Everybody has their own way of relaxing and enjoying their life. One of
my favorite times of the day is taking a sip of morning coffee—this is
pretty much the only time when I can sit back and read some books
because once that time’s over, I’m in my Wonder Woman gear trying to get
everything done.
In this tutorial, I want to share this special
moment by illustrating a lady who is relaxing with her coffee. While
creating this illustration, you’ll learn to manipulate shapes and also
get acquainted with the Width Tool, which I haven’t used before in my
previous tutorials. As usual, we will use basic shapes and the Warp Effect.
Why don’t you browse through GraphicRiver and find more characters? Maybe you will decide to make another hair style or even clothes, who knows…
1. How to Create the Head
Step 1
After
opening the Adobe Illustrator, create a new document with 850 x 850 px
Width and Height. We’ll begin by illustrating the head.
Using
the Ellipse Tool (L), draw an oval. In the image below, you can see
which fill color you need. To give the head an irregular shape, go to Effect > Warp > Inflate. Enter the options you see below.
Step 2
Let’s
start by drawing the top part of the hair. Draw two cream ovals with
the Ellipse Tool (L). Take the Direct Selection Tool (A) and move the
handles of the anchor points to create the shape you want.
Step 3
To
create long hair, make another cream oval and change its shape: go to Effect > Warp > Inflate. Enter the options shown below. Be sure
to place this oval behind the head (Control-C, Control-B).
Step 4
Let’s
make a hair band. Create two more circles by using the Ellipse Tool
(L), and make them overlap as in the image below. Go to the
Pathfinder panel and press the Minus Front button.
Step 5
Place this hair band on the hair.
Now
we will add the ears. Make another small oval and rotate it to the
left. Place this ear on the left side of the head. While keeping the
left ear selected, right-click your mouse and select Transform >
Reflect. Once you get a dialogue box, select Axis Vertical, Angle 90 degrees, and press Copy. Move the new ear to the right.
Step 6
For
the dreamy, relaxed eyes, create an oval. Then grab the Scissors Tool
(C) and click on the left and right sides of the ellipse. Delete the
upper part of the ellipse by pressing the Delete button on your
keyboard. You should be left with an arc. Increase the stroke Weight and
check Round Cap on the Stroke panel.
To add the eyelashes, make a copy
of this arc, decrease the stroke weight, and attach it to the left corner
of the larger arc. Make another copy of this small arc. Our romantic
eye is ready.
Step 7
Place the left eye on the face and
create the right eye. Right-click your mouse and select Transform >
Reflect. Once you get a dialogue box, select Axis Vertical, Angle 90
degrees, and press Copy. Move the new eye to the right.
Step 8
Now
the lips. Let’s create a little matte red ellipse and by using the Convert Anchor Point Tool (Shift-C), make the left and right anchor
points sharp by clicking them. After that, select those two anchor
points again (with the Direct Selection Tool (A)) and move them up by
pressing the Up Arrow on your keyboard.
For the upper lip,
create another small red ellipse. Select the top and bottom anchor points
with the Direct Selection Tool (A)) and move to the right by pressing
the Right Arrow on your keyboard. Make a reflected copy of this shape:
right-click your mouse and select Transform > Reflect. In the
dialogue box, select Axis Vertical, Angle 90 degrees, and hit Copy. Move
this copy to the right. The lips are ready.
(Note: You don’t need the
black strokes—it’s just to show you the shape and the placement).
Place the lips on the face.
Step 9
Let’s give the lady a pair of glasses.
Create
an oval with a dark gray stroke color and no fill. To create the shape
shown below, move the handles of the anchor points by using the Direct
Selection Tool (A). Add a line from the left side of this shape using
the Line Segment Tool ().
Then create the right part of the glasses, just as we’ve been doing in the previous steps: right-click, Transform > Reflect. In the dialogue box, select Axis
Vertical, Angle 90 degrees, and hit Copy. Move this copy to the right.
Use the Arc Tool to make the middle part of the glasses and attach the
lenses together. An elegant pair of glasses is ready. You can play with
the shape of the frames to create a unique pair of glasses you
like.
Now place the pair of glasses on the face.
2. How to Create the Body
Step 1
Let’s
start by creating the neck and the shoulders. For the neck, create a
rectangle using the Rectangle Tool (M) and attach it to the head. After
that, create a horizontal oval (use the Ellipse Tool (L)) and attach it
to the neck.
Step 2
In this step, we will create the lady’s
body. Using the Rounded Rectangle Tool, create a gray rounded rectangle.
Let’s modify the bottom part of this shape. We’ll use the Fish effect:
go to Effect > Warp > Fish and enter the options below.
Step 3
To
create the arms, we will start with an arc. First, delete the fill
color and set the stroke color similar to the body color. Check Round Cap on the Stroke panel and make the Weight of this stroke very
thick. Now, using the Arc Tool, draw the woman’s arms. Move the handles
of the anchor points to achieve the result you need.
Step 4
Let’s continue drawing the arms.
Using the Line Segment Tool (/), create the lower part of the right arm. Then using the Arc Tool, create the left arm.
Now
we will modify these shapes so that this part is a bit thinner than the upper
arm. Select the Width Tool (Shift-W) and when you place the mouse over
the woman’s wrist, you will see new handles. If you move these
handles outside the line, the width of the line will increase on one
end. If you move anchor points inside the line, the width will decrease.
So go ahead and make the arms a little thinner around the wrist area.
Step 5
For the hands, we will use two ovals, which will be modified by manipulating
their handles. Remember to delete the stroke color and set the fill
color.
Here’s a closer look at the handle positions for the lady’s right hand.
Step 6
Now
we will create the cup. Pick the Rectangle Tool (M) and create a
rectangle. Keep it selected and go to Effect > Warp > Bulge.
Adjust the options as shown in the image below. Remove the fill color
and make the same stroke. Increase the stroke on the Stroke panel and
draw a circle (for a nice round circle you need to hold down the Shift key). That’s the handle.
Place the cup under the lady’s right hand, but over the body.
3. How to Create the Hips and Legs
Step 1
Using
the Ellipse Tool (L), make an oval and attach it to the bottom part of
the body. Using the Direct Selection Tool (A), move both side anchor
points down. That’s the hips.
Step 2
Let’s make the legs.
Grab
the Line Segment Tool (), and draw two vertical lines. To get a straight
line, hold the Shift key as you draw the line. Remember to remove
the fill color and choose the same stroke color as the skin color.
Before drawing, be sure to check the Round Cap button on the Stroke panel and adjust the appropriate Weight of the stroke. To change the
thickness of the legs, select the Width Tool (Shift-W) and move the handles to make the upper part of the leg thicker and the bottom
ankle part a bit thinner.
Step 3
For the shoes, draw an oval
with the Ellipse Tool (L) and place it behind the leg. Using the Direct
Selection Tool (A), move the handles of the oval to create the shape
which will look like a shoe. Feel free to design your favorite shoes!
4. How to Create the Background and the Table
Step 1
Create a light blue square behind the woman, 850 px Width and Height, by using the Rectangle Tool (M).
Step 2
For the table top, add a white rounded rectangle by using the Rounded Rectangle Tool.
Step 3
Add two vertical rectangles by using the Rectangle Tool (M), for the table legs.
Step 4
For
the table decoration, add two spirals next to the table legs by using
the Spiral Tool. If you don’t see this tool, hold the Line Segment Tool
() for a few seconds, and a pop-up menu will appear—then you can select the
Spiral Tool.
Click on your artboard and a new dialogue window
will appear, asking you about the Radius of your spiral, Decay and Segments.
I recommend playing with different Decay and Segments to find out what
you like the most. Select the Round Cap button on the Stroke panel and
adjust the appropriate stroke Weight for this spiral. Create one spiral
and make another vertical copy of it.
5. How to Create the Chair
Step 1
For the seat of the chair, create a rounded rectangle using the Rounded Rectangle Tool.
Step 2
For
the back of the chair, create an oval with no fill and white stroke by
using the Ellipse Tool (L). Place this oval behind the table and the
lady. Slightly modify the oval shape by moving up its bottom anchor
point.
Step 3
To add the chair legs, create a vertical
rectangle using the Rectangle Tool (M) and a horizontal rounded rectangle
with the Rounded Rectangle Tool.
Step 4
To decorate the
chair, add two spirals on the bottom part of the chair’s leg. Create one
spiral by using the Spiral Tool and make a vertical copy with the
Reflect Tool (O).
Awesome Work, You’re Done!
We are done! Great job! I
hope you’ve enjoyed the process of illustrating using Adobe
Illustrator and learned some new tips and tricks, which you can use in
the future! Now it’s time to relax and grab a cup of coffee. Enjoy, have
fun, and don’t forget to share your art with us!
Let’s celebrate International Women’s Day by making a dedication! Follow this tutorial and let’s learn together how to design fancy women avatars.
I’ll show you how to use and transform simple geometric shapes in order to create a variety of portraits, making them as diverse as possible! We’ll be using various warp effects, the Shaper Tool, the Pathfinder panel, and other tools and functions to vary the age, nationality, complexion and style of the characters.
By the end of this tutorial, you’ll be able to create hundreds of fancy avatars by simply mixing and combining the elements of the characters that we’ll be creating here. Want to see how it works? Check out this Flat Women Avatar Constructor and try it yourself—it’s really fun!
