Welcome to our Design in 60 Seconds series, in which you can
learn a new design skill, feature, or technique in just a minute!
Design in 60 Seconds: Geometric Design
Geometric designis a fun trend that focuses on the simplistic beauty of mixing certain shapes, lines, and curves together for creative results. You may have seen it incorporated into fresh tattoo designs, abstract backgrounds, and even in jewelry design. And you can mix these modern elements into your work by downloading the incredible Geometric Design resources available to you through GraphicRiver and Envato Elements.
In this quick video, learn the basics of geometric design, as well as how to create your own custom design using Shape Tools in Adobe Photoshop. When you’re through, grab the helpful resources you saw in the video from the following links below:
What You Should Know About Geometric Design
Geometric design is a popular trend that showcases basic shapes in creative designs. Rooted in actual mathematical principles, geometric design can be created with formulaic precision or through experimentation.
To create a basic design yourself, select the Polygon Tool (U) or Custom Shape Tool (U) in Adobe Photoshop to begin arranging different shapes together.
Freestyle the arrangement by adding more shapes to the design, or test out common math theories found in our free tutorials. When you’re finished, right-click the shape layers to create a Smart Object to finalize your design.
Want to see this in action? Check out the quick video above to learn more.
A Bit More Detail
Take your work to the next level. Check out these tutorials below to learn more about geometric design from our experts:
60 Seconds?!
This is part of a series of quick video tutorials on
Envato Tuts+ in which we introduce a range of subjects, all in 60
seconds—just enough to whet your appetite. Let us know in the comments
what you thought of this video and what else you’d like to see explained
in 60 seconds!
Retro circuses and funfairs have their own enchanting atmosphere that makes me want to draw them again and again. If you enjoy those shapes and colors of a retro-style circus, then follow this tutorial and learn to design a set a flat circus icons, using simple shapes and warp effects and working with a variety of tools and functions of Adobe Illustrator.
By the end of this tutorial, you’ll learn some new tips and tricks and will be able to expand the set, creating more circus icons. If you’d like to design something else using these techniques, make sure you’ve browsed GraphicRiver for inspiration.
1. How to Create a Flat Clown in Adobe Illustrator
Step 1
Let’s start depicting the clown, starting with the head. Take the Rounded Rectangle Tool and make a 75 x 115 px yellowish shape with fully rounded corners. You can adjust the Corner Radius either from the control panel on top or in the Transform panel. Another way to edit the roundness of the corners is to do this manually by using the Direct Selection Tool (A) and the Live Corners feature (tiny circle markers next to each corner of the shape).
Pick the Ellipse tool (L) and place a 26 x 26 px circle for the nose.
Step 2
Make sure that you’ve placed the nose right in the middle of the face by selecting both the nose and the head shape and clicking the head once again to make it a Key Object. Open the Align panel and click Horizontal Align Center to align both shapes.
Place a 9 x 9 px light-pink spot on top of the nose for the highlight.
Step 3
Now let’s add the eyes. Make a 16 x 16 px circle with dark-brown Stroke and no Fill. Head to the Stroke panel and set the Weight to 4 pt and Cap to Round Cap.
Take the Scissors Tool (S) and click both side anchor points to split the shape apart. Now we can delete the bottom part of the shape. Select the created eyelid with the Selection Tool (V), hold Alt-Shift and drag to the right, creating a copy for the second eye.
Step 4
Take the Rounded Rectangle Tool and let’s make a light-blue shape for the eyebrow. Create a 10 x 5 px rectangle with fully rounded corners. Keeping the shape selected, double-click the Rotate Tool (R) and set the Angle to 20 degrees.
Step 5
Now double-click the Reflect Tool (O) and select the Vertical Axis. Click Copy to create a mirrored copy of the eyebrow and move it to the opposite side of the face.
Step 6
Group (Control-G) the eyes, and then group the eyebrows and select both groups together with the head shape. Click the head once again to make it a Key Object, and use the Align panel to align all the elements to the Horizontal Center of the head.
Step 7
Depict a mouth in the same way as we created the eyelids. Make a large 53 x 53 px circle with dark-brown Stroke and 4 pt Weight. Split the shape apart using the Scissors Tool (S) and delete its top part, thus creating a smiling mouth.
Step 8
Let’s expand the mouth in Object > Expand Appearance to turn it into curves. Go to Object > Path > Offset Path and set the Offset value to 5 px, leave all other options as default and click OK. Fill the new shape with the same red color as we have for the nose using the Eyedropper Tool (I).
Step 9
Now we’ll add the hair to our clown. Make two blue circles of 35 x 35 px and 40 x 40 px size by the left side of the head. Keeping both circles selected, press Shift-Control-[ to Send the shapes to Back, beneath the head. Hold Alt-Shift and drag the circles to the opposite side of the head with the Selection Tool (V), making a copy.
Now that the portrait of our clown is ready, let’s group (Control-G) all of its elements.
Step 10
Let’s form a circular base for our icon. We’ll be using it for our next icons as well. Make a 180 x 180 px dull-purple circle and Send to Back (Shift-Control-[) to place it behind the clown.
Furthermore, to give our icon a completed look we need to add a long flat shadow. Make a 115 x 115 px rectangle of light purple color. Switch the Blending Mode to Multiply in the Transparency panel, making the shape semi-transparent.
Step 11
Next, rotate the shape 45 degrees either using the Rotate Tool (R), the Free Transform Tool (E), or the Selection Tool (V). Place the shape over the clown’s head, making it fit the edges of the face and the hair (you may need to resize the rectangle a bit).
Step 12
Use the Direct Selection Tool (A) to snap the anchor points of the shadow to the edges of the clown’s head. Zoom In (Control-+) to make it easier to make the shapes fit each other.
Step 13
Send the shadow Backward by pressing Control-[ a few times to place it between the clown’s head and the icon base.
Now let’s see how we can hide the unneeded part of the shadow. Copy the icon and Paste in Front (Control-C > Control-F). Bring the copy to Front (Control-]), to the very top. Finally, select everything, click the right mouse button and Make Clipping Mask, this way hiding all the objects inside the top circle.
There we have it! Our first icon is ready. Let’s move on to the next one.
2. How to Draw a Flat Circus Cannon Icon in Adobe Illustrator
Step 1
Let’s use the shape that we’ve made for the clown’s head to design the cannon. Copy (Control-C) the shape, Paste (Control-V) it, and rotate it 90 degrees.
Go to Effect > Warp > Arc and set the Vertical Bend value to -5% and Horizontal Distortion to 10%, making the right side of the shape wide and bulging.
Step 2
Object > Expand the shape to apply the effect. Let’s take the Eraser Tool (Shift-E), hold Alt, and erase the left part of the shape.
Use the Direct Selection Tool (A) to select the top and bottom left anchor points and drag them further left, extending the shape.
Step 3
Now we need to depict the muzzle of the cannon. Arm yourself with the Ellipse Tool (L) and add a squashed oval to the left side of the cannon. Make sure that the height of the ellipse fits the left edge of the cannon, snapping the anchor points of the shapes to each other. Remember to use the Smart Guides (View > Smart Guides) to make this process easier.
Now go to Object > Path > Offset Path and set the Offset value to -2 px. Fill the new shape with purple color, depicting the inner part of the cannon.
Step 4
Let’s decorate our cannon with some stripes and stars!
Make a 30 x 130 px red stripe using the Rectangle Tool (M). Go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Zig Zag. Set the size to 5 px, Ridges per segment to 10, and Points to Corner.
Step 5
Object > Expand Appearance the shape to apply the effect and move our zig-zag to the front part of the cannon. Select both the cannon and the zig-zag and take the Shape Builder Tool (Shift-M). Hold Alt and hover the mouse over the unneeded part of the red shape. As your mouse cursor changes to a tiny minus sign, click the highlighted piece to delete it.
Press Control-[ a few times to move the zig-zag under the muzzle of the cannon.
Step 6
Let’s move on and add another stripe to our cannon. Create a 30 x 110 px blue rectangle, using the Rectangle Tool (M). Take the Star Tool and make a 5-pointed star on top of the blue stripe.
Step 7
Select the star, hold Alt-Shift and drag the shape down, creating a copy at the bottom of the blue stripe. Select both stars and go to Object > Blend > Make. Now that we have a group of stars, we can adjust their quantity and the spacing between the elements using Object > Blend > Blend Options. Set the Spacing to Specified Steps equal 3.
Step 8
Let’s use a Clipping Mask to hide the unneeded parts of the decoration inside the cannon.
Duplicate (Control-C > Control-F) the cannon shape and Bring the copy to Front (Shift-Control-]). Select all parts of the cannon, click the right mouse button and Make Clipping Mask.
Step 9
Take the Ellipse Tool (L) and let’s depict the wheel. Make a 50 x 50 px red circle. Duplicate (Control-C > Control-F) the circle and make the copy smaller, setting its size to 45 x 45 px. Make the color of the new shape a bit darker. Finish off the wheel by creating another copy of the circle and setting its size to 25 x 25 px. Group (Control-G) all elements of the wheel.
Step 10
Now let’s rotate the cannon to make the composition a bit more dynamic. Group all the parts of the cannon (excluding the wheel). Double-click the Rotate Tool (R) and set the Angle to -20 degrees.
Move the wheel to the left a bit, maintaining the proper balance.
Step 11
Let’s use the circle base from our first icon. Duplicate it and place our cannon on a circular base. Don’t forget to adjust the shadow. Chance the color of the icon and the shadow to turquoise.
