We live in amazing times when people launch rockets into space and walk on the Moon. Let’s dream a bit about the future when we’ll be able to explore the deep space even further and visit other planets! In this tutorial we will create a cute bunny space-explorer. We’ll be modifying simple geometric shapes and manipulating the most useful tools and function of Adobe Illustrator to design a stylized character who is ready for his first space adventure! 3… 2… 1… Go!
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Welcome back to another Illustrator based tutorial, in which we’re going to take a look behind the process of creating a simple anchor selection icon, using nothing more than a couple of basic geometric shapes and tools. So, assuming you already have the software running in the background, bring it up and let’s jump straight into it.
As with every new project, we’re going to kick things off by setting up a New Document, by heading over to File > New (or by using the Control-N keyboard shortcut), which we will then adjust as follows:
And from the Advanced tab:
Quick tip: most of the indicated settings can be triggered automatically if you set the document’s Profile to Web, the only one that you’ll have to manually adjust being the Artboard’s Size (Width x Height).
As soon as we’ve finished setting up our project file, we can start working on the actual icon, and we will do so by creating the main shape for the background using a 56 x 56 px circle, which we will color using #c6bdb3 and then center align to the underlying Artboard using the Align panel’s Horizontal and Vertical Align Center options.
Create the main shape for the vector path using a 32 x 32 px circle with a 2 px thick Stroke (#000000), which we will position to the center of the larger background.
Create the main shape for the bottom illustrated anchor point using a 6 x 6 px square, which we will color using #ffffff, and then center align to the circle’s bottom anchor point.
Give the shape an outline using the Stroke method, by creating a copy of it (Control-C), which we will paste in front (Control-F) and then adjust by first changing its color to #000000, and then flipping its Fill with its Stroke (Shift-X). Set the resulting Stroke’s Weight to 2 px and its Corner to Round Join, making sure to select and group the two shapes together using the Control-G keyboard shortcut, before moving on to the next step.
Add the remaining anchor points, using three copies (Control-C > Control-V) of the one that we’ve just finished working on, which we will then position as seen in the reference image.
Adjust the top anchor point by selecting its fill shape using the Direct Selection Tool (A), and then changing its color to #ffa748.
Quickly add the two handles using a 30 px wide 2 px thick Stroke line (#000000), which we will center align to the top anchor point, making sure to position it underneath afterwards by right clicking > Arrange > Send Backward.
Create the end points using two 6 x 6 px circles, which we will color using #000000, and then position to the center of the horizontal Stroke line’s anchors. Once you’re done, make sure you select all of the shapes except for the background, and group them together using the Control-G keyboard shortcut.
Create the main shape for the selection tool using an 8 x 8 px square, which we will color using #000000, and then position to the center of the background.
Finish off the icon and with it the project itself, by individually selecting and then adjusting the position of the square’s anchor points using the Direct Select Tool (A) following the reference image as your main guide. Take your time, and once you’re done, make sure you select and group (Control-G) all of the icon’s composing shapes together before finally hitting that save button.
As always, I hope you had fun working on the project and most importantly managed to learn something new and useful during the process. That being said, if you have any questions feel free to post them within the comments section and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!
Just another coffee addict / pixel grinder, creating colorful projects one pixel at a time.
In today’s tutorial we’re going to take a quick look behind the process of creating a gamepad icon, and see how we can take some simple shapes and turn them into a finished usable product. So, assuming you already have the software up and running, let’s jump straight into it!
As with every new project, we’re going to kick things off by setting up a New Document, by heading over to File > New (or by using the Control-N keyboard shortcut), which we will then adjust as follows:
And from the Advanced tab:
Quick tip: most of the indicated settings can be triggered automatically if you set the document’s Profile to Web, the only one that you’ll have to manually adjust being the Artboard’s Size (Width x Height).
As soon as we’ve finished setting up our project file, we can start working on the actual icon, and we will do so by creating the main shape for the background using a 56 x 56 px circle, which we will color using #99aaff and then center align to the underlying Artboard using the Align panel’s Horizontal and Vertical AlignCenter options.
Add the peripheral’s main body using a 36 x 24 px rounded rectangle with a 12 px Corner Radius, which we will color using #ffffff and then position to the center of the underlying background.
Give the shape that we’ve just created an outline using the Stroke method, by creating a copy of it (Control-C), which we will paste in front (Control-F) and then adjust by first changing its color to #000000, and then flipping its Fill with its Stroke (Shift-X) making sure to set the resulting path’s Weight to 2 px from within the Stroke panel.
Add the d-pad using a 10 x 4 px rounded rectangle with a 1 px Corner Radius (#000000) on top of which we will add a 4 x 10 px one (#000000), grouping (Control-G) and then positioning the two as seen in the reference image.
Add the round buttons using four 4 x 4 px circles, which we will color using #000000 and then position onto the right side of the larger body, making sure to select and group them together afterwards using the Control-G keyboard shortcut.
Add the bumper buttons using two 10 x 8 px rounded rectangles (#000000) with a 2 px Corner Radius, which we will adjust by opening up the Transform panel and then setting the Radius of their top outer corners to 6 px from within the Rectangle Properties section. Take your time, and once you’re done position them underneath the larger body (right click > Arrange > Send Backward) as seen in the reference image.
Grab the Pen Tool (P) and quickly draw the cable segment using a 16 px tall 2 px thick Stroke line (#000000) with a Round Cap, which we will position to the center of the larger outline’s top edge. Take your time, and once you’re done make sure you select and group (Control-G) all of the gamepad’s composing shapes together before moving on to the next step.
Create the little shadow using a 20 x 4 px ellipse, which we will color using #000000 and then position below the gamepad, at a distance of just 4 px. Once you have the shape in place, select both it and the gamepad and group them together using the Control-G keyboard shortcut.
Finish off the icon and with it the project itself, by masking the shapes that we’ve just grouped using a copy (Control-C) of the underlying background, which we will paste in front (Control-F) and then with both them and the copy selected simply right click > Make Clipping Mask. Once you’re done, don’t forget to select and group (Control-G) all of the icon’s composing shapes together before finally hitting that save button.
As always, I hope you had fun working on the project and most importantly managed to learn something new and useful during the process. That being said, if you have any questions feel free to post them within the comments section and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!
Just another coffee addict / pixel grinder, creating colorful projects one pixel at a time.
In today’s tutor
ial we’re going to take a look at the process of creating a camera icon, using nothing more than the basic shapes and tools that we work with on a daily basis.
So, assuming you already have Illustrator up and running, let’s get to it!
Welcome back to another Illustrator based tutorial, in which we’re going to learn how to create a text editor icon from scratch, using nothing more than a couple of basic geometric shapes, which we will adjust here and there. So, assuming you already have the software running in the background, bring it up and let’s get started!
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In today’s tutorial, we’re going to explore the process of creating a simple mouse icon, using nothing more than the basic geometric shapes and tools found within Illustrator.
That being said, grab a fresh cup of coffee and let’s get started! Continue reading
In this tutorial we’ll add an exotic touch to our summer mood by learning how to draw a tropical bird, creating a vivid toucan in Adobe Illustrator. We’ll be drawing this flat-style toucan using basic geometric shapes, working with corners, and exploring the Align panel. Let’s get started!
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