Apart from that, you can apply these techniques to create any other type of flat avatars, vary the appearance of the character, and try out various styles of flat portraits. For example, check out these profession avatars at GraphicRiver. Feel inspired? Let’s get started!
1. How to Create a Woman With Cornrows
Step 1
Let’s start off by creating a face from a rounded rectangle. You can use either the Rounded Rectangle Tool or the Rectangle Tool (M) to make an 80 x 110 px dark-brown shape with 30 px Corner Radius.
You can find the Corners option panel in the control toolbar on top while the shape is selected with the Direct Selection Tool (A). Another way to adjust the Corners value is either to set it in the Transform panel (Window > Transform) or to do it manually by pulling the circle markers of the Live Corners of the shape with the Direct Selection Tool (A).
Make a rounded rectangle of 14 x 22 px for the nose and place it right in the center of the face. In order to make sure that we’ve centered everything perfectly, select both shapes and click the face shape once again to make it a Key Object. Click the Horizontal Align Center and—voila!—the nose is exactly where it should be.
Step 2
Take the Ellipse Tool (L) and make a 13 x 13 px dark-brown circle for the eye. Select its bottom anchor point with the Direct Selection Tool (A) and delete it by pressing the Delete key (or Backspace if you’re on Mac). Now we have this cheerful look!
Select the eye, hold down Alt-Shift, and drag it to the opposite side of the face, thus creating a copy of the second one.
Let’s work on the eyes a bit more. Use the Rectangle Tool (M) to make a 5 x 2 px shape for the eyelashes. Place it by the outer corner of the eye and align both shapes to the bottom edge. Do the same for the opposite eye.
Step 3
Let’s make another ellipse for the mouth. Create a 25 x 12 px shape and use the Scissors Tool (C) to click the left and right anchor points and split the shape apart.
Step 4
Use the Anchor Point Tool (Shift-C) to move the anchor handles, forming the upper lip.
Step 5
Make a 12 x 25 px dark-brown rounded rectangle for the ear and Send it to Back (Shift-Control-[), beneath the head.
Group (Control-G) the ears and use the Align panel to center the ears to the head, using the head shape as the Key Object.
Step 6
It’s time to add those cornrows! Grab the Rounded Rectangle Tool and form a 5 x 25 px black shape with fully rounded corners. Align the cornrow to the center of the head.
Hold Alt-Shift and drag the shape to the left, creating a copy. Move the new cornrow a few pixels down.
Step 7
Create more cornrows on the left side of the head, placing each new one a bit lower than the previous one.
Now select all the cornrows (except the very first one) and double-click the Reflect Tool (O) to open its options window. Flip the cornrows over the Vertical Axis and click the Copy button. Hold down Shift and move them to the opposite side of the head.
Step 8
Let’s move on and make a 22 x 38 px rounded rectangle for the neck. Don’t forget to vary the brightness of the elements in order to visually separate one part of the body from another as we’re working with solid colors without shadows and highlights. Pick the dark-brown color from the ears using the Eyedropper Tool (I).
Create an 85 x 105 px bright-green rectangle for the body. Make the corners rounded enough (about 37 pt) to form the shoulders.
Step 9
We can also make the cornrows longer by adding some more rounded rectangles of 5 x 55 px size and placing them at the back of the head (Shift-Control-[).
Now Group (Control-G) everything together and let’s finish off our first avatar!
Step 10
Make a 195 x 195 px blue circle for the icon base and Send to Back (Shift-Control-[).Align the character and the icon base to Horizontal Align Center, and let’s see how we can put the character inside the circle, as if inside a container.
Copy the circle and Paste in Front (Control-C > Control-F). Bring to Front (Shift-Control-]), placing the copy on top of everything. In the image below you can see a copy as a circle with black Stroke and no Fill.
Select everything, click the right mouse button, and Make Clipping Mask. There you go! Our first icon is ready. Let’s move on to the next one!
2. How to Create a Woman With Buns
Step 1
Let’s copy the character from our first avatar and modify it to create the second lady! Let’s change her skin color. Use the Select Similar Objects feature from the control panel on top to select the elements filled with the same color faster.
Step 2
Make the face more rounded by increasing the value of the Corner Radius. We can also do this by pulling the circle markers of the Live Corners with the Direct Selection Tool (A).
Now select the bottom anchor point with the Direct Selection Tool (A) and make the chin pointed by Converting selected anchor points to corner from the control panel on top. Adjust the shape of the jaw by moving both side anchor points down.
Step 3
Change the shape of the nose, by making it narrower (11 x 22 px) and more rounded. And recolor it so that it fits the overall color scheme of the face.
Step 4
Use the Ellipse Tool (L) to create a 10 x 10 px black circle and add a 12 x 4 px rounded rectangle for the eyelash to give the impression of a single-fold eyelid. Select both shapes and click the eye once again to make it a Key Object. Use the Align panel to Vertical Align Top, combining the edges of the shape.
Step 5
Let’s add some lipstick there! Make a 15 x 12 px rose-pink ellipse and delete its bottom anchor point to form the upper lip. Keeping the shape selected, double-click the Reflect Tool (O), flip the shape over the Horizontal Axis, and click Copy to create the lower lip. Make the copy slightly larger and make its Fill color lighter.
Add a horizontal stripe between the lips using the Rectangle Tool (M) and make the corners of the mouth by adding a couple of tiny circles there.
Step 6
Now let’s make a stylish haircut. Duplicate (Control-C > Control-F) the head shape and change the color of the copy to black. Keeping the shape selected, double-click the Scale Tool (S) and set the Uniform Scale value to 105% and click OK to make the copy a bit larger.
Now grab the Eraser Tool (Shift-E), hold Alt and erase the bottom part of the shape, leaving only a straight-cut fringe.
Step 7
Let’s use the Shaper Tool (Shift-N) to create a small triangle in the center of the forehead. Just draw a freehand triangle silhouette and it will automatically transform into a real vector shape.
Now select both the triangle and the hair and scribble above the triangle with the Shaper Tool (Shift-N) to cut it out. As you may notice, a black stroke from the triangle may remain on the hair. In this case, just select it and set the Stroke color to none in the Color panel.
Step 8
Let’s add some buns! Use the Rounded Rectangle Tool to make a 20 x 7 px lilac shape for the hair band.
Place a 26 x 26 px black circle on top of the band and Send to Back (Shift-Control-[).
Group the parts of the bun and rotate it about 45 degrees, attaching the bun to the head.
Use the Reflect Tool (O) to flip and copy the bun and attach it to the opposite side of the head.
Step 9
Now let’s change the color of the shirt to the same color as we have for the face and duplicate it (Control-C > Control-F). Change the color of the top copy to pink.
Create a 50 x 65 px rounded rectangle of any color on top of the body and place it as shown in the image below. Select both the new rectangle and the pink shape beneath it and use the Shaper Tool (Shift-N) to scribble above the shape that we want to cut out in order to create the neck of the shirt.
Step 10
This is how the new shirt looks!
Step 11
Let’s copy the icon base from our previous icon and place our fancy woman with buns inside. I’ve tweaked the colors a bit to make them match, changing the color of the circle to pink and the woman’s shift to lilac.
Great work! Let’s move on and create our third avatar!
3. How to Design a Cheerful Young Woman Avatar
Step 1
Let’s use the copy of our first character and change its appearance. First of all, delete the elements of the mouth and create a 35 x 25 px ellipse with dark-brown stroke and no fill. Use the Scissors Tool (C) to click both side anchor points and split the shape apart. Open the Stroke panel (Window > Stroke), and set the Weight to 3 pt, Cap to Round Cap.
Step 2
Replace the eyes with circles and add the eyelashes by creating a small rounded rectangle and rotating it 45 degrees.
Step 3
Let’s rotate the eyebrows as well, creating a cheerful and slightly surprised facial expression. Select the brow and double-click the Rotate Tool (R) to open the options panel. Set the Angle to 30 degrees and click OK.
Do the same for the opposite brow, rotating it -30 degrees.
Make the skin color lighter and add a bindi to the forehead with the Ellipse Tool (L).
Use the Live Corners function to make the face more rounded.
Step 4
How about adding some more accessories? Create a 9 x 9 px ellipse with yellow Stroke and no Fill, depicting a golden ring. Attach it to the right side of the nose and place it behind the nose by dragging the shape down in the Layers panel.
Step 5
Now we’ll draw the hair. Copy the face shape and Paste in Back (Control-C > Control-B). Fill the bottom copy with dark-brown color for the hair.
Drag the top copy (which is for the face) down a bit, making the top part of the hair visible.
Now that the chin is too low, select both copies and use the Shaper Tool (Shift-N) to scribble above the bottom part of the face in order to delete it.
And there we have it, some nice slick hair! Let’s add details to the hairdo.
Step 6
Use the Rectangle Tool (M) to add a narrow part in the center of the hair shape. Select both the hair shape and the rectangle part and scratch out the unneeded piece. Change the color of the rectangle to the same skin color as we have for the face.
Step 7
Let’s zoom out and take a look at our character. Everything looks fine at this stage; however, I’ve decided to make the parting a bit narrower. The shape is still easily editable and accessible from the Layers panel.