Voila! Let’s move on to our last icon.
3. How to Make a Magic Hat Icon in Adobe Illustrator
Step 1
We can either use the muzzle part of our cannon to start off with the hat, or let’s go ahead and create a new dark-purple ellipse of 103 x 13 px size. Apply the Offset Path with -4 px Offset value to create the inner part of the hat.
Take the Rectangle Tool (M) and make a 54 x 57 px shape. Apply a darker purple color and Send to Back (Shift-Control-[), placing it beneath the brim.
Step 2
Keeping the created rectangle selected, apply Effect > Warp > Bulge with -3% Vertical Bend value and 12% Vertical Distortion.
Object > Expand Appearance to turn the shape into curves. Here I’ve also decided to change the color of the top circle to dark-purple, making the hat look more three-dimensional.
Step 3
Let’s add a bright ribbon to our top hat. Make a 75 x 15 px turquoise stripe using the Rectangle Tool (M). Select both the stripe and the rectangle part of our hat and use the Shape Builder Tool (Shift-M) while holding Alt to click and delete the unwanted pieces of the ribbon.
Step 4
Now let’s depict a magic wand. Use the Rounded Rectangle Tool to make a 95 x 10 px light-yellow shape with fully rounded corners.
Now we can either use the Rectangle Tool (M) to make a 45 x 10 px dark-purple shape on top of the wand or duplicate the yellow shape and use the Eraser Tool (Shift-E) while holding Alt to delete the tips of the copy and recolor the top shape.
Make sure that both shapes fit each other by aligning them in the Align panel.
Step 5
Place the magic wand right above the hat and use the Rotate Tool (R) to rotate it 10 degrees. Speckle a few stars using the Star Tool and varying the sizes of the elements.
Step 6
Place the magic hat on a round icon base and apply a pale red color to the circle and to the semi-transparent shadow.
Step Right Up for the Main Event! Our Circus Flat Icons Are Finished!
Fantastic work, my friends! I hope you’ve enjoyed following this fun and easy tutorial and discovered some new tips and tricks. Now you’re ready to create more fancy circus icons. Check out all the variety of flat icons on GraphicRiver, and don’t forget to share your results! Have fun!
There are so many tools and assets designers and artists can add to their virtual toolbox that it’s hard to know where to begin! Stop the guessing game and check out this must-have list of fantastic and fun digital assets from Envato Market and Envato Elements for Adobe Illustrator users everywhere.
From actions to textures, you’ll never know what the next job calls for, so take this list for a spin!
Actions
Actions are a fantastic way to create, save, and do interesting or complex things in the click of a button. Below you’ll find a selection of interesting and fun actions that would be a great asset to any artist or designer’s toolbox.
This extruder vector actions pack is one of my favorites for making any text, icon, or vector object into a polished 3D design with the click of a button. I find it especially helpful for creating three-dimensional logo designs quickly and easily.
This is a fun action that transforms vector content into distressed designs. You can easily convert it to transparent objects or full vector objects, depending on your file needs. I find actions like these great for creating marketing content for clients.
There is something to be said for designing with efficiency, especially where trendy design styles are concerned. Cut down your work time with a quick long shadow action set.
Whether you’re in need of a fun design style for your work or want to present flat designs as 3D sketches, this action pack has multiple designs and angles perfect for your portfolio.
Actions like this pattern maker are especially useful for designers running an older version of Adobe Illustrator or when you want to create quick and simple patterns without fussing with the Pattern Options panel. Tile, mirror, rotate, and more in order to create quick and easy seamless patterns.
This action set is fantastic for creating round ornaments. Spend more time designing and less time rotating elements in order to create fantastic artwork perfect for print and web use alike.
Whether you literally need to make shields or simply want to add shiny, glorious borders to your design work, this shield maker action set saves the time and bother of creating majestic text designs or icons.
Have fun with 3D cubes with this cube builder action set! Easily transform a flat object into a variety of 3D objects, ready to be built into cubic scenes.
A quick and easy action set that gives your objects or text a sleek style in the click of a button. Perfect for creating a second or third set of icons from a previously created set, or adding something fresh to a simple logo design.
I love a good set of shadow actions, especially for adding dramatic flair to a piece of design work or typography. This set features over 40 shadow actions sure to save you time in creating dimensional work.
Get decorative with this quick and easy border maker action. Add flair to stationery designs, web elements, and more without having to create complex brushes or worry about copying and pasting into infinity.
This one-click action creates beautiful Christmas-inspired lights quickly and easily. Create a fun and festive environment with this all-in-one package that includes amazing details available in six different colors. Simply create a vector path and hit the play button to turn it into a string of lights!
Graphic Styles
Graphic Styles are another fantastic time-saver. Instead of replaying recorded actions, however, this time-saving group of design elements comes courtesy of the Appearance panel. Apply a variety of design effects with ease when you stock up on Graphic Styles.
Transform your text or object into a variety of styles with this bundle. I find it a perfect fit for creating app mock-ups or putting the finishing touch on a UI design.
A metal and chrome collection for those that need more than just one look to their metallic text and objects. I love bundles like this for creating content for event fliers, apps, and more.
This logo style bundle picks up where the one listed above left off. It combines several smaller bundles into a huge pack of 80 Graphic Styles ready for event fliers, mobile app designs, packaging mock-ups, and more!
Whether you’re creating fliers or advertising content for a craft store or creating illustrated content for a children’s book featuring fabric stitched characters, fun graphic style sets like this one are sure to speed up your design process.
Beautiful vector wood textures at a click of a button abound in this style set. Imagine every icon you design rendered as a beautifully crafted wooden masterpiece.
This set of styles goes the distance with fantastic designs, backgrounds, and additional elements included. A fantastic set for quick packaging mock-ups, app designs, and more!
Just when you thought you had enough logo styles, there’s the best set ever! I love how this set looks like every other arcade game of the 90s and album cover of the 80s. Get nostalgic and have some fun with event fliers and logos for games and apps.
Create beaming designs perfect for showstopping art with this set of neon and bulb text graphic styles. Inspired by the glamorous lights along the Las Vegas strip, this package includes 36 graphic styles you can easily customize with your favorite colors.
Are you a budding entrepreneur with a great idea for a video game? Check out this awesome collection of 12 game logo text styles. Transform your text with just one click with this incredible set that includes 12 different logo styles along with 100% vector backgrounds.
Brushes
Brushes in Adobe Illustrator are absolutely fantastic. From Art Brushes to Scatter and Pattern Brushes, the design style of each can range from fun images to real media. It’s hard to say that you have too many brushes in your tool kit. Maybe if you run out of room on your machine.
These low-poly brushes are fantastic and fun for creating low-poly or origami styled borders and paths. Fantastic and fun for a variety of print and web design needs. I especially like these as borders for note cards or labels.
Frame everything in beautifully crafted wood borders with this set of vector borders. I love this set for its beautifully designed wood textures and well-crafted pattern brushes.
Real-media brushes are a must-have for transforming vector paths into handmade masterpieces. This set of pencil brushes is fantastic for showcasing vector sketches or creating an alternate icon set.
For a retro illustration look, this set of ink brushes mimics the look of textured brushes perfectly. With 205 brushes included, this set is a must-have for your tool kit.
Transform text and logo designs into glowing neon lights in a snap with this neon brush set. I love this set for making drawing with neon lights quick and easy.
This set of stitch brushes makes easy work of creating apparel illustrations or mock-ups for sample and sell sheets. A must-have when you’re working up apparel designs or are creating illustrations for a catalog or manual.
This set of real-media styled brushes combines everything from watercolors to ink to pencils and more. It’s a must-have for recreating traditional styles in a digital format.
This set of 105 decorative borders is fantastic for creating frames, badges, and more in print and web designs. In particular I find them to be a nice touch to stationery design sets or wedding invitations.
Create stunning woodcut designs with that original handmade look with these linocut Illustrator brushes. This set features 35 amazing handcrafted brushes designed to look like traditional woodwork. Download this package today to bring your art to the next level!
If you love that traditional marker look but want an effect that is actually scalable then look no further! This incredible Illustrator brush set includes 25 high-quality digital marker brushes perfect for that professional look. Enjoy these brushes and use them for your illustration projects and more!
Play around with your designs and add a little splatter to your creative projects. This splatter and smear set includes 49 must-have illustrator brushes to satisfy all your splat, swipe, and drip needs. Also included in this package is an alternate version that allows you to enable brush pressure sensitivity.
Infographics
Whether you’re running against a deadline or are in need of a fresh design style for your work, infographic sets are wonderfully useful for adding a touch of graphic design to corporate reports or creating content for a client. Having some sets ready to be modified in your arsenal is a no-brainer.
It’s quite often that I find various clients need world or even local maps for report layouts or documents. Make easy work of incorporating maps into your design work with a set of ready-made world maps.
This set of infographics is clean and simple, which I love. It’s easily editable, and you’ll find running through a variety of projects to be a breeze when you have simple, modern designs ready.
This bundle includes 1,050 elements sure to meet all of your object needs for infographic creation. Whether you’re simply adding elements to a larger project or compiling something fresh and new from these elements alone, this bundle hits most every mark you could possibly have.
Sometimes you need an infographic set that’s focused on one type of design or an area of expertise. This set of communications-related infographic elements is the perfect item to fill that niche.
