step 25

With the Ellipse tool (L) create two ellipse toward the bottom of the mouth shape, making sure half of the ellipses are hanging outside of the mouth shape. Select the main dark mouth shape, Copy (Command + C), and Paste in Front (Command + F) two times. Select one of the copies, select the right ellipse, and press the Intersect button from the Pathfinder panel. Repeat the same for the left ellipse. Fill both ellipses with a linear gradient with the first color stop a light pink and the second color stop a pink color. Separately adjust each ellipse’s gradient with the Gradient tool (G)  from the top right of the ellipse to the bottom left.

Step 26

Select all the mouth shapes and place them on the sun’s face. Next, Rotate the mouth shape to the left slightly.

Step 27

With the Star tool, click on the artboard to bring up the Star dialog. Create a star with a Radius 1 of 100 px, a Radius 2 of 50 px, and 3 Points (like before these dimensions might be different depending on your artwork). Next, go Effects > Stylize > Round Corners and in the Round Corners dialog, change to Radius to 20 px. Expand the shape and squish it down slightly with the Selection tool (V).

Step 28

Fill the triangle with a three color stop gradient, making the first color stop a light orange color, the second a orange color, and the third a dark orange color. Select the Middlepoint in between the first two color stops in and change the Location to 65. Next, change the Location of the second color stop to 60 and the Middlepoint Location of the last two color stop to 15. Adjust the gradient from top to bottom with the Gradient tool (G).

Step 29

Make a copy of the triangle so you have a total of two. With the copy selected, go Effect > Warp > Arch. Within the Warp Options dialog, select the Vertical radial button and change the Bend percentage to 30 and expand the appearance.

Step 30

Make a copy of the first triangle, move, and rotate the copy so it radiates from the sun face shape, creating sun bursts. Make sure the triangle is behind all other artwork by going Object > Arrange > Send to Back. Next, rotate and place copies of the triangles, alternating between the two, around the sun. Make sure that all the triangles are sent to the back.

Step 31

Select the main sun face shape, (Command + C), and Paste in Back (Command + B). With the copy still selected, move it down slightly and change the color to your dark orange color.

Step 32

To add just a little more detail and fun to the sun, draw varying sized ellipses above the corners of the mouth. All done!

Final Image

Again below is the final image we just created.

Sample Usage

Below are some sample images of this tutorial in use. One is a logo for a fictional alternate energy learning center for kids (just made that up, but you get the point). The second one is a global warming diagram for children (not very accurate, I know). It is easy to apply this illustration to other projects or adapt it to other illustrations (like the earth illustration in the Global Warming diagram). Try to see what you can use it for!

A popular typography trend in web design and print design is letterpress styled text. This text styling is easy to do in Photoshop, but in Illustrator, it is super simple to create letterpress styled text while keeping the text editable. Utilizing the Appearance panel and Graphic Styles, you can quickly and consistently apply this style to any editable text and other vector objects.

Final Image

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

Tutorial Details

• Program: Adobe Illustrator CS4
• Difficulty: Beginner
• Estimated Completion Time: 5-10 minutes

Step 1

Create a rectangle with the Rectangle tool (M) and fill it with a color of your choosing. I filled mine with a light blue color. I like having a background color on which the text can be placed to really see the highlights of the letterpress text. Still, you can create this tutorial on a white background.

Step 2

Type out some text with the Text tool (T) and chose a font. I am using the awesome Museo Sans 700 font. With the text still selected, take off any fill or stroke.

Step 3

From the pop-up menu of the Appearance panel, choose New Fill. Next, press the swatch thumbnail in the Appearance panel of the new fill and change the color to a darker shade of your background color.

Step 4

With the new fill selected in the Appearance panel, go Effect > Stylize > Inner Glow. In the Inner Glow dialog, change the Mode to Normal, the fill color (the swatch thumbnail to the direct right of the Mode drop-down menu) to a color slightly darker than your background color, the Opacity to 90 and the Blur to 2 px. You might have to play around with the Blur value depending on how big your text is. Now when you press the drop-down arrow of the new fill in the Appearance panel you can see the Inner Glow effect listed under it.

Step 5

With the text still selected create a new fill from the Appearance panel like you did before. After you created the new fill it will look like the Inner Glow effect you applied was lost, but it wasn’t. In the Appearance panel we have to be aware of hierarchy. When we created the latest new fill it was placed on top of the first fill. Rearrange the fills by dragging the newest fill below the first one in the Appearance panel.

Step 6

Select the latest new fill in the Apperance panel and change the fill to a darker color than your original text fill color. You won’t be able to see any change because the new fill is behind the first one.

Step 7

With the latest new fill selected, go Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. In the Transform Effect dialog, change the Vertical Move to 1 px. This might need to be increase depending on the size of your text.

Step 8

Create a new fill from the Appearance panel like before and fill it with white. Place the new fill below all the other fills.

Step 9

With the white fill selected in the Apperance panel, go Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. In the Transform Effect dialog, change the Vertical Move to -1 px. Again, this might need to be increased depending on the size of your text.

Step 10

All done! That was pretty easy. Moreover, your text is still editable! To make this technique more useful, we can create a Graphic Style. Select the text and press the New Graphic Style button in the Graphic Style panel. Now you can apply to Graphic Style to other fonts and even to other shapes and objects. Simply select some text or other vector paths and click the thumbnail of the graphic Style you  just created.