Step 8
Now let’s add a low ponytail to the hairdo. Here is a quick and easy way to make it from a rectangle. Create a 30 x 84 px shape on the right side of the head. Select the bottom left and the top right anchor points of the rectangle using the Direct Selection Tool (A) and pull the Live Corners marker to make both corners fully rounded.
Now we can Send the ponytail to Back (Shift-Control-[) and position it as we need.
Step 9
Let’s also change the dress of our character. Copy (Control-C) and Paste in Place (Shift-Control-V) the body shape. Change the color of the copies to skin color.
Now grab the Shaper Tool (Shift-N) and draw an upside down triangle above the body for the V-neck. Once your freehand triangle turns into a vector shape, select it together with the top body shape and use the body as the Key Object to Horizontal Align Center of both shapes.
Step 10
While both shapes are still selected, use the Shaper Tool (Shift-N) and scribble over the triangle to cut it out.
Now we can change the color of the top copy to bright orange for the dress.
Step 11
Use the copy of the circle icon base from our previous icon to replace the character inside the Clipping Mask. Change the color of the icon to green—and there we have it!
Our fashionable young woman avatar is ready!
Just a few more words before we finish…
Step 12
So, let’s take a look at all the variety of facial shapes and forms that we can create using just a rectangle. We can make the face wide and angular if we round the corners just a bit. Otherwise, we can make the face fully rounded by setting the Corner Radius to its maximum.
We can also vary the shape of the chin by making it less or more pointed. Moreover, we can change the shape of the jaw by changing the position of the side anchor points of the shape.
We can also edit the top and bottom parts of the face separately from each other, making the head shape look even more interesting. If we take a look at the bottom example, the forehead is far more rounded than the jaw.
And this is just a small part of all the variations that we can build from one shape. There are round faces, oval faces, square, triangular… Use your imagination and photo references, or look at the people around you to see how really different they are!
Step 13
The last but not the least thing I want to mention here is the age of the characters. We can easily depict women of different generations by just adding such minor details as wrinkles.
Use the Arc Tool (or the Pen Tool (P) or the Pencil Tool (N) if you find it more comfortable to work with) to make some tiny arched lines for the eyes, the corners of the mouth and the chin. Vary the Weight in the Stroke panel to make the wrinkles thicker or thinner and apply them to the face, making the person look older.
Don’t forget the change the facial expressions to make our characters more diverse. Change the position of the lips, the angle of the brows and the eyes to make the person look cheerful or grumpy.
Congratulations! Our Flat Women Avatars Are All Done!
Great job! Our fancy avatars are finished!
I hope you’ve discovered some new interesting tips and tricks while following this tutorial that will help you with your future illustrations.
Try to draw as many different flat portraits as you can come up with!
Don’t forget that you can get a Flat Women Avatar Constructor with premade elements that will help you to get hundreds of combinations just in a few clicks. Apart from that, you’ll get the whole pack of fancy avatars that were demonstrated in this tutorial.
In this tutorial I will show you how to create a clock infographic template with six options in trendy line style and stylish flat icons. You will learn some tricks to make this infographic look awesome and unique.
After reading this tutorial you will be able to draw any objects in line style and use them to create perfect presentations, banners, etc. Check out this Outline Infographic Bundle to see some examples of cool graphics created using these skills.
1. How to Create a Clock Shape
Step 1
At first I create the main layers to work with. It’s very convenient to structure your work starting from the very first steps. Press Control-L to create a New Layer and Rename it (double-click its name on the Layers panel). Repeat these actions until you’ve created and renamed all the necessary layers shown below. We are going to use different layers, so be attentive in this step.
Go to the “Background” layer, pick the Rectangle Tool (M), and create a white square of 1000 x 1000 px size to fit the whole work area. This square will help us to detect the center point during the first steps.
Click on the empty space near the eye symbol on the Layers panelto Lock the background layer.
Select the “Guides” layer. Press Control-R to show rulers. Drag and drop the ruler to the center of the work area.
Step 2
Then switch to the ”Clock” layer. Use the Ellipse Tool (L) to create an ellipse of 380 x 380 px size and with Stroke Weight equal to 25 px, and set Cap and Corner according to the screenshot below. Place the circle in the center of the work area.
Step 3
Switch to the “Guides” layer again. Now we are going to create some guides to divide the circle into segments. I intentionally put this step after the creation of the circle to make it more comprehensible.
Start with creating lines using the Line Segment Tool (L). Click once in the center of the circle to open the Line Segment Tool Options panel, and change the Length and the Angle as shown in the screenshot below. Repeat this operation several times to get three lines. The exact stroke weight of the lines isn’t important; I usually use a line Stroke Weight equal to 5 px to make the lines clearly visible.
Select these lines and right-click > Make Guides.
Step 4
Continue working on the “Clock” layer. Use the Pen Tool (P) to divide the circle at the points of intersection with the guides. Select the circle and click on the points where we need to have additional anchors.
When the anchors are added, we need to select them with the Direct Selection Tool (A) and Cut Path at Selected Anchor Points.
I intentionally didn’t hide the guides, because they may be useful during the following steps and help to arrange the objects relative to each other.
Right after that, set Round Cap on the Stroke panel and change the transparency to Multiply in the Transparency panel.
Step 5
Now create a clock hand using the Line Segment Tool (). Click once in the center of the circle to open the Line Segment Tool Options panel and enter 160 px Length, 45 degrees Angle for the minute hand. Repeat this operation with 80 px Length and 135 degrees Angle for the hour hand.
Step 6
Add colors to these lines. Select the clock’s elements one by one using the Direct Selection Tool (A) and change the Stroke color of each element.
Step 7
I often expand open paths in my work to have the opportunity to scale them easily, but we can leave the paths unexpanded in order to be able to change their weight in the future. In this tutorial I’m going to expand the paths as I did it in my work for the Outline Infographic Bundle.
Select all elements of the clock and go to Objects > Expand, choose Expand Stroke and click OK. Keep the objects selected.
As you can see, some “side groups”, as I call them, appear after this action. Each of these groups includes only one object, and they are useless and make it difficult to work with the illustration, so we need to get rid of them. Right-click and Ungroup.
After that, go to the Transparency panel once again and choose the Multiply Transparency option.
2. How to Create Stylish, Colorful Text Inside the Clock
Step 1
In this work I’m going to use the Tw Cen Mt Bold font, which is the default font. Use the Type Tool (T) to create several words with different Font Size as shown in the screenshots below.
Step 2
Let’s rotate some words to make this infographic more stylish. Select several words and right-click > Transform > Transform Each, set 90 degrees Angle and press OK.
I use this method to rotate the words because they are located at some distance from each other. The Transform Each Option will rotate each word around its central point.
Now use the Direct Selection Tool (A) and drag the words to better positions.
Step 3
Select all text objects and make them a little transparent. Go to the Transparency panel and select Multiply with Opacity 60%. Multiply is an important option which needs to be set up in order to make our text objects and shapes look balanced when you change the background.
Use the Direct Selection Tool (A) and change the Fill Color to the color that we previously used to color the clock’s elements.
After changing the color, we can see that the yellow text object is almost invisible. In order to give this object more contrast, select it with the Direct Selection Tool (A) and change the Opacity to 100%.
A helpful tip: set a higher opacity value for lighter colors and a lower opacity value for darker colors in order to achieve better results.
Step 4
Cut the word objects which are located beyond the clock. For this purpose, you need to create a circle of size 340 x 340 px and place it in the center of the illustration. Use the Ellipse Tool (L) to do this.
Select the circle and all text objects, and then right-click > Make Clipping Mask.
Now you can hide the guides. Look at the Layers panel and turn off the eye symbol in front of the “Guides” layer.
3. How to Create a Dollar Symbol Icon
As our infographic has six options, we need to create six icons in order to achieve better visualization.
First of all, switch to the “Icons” layer. After that, we need to draw six equal squares in which we are going to place our icons. Create a 70 x 70 px squarewith the Rectangle Tool (M), and then select it with the Selection Tool (V) and drag it holding Shift-Alt. After the second square is placed, use Control-D to repeat this operation until you get six squares in a row.
Select all six squares and right-click and choose Make guides. So now we have the guides which we are going to fill with our icons.
Step 1
Now we are ready to create the first icon. Create a 30 x 30 px circle with 7 pt Stroke Weight, and choose Round Cap and Round Join as shown in the screenshot below.
Step 2
Select the top and the bottom anchor points with the Direct Selection Tool (A) and Cut Path at Selected Anchor Points.
After that, move the right part down. Notice that the top anchor of the right part must fit the bottom point of the left part.
Step 3
Arm yourself with the Line Segment Tool (L) or Pen Tool (P) and create four lines, two vertical and two horizontal.
After that, use the Selection Tool (V) to move the lines so that they fit the points on the ends of the semicircles. Place the dollar sign in the center of the square guide.
Step 4
Select the dollar-shaped objects and press the Control button on your keyboard. You will see a frame around the objects. Hold Control-Shift-Alt and drag the frame edge until it fits the guide.
Step 5
Now we are going to create a frame with rounded corners. Use the Ellipse Tool (L) to create a 15 x 15 px ellipse and the Line Segment Tool () to create two 7 pxLength lines.
Step 6
Select the top and left anchors with the Direct Selection Tool (A) and Cut Path at Selected Anchor Points. Delete the big segment and place the objects together.
Place the object in the corner of the rectangle guide.