Create trendy, hipster-inspired infographics with this fun and informative set. Included in this package are 100% fully editable vector graphics with everything you need to create an infographic. Enjoy this great collection of banners, badges, and matching insignia for trendy modern graphics.
Patterns and Swatches
Patterns and Swatchsets are fantastic and fun. From classic geometric designs to complex floral patterns, you’ll find a variety of design sets ready to be used or edited in most any project.
Always a handy addition to your pattern archives, this set of halftone patterns makes easy work of creating vintage-style print designs in vector form.
Elevate
any design with this gorgeous set of seamless geometric patterns.
Created with an exquisite assortment of shapes and angles, this package
includes 20 seamless vector patterns. Use them for website banners,
print work, and more for incredible geometric designs.
Textures
When you need to add a bit of flair to your work, textures are often a go-to asset. Whether you need to mimic real media in vector form or simply want to add some retro flair to a design, textures are there for you!
This set of textures mimics realistic, organic items in rich detail. With 30 textures in the pack, you’ll find a variety of uses for this set in your design work for sure.
I like textures like this set of crumpled paper, rendered in full vector objects, perfect for transforming a simple flat icon set into something fun and crafty.
Add touches of grunge style to your vector work with this set of vector grunge textures. With 25 different textures that are easily editable, you’ll find this set fills all of your grunge texture needs.
Abstract and geometric pattern textures are fantastic additions to any designer’s arsenal. This set includes 23 textures in a variety of colors and styles.
This set of handmade woodcut textures comes with both vector and raster files, allowing you to create beautiful realistic design pieces for both web and print use.
There are a variety of realistic textures to play with in your designs. These water painting textures give your work a water marbled look with the quick addition of an AI file to overlay your design or to use within a Clipping Mask.
Who doesn’t love vintage design? And with this unique texture set, you can get access to eight handy textures inspired by books found from the 1800s. It’s perfect for backgrounds, illustrations, and more, so add a unique vintage charm to your designs with this awesome texture pack!
Kits
Finally we look at a small selection of design kits. Compile vector characters, badges, and more with ease!
Have some fun with this mascot creator bundle. Combine an assortment of features in order to quickly and easily create fun mascot designs perfect for marketing materials or social media content.
Utility sets are a great way to focus in on a particular design need and use assets to your advantage. This set is great for catalog designs, marketing materials, and more!
Get crafty with this incredible Adobe Illustrator sewing kit. This kit features an awesome collection of letters, numbers, and design elements for all the essentials you need for crafty design. Download this kit today to get access to over 230 vector elements.
Premium Font Collections You’ll Love!
A font
can make or break a design, and having a wide selection,
especially when design trends change, is a must for designers
everywhere. So check out this assortment of articles below, dedicated to showcasing an array of fonts for all your design needs.
Conclusion
This list of fantastic resources aims to highlight useful and must-have content for graphic designers and artists who useAdobe Illustrator. Chances are we’ve missed some Envato Market and Envato Elements items that you think would be an excellent asset to any graphic designer’s toolbox. Share those links in the comment section below, and let this kit be a jumping-off point for building your ultimate digital asset kit.
Let’s start our project by creating a new document. Just go to File > New (or Control/Command-N) and set up the document as follows:
Number of Artboards: 1
Width: 800
Height: 600
Units: pixels
From the Advanced Tab:
Color Mode: RGB
Raster Effects: Screen
Preview Mode: Default
Align New Objects to Pixel Grid: Uncheck
2. How to Create the Basic Section of the Bungalow
Step 1
Let’s begin by creating a side wall onto which we will place the different parts of our cosy bungalow.
Pick the Rectangle Tool (M) and create a 410 x 155 px rectangle, setting the Fill color to #efb84a. Create another 130 x 155 px rectangle of #614727 color.
Step 2
Select this brown rectangle and the yellow one with the help of the Selection Tool (V), holding down Shift. Click again on the yellow wall (you don’t need to hold down Shift this time!). A blue outline appears around the yellow shape, and the Align to Key Object option is automatically selected in the Control panel and the Align panel.
In the Align panel (Window > Align) or the Control panel,click on the Horizontal Align Left button and then on the Vertical Align Center button.
Step 3
Select the brown rectangle with the Selection Tool (V) and press Enter to open the Move option window. Set the Horizontal Position value to 22 px and the Vertical position valueto 0 px. Then click on the Enter button, moving our shape to the right.
Step 4
Now we are going to imitate the wooden texture of the wall with the help of thin vertical stripes. Make a 2.5 x 155 px shape of #d98c2f color, attaching its left edge to the right edge of the brown rectangle. Then press Enter to call out the Move window, setting up the Horizontal value to 10 px and the Vertical value to 0 px, moving the stripe to the right.
Create a similar thin rectangle, attaching its right edge to the right edge of the big yellow shape. Open the Move options window and set the Horizontal value to -10 px and Vertical value to 0 px, moving the stripe to the left.
Step 5
Start giving the illustration some depth by transforming our stripes into a wooden texture with the help of the Make Blend command. Just select both lines with the Selection Tool (V) while holding down the Shift key. Choose Object > Blend > Make.
By default, illustrator creates a smooth color transition. We are going to fix it by choosing Object > Blend > Blend Options or double-clicking the Blend tool. Change the Spacing option to Specified Steps, setting the value to 20.
Step 6
Let’s continue adding details by creating two wooden chairs inside the doorway.
Make a 47 x 5 px#966a3a colored rectangle using the Rectangle Tool (M). Select the shape with the Selection Tool (V) and press Enter to open the Move options window. Set the Horizontal Position value to 0 px and Vertical position valueto 16 px, and click on the Copy button.
Step 7
Build a 4.5 x 65 px vertical rectangle of darker brown color, #7a5835. Select this shape and the upper horizontal rectangle that we created in the previous step, holding down Shift. Click again on the vertical object (you don’t need to hold down Shift this time!). A blue outline appears around the vertical form, and Align to Key Object is automatically selected in the Control panel and the Align panel.
In the Align panel (Window > Align) or the Control panel,click on the Horizontal Align Left button and then on the Vertical Align Top button.
Make the last 47 x 8 px#966a3a colored rectangle. Put it about 12 px down from the lower horizontal shape, aligning it to the middle of the whole construction. Group (Control/Command-G) all shapes.
Step 8
Drag our chair to the doorway, placing it closer to the left side and attaching its bottom edge to the bottom of the doorway rectangle. Select our chair, and then choose the Reflect tool (O) and, holding the Alt key, click on the middle of the background rectangle. In the Reflect option window, set the Axis to Vertical and press Copy, reflecting the chair to the right side of the doorway.
Step 9
Now we are going to create the fence, which we will put in front of the doorway.
Start by building a 130 x 3 px rectangle of #d4d1 color. Open the Move window and copy the rectangle, setting the Horizontal Position value to 0 px and the Vertical value to 40 px.
Build another 3.5 x 55 px vertical shape, filling it with #c4c2c0 color. Place it closer to the left side of the horizontal rectangles, aligning to the bottom edge of the top horizontal object. Select the figure and go to Object > Arrange > Send to back. Make a similar vertical rectangle on the right part of our fence.
Step 10
Add four 3.5 x 1.5 px rectangles with #a6a6a6 color for shadows, placing them over the vertical stripes and underneath the horizontal figures.
Group (Control/Command-G) all the parts and put the fence in the doorway, aligning to the middle and the bottom edge.
Step 11
Since we’re not quite done with the doorway details, start creating the hanging light by making a 37 x 35 px rectangle, filling it with #bdae89 color.
Add a smaller 18 x 35px rectangle of #d1c197 color and align it to the middle of the first one. Finish the construction by adding a 2.5 x 12 px#7a5835 colored thin rectangle for the cord, positioning its bottom edge on the top side of the larger rectangles. Group (Control/Command-G) and place the light inside the doorway, right underneath the top, aligning it to the middle of the door.
Step 12
We are nearly finished with the basic section. Let’s add the windows.
Build a 140 x 88 px rectangle and a smaller 64 x 54 px figure near the first one, filling the shapes with #e8dfc3 color. Select the rectangles, holding down Shift. Click on the large object (without holding down Shift this time!). In the Align panel (Window > Align) or Control panel,click on the Horizontal Align Right button and then on the Vertical Align Top button.
Then select the smaller shape and press Enter to get the Move option window opened. Set the Horizontal Position to -160 px and the Vertical Position to 0 px.
Step 13
Select the windows with the Selection Tool (V) while holding Shift, and go to Object > Path > Offset Path. Enter 4 px into the Offset value field. Set the Fill of the outlines to #d1c197.
Group (Control/Command-G) the shapes and put the windows to the wall, leaving a gap of about 5 px towards the top and the right sides of the base yellow form.
3. How to Create the Bottom Section of the Bungalow
We will create the bottom section of the house separately from the side wall. Only in the end will it be added to the whole construction. Let’s go!
Step 1
First build a 400 x 26 px rectangle of #7a5835 color.
Then we will need two rectangles to make a bearing pile. Create one 40 x 40 px square of #d4d1cf color and another 18 x 57 px vertical figure, filling with #c4c2c0 color. Put the vertical shape underneath the bottom square outline, aligning it to the middle and group (Control/Command-G) both objects together.
Align the pile to the top and the left edge of the large brown shape.
Select our pile and choose the Reflect tool (O). Holding the Alt key, click on the middle of the large rectangle. In the Reflect option window, set the Axis to Vertical and press Copy, reflecting the pile to the right side of the brown shape.