Change the Stroke Weight to 5 pt.
Step 7
Let’s duplicate the frame segment. Choose the Reflect Tool (O) and Alt-click on the point across which you need the object to be reflected. Choose Vertical Axis and press Copy.
Now choose both frame segments and repeat the Reflect action. Choose Horizontal Axis and press Copy.
Step 8
Convert the open path shapes to outlines. Select all shapes and go to Object > Expand, select Expand Stroke and press OK. Use Control-Shift-G to remove the unnecessary groups.
Step 9
Now let’s select the top dollar’s parts with the Selection Tool (V). Open the Pathfinder panel and click Add To Shape Area, and then right-click > Ungroup.
Now select the bottom dollar’s parts and repeat the same actions for the bottom objects. Don’t forget to set Multiply appearance in the Transparency paneland Group (Control-G) all the icon’s parts.
Step 10
Finally change the Fill Color of the dollar’s parts.
4. How to Create a Pencil Icon
Step 1
We are going to create a pencil icon using lines only. Make sure that you turn on the View > Smart Guides. Go to Edit > Preferences > Smart Guides if you need to change the Smart Guide options.
Step 2
Select the Line Tool () and place a line with 70 px Length and 5 pt Stroke Weight.
Step 3
Continue working with Line Tool and create another two lines: a horizontal 25 px Length line and a vertical 25 px Length line.
Step 4
Select the Pen Tool (P). Place your cursor on the edge of the line and then start to move the cursor in the direction of 45 degrees from that point, and the cursor will automatically become attached to the Smart Guide. Click at some distance from the starting point to create the first anchor point. Create a second anchor at the intersection between the 45 degrees angle Smart Guide and the rectangle guide.
Select this line with the Selection Tool (V) and move it to the point of intersection of the two guides (the 45o angle Smart Guide of previous line’s location and the 45o angle Smart Guide of the pencil’s edge). Press Control-D to repeat the operation.
Step 5
Now grab the Selection Tool (V) and change the Stroke Weights of the pencil parts as shown in the screenshot below.
Step 6
Keep working with the Selection Tool (V), select all the pencil shapes and go to Object > Expand, select Expand Stroke and push OK. Use Control-Shift-G to remove unnecessary groups.
Don’t forget to set Multiply Appearance in the Transparency paneland change the Fill Colors of the pencil’s elements. Select and Group (Control-G) all the icon’s parts.
5. How to Create a Screen Icon
Step 1
Take the Rectangle Tool (M) and draw a 70 x 40 px size rectangle. Set the Stroke Weight to 5 pt and change the Cap and Corner style.
Go to Effects > Stylize > Round Corners and set the Radius to 10 px. Then choose Object > Expand Appearance.
Step 2
Use the Line Segment Tool () to draw a line from the point located directly under the bottom left anchor point. Make sure you are drawing the line on the square guide.
I am going to make the screen shape a little higher. I didn’t set the right height in the previous step because I want to show you how you can change shapes when you need to.
Select its bottom anchor points and drag and drop these points a little further down.
Step 3
Now we’ll make our screen more stylish. Select the two points near the round corner at the bottom right and Cut Path at Selected Anchor Points. Now you can Delete this corner.
Step 4
Take the Ellipse Tool (L) and place a 7 x 7 px circle between the end points of the two lines.
Step 5
To create the arrow’s edge, switch to the Rectangle Tool (M). Create a 20 x 20 px square with the same stroke settings as the screen shape. Double-click the Rotate Tool (R) and set the Angle value to 45 degrees. Apply the changes.
Repeat the actions from the previous step: Select the top and bottom points and Cut Path at Selected Anchor Points. Now you can Delete the left part.
Take the Line Segment Tool () and draw a line from the arrow’s edge with 35 px Length.
Step 6
Copy (Control-C) and Paste (Control-V) the arrow in an empty space. Set the Stroke Weight to 3 pt.
Click the right mouse button and select Scale. Change the Scale options to Uniform: 30% and push OK. Drag and drop the selected little arrow to a better position inside the screen shape.
Step 7
Convert the open path shapes to outlines. Select all shapes and go to Object > Expand, select Expand Stroke and press OK. Use Control-Shift-G to remove unnecessary groups.
Step 8
Select the little arrow’s horizontal shape and double-click the Direct Selection Tool (A). Move the selected shape in the Horizontal direction by -1 px. It is a very important step, and I will explain why later.
Now let’s select the little arrow’s parts with the Selection Tool (V). Open the Pathfinder panel and click Add To Shape Area to make the arrow consist of only one shape.
Remember, I recommend that you move the little arrow’s horizontal shape. If you don’t do this, you could get a lot of needless anchor points on the arrow’s edge.
Step 9
Select all the shapes with the Selection Tool (V). Open the Transparency panel and choose Multiply transparency mode with Opacity equal to 100%. After that, Group (Control-G) all the icon’s parts.
Change the Fill Color of the screen shapes.
6. How to Create a Speech Bubble Icon
Step 1
Take the Ellipse Tool (L) and draw a 70 x 60 px ellipse with no Fill and 7 pt Weight Stroke. Don’t forget to set the right Cap options.
Step 2
Now we need to divide the ellipse into two parts and delete one of them. Pick the Pen Tool (P) and create an additional anchor point by clicking in any place on the ellipse.
Select two anchor points: the new one and the right one. Choose Cut Path at Selected Anchor Points.
Select the bottom path with the Selection Tool (V) and convert it to a guide. Do this by clicking the right mouse button and choosing Make Guides.
Step 3
After that, grab the Ellipse Tool (L) and create a 7 x 7 px ellipse. The rounded guide will help us place the new ellipse precisely and easily on the ellipse’s extension.
Step 4
To create a speech bubble pointer, take the Line Segment Tool () and draw a line from the end anchor point to any point on the rectangle guide.
Step 5
Place three more lines inside the speech bubble to illustrate discussion. Draw a 35 px line with the Line Segment Tool () and set the Stroke Weight equal to 4 pt.
Then place three little circles near the speech lines. Create 4 x 4 px circles using the Ellipse Tool (L).
Group (Control-G) the three lines and three circles together. After that, select both the group and the speech bubble shape and click the speech bubble shape once again to make it a Key Object. The contour of the speech bubble will become bolder, indicating that all objects now will be aligned to a Key Object.
Be careful: the key object must be above the other objects on the Layers panel.
Step 6
Convert the open path shapes to outlines. Select all shapes and go to Object > Expand, select Expand Stroke and push OK. Use Control-Shift-G to remove unnecessary groups.
Keep the shapes selected and open the Transparency panel, and choose Multiply transparency mode with Opacity equal to 100%. Then Group (Control-G) all the icon’s parts.
Finally change the Fill Colors of the speech bubble’s shapes.
7. How to Create a Clock Icon
Step 1
This icon will be very simple but also clean and stylish.
Grab the Ellipse Tool (L) and draw a 70 x 70 px ellipse with 7 pt Stroke Weight. Make sure that you changed the Cap and Corner options.
Step 2
To create the clock’s minute hand, take the Line Segment Tool (). Click in the center of the circle and set the Length to 28 px and Angle to 135 degrees. Apply (OK) the changes. Change the stroke features on the Stroke panel, entering 3 pt value for Stroke Weight and selecting Round Cap.
Repeat the actions that you took for the minute hand. Pick the Line Segment Tool () and draw a 20 pxLength line from the center of the circle. Use 5 pt Weight and Round Cap for the stroke appearance.
Step 3
Now we need to give the clock icon the same style as the other icons. We can divide the circle into two parts by selecting the anchor point at which you need to break the path and clicking the Cut Path at the Selected Anchor Points button.
Select the quarter part of the circle and find the Make Guides option after clicking the right mouse button.
Step 4
Switch to the Ellipse Tool (L), draw a 7 x 7 px ellipse and place it between the two end points of the clock. Try different positions to achieve a better result. The only thing you should remember is the necessity to place thecircle on the round guide. In this infographic I have put the circle approximately in the center of the guide.
Step 5
Convert the open path shapes to outlines. Select all shapes and go to Object > Expand, select Expand Stroke and press OK. Use Control-Shift-G to remove unnecessary groups.
Keep the shapes selected and open the Transparency panel, choose Multiply transparency mode, and set the Opacity to 100%. Then Group (Control-G) all the icon’s parts.
Finally change the Fill Colors of the clock’s shapes.
8. How to Create a Keyboard and Mouse Icon
Step 1
I am going to start creating this icon by making a mouse symbol. Take the Rectangle Tool (M) and draw a 20 x 30 px rectangle, and then go to Effect > Stylize > Round Corners… Set 10 px Radius, and you will see the result immediately if the Preview mark is turned on.
To make this shape editable, use Object > Expand Appearance.
Step 2
Now let’s create buttons for our mouse. Create a horizontal line from point 1 to point 2 with the Line Segment Tool (). Put your cursor on the anchor point at the contour and move it to the right. You will see a Snap guide, and the first point of the Line must be on this Snap guide. To draw the Line horizontally, hold the Shift button on your keyboard.
Use the Line Segment Tool () one more time to place a second line vertically from the top mouse anchor point to the intersection with the horizontal line. Don’t forget to hold the Shift button to do this correctly.
Select the mouse contour and the lines. Open the Pathfinder panel and select the Divide option.
Step 3
This icon will be a little bigger than the others. For this reason, place the mouse as shown in the screenshot below.
Now we have enough free space to draw a keyboard. Pick the Rectangle Tool (M) and draw a 50 x 30 px rectangle. The bottom left corner of the rectangle must line up with the bottom left corner of the guide. Set 5 pt Stroke Weight, Round Cap and Round Join.
Go to Effect > Stylize > Round Corners… Set 10 px Radius, as we did before for the mouse contour. Click Expand Appearance in the Object menu.
Step 4
Select the anchor points on the vertical parts with the Direct Selection Tool (A) as shown in the screenshot below and press the Cut Path at Selected Anchor Points button.
Now delete the bottom part of the keyboard contour.
Take the Direct Selection Tool (A), hold Shift, and pull the bottom anchors to the rectangle guide.
Step 5
Now we are going to create the keyboard buttons. Create a 5 x 5 px ellipse with the Ellipse Tool (L). Double-click the Direct Selection Tool (A). Enter 8 px in Horizontal Position Move and press Copy.Push Control-Don your keyboard several times until you get five circles.
Select all five buttons and double-click the Direct Selection Tool (A) once again. Enter 7 px in Vertical Position Move and press Copy. Yes, I did set 7 px Move to make the circles a little closer in the vertical position than in the horizontal position. Push Control-D one more time to create the third row of circles.
Step 6
Now we are going to transform the bottom circles into a space bar. Take the Rectangle Tool (M) and drag a rectangle from anchor point number one to anchor point number two, as shown in the screenshot below.
Group all button shapes (Control-G) and Align them to the center of the keyboard contour, using the keyboard as a Key Object.
Step 7
Now let’s create a wire for our keyboard and mouse. Open the Stroke panel and set 3 ptStroke Weight, Round Cap and Round Join. After that, create a 15 x 15 px circle using the Ellipse Tool (L).
Select the left and right circle’s anchor points and choose Cut Path at Selected Anchor Points. Drag and drop the bottom path of the circle as shown in the screenshot below. The right anchor point of the bottom semi-circle must match the left anchor point of the top semi-circle.
Select the wire parts with the Direct Selection Tool (A) and move them, holding the right anchor point.
Step 8
Now grab the Pen Tool (P) and draw two vertical lines. Make the first click on the round path’s end anchor point and the second click on the wire’s end.
Click anywhere on an empty part of the work area to cancel the current selection. Catch the intersection with Smart Guides as shown in the screenshot below. Click on this intersection to place the start anchor point, hold Shift and click on the guide to create the finish anchor point for the keyboard wire.
Step 9
Convert the open path shapes to outlines. Select all shapes with strokes and go to Object > Expand, select Expand Stroke and press OK. Use Control-Shift-G to remove unnecessary groups.
Keep the shapes selected. Open the Transparency panel and switch Transparency mode to Multiply with 100% Opacity.
Now let’s select the space bar’s parts with the Direct Selection Tool (A). Open the Pathfinder panel and click Add To Shape Area, to turn the button’s parts into one shape. Repeat the same actions for the long wire parts.
Step 10
Now, after the strokes have been turned to outlines, we can align the mouse with the keyboard. Pick the Direct Selection Tool (A) and select the top part of the mouse. Pull the selected anchor points to the intersection with the horizontal Smart Guide from the keyboard shape. Repeat the same steps for the bottom part of the mouse.
Change the Fill Colors of the icon’s shapes. Finally, Select and Group (Control-G) all the icon’s parts.
We don’t need our square guides now that the last icon is finished. Go to View > Guides > Clear Guides to remove all visible guides in the document.
9. How to Create the Text
Infographics usually contain useful information, so we need to add some text. We need a title and a description text for every option. Let’s start by creating the description text box.
Step 1
First, look at the Layers panel and switch to the Text layer.
Take the Rectangle Tool (M) and create a 260 x 60 px rectangle.
Step 2
Click the rectangle with the Area Type Tool. You can see that the rectangle has turned into a text box. In this tutorial I’ll fill the text box with abstract text “Lorem Ipsum…”. It is just an example, and you will be able to change this text later.
I used Tw Cen MT Regular Font with 12 pt Size and Justify with last line aligned left. You can change these options using the Character panel and the Paragraph panel.
Step 3
Pick the Line Tool () or the Pen Tool (P) and add a line with Length equal to the width of the text box. Double-click on the Direct Selection Tool icon to open the Move panel and change Vertical Move to -15 px.
Step 4
Choose the Type on a Path Tool and then click on the line. Now you can type your title here.
For the title I used Tw Cen MT Bold Font with 25 pt Size and Align Center Paragraph.
Step 5
Select the title and the description text box and press Control-G to Group it. Don’t forget to switch Transparency to Multiply in the Transparency paneloptions.
Zoom Out to see the whole infographic. Selectthe text with the Selection Tool (V), hold Alt on your keyboard and drag the text objects to other positions. Continue dragging text objects until you get six text boxes.
Step 6
Now let’s recolor the text objects. Select the text objects one by one with the Direct Selection Tool (A) and change their Fill Color. For titles, use the same colors that you used for the main clock’s parts. For the description text, I used the same color that I used for the hour hand.
Step 7
After you’ve finished working with the text objects, move the icons with the Selection Tool (V) as shown in the screenshot below.
Step 8
There are just a few steps left to finalize our infographic. Switch to the “Background” layer in the Layerspanel.
Select the rectangle that we created before. Use the Gradient Tool (G), set Radial Gradient and move the Gradient Slider to 75% as shown in the screenshot below.
Congratulations! Our Line Style Infographic Template Is Finished!
I hope it was interesting for you to follow this step-by-step tutorial about creating clock infographics. You can easily change the color, text and number of options in order to make this infographic perfectly fit your presentation or website.
Now, using these skills, you can create any objects in a similar style, and there are unlimited ways to use this infographic!
You can get a full collection of 40 infographic templates (both vector and raster) created by me in this style in Outline Infographic Bundle.
In
this tutorial you will learn how to draw a stack of delicious
pancakes with syrup and blueberries in vector form.
We will start
with the basic shape of a pancake and continue with the texture for
which you will use different techniques, effects and brushes to get
as close to realistic as possible. Next it’s the white plate, and
after that, it’s all about stacking those delicious pancakes.
For the
syrup, you will use a combination of blending modes to make it golden
and semi-transparent along with brush strokes to make it glossy. At the
end, we’ll decorate the stack of pancakes with blueberries drawn with
the help of the Gradient Mesh option, which is always the way to go if
you want a realistic look. Let’s start the fun!
If you are hungry for more food icons or vector icons in general, then hop over to GraphicRiver and you’ll surely find what are you looking for there.
1. How
to Open a New Document
Launch Illustrator and
go to File
> New to
open a blank document. Type a name for your file, set up the
dimensions, and select Pixels as Units and RGB as Color
Mode.
Make sure that Align
New Objects to Pixel Grid is
not checked.
Next,
go to Edit
> Preferences > General and
set the Keyboard
Increment to 1
px and
while there, go to Units to
make sure they are set as in the following image. I usually work with
these settings and they will help you throughout the drawing process.
2. How
to Create a Basic Pancake
Step
1
To
create the shape of the pancake start from an ellipse with a size
of about 240 x 110 px. With the help of the Add Anchor Point Tool (+), add more points at the bottom of the ellipse and after that, switch
to the Direct Selection Tool (A) and move these points in order to
distort the shape a little. No pancake is perfectly smooth on the
edges.
Next,
create a similar shape behind the first, but make it bigger at the
bottom to give the impression of a thick pancake.
I
will refer to the first shape as the “top shape” and to the second
shape as the “bottom shape” of the pancake throughout the tutorial.
Step
2
While
the bottom shape of the pancake stays selected, add a New Fill above the first and use the same color. Go to Effect >
Texture > Texturizer and apply the settings shown below. Set this
Fill attribute to Blending Mode Soft Light to create a soft texture on the pancake.
Step
3
With
the bottom shape of the pancake still selected, go to Effect >
Stylize > Inner Glow and apply the settings shown.
Step
4
Use
the Pencil Tool (N) or the Pen Tool (P) to draw a path following the
bottom edge of the pancake and use a warm brown color (1). Stroke
this path with the Charcoal – Rough Art Brush from the Brush
Libraries Menu > Artistic > Artistic_ChalkCharcoalPencil and
reduce the Stroke Weight to 0.25 pt (2).
Next,
go to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur and apply a Radius of 2 px;
then reduce the Opacity to 50%. This will create the golden-brown
edge that a cooked pancake should have (3).
Step
5
Select
the bottom shape of the pancake and then Copy and Paste in Place
(Shift-Control-V) in order to make a copy of it. Set this copy to
stroke-none and fill-none and we’ll use it to clean up the edges (1).
Now,
select this copy along with the bottom shape of the pancake and the
brown edge and go to Object > Clipping Mask > Make (Control-7).
You can name the resulting group “pancake bottom” (2). The top
shape of the pancake remains on top of everything.
3. How
to Add Texture on the Pancake
Step
1
Select
the top shape of the pancake and add a New Fill above the first using the same color. Apply the Texturizer effect as before to create that soft texture. Set this Fill attribute to Blending Mode
Soft Light.