Step 2
Build a 420 x130 px shape and fill it with #966a3a color. Using the Align panel, align the object to the left and the top of the darker brown rectangle we created in the previous step.
Step 3
Now we are going to form a wooden ladder. Start to make it from a 75 x 13 px rectangle, which we will color using #b38f6a. It is going to be the first upper step of the ladder. Add two thin vertical shapes of 6 x 97 px size with #966a3a color on each outer side of the step, aligning them to the top edge of the horizontal form.
Add two more horizontal 75 x 6 px rectangles of #7a5835 color. Position one of them about 10 px down from the upper step, aligning to its middle. Put the second rectangle 10 px up from the bottom edge of the side vertical shapes.
Step 4
Holding down the Shift key, select two thinner horizontal steps with the Selection Tool (V). Go to Object > Blend > Make.
Illustrator creates a smooth color transition. Fix it by choosing Object > Blend > Blend Options or double-clicking the Blend tool. Change the Spacing option to Specified Steps, setting the value to 3.
Group (Control/Command-G) all the ladder objects together and place the ladder outside the left side of the whole bottom section, aligning it to the top shape.
Then select all the bottom house section parts, group them and place them underneath the basic section of the bungalow, aligning to its right side.
4. How to Create the Roof of the Bungalow
Step 1
Let’s start simple by creating a 500 x 185 px rectangle (#966a3a) and then adding an anchor point right in the center of its top edge with the help of the Add Anchor Point Tool (+).Next, remove the left and right anchors (red circles in the picture) by clicking on them with the Delete Anchor Point Tool (-).
Step 2
Using the Direct Selection Tool (A), select the corners of the object or just click inside the triangle shape. You can see the Live Cornerwidget shown inside the corners. Pull the circle indicator to the center of the shape, setting the corner radius to about 12 px.
Add a small, thin 9 x 26 px rectangle of #7a5835 color for the central roof rack, which we will align to the middle of the triangle, hiding its bottom part behind the top of the large shape.
Step 3
Select the roof with the Selection Tool (V) and Copy it with Control/Command-C. Then paste two copies right in the front of the triangle, pressing Control/Command twice. Move the top selected figure up by 20 px. Holding down Shift, click on the second roof copy, adding it to the selection. Then use the Minus Front option of the Pathfinder panel and fill the resulting shape with #b38f6a color, getting the lighter roof section.
Step 4
Now we are going to imitate the straw-like texture of the roof by adding smaller rounded rectangles. Create two 5 x 27 px shapes, filling one of them with #7a5835 color and the second one with #b38f6a color. Make the corners of the rectangles rounded, pulling the Live Corner markers.
Copy the rectangles and spread the copies over the roof shape, making the roof textured. The better way to make a copy this time is to select the shape and Alt/Option-Drag the selection (but not a handle on the bounding box). You need to repeat the action a few times for each rectangle, until you’re satisfied with the result.
Group (Control/Command-G) all the roof parts and place the roof section on the top of the previously created house sections, aligning it to the middle of the yellow wall.
5. How to Add Shadows and Highlights to the Bungalow
Let’s add some dark and light parts to the house to make it more detailed and real.
Step 1
Choose the roof triangle with the Direct Selection Tool (A), and then right-click and choose Isolate Selected Path from the drop-down menu. The isolated object appears in full color, while the rest of the artwork appears dimmed.
Select the triangle and Copy it, using Control/Command-C. Click Control-Command-F twice to get two copies on top of the triangle. Move the top roof copy 10 px to the left, add the second copy to the selection, and use the Minus Front option of the Pathfinder panel, getting the highlight shape. Fill the resulting shape with #a87741 color.
Press Esc to exit isolation mode or, using the Selection Tool (V), double-click outside of the isolated group.
Step 2
Select the middle section of the house and enter isolation mode. Take the Rectangle Tool (M) and form two narrow rectangles of #966a3a color, putting them beneath the transparent roof shape. Since these will act as shadows, change their Blending Mode to Multiply while lowering the Opacity levels to 70% in the Transparency panel.
Using the same method, add a shadow to the cord of the lantern and then exit isolation mode.
Step 3
Isolate the bottom section of the bungalow. Make a narrow horizontal 420 x 5 px stripe of #7a5835 color for the shadow and align it to the bottom outline of the upper brown rectangle, changing its Blending Mode to Multiply and lowering the Opacity to 40%.
Step 4
Select the bearing pile group with the Selection Tool (V) and click with the right mouse button, choosing Isolate Selected Group again. We will get into an isolation mode inside the isolation mode.
Build a 40 x 16 px rectangle which we will fill with #a6a6a6 color and align to the middle and the top of the upper shape. Change its Blending Mode to Multiply while lowering the Opacity to 70% in the Transparency panel.
Create an 18 x 20 px shape of the same color, aligning it to the top and the center of the lower pile shape. Move the bottom left point of the rectangle up by 16 px, using the Direct Selection Tool(A), forming a shadow.
Exit isolation mode and repeat all the same for the right bungalow pile.
Select all the house parts and group them together. Our bungalow is ready! But we still have to do some work to finish the illustration.
6. How to Create the Sea
Step 1
Form a 600 x 55 px rectangle of any color and add a 600 px width black line without fill, positioning it under the top part of the rectangle, leaving a gap of about 10 px from the top outline.
Select the line and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Zig Zag. Set the Size value to 9 px, Absolute. And set Ridges per segment equal to 9. Select Smooth Points and click OK. Go to Object > Expand Appearance to apply the effect, and then rotate the line upside down.
Make one copy of the line a few pixels lower and then create one more copy about 20 px down from the first one.
Step 2
Select the rectangle and the lines and use the Divide option of the Pathfinder panel, dividing our rectangle into four parts. Remove the top part. Color the upper remaining figure with #f2eeeb, change the second shape color to #ffcf75, and fill the last one with #ffb259 color, making the wavy sea surface.
Step 3
Add simple fish to make the sea level more detailed. Then group all the parts together and place them underneath the bungalow, overlapping the bottom piles and the ladder. Group (Control/Command-G) the bungalow and the sea.
7. How to Create a Tropical Background
All we need now is a background landscape that suits our cozy bungalow. We will add a few palms, the ground, and a shining moon, which will create the atmosphere.
Step 1
Let’s start creating the background elements by making a palm tree. Build two different ellipses, place the bigger ellipse over the smaller one, and select them.
Take the Shape Builder Tool (Shift -M) andhover your mouse over the top area of the crossing circles until you see a grey selection. Single-click on the shape, transforming it into a separate figure. Delete the two remaining parts. Fill the remaining part with #e6783d color and create a vertical rectangle of the same color for the trunk. Copy and rotate the palm leaves to form the palm crown.
Select all the palm parts and merge them into one object, using the Unite option of the Pathfinder panel.
Step 2
Build a 600 x 70 px rectangle, color it using #e6783d, and make the two upper corners rounded.
Using the Ellipse Tool, create a circle with #db6f37 fill color underneath the rectangle. Press Alt-Shift and drag the circle to the right, making a copy. Press Control/Command-D several times to create more similar shapes, filling most of the width of the top rectangle. Add smaller circles to the left and the right sides, letting them go down a little lower.
Select all the circles and Unite them in Pathfinder, hiding the resulting shape behind the horizontal rectangle and aligning to its middle. Group the rectangle and the wavy shape together.
Step 3
Put our ground level group behind the bungalow, aligning it to the middle of the water level. Form a palm grove on the background by placing our palm at the back, duplicating it, and varying the sizes of the copies to form a well-balanced composition.
Add a shining moon of #f2e9cb color with the Ellipse Tool (L), hiding it behind the palms, and create a square background which we will color using #fa8441.
Step 4
To fill the empty space and add depth to our landscape, create a cloud-like shape behind the moon with the help of the Pen Tool (P) or the Rectangle Tool (M), making the corners of the resulting figure rounded.
Add simple silhouettes of flying seagulls, placing them over the moon circle.
Time to Relax!
Congratulations! Our illustration of a tropical bungalow on a palm beach is finished!
Now you can use your imagination and feel the atmosphere of the moonlit night, when the tide is splashing while you are relaxing on your wooden chair, looking beyond the horizon.
I hope you enjoyed the process and discovered something new and helpful along the way.
Now you are able to create your own houses based on the wonderful places where you may travel some day.
We’re all looking to improve our vector illustration skills, and if your focus is on learning illustration or icon design, then getting familiar with how to use Adobe Illustrator to create isometric drawings will improve your technical illustration skills greatly. Learning how to use Illustrator to create isometric diagrams, set up isometric grids, and design isometric cubes are fundamental skills that you can build upon.
We’ve assembled a collection of tutorials that will teach you the basics of creating isometric illustrations in Illustrator, as well as intermediate tutorials that teach you how to create complex technical illustrations, and then a few tutorials that show you how to get creative with isometric in Illustrator (such as building isometric retro illustrations and vibrant pattern-based isometric cityscapes). Get ready to take your skills with vector drawing at an angle to the next level.
If you’re looking for some great-looking assets to add to your designs, you can find a fantastic selection of isometric vectors over on Envato Elements.
This is the first in a series of tutorials Cody Walker wrote for us here on Vectortuts+ on isometric illustration. Isometric projects allow artists to quickly draw objects accurately without having to use perspective. They are often used in technical illustrations. Learn how to get started with isometric in illustrator by creating some simple objects on an isometric grid that demonstrate technical illustration techniques.