Step
2
Draw
an ellipse shape in the center of the pancake and fill it with the
radial gradient shown (1). To smooth out the edges, apply a 5 px
Gaussian Blur and after that, set this ellipse to Blending Mode
Multiply and 75% Opacity (2).
Step
3
It’s
time to create the outer golden-brown edge that a cooked pancake
should have. Take the Pencil Tool (N) or the Pen Tool (P) and draw
short paths following the outer edge of the pancake (1). Before you
continue, make copies of the paths for later use.
Stroke
all these paths with the Charcoal-Thick Art Brush from the Brush
Libraries Menu > Artistic > Artistic_ChalkCharcoalPencil and
reduce the Stroke Weight to 0.75 pt (1). Use a warm brown color, and
you can see the result in the image below (2).
To
smooth out the brown edge, first Group (Control-G) all these paths
and then apply a 2 px Gaussian Blur to the entire group (3).
Step
4
Grab
the copies of the paths from the previous step and stroke them with
the Charcoal-Thick Art Brush again but reduce the Stroke Weight to 0.5 pt and use a cooler shade of brown. We won’t
apply the Gaussian Blur effect this time so just Group (Control-G) all the paths.
Step
5
Now,
take the Pencil Tool (N) and draw a random circular path over the
pancake (1). Stroke it with the Ink Splats Scatter Brush from the Brush Libraries Menu > Artistic > Artistic_Ink and reduce the Stroke Weight to 0.25 pt. Next, go to the Appearance panel, open the Stroke Options window and change some of the settings as indicated
below. The purpose is to get a multitude of tiny specks all over the
surface of the pancake (2).
Use
a warm brown color as the stroke and then set this path to Blending
Mode Color Burn and 20% Opacity (3).
Step
6
Draw
another random circular path over the pancake with the help of the Pencil Tool (N). Stroke it with the Ink Splats Scatter Brush again and reduce the Stroke Weight to 0.25 pt, but this time use a pale yellow
color (1). Set this path to Blending Mode Overlay and 20% Opacity
(2).
Step
7
Next,
take the Pen Tool (P) and draw a straight path over the pancake.
Stroke it with the Chalk Art Brush from the Brush Libraries Menu >
Artistic > Artistic_ChalkCharcoalPencil and increase the Stroke
Weight to 5 pt in order to get bigger pieces of texture (1). Set this
path to Blending Mode Soft Light and 75% Opacity (2).
Step
8
It’s
finally time to mask everything. Select the top shape of the pancake
and then Copy and Paste in Place (Shift-Control-V) in order to make a
copy of it. Set this copy to stroke-none and fill-none.
Now,
select this copy along with the top shape of the pancake and all the
texture paths that were created in this section of the tutorial and
go to Object > Clipping Mask > Make (Control-7).
At
this point, you should have the “pancake bottom” group and the
new group “pancake top” in the Appearance panel. These are the
two main parts that make up your first pancake.
4. How
to Create a White Plate
Step
1
To
create the plate, start with a white ellipse about 410 x 190 px.
After that, draw a new ellipse filled with gray and send it behind
the first.
Step
2
While
the two ellipses stay selected, go to Object > Blend > Blend
Options, choose Smooth Color and hit OK. Go back to Object > Blend
> Make (Alt-Control-B) after that.
Step
3
Draw
a new white ellipse in front in order to sharpen the rim of the
plate as indicated in the image below.
Step
4
Draw
other two ellipses, fill them with the colors indicated and arrange
them like in the next image. After that, blend them as you did earlier
in order to get a smooth transition between them.
Step
5
Draw
two new ellipses, fill them with the colors indicated and arrange
them as shown in the image below. After that, blend them as you did
earlier, and you will highlight the bottom of the plate.
Step
6
Now,
select the last two blend groups from the center of the plate and Group (Control-G) them. Reduce the Opacity of the resulting group to 50%.
Step
7
Let’s
create the shadow under the plate. Take the Ellipse Tool (L) again
and draw two new ellipses in a new layer behind the plate. Fill the
smaller one with gray and the bigger one with white and arrange them on the lower left side of your plate.
Blend
the two ellipses as you did earlier to obtain the smooth transition
between them. Set the Blending Mode of the resulting blend group to Multiply (white becomes transparent). You can also reduce the opacity
if needed.
5. How
to Create the Stack of Pancakes
Step
1
Group
(Control-G) all the shapes that make up the first pancake and move it
on the plate. Scale the plate if needed (1).
Now,
select only the bottom shape of the pancake and then Copy and Paste
in Place (Shift-Control-V) in order to make a copy of it. Move this
copy behind the pancake group and then fill it with a darker shade of
brown. With this shape still selected, press the Down Arrow key on
your keyboard twice to move it 2 px downwards (2).
Go
to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur and apply a Radius of 2 px and
reduce the Opacity to 25%. This will create the appearance of a
smooth shadow under the pancake (3).
Step
2
Make
another copy of the bottom shape of the pancake just as you did
earlier, and then move it behind the pancake (1).
While
the new copy stays selected, press the Down Arrow key once in order
to move it 1 px downwards. Fill it with black and reduce the Opacity
to 20% (2). No need for a blur because we want a sharper shadow under
the pancake this time (3).
Step
3
At
this point you have the first pancake on the plate. You can make a
copy of it and then rotate and arrange it on top to obtain the second
pancake. Don’t forget about the two shadow shapes under the new
pancake.
To make the final image more appealing and realistic, I
drew the second pancake from scratch with a slightly different
shape. You can do so as well because the process and all the settings
remain the same.
Step
4
Following
the same technique, you can stack as many pancakes as you want. It’s
easier to keep each pancake in a separate layer along with its two
shadow shapes.
6. How
to Create the Shadow Under the Stack of Pancakes
Step 1
Select
only the bottom shape of the first pancake along with the bottom
shape of the second pancake and then Copy and Paste in Place
(Shift-Control-V) to make copies of both. While these two copies stay
selected, press Unite in the Pathfinder panel to merge them into a
single shape. Move the resulting shape to a new layer between the
pancakes and the plate.
Step
2
With
the shadow shape still selected, go to Effect > Stylize > Drop
Shadow and apply this effect four times.
Here
are the settings for the Drop Shadow effects:
7. How
to Create the Syrup on the Stack of Pancakes
Step 1
First,
add a new layer above the pancakes and name it “syrup”. Now, grab
the Pen Tool (P) and draw the shape of the dripping syrup. This will
take some time but make adjustments as you go until you are happy
with the end result (1).
Fill
this shape with brown; then go to Effect > Stylize > Inner Glow
and apply the settings shown. Set the Blending Mode to Soft Light to obtain the semi-transparent look. (2).
Step 2
Copy
and Paste in Front (Control-F) the syrup shape and change the fill
color to a warmer shade of brown. Leave the other settings as they
are. As a result, the syrup will look more golden.
Step 3
Now, focus on the syrup that
falls on the plate and draw two smaller shapes with the Pen
Tool (P). Send them behind the syrup shape and fill them with the radial
gradient shown. To smooth out the edges, apply a 2 px Gaussian Blur
and then reduce the Opacity to 35%.
Step 4
At
this point you can add more syrup to create the appearance of layers
flowing over the pancakes so draw two new shapes (or more) like in
the image below. Apply the same settings as before for the big syrup shape (1).
Copy
and Paste in Front (Control-F) these two shapes and then choose a
warmer shade of brown as the fill color just like you did earlier whilst keeping the other settings (2).
Step 5
Select
the big syrup shape and then Copy and Paste in Place
(Shift-Control-V) to make a copy of it. Remove all existing
appearances and select any fill color (1).
Copy
and Paste in Back (Control-B) the blue shape and move it 2 px to the
left by pressing the Left Arrow key on your keyboard twice. Choose a
different fill color so you can see better the two new shapes (2).
While
these two shapes stay selected, press Minus Front in the Pathfinder
panel. If you get multiple shapes instead of one, Ungroup
(Shift-Control-G) them and then go to Object > Compound Path >
Make (Control-8). You can see the resulting shape in the image below
(3).
Step 6
Fill
the compound shape from the previous step with black and move it
behind the syrup (1). To obtain a smooth look, apply a 1 px Gaussian
Blur and set the Blending Mode to Soft Light. This will create a soft shadow on the left side of the flowing syrup (2).
Step 7
Following
the technique explained in the previous two steps, create the shadow on the left side of the smaller syrup shapes. The settings remain the
same.
8. How
to Add Shine on the Syrup
Step 1
Take
the Pen Tool (P) and draw some random elongated shapes following the wavy
edges of the syrup (1). Fill all of them with pale yellow and then
apply a 2.2 px Gaussian Blur (2). Reduce the opacity for some of them if needed and Group (Control-G) all the shapes at the end.
Step 2
Use
the Pen Tool (P) again and draw a bunch of short paths above the
blurry ones from the previous step (1). Stroke all of them with the Black Blend Art Brush from another tutorial of mine How to Create a
Set of Multi-Use Blend Brushes (step 5.2) dedicated
to blend brushes and how great they are. I use these brushes all the
time.
Since
the Colorization of the brush is set to Tints, you can choose any
color and the brush stroke will update itself. In this case, choose a
very pale yellow and you will get that specific shine of the syrup
(2).