This is the second in a series of tutorials Cody Walker wrote for us here on Vectortuts+ on isometric illustration. The method demonstrated here is more advanced and shows how to build complex objects that are curved without the need for an isometric grid. Learn how to use the method scale, shear, rotate, or SSR. This tutorial follows a solid technical illustration process and demonstrates how to create a detailed, exploded diagram of an electric guitar in Adobe Illustrator.
This is the final post in a series of tutorials Cody Walker wrote for us here on Vectortuts+ on isometric illustration. Learn how to create exploded isometrics, which are referred to more commonly as assembly drawings. This type of vector drawing is often used in manuals to show how parts of complex objects fit together. This is an advanced technical illustration tutorial for creating complex, isometric diagrams in Illustrator.
Mark Oliver shows us how to create retro illustrations on isometric planes. This work is gorgeous. Learn how he works from sketch through vector in Illustrator, and then adds a worn image for the final vintage graphic touch. In this tutorial you’ll take a creative drawing and work it through an isometric grid in Illustrator, as well as vector build techniques, to create this stylized isometric illustration.
Aaron Miller shows us how to use Illustrator’s 3D tools to make a character-based scene that is full of happiness and creativity. Learn to bring dimension to flat imagery. Using this technique makes creating isometric illustrations easy. He shows how you can create isometric characters and scenes in Illustrator that are full of life. Learn to plan the scene, build the vector shapes, map art to the 3D shapes, and more.
This tutorial over on TechnicalIllustrators.org is great for beginners. It shows how to quickly set up an isometric grid in Illustrator. This allows you to print out and sketch isometric illustrations on them, using them directly in Illustrator or even another vector program. Sample grids are available for free download as well.
Ninian Carter shares his processes for producing a complex isometric illustration of a water-bomber aircraft in Adobe Illustrator. This advanced Illustrator tutorial demonstrates a professional technical illustration workflow. Learn to skew graphics on an isometric plane, and build up the details of the vector work step by step.
Learn how to use Adobe Illustrator to create a custom 3D typeface based on an isometric grid. Isometric-based letters are the perfect way to reflect structure in a display typeface, as Steven Bonner discovered with a commission for a magazine feature on contemporary architecture. He shows you how to draw, color and light your letters to create a three-dimensional architectural scene. This tutorial is an excellent blend of technical illustration and creative techniques.
The design agency 2xanadu shows us how to create a complex repeating pattern that combines an interesting mix of technical illustration, isometric Illustrator methods, and creative ingenuity. It’s made up of modern cityscape elements, as well as anime style characters strewn about. The process covers working with an isometric grid, starting with a sketch, creating the linework in Illustrator, and finishing by coloring vibrantly in Photoshop.
Mac Krebernik shows us how to use a slightly modified isometric grid in Illustrator to compose a small lego brick. You’ll then learn how to create a typeface by snapping the bricks together, much like when you were a kid playing with the real blocks themselves.
In this video tutorial from Digitaltutors.com, learn how to create an isometric grid and draw objects based on it. This is a great Illustrator tutorial for beginners to get started with the basics of technical illustration skills utilizing isometric Illustrator techniques.
Learn how to create an isometric cube in Illustrator without the help of 3D tools. You’ll learn how to use basic shapes and the Pathfinder to make more complex structures, such as tables and bookcases. No need for advanced understanding of isometric projection or technical illustration skills. You can get started now with this beginner Illustrator video tutorial on isometric cube construction.
More Isometric Tutorials From Envato Tuts+
Can’t get enough? Check out more tutorials from the Design & Illustration section here on Envato Tuts+ dedicated to teaching you about the incredible world of isometric art. Or check out our series on creating Isometric Pixel Art in Adobe Photoshop.
Additional Illustrator Tutorial Collections Here on Envato Tuts+
Jump into more comprehensive roundups on various type of Illustrator tutorials. Learn how to advance your self-promotional work, Illustrator brush work, poster design skills, master InDesign tools, and boost your artistic skills.
5 Isometric Sets From Envato Elements
Need a faster solution? Browse our amazing selection of Isometric Elements and Generators available through Envato Elements. Create awesome maps and infographics quickly and check out some of our favorites listed below!
Create insane 3D worlds with just a few short clicks. This incredible isometric map generator features realistic buildings, roads, and other design elements to create your own amazing maps. Download this package to explore the vast library of real-world add-ons.
If you prefer a city with a more modern design then check out this isometric city template instead. This pack features colorful houses, cars, and trees with a sleek, minimalist design. Use these graphics for websites, infographics, or games, and enjoy customizing these well-organized vector files.
Need a few icons to jazz up your designs? Then check out this super cool set of 100% vector isometric icons. These icons feature 15 different realistic icons you can use for your websites, social media accounts, and so much more!
Step up your game with this awesome package of seven different business-themed isometric designs. These designs feature several business concepts you can use for your presentations, infographics, and more. Create exciting presentations for school or work and impress your coworkers with these incredible graphics.
Build the city of your dreams for your awesome games with this cool isometric set. This package features 25 icons with all the buildings, landmarks, and shops you need to make your environment shine. It’s suitable for games and more, and you’ll want to take advantage of this set right away!
In today’s
tutorial we’re going to learn how to create a set of four computer peripherals,
using the same body as the central structure to which we will add all the key features that make each object stand out. As always, we’re
going to rely on the use of some basic geometric shapes, combined with the
power of the Align panel.
That being said, grab that old coffee mug, and let’s get started!
Oh, and before I forget, you can always expand the project by checking
out GraphicRiver where you can find
tons of computer-themed icons.
1. How to Set Up a New Document
Since I’m hoping that you already have
Illustrator up and running in the background, bring it up and let’s set up a New Document (File > New or Control-N)
using the following settings:
Number
of Artboards: 1
Width: 800
px
Height: 600
px
Units: Pixels
And from the Advanced tab:
Color
Mode: RGB
Raster
Effects: Screen (72ppi)
Preview Mode: Default
Quick
tip: some of you might have noticed that the Align New Objects to Pixel Grid option
is missing. That’s because I’m running the new CC 2017 version of the
software, where great changes have been made to the way Illustratorhandles the way shapes snap to the underlying Pixel Grid.
2. How to Set Up a Custom Grid
Since we’re going to be creating the icons
using a pixel-perfect workflow, we’ll want to set up a nice little grid so that we can have full control
over our shapes—that is if we’re running the older version of the software.
Step 1
Go to the Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid submenu, and adjust
the following settings:
Once we’ve set up our custom grid, all we
need to do in order to make sure our shapes look crisp is enable the Snap to Grid option found under the View menu, which will transform into Snap to Pixel each time you enter Pixel Preview mode.
Now, if you’re new to
the whole “pixel-perfect workflow”, I strongly recommend you go through my how
to create pixel-perfect artwork tutorial, which will help you widen your
technical skills in no time.
3. How to Set Up the Layers
With the new document created, it would be
a good idea to structure our project using a couple of layers, since this way
we can maintain a steady workflow by focusing on one icon at a time.
That being said, bring up the Layers panel, and create a total of five
layers, which we will rename as follows:
layer 1: reference grids
layer 2: tablet
layer 3: mouse
layer 4: keyboard
layer 5: midi
controller
4. How to Create the Reference Grids
The
Reference Grids (or Base Grids)
are a set of precisely delimited reference surfaces, which allow us to build
our icons by focusing on size and consistency.
Usually, the size of the grids determines
the size of the actual icons, and they should always be the first decision you
make when you start a new project, since you’ll always want to start from the
smallest possible size and build on that.
Now, in our case, we’re going to be
creating the icon pack using just one size, more exactly 128 x 128 px, which is a fairly large one.
Step 1
Start by locking all
but the reference grid layer, and then grab the Rectangle Tool (M) and create a 128 x 128 px orange (#F15A24) square, which will help define the
overall size of our icons.
Step 2
Add a smaller 120 x 120 px one (#FFFFFF) which will
act as our active drawing area, thus giving us an all-around 4 px padding.
Step 3
Group the two squares composing the
reference grid using the Control-G keyboard
shortcut, and then create three copies at a distance of 40 px from one another, making sure to align them to the center of
the Artboard.
Once you’re done,
lock the current layer and move on to the next one where we’ll start working on
our first icon.
5. How to Create the Repeating Body
As I’ve already pointed out, we’re going
to create all four icons using the same body, onto which we will
gradually add the key features that give them their “identity”. That
being said, make sure you’re on the right layer (that would be the second one)
and then zoom in the first reference grid so that we can have a better view of the shapes.
Step 1
Start by creating a 112 x 100 px rounded rectangle with an 8 px Corner Radius, which we will
color using #60677C, and then center align to the underlying active drawing
area, at a distance of 4 px from its
bottom edge.
Step 2
Give the shape that
we’ve just created an outline using the Stroke method, by creating a copy of it (Control-C
> Control-F) which we will adjust by first changing its color to #2B3249,
and then flipping its Fill with its Stroke (Shift-X), making sure to set its Weight to 8 px afterwards.
Step 3
Using the Pen Tool (P) draw a 16 px tall 8 px thick Stroke line
(#2B3249) starting from the center of the outline’s top edge, and going all the
way to the outer limit of the active drawing area. Once you’re done, you
can select and group all three shapes together using the Control-G keyboard shortcut.
Step 4
Now that we have our repeating body, all
we have to do is create three copies of it (Control-C > Control-F three times), and position one onto each
of the empty reference grids.
Once you have them
all in place, you can start locking the layers so that you can keep your focus
on the first icon.