9. How
to Create a Realistic Blueberry
Step 1
First,
use the Ellipse Tool (L) to draw a small 35 x 35 px circle (1). While
the circle stays selected, go to Object > Create Gradient Mesh and
choose 5 Rows and 5 Columns. As a result you will get the mesh lines
and all the mesh points (2).
Each
of these mesh points can be colored with a different shade of blue in
order to obtain a more realistic look. You will find all the colors
in the Swatches panel in the attached Illustrator file if you
download it (3). You can see the end result in the image below (4).
Step 2
With
the help of the Pen Tool (P) draw a rounded shape on the blueberry
and fill it with the radial gradient shown. After that, draw a tiny circle in the center and fill it with the other radial gradient.
Step 3
Use
the Pen Tool (P) again to draw five petal-like shapes around the
previous shapes. Fill all of them with the radial gradient shown.
Group
(Control-G) all the shapes that make up the blueberry and move it on
top of the stack of pancakes.
Step 4
Take
the Ellipse Tool (L) and draw an ellipse about the size of the
blueberry filled with white (1). Draw a smaller ellipse filled with
gray above the first, as shown in the image below (2).
While
the two shapes stay selected, go to Object > Blend > Blend
Options and choose Smooth Color. Hit OK and then go back to Object >
Blend > Make (Alt-Control-B). Set the Blending Mode of the
resulting blend group to Multiply (white becomes transparent) and
send it behind the blueberry (3). Reduce the opacity of the shadow if
necessary.
Step 5
Make
copies of the blueberry and add as many as you want on the pancakes.
Create the shadow under each blueberry as explained in the previous
step.
Congratulations,
You’re Done!
The
stack of pancakes is ready. I wish we could eat them because they
look delicious. If
you recreate them, don’t forget to share your final image with us.
You
can also let me know what is your favorite food and maybe I will draw
it in the future.
Whether you’re looking to get a tattoo for the first time or you’re a total tattoo snob, choosing the right font for your designs takes patience. So today we present you with 50 insanely epic tattoo fonts we’re sure you’ll love.
With a selection of fonts curated from GraphicRiver and Envato Elements, this collection features 50 awesome tattoo fonts you’ll definitely want to incorporate into your next ink.
Want that extra personalized touch? Enlist the help of the professional designers at Envato Studio to create a custom tattoo design just for you!
50 Insanely Epic Tattoo Fonts
Do you love tattoo design? We sure do! From wild decorative fonts to stunning handwritten scripts, we’ve got a font to cover all of your tattoo needs.
Enjoy this eclectic collection below and let us know your favorites in the comments!
What better way to start off this collection than with an amazing tattoo font? This awesome script font was inspired by the swirls of traditional tattoos and a unique hand lettering style. Find packaged into this typeface a complete set of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and even a bonus set of borders for your convenience.
Named after the famous Captain James Cook who stumbled across the wonders of tattooed people in the South Pacific, this font features a cool decorative style perfect for a sailor or pirate. Its recommended size is at 36 pt or higher for a great design ideal for your next tattoo project.
If you’re looking for a unique font with that traditional vintage flair, then try the Aseina typeface for your designs. This font features a beautiful elegant feel, with the perfect mix of letters, numbers, and glyphs for that one-of-a-kind vintage style.
Inspired by tattoo lettering, this all caps font features a bold style that is sure to stand out. Download this set to get access to a complete collection of uppercase letters, numbers, and punctuation.
Tattoo lovers, beware. This font will turn you into a badass in no time. Inspired by the west coast style of tattoos, this font type features an aggressive, gothic design. Included in this set is a complete package of letters, numbers, and punctuation.
Do you have a vision of black for your next tattoo? Well, try this Black Vision font on for style. This set includes an elegant vintage feel, and features a full set of letters, numbers, and punctuation to complete your designs.
Sail across the seas with this November Script font. Hand-crafted and then digitized for a beautiful calligraphic design, this font features a full set of letters, numbers, and some nice ligatures for tricky letter combinations.
A decorative copperplate script with a modern twist, this Bodega Script font is a stunning typeface with an elegant style. It’s perfect for print work, tattoos, and so much more, so highlight your favorite passages with this unique typeface.
Inspired by old western design, this typeface features a modern twist for creative tattoo lovers. Included in this set are several font files with a helpful video for using the alternative glyph characters.
Suitable for print designs and creative tattoo art, this typeface features a modern script design that was handcrafted for that handwritten look. Included in this package is a full set of letters, numbers, and even multi-language support.
Looking for a beautiful script for your next tattoo? Well, look no further! This gorgeous Mashetta typeface features a stunning handmade calligraphic style. Included in this set are all the letters and numbers you need, with access to 473 glyphs for additional stylish options.
Sharpen up your next tattoo design with this awesome handwritten font. A new modern calligraphy typeface, this font combines copperplate and contemporary design for a unique and elegant touch.
This modern handwritten font was designed using high-quality ink markers. Perfect for simple branding projects or even your next tattoo, this elegant font offers sublime versatility and style.
Designed with a traditional Victorian aesthetic in mind, this typeface incorporates that clean vintage look with unique swirls and glyphs. Included in this package is a full set of letters, multi-language support, and access to 350 glyphs.
Want a tattoo that is unique yet simple? Give this awesome Typewriter font a try. Inspired by the cool mechanical look of classic typewriter lettering, this font features 187 unique glyphs and all the letters and numbers you need for your next project.
A classic Victorian serif font that is simple and easy to use, Victoriandeco is a font you’ll definitely want to incorporate into an awesome tattoo design. Inspired by the Victorian era of British history, this font features all your essential characters with bonus ornamental elements for additional decoration.
Inspired by the unique style of handwritten signatures, this font features a modern calligraphic design and all your essential characters. Download this package to gain access to a full set of letters, numbers, and a large glyph set.
Calligraphy is huge in tattoo design. So show off your favorite quotes with this elegant Alexandra script font. This font features a modern design with smooth lines and delicious curves, with all the characters you need for a fantastic tattoo design.
Black Heat is a modern typeface inspired by the Victorian era of design. Download this package to gain access to a full set of numbers, letters, and additional support for international symbols.
Inspired by handwritten letters and the cool side of street life, this modern typeface features a wild curvy design with all the characters you could ask for. This font is perfect for graffiti lovers, and you can incorporate it into your next ink for a cool, edgy style.
March into an awesome tattoo design with this gorgeous script typeface. Marchy was designed to illustrate a unique calligraphic style with stunning loops and clean lines. Featured in this download is access to a full range of letters and numbers with over 430 glyphs to incorporate into your designs.
With three unique styles—clean, inline, and inline-shadow—this energetic typeface features an ornamental design that is sure to make you stand out. Be the envy of all your tattooed friends with this awesome vintage style.
If you’re a fan of horror, metal, or gothic design, you’ll definitely love this Bekelakar typeface. Available in regular and an all-caps style, this font features a full set of letters, numbers, and basic punctuation.
Create drama with this insane Dramaga typeface. Inspired by the design behind the Posthardcore Band, this font features an intense Gothic vibe with unique angular accents. Download this font to feature this awesome style for your next tattoo.
If you’re feeling a little crazy, throw this Sadis font into the tattoo mix. A black letter font inspired by that epic Gothic look, this font features a complete set of letters, numbers, and punctuation we’re sure you’ll love.
Although this typeface is perfect for logos, you can also mix it into an awesome tattoo design. This unique serif typeface features a cool retro design that works perfectly in a variety of programs for further customization.
This cool vintage font is perfect for your next ink design. Featuring a grungy design with interesting loops and curves, this package comes complete with four font files and so much more!
Bring out your inner genius with this awesome Einstein font. A sophisticated script with a playful baseline, this font features a full set of letters, numbers, and basic punctuation. Download this package to gain access to a bonus swash set!
Twenty Nine is a playful marker typeface featuring a simple curvy style. With a bouncy baseline and a few sweet bonuses included, you’ll be happy you downloaded this set. An additional set of handcrafted ornaments is also included for that extra awesome touch!
Script fonts are super popular in tattoo designs nowadays. And this Jimmy font family includes a handcrafted script font designed to reflect the modern vintage trend sweeping the nation. Incorporate it into your next ink designs for that magical retro look.
A modern typeface handcrafted with brushes, the SokaQola font features an elegant design suitable for print work, tattoo art, and so much more. Included in this set is a full range of characters with additional stylistic ligatures for more design options.
Get dainty with this sweet Amorie Modella font family. Featuring a skinny, hand-drawn style, this font would work perfectly for a simple quote or even a unique name. Mix it up with flowers for an additional pretty element or keep it simple for a classic handmade design.
Get rude with this delicious typeface. A hand-drawn font designed with unique character, this file includes two serif fonts along with two script fonts. These fonts are created to work perfectly together, so you can mix them for interesting tattoo designs.
You’ll be saying “Hello Lary” with this lovely handmade font type. A modern typeface created with brushes, this font features a full set of letters, numbers, and basic punctuation for all your tattoo needs.
Simple design can be some of the most gorgeous design around. So incorporate this elegant font into your next ink for a clean and polished alternative. Included in this package is a full set of letters, numbers, and punctuation suitable for almost any art project.
Get reckless with this awesome font trio. Reckless is a handwritten brush font made with elegant curves and a unique style. Download this set to gain access to three handwritten fonts with all the characters you need for the ultimate design of elegance.