6. How to Create
the Tablet Icon
The first icon
that we’re going to tackle is the little graphics tablet, so make sure you’re
on the right layer (that would be the second one) and then zoom in on its
reference grid so that we can get started.
Step 1
Create the tablet’s display using an 80 x 60 px rectangle, which we will color using white (#FFFFFF) and
then center align to the repeating body, at a distance of 12 px from its top edge.
Step 2
Give the shape that we’ve just created an 8 px thick
outline (#2B3249) using the Stroke
method, selecting and grouping the two together afterwards using the Control-G keyboard shortcut.
Step 3
Using the Pen
Tool (P), draw three 8 px thick
diagonal Stroke lines (#2B3249),
which we will adjust by lowering their Opacity
to just 20%. Once you’re done, select and group them together (Control-G) center aligning them to the underlying display afterwards.
Step 4
Start working on the tablet’s first button, by creating a 16 x 16 px square (#BAC0CE) with an 8 px thick outline (#2B3249) which we
will group (Control-G) and then
position onto the left side of the display, at a distance of 16 px from the larger outline’s top
edge.
Step 5
Create the second left-sided button using a copy (Control-C > Control-F) of the one that we’ve just made, which we
will position underneath, making sure to change the fill shape’s color to white
(#FFFFFF) once we have it in place. Once you have both buttons, group them (Control-G) since we’ll be using them to
create the right-sided ones.
Step 6
Create the right-sided buttons using a copy (Control-C > Control-F) of the ones
that we’ve just grouped, which we will position onto the opposite side of the
tablet’s display.
Step 7
Finish off the icon by adding the little pen,
which we will create using a 40 px wide 8 px thick Stroke line (#2B3249) with a Round
Cap, which we will center align to the tablet’s lower section. Once you’re
done, don’t forget to select and group all of the icon’s composing shapes
together using the Control-G
keyboard shortcut.
7. How to Create the
Mouse Icon
Assuming you’ve already moved on up to the next layer (that would be the
third one) and locked the previous one, zoom in on the second reference grid and
let’s start working on the mouse icon.
Step 1
Create the mouse’s main body using a 44 x 68 px rectangle, which we will
color using white (#FFFFFF) and then center align to the underlying repeating
body’s main fill shape.
Step 2
Adjust the shape that we’ve just created by
setting the Radius of its top Corners to 4 px and its bottom ones to 22
px from within the Transform panel’s Rectangle Properties.
Step 3
Create the left-click button using a 22 x 20 px rectangle, which we will
color using #BAC0CE and then align to the larger shape’s top-left corner.
Step 4
Give the mouse an 8 px thick outline (#2B3249) using the Stroke method, making sure to position it on top of its two fill
shapes (right click > Arrange >
Bring to Front).
Step 5
Add the bottom button delimiter line using a 44 px wide 8 px thick Stroke (#2B3249) which we will center align to the mouse’s body, positioning it at a
distance of 12 px from the outline’s
top edge.
Step 6
Finish off the icon by adding the vertical
detail line separating the mouse’s two buttons, which
we will create using a 36 px tall 8 px thick Stroke line (#2B3249). Once you’re done, group (Control-G) all of the mouse’s composing
shapes together, doing the same for all of the icon’s sections afterwards.
8. How to Create
the Keyboard Icon
I’m guessing that
by now you already know the drill, so make sure you’re on the right layer (that
would be the fourth one) and zoom in on the third reference grid so that we can
get started.
Step 1
Start working on the top row’s first key by creating a 14 x 14 px square (#FFFFFF) with an 8 px thick outline (#2B3249) which we
will group (Control-G) and then
position towards the repeating body’s top-left corner, at a distance of 6 px from the larger outline.
Step 2
Create the top row’s remaining keys by selecting the one that we’ve
just made and then dragging it to the right side while holding down the Alt(to create the copy) and Shift keys (to drag in a perfect
straight line), to create the first instance.
Make sure that the duplicate’s outline overlaps the original one’s, and then simply press Control-D four times, which will repeat the last action and thus create the remaining duplicates,
grouping (Control-G) all the row’s
buttons together afterwards.
Step 3
Create the second row of keys using the same Alt-Shift-Drag method, only this time repeat
the process by pulling down on the mouse until the copy overlaps the original’s outline.
Step 4
Start working on the third row’s first key by creating a 20 x 14 px rectangle (#FFFFFF) with an 8 px thick outline (#2B3249) which we
will group (Control-G) and then
position underneath the shapes from the previous step, left aligning it to
them.
Step 5
Create the spacebar using a 44 x
14 px rectangle (#FFFFFF) with an 8
px thick outline (#2B3249), which we will group (Control-G) and then position onto the
right side of the previously created button.
Step 6
Add the third row’s last button using a copy (Control-C > Control-F) of its first one, which we will position
onto the opposite side of the spacebar. Once you’re done, group (Control-G) all of the row’s shapes
together, doing the same for all the buttons afterwards.
Step 7
Create the trackpad using a 28 x 20 px rectangle (#BAC0CE) with an 8 px thick outline (#2B3249), which we will group (Control-G) and then center align to the
lower section of the keyboard, positioning it at a distance of 12 px from the smaller buttons that we’ve just grouped.
Step 8
Finish off the icon, by adding the little
fingerprint reader using a 12 px wide 8 px thick Stroke line (#2B3249) which we will position onto the repeating
body’s bottom-right corner, at a distance of 20 px from the trackpad. Once you’re
done, select and group all of the icon’s composing shapes together using the Control-G keyboard shortcut.
9. How to Create the Midi Controller Icon
We are now down to our fourth and last icon, so make sure you’re on the
right layer (that would be the fifth one) and let’s wrap things up!
Step 1
Create the first out of the three adjustment
knobs, using an 8 x 8 px circle
which we will color using #2B3249, and then position onto the repeating body’s
top-left corner, at a distance of 8 px from
its left side and 6 px from its
top.
Step 2
Create the remaining knobs using two 8 x 8 px circles (#2B3249) which we
will vertically stack on the one from the previous step, distributing them at a
distance of 6 px from one another.
Then, once you’re done, don’t forget to select and group them
together using the Control-G keyboard
shortcut.
Step 3
Create the volume slider using a 12
x 28 px rectangle (#FFFFFF) with an 8
px thick Stroke (#2B3249) on top
of which we will add a 12 px wide 8 px thick state indicator line (#2B3249),
which we will position in its bottom section. Group (Control-G) all three shapes together and then position them onto
the right side of the adjustment knobs, at a distance of 8 px.
Step 4
Start working on the little D-pad buttons by
creating a 14 x 14 px square (#BAC0CE)
with an 8 px thick outline (#2B3249)
which we will group (Control-G) and
then position onto the right side of the volume slider, at a distance of 14 px.
Step 5
Finish off the first row of D-pads by adding two
copies of the one that we’ve just made, using the Alt-Shift-Drag method, making sure to select and group (Control-G) all three of them
afterwards.
Step 6
Create the second row of pads using a copy (Control-C > Control-F) of the one
that we’ve just finished working on, which we will position just underneath,
selecting and grouping (Control-G)
them both together afterwards.
Step 7
Start working on the controller’s keys by creating a 16 x 44 px rectangle (#FFFFFF) with an 8 px thick outline (#2B3249), which we
will group (Control-G) and then
align to the bottom edge of the repeating body, at a distance of 8 px from its left edge.
Step 8
Create the remaining keys using four copies (Control-C > Control-F four times) of the one that we’ve just
made, which we will distribute along its right side.
Step 9
Finish off the keyboard, and with it the icon itself, by adding a 16 x 22 px rectangle (#2B3249) to the
center of the first two set of keys, selecting and grouping all of them
together afterwards. Then, once you’re done, don’t forget to select and group (Control-G) all of the icon’s composing
shapes as well.
Awesome Work, You’re Done!
There you have it—a nice and easy tutorial on how to create your
very own computer peripherals using nothing more than some simple shapes and
tools. I hope you’ve managed to keep up with each and every step and most
importantly learned something new along the way.
Welcome back to Best of the Design Web, where we feature some of the best design tutorials of this past month! Tackle new and exciting projects from across the web and let us know your favorites in the comments!
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How to Create the Orange and Teal Look in Adobe Lightroom Effect and Camera Raw
Learn how to create stunning photo effects with this Photoshop tutorial. In this tutorial, Denny Tang shows you how to create that popular orange and teal look in Adobe Lightroom and Camera Raw.
In this tutorial, learn how to draw, color, and detail fabulously colorful hair in the popular manga style. Michelle Hoefener teaches you how to lay down the basic shapes before finishing up with the final details and color.
Create gorgeous portraits of your own with this Photoshop tutorial. In this tutorial, KittoZutto taps into the glory of 80s posters to show you how to create a beautiful airbrushed portrait.
Step out of the norm of flat design graphics with this 3D Illustrator tutorial. In this tutorial, Thomas Burden teaches you how to use Illustrator’s 3D extrusions and Map Art function to create stunning illustrations.
How to Make Your Pictures Come to Life Using a Cinemagraph in Photoshop
In this video, learn how to create an awesome cinemagraph in Adobe Photoshop. Expert Peter McKinnon will walk you through the steps of creating a living photograph from video footage.
Top 5 Tutorials From Envato Tuts+ Design & Illustration
Our
experts have provided you with many great tutorials this month! Here
are five of our most tried and tested tutorials from the Design and Illustration section here at Envato Tuts+.
Before you go, be sure to pick up some amazing premium design assets from GraphicRiver and Envato Elements. Browse the incredible selections of design graphics, fonts, and so much more for high-quality design.
Create a cool glitch effect with this awesome Photoshop template. This template features a fully layered, high-resolution file that lets you turn any photo into a glitch-inspired GIF animation. Step up your photo game and download this package to get instant results!
Create stunning sketch effects with this professional Photoshop action. This action allows you to simply brush over any image where you would like to apply the effect before pressing play. Turn any photo into a modern architectural sketch instantly! Helpful instructions are also included.
Create havoc in just a few short clicks with this explosive Photoshop action. This action contains four different effect directions, a fully layered file, and a helpful video tutorial for further instruction.
Create a Facebook timeline cover that is simply one of a kind. This set of timeline covers features 11 different covers with unique textural effects. Also included in this package are additional design elements like banners, ribbons, and logos that are completely customizable.
Need a professional YouTube cover for your channel? Then check out this stylish bundle pack. This pack features six creative YouTube covers that will instantly upgrade your channel. Get access to high-resolution files, professional designs, and free icons all in one awesome download.
Design incredible vector illustrations with this set of neon brushes. This set includes 19 flexible neon tube brushes you can easily adjust in Adobe Illustrator. Illuminate your designs with this awesome pack today! A quick reference guide is also available.
Or splash around with this amazing set of watercolor Photoshop brushes. This brush set includes 69 high-quality watercolor brushes along with 11 bonus textures. Incorporate these brushes into your next creative project to add gorgeous textures.
Create awesome infographics with this premium design package. This package features 40 fully layered and well-organized files with all the elements you need to design the perfect infographic. Every file is super easy to edit with versions available in both Photoshop and Illustrator formats.
Ice cream anyone? Take a big bite out of this delicious ice-cream-inspired menu template. Great for little shops looking to improve their marketing materials, this template features a clean, modern design with vibrant colors. It’s available in both Photoshop and Illustrator files, and we just know you’ll love this menu!
Infographics are a creative way to educate the world. So use this incredible modern infographics package to add that special pizazz to your presentations today! Included in this package are editable vector graphs, bars, and so much more!
This tutorial was originally published in February 2011 as a Tuts+ Premium tutorial. It is now available free to view. Although this tutorial does not use the latest version of Adobe Illustrator, its techniques and process are still relevant.
This tutorial takes a look at the design and style of 1950s air travel tourism poster design. We’ll take a look at the typographic qualities and composition of late 50s posters, and then utilize modern digital rendering techniques to create an illustrated Australia tourism ad campaign.
Love retro poster designs? Then check out our incredible selection of Retro Travel Posters available through GraphicRiver. Or enlist the help of a design professional from Envato Studio for all your design needs.
Before We Start
Air travel was a height of luxury not attainable by everyone in the 1950s, but the grandeur and allure created by ad campaigns of the time captured the imagination of a generation. Airlines capitalized on portraying the experience of flight in many different ways, be it flights of fancy, an intergalactic scene of passengers flying in space-age style, or the sheer luxury of ads portraying the comfort and decadence of passengers waited on hand and foot.
Never short of a beautiful stewardess, the use of character illustration featured heavily, as the face of the airline was an integral part of most campaigns, a vision of perfection waiting on the happy passengers.
Bold, beautiful text adorned the ads with a quippy strap-line or two, typography being a strong identity for any brand, favoring script with ease and fluidity, having impact but being soft and charismatic. The exciting and dynamic compositions featured basic principles that drew the eye around the picture and to the information.
We can apply the principles learned from the rich heritage of travel posters on new projects, and so to that end, I’m going to show you how to create a new travel poster. This one is for Australia, a country with no shortage of redeeming features, and its sun and sand culture will greatly influence our color palette.
Research: Check out the vintage ad browser, an excellent (and free) source of inspiration.
1. How to Research and Sketch Your Concept
Step 1
First I did a little research on Australia and began sketching some ideas, using basic compositions all the time while keeping the principles of the vintage ads in mind.
Step 2
The composition includes many POI (points-of-interest) spot illustrations on the map, so by consulting various tourism websites I gathered some key points to sketch.
2. How to Prepare Your Document
Step 1
Once I had all my sketches together, I scanned in my images ready for Illustrator.
The next step is to make a guide layer: place the scanned sketches into Illustrator, arrange to suit and fit comfortably on the canvas, drop the Opacity down to around 80% and switch the Blending Mode to Multiply.
Step 2
Next, make a new layer for the backdrop below our guide layer. Using the Rectangle Tool (M) and a turquoise color as Fill (no Stroke), draw a shape to cover the canvas. Now we have our ocean backdrop.
In the image below you can see the color palette I’m using, but if you prefer, you can pick your own.
3. How to Create Your Map
Step 1
Next we need to create the map. I took a simplified look at this. It’s not as if this is a precise map, so just rough out the recognizable shape of the landmass with the Pen Tool (P). Use a warm yellow color for this.
Step 2
Using the Line Segment Tool (), mark out the rough areas of Australia. Set the Stroke Weight to 2 pt and tick Dashed Line, making sure that it’s set to Round Cap and Round Join.
Step 3
Copy the map and paste behind (Command-C > Command-B), change the fill color to white, and add a 4 pt white stroke as well. Make sure that Align Stroke to Outside is selected. Now we should have a white border around the map, like a shoreline.
Step 4
Next, Copy and Paste behind a duplicate of our shoreline shape and increase the stroke weight threefold. Expand the shape (Object > Expand > Expand Appearance).
Now we’re going to turn the shape into halftone dots. This process takes place several times over the course of the tutorial, but I will explain it only once, and you can refer back as needed.
To create the halftone dots, first change the selection to a gray color of the following properties: C=0 M=0 Y=0 K=30. Then go to Effects > Photoshop Effects > Pixelate > Color Halftone. In the settings panel, change the following: Max. Radius to 15 and all the Channels to 1. Click OK and you should now have a dotty black and white shape.
Now go to Object > Expand Appearance, and Live Trace the shape with a setting such as Simple Trace or Detailed Illustration that will Ignore White. Now Expand the shape and you should have a neatly cut-out dotty print texture.
Color it white and offset it slightly from the landmass.
Step 5
Make a Duplicate of our new halftone dots and color with a strong orange color. Then offset again—this adds another layer of dimension to our otherwise flat map.
4. How to Illustrate the Points of Interest
Step 1
Create a new layer above the map—this layer will contain the POI elements. With the Guide layer turned on above, trace through the sketches, using the Pen Tool to block in the basic shapes.
Step 2
Add detail line work with the Blob Brush Tool (Shift-B). You can ground some of the POI elements with a shadow using the same halftone dot effect.
Tip: Double-click the Blob Brush Tool icon on the toolbar to bring up the settings panel, and switch on Pressure sensitivity to get the tapered lines.
Step 3
On a new layer above the POI artwork, we need to add the foreground elements. Starting with the airplane, block in the basic shape in white with the Pen Tool, using the sketch as a guide. Features like the propellers and windows are all drawn freehand
with the Blob Brush Tool, to keep a more animated feel.
Step 4
We’re showing the underside of the aircraft, and it’s important that it reads well. So copy and paste in front (Command-C > Command-F) the shape of the main body, and use the Knife Tool to slice away a contour of shade from the underside. Delete the excess, and color with the light orange. Apply the same principle and color the wings orange too.
Step 5
The addition of a cloud layer will add further dimensionality to the piece. You can make them with simple Pen Tool shapes around the plane, staggered to create space. Make a few of the background ones in the pink color to create more depth. Just as a nice touch, I added some jet streams to the plane—this adds movement to the piece.
5. How to Add the Typography
Step 1
Next comes the typography. I drew the type freehand with the Blob Brush Tool, and used the Direct Selection Tool (A) and the Pen Tool to refine the overall look. It’s handy to practice loopy, joined-up type on paper first before switching to the Wacom tablet.
Step 2
To add definition to the text, select all and Copy and Paste behind (Command-C > Command-B), offset to the left and above slightly, and then change the duplicate’s color to white. This is a simple way to make the text pop.
Awesome Work, You’re Now Done!
The illustrated travel poster has fallen out of favor somewhat since its heady days in the 50s, which is a shame. Personally I like the heightened reality depiction of an illustrated destination.
It’s also a lovely platform for exploiting typography. Dynamic, eye-catching text is a must on any poster, and with a travel poster it needs to woo the viewer in an almost romantic style. There are some beautiful examples of travel posters around, and I would recommend
checking them out, as they will undoubtedly prove inspirational for future work.
Travel Graphics From Envato Elements
Ready for a fun vacation? Check out these awesome Travel Graphics from Envato Elements to use for your posters and more. Here’s one of our favorites:
Jump start your next travel adventure with this awesome 3D isometric set. This package features a fun summertime theme with all the elements you need to celebrate your next vacation. Included in this set are 100% vector graphics you can scale to any size.
Matthew Williamson is one of my all-time favourite designers. It’s his bold use of colours and patterns and his use of animals which draws me to his designs.
Influenced by this, I’m going to show you how to create your own mirrored butterfly and show you a couple of ways to customise it to your own design. If you want to just customise your butterfly, you can download the attached .AI file on the right and get to work.
What You’ll Need
In order to complete this tutorial, you’ll need to get an image of a butterfly, if you’re like me and not so confident freehanding one. You can get many from stock sites, such as PhotoDune. The one I’m using has multiple varieties.