Balham to Brooklyn is a modern monoline script font that emulates hand-drawn letter forms. It’s inspired by American pop culture and features a stunning cursive design that works perfectly for simple tattoo designs and so much more.
Start singing the blues with this handmade Roadhouse Blues font. Inspired by an early American style, its decorative swashes give it a friendly retro vibe. Download this package for a full set of letters, numbers, and basic punctuation.
Delicate with organic curly serifs, this Petit Jardin font is divinely lovable. Designed for that sweet, dainty look, this font package includes letters, symbols, numbers, and more! Use it for your tattoo designs for that gorgeous Art Nouveau look.
Get crafty with this unique Food Craft font. Designed with an unusual ribbon aesthetic in mind, this font would be the perfect addition to a standalone tattoo design. Included in this package is a full range of letters and more to fulfill your tattoo needs.
Enjoy the sacred geometric shapes of this unique and inspiring font type. Inspired by sacred symbols, this font features letters, numbers, and basic punctuation. Incorporate it into your tattoo designs for that sacred personalized touch.
Get glamorous with this gorgeous font. A freestyle handmade signature type, this Glamour font is perfect for that awesome handwritten element. Included in this package are all the characters you need as well as 100 total freebies for more design experimentation.
Enjoy the adorable qualities of this stunning, elegant font. A modern script with a looping calligraphic style, this font is perfect for a meaningful personal quote or a name-based tattoo design.
Stay alive with this edgy font type. Inspired by the Victorian era and the posters of the 1800s, this font type features a full set of characters, numbers, and basic symbols. Use it for print work or that special ink you’ve been dying to get!
Enjoy the beauty of this classically designed typeface. Combining elements of copperplate and contemporary design, this font is perfect for a stunning yet simple tattoo. Included in this set are 300 glyphs and 118 alternate characters to complement your work.
If you’re looking for a bold design, considering using this Zenzero Sans font for your tattoo art. An industrial-based font created with regular and round styles, this unique font type gives you endless possibilities.
Explore the rustic Neo-Gothic elements of this Haext font for impressive tattoo designs. Part rune craft, part sacred goddess, this font is sure to put a spell on you with its spellbinding features.
A mono-weight script font, this type is heavily based on the modern era of traditional logo design. Make your tattoos stand out with this impressive font complete with letters, numbers, and so much more!
Enjoy the fancy yet flirty elements of this delicious Honeycomb font. Designed with fat-to-thin brush strokes and an imperfect baseline, this font would work gorgeously for a simple tattoo design. Download this package to gain access to a complete set of characters and stunning bonus extras.
To finish this collection of amazing tattoo fonts, I present you with this beautiful Mochafloat typeface. Created to emulate a modern calligraphic style, this package features 300 glyphs and 200 alternative characters.
10 Amazing Tattoo Tutorials from Envato Tuts+
Inspired by this wonderful collection? Put your skills to the test with these awesome tattoo-based tutorials from Envato Tuts+.
Conclusion
This list is jam-packed with exciting resources for the avid designer
familiar with OpenType and more. If you need additional
help creating a personal tattoo design, enlist the skills of a talented
professional by choosing one of the amazing designers from Envato Studio.
And with hundreds of glorious handwritten and script fonts to choose from, chances are we’ve missed a few to add to your personal collection. Be sure to browse Envato Market and Envato Elements for more resources, and let us know your favorites in the comments below!
Easter is a lovely spring holiday, which is
well known for its tradition of painting eggs. It’s usually associated with
gentle, vivid colors and a spring mood. In this tutorial, we’ll go through a
descriptive process of creating of flat Easter icons, using basic shapes, the
Pathfinder panel and some of the new Adobe Illustrator tools.
If you’re interested, you can purchase these icons as well as many others as part of an Easter Icon Set on GraphicRiver.
1. Make Festive Easter Egg Icons
Step 1
Let’s start by making the base of the egg.
Take the Ellipse Tool (L) and make a 70 x 70 px circle. Select its side anchor points with the Direct Selection Tool (A) and drag them down a bit, making the
bottom of the shape bulged. Then select the upper anchor point and drag it up,
making the top of the egg pointed.
Step 2
We’ll be using a bright spring palette with
gentle colors that you can pick up directly from the screenshot below with the Eyedropper Tool (I) while holding the Shift key.
Fill the base of the egg with yellow and
keep a copy in back(Control-C > Control-B), as we may
need it later.
Now let’s depict the decorative ornament above the egg. Take the Rectangle Tool
(M) and make a 70 x 15 px blue shape.
Step 3
Take the Line Segment Tool (), hold Shift
and make a horizontal shape with pink Stroke
of 3 pt Stroke Weight.
Let’s align all the shapes to the egg. Select everything (Control-A) and click
the egg while holding Alt in order
to make it a Key Object (you
will see a thick selection around it). Head to the Align panel and click Horizontal
Align Center.
Step 4
Now let’s modify the pink line. Select it
and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Zig Zag. Set the Size to 5 px, Ridges per segment to 7
and Points to Smooth.
Object
> Expand the shape to apply the effect.
Step 5
Add another rectangle to the bottom of the
egg and fill it with green color. Now let’s delete those parts of the
rectangles outside the egg. We’ll be using one of the new Adobe Illustrator
tools: the Shaper Tool (Shift-N). Take
the Shaper Tool (Shift-N) and just
scribble above the piece that you want to delete. Repeat the same with other unwanted parts.
If you’re working with earlier versions of
Adobe Illustrator, try using the Shape
Builder Tool (Shift-M) instead. It works almost the same—just select
everything and click the unwanted pieces while holding Alt.
We will also try another way of hiding the
unneeded parts a few steps later, when we’ll be making another egg.
Step 6
Select the modified egg and Object > Expand it. Then select the
yellow middle of the egg together with the pink zigzagged line and Divide them in the Pathfinder panel, breaking the shape into two equal
halves.
Step 7
Fill the upper piece of the divided shape
in a nice pink color. Take the Ellipse
Tool (L) and make a 5 x 5 px
circle. Hold Alt-Shift and drag the
circle to the right, creating a couple of copies.
Step 8
Now that the basic view of the egg is ready,
let’s add a flat-style shadow, covering one half of the egg. Group (Control-G) all parts of the egg, Copy and Paste in Front (Control-C > Control-F). Keeping the copy
selected, Unite it in the Pathfinder, merging it into one
silhouette.
Draw a vertical line across the egg, using
the Line Segment Tool (). Align the
line to the egg silhouette, making the egg a Key Object.
Keeping the line and the egg silhouette
selected, Divide them in the Pathfinder.
Delete one of the pieces and switch the
remaining half to Multiply mode,
making it semi-transparent.
Step 9
Now let’s make another egg!
We already have a base, as we’ve made a
copy of it in the very first step. Move it aside and fill with orange color. Add
decorative elements on top and let’s see another way in which we can hide the
unneeded pieces. Duplicate the basic
shape once again (Control-C >
Control-F) and Bring it to Front (Shift-Control-]).
Select all the elements, right click and Make Clipping Mask. Here you have it!
Step 10
Let’s add a few more decorative elements to
the egg. Make two 5 x 5 px circles
above the yellow stripe of the egg, placing them closer to the edges. Select
both circles and either use the Blend
Tool (W) or go to Object > Blend
> Make. Then open the Blend
Options window (Object > Blend
> Blend Options) and set the Spacing
to Specified Steps with a value of 3.
Object
> Expand the Blend group and add more circles in
the upper part of the egg, filling them with yellow color.
Step 11
When you’re satisfied with the result, add a
semi-transparent flat shadow to one half of the egg.
Combine the eggs. Use the Rounded Rectangle Tool to make a
light-green background for our icon.
Make a square with the Rectangle Tool (M) and rotate it by 45 degrees with the Selection
Tool (V) while holding Shift.
Fill the rectangle with linear gradient
from light-green to white and switch it to Multiply
Blending Mode, making a semi-transparent long shadow.
Step 12
Duplicate the light-green background and
place the shadow between the copies. Use a Clipping
Mask to hide the unwanted piece of the long shadow.
Great! Our first icon is ready! Let’s move
on to the next one.
2. Make a Cute Bunny Icon
Step 1
Make a 70 x 70
px grey circle for the bunny’s head. Move the side anchor points
down a bit with the Direct Selection
Tool (A) to make the head slightly squashed.
Now let’s form the ears. Take the Ellipse Tool (L) and make a 15 x 50 px oval. Move its side anchor
points up a bit, making the top of the ear wider. Keeping the shape selected,
go to Object > Path > Offset Path
and set the Offset value to -5 px, leaving all other options as
default. This way we create a smaller shape for the inner part of the ear.
Step 2
Fill the inner part of the year with pink
color, group both parts of the ear and Send
to Back (Shift-Control-[). Double-click the Rotate Tool (R) to open the options window and set the Rotate Angle value to -20 degrees.
Step 3
Use the Reflect Tool (O) to flip the ear over the Vertical Axis and click Copy
to form the second ear on the opposite side of the head. You can group both
ears and Align them to the head,
making the whole set perfectly centered.
Squash the head base a bit more.
Step 4
Use the Ellipse Tool (L) to form a pair of dark glossy eyes with white
highlights and a circle for the nose. Take the Scissors Tool (C) and click both side anchor points of the nose in
order to split the shape into