1. How to Set Up a Live Reflection
Step 1
In order to create a mirrored butterfly, you’re going to need to create a document which will reflect one side of the butterfly in real time.
First create a Web document which is 1280 x 800 pixels. Using the Line Segment Tool (/), find the centre point (which will show when you enable Smart Guides (Control-U) and mouse over the area).
Then hold Alt-Shift and drag the line from the centre to the edge of the artboard. This will create a perfect vertical line. Then turn this into a Guide (Control-5) and Lock it in place (Control-Alt-;). Lock the layer which contains the guide.
Step 2
Let’s define the area where you draw half of a butterfly.
In a New Layer, use the Rectangle Tool (M), which aligns with the guide and then covers the remaining half of the artboard. It’s fine if it overlaps the edge of the artboard, as long as it doesn’t overlap the guide.
Make sure that this rectangle does not have a stroke applied to it. My screenshots will show otherwise, purely to show you the boundaries of the shape.
Step 3
The layer that contains the rectangle is going to house the butterfly details. We need to apply the Transform Effect to the actual layer rather than an object in order to do this, so click on the button to the right of the layer in the Layers panel to select the entire layer and its contents.
Click on Effects > Distort & Transform > Transform. The settings you want to change are making sure that you’re reflecting on the X axis. You want to create 1 Copy, so you want the original showing and a copy of that. You’ll see a 9 square grid to the left of the Copies option. Select the left-middle option. Then click on OK. You can check it’s applied to the layer by looking in the Appearance panel. It should show Layer, Contents, Transform.
Go ahead and test this out by drawing in the original rectangle you’ve drawn and see it mirror in real time.
If you’re finding this part difficult, you can download the attachment to the tutorial as it is just this mirrored effect so you can join in.
2. How to Start the Line Art
Step 1
To start the line art, I’m first going to File > Place a reference image of a butterfly on my canvas. You can learn how to draw them from scratch, using our step-by-step tutorial on how to draw a butterfly.
Step 2
I would first start by drawing the key shapes to the butterfly using the Pen Tool (P). I’ve drawn the body, eye, antenna and wings. This is of course automatically mirrored.
Step 3
I then will add the detailing of the cells, following the stock image.
Step 4
Using the Width Tool (Shift-W), I modify the width of the antenna to create a bulb effect at the tip.
Step 5
I use the same process to modify the width of the strokes around the butterfly wing outlines. This helps to clearly define the wings.
Note, it may not be anatomically correct to do it this way, but it is always fun to play with the Width Tool!
3. How to Colour Your Butterfly
Step 1
Another fun tool to play with is the Live Paint Bucket (K). However, I need to expand our line art before we use this so we don’t disrupt our Width Tool applied lines.
Hold the layer which contains all of your butterfly shapes and drag it over the New Layer icon in the Layers panel. This will duplicate the layer and its contents. Then go to Object > Expand. You’ll notice that you’ll find two groups containing the left and right sides of the butterfly. Go in the groups and remove the Rectangles and the shapes for the body as those shapes will remain the same colour for other designs.
Step 2
Delete the left wing as we’ll only be using the right. The right wing will later be moved into our live mirror layer and will automatically be mirrored to create our left wing.
Using the Live Paint Bucket (K), fill in the cells of the wings. In this design, I’m using purple.
Step 3
Let’s Object > Expand our Live Paint group. Select all your purple shapes and put them in a Group (Control-G) and then select your line art and make a Group of them. Then move the purple shapes down to the original mirror layer.
Step 4
Duplicate the purple group and then fill the shapes with a black to white gradient. Using the Gradient Tool (G), modify the direction and placement of the gradient to show the black is closer to the centre of the butterfly body.
Then set this group to Blending Mode Multiple, Opacity 50%. This helps create a subtle gradient in the cells.
Step 5
Duplicate the group again, and this time turn the shapes into a Compound Path (Control-8). I then apply a blue to white radial gradient to the wings and set the Blending Mode to Color Dodge to create hues of blue, pink and white to the wings.
Step 6
Let’s add some darkened tips to the cells. I do this by duplicating the wing compound path. I then use the Pen Tool (P) to create a scalloped edge for the cells.
Using Pathfinder > Intersect, I isolate the overlapping edge from the duplicate of the wing. I fill it with black and reduce its Opacity to 50%.
Step 7
Fill in the body of the butterfly as black and bring the eyes to the top and give them a colour which is similar to that found in the wings. This will give us our finished butterfly.
4. How to Create Different Varieties
Circus Tent Butterfly
None of these butterflies are real, in their colour or names. But it’s fun to think of names based on their appearance. This colour scheme reminds me of a circus tent.
I used the same gradients, just with alternating colours of orange and pink. I then used the Blob Brush Tool (Shift-B) to add dots along the edges and corners of the cells. I used the same tool to add further detail to the head of the butterfly.
Bitter Liquorice Butterfly
This one reminds me of lemons and limes, which are bitter in taste, and liquorice because of the black. I’ve filled in some of the cells with black and the others with green. I applied our scalloped edge to add more black to it. The overall gradient (Color Dodge step) was a green to white gradient which added yellow into the design.
I used the Pen Tool (P) to add additional yellow stripes within the centre of each non-black filled cell.
Awesome Work, You’re Done!
I never named our first butterfly. Let’s name it the “Amethyst Butterfly” as it reminds me of the colours found in the crystal itself.
We’ve finished our three designs, so it’s time to show me your designs and the name you give it. Upload it to the comments, and let’s see how many we can make.
In the following steps you will learn how to create a folded text effect in Adobe Illustrator. For starters, you will learn how to create a simple background and how to add some text. Taking full advantage of the Appearance panel, you will learn how to work with several fills and effects, linear gradients, and basic blending techniques. Finally, you will learn how to copy Appearance attributes between objects and how to easily adjust them.
For more inspiration on how to adjust or improve your final text effect, you can find plenty of resources on GraphicRiver.
1. How to Create a New Document and Set Up a Grid
Hit Control-N to create a new document. Select Pixels from the Units drop-down menu, enter 850 in the width and height boxes, and then click that Advanced button. Select RGB for the Color Mode, set the Raster Effects to Screen (72 ppi), and then click Create Document.
2. How to Create the Background
Pick the Rectangle Tool (M) and focus on your toolbar. Remove the color from the stroke and then select the fill and set its color to R=241 G=242 B=252. Move to your artboard and simply create an 860 px square. Make sure that it covers your entire artboard as shown below.
3. How to Create the Text Pieces
Step 1
Pick the Type Tool (T) and open the Character panel (Window > Type > Character). Select the Tw Cen MT Condensed Extra Bold font (or any bold font that you prefer), and set the size to 200 px and the leading to 240 px.
Move to your artboard, click on it, and add your piece of text about as shown below. Make it black.
Step 2
Use the same tool and character attributes to create the first letter of your word. Make it white and place it right above the black one.
Step 3
Keep adding separate white letters until you cover all your black text. Once you’re done, go to the Layers panel (Window > Layers) and remove your black text.
4. How to Create the First Text Effect
Step 1
Select one of your letters, focus on the Swatches panel (Window > Swatches) and click that [None] swatch to remove the white fill. Move to the Appearance panel (Window > Appearance) and add a new fill using the Add New Fill button.
Select the new fill and use the linear gradient shown below (Window > Gradient). Keep in mind that the blue number from the Gradient image stands for Location percentage. Use the Gradient Tool (G) to adjust the length of your gradient as shown in the following image.
Step 2
Make sure that your colored letter is still selected, keep focusing on the Appearance panel, select that fill and go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow. Enter the attributes shown below and then click that OK button.
Step 3
Make sure that your colored letter is still selected, keep focusing on the Appearance panel and add a second fill using that same Add New Fill button. Select this new fill, add the linear gradient shown below and then go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Free Distort. Drag those right points about as shown below and then click the OK button.
Step 4
Make sure that your colored letter is still selected, keep focusing on the Appearance panel and add a third fill using that same Add New Fill button.
Drag this new fill between the existing ones, apply the linear gradient shown below, lower its Opacity to 40% and then go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Free Distort. Drag those right points about as shown below and then click the OK button. Keep in mind that the yellow zero from the Gradient image stands for Opacity percentage.
Step 5
Make sure that your colored letter is still selected and keep focusing on the Appearance panel.
Select the middle fill and duplicate it using the Duplicate Selected Item button. Select the newly added fill, lower its Opacity to 30% and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Drag the Move-Horizontal slider to 5 px, click the OK button, and then go to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Set the Radius to 5 px and then click that OK button.
5. How to Create Color Variation in Your Text Effect
Step 1
First, you need to copy the Appearance attributes of your colored letter and paste them onto your second letter. This can be done pretty easy from the Layers panel. Expand your layer and you’ll notice a little circle on the right-hand side of all your objects—that’s a target icon. Hold the Alt key, click on the target icon that stands for your colored letter, and drag onto the circle that stands for your second letter.
Now, select your newly colored letter, focus on the Appearance panel and replace the two linear gradients with the ones shown below.
Step 2
Repeat the technique mentioned in the previous step, but replace the linear gradients with the ones shown below.
Step 3
Finally, copy the Appearance attributes to the remaining white letters.
Congratulations! You’re Done!
Here is how it should look. I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial and can apply these techniques in your future projects.
Feel free to adjust the final design and make it your own. You might find some great sources of inspiration on GraphicRiver, with interesting solutions to improve your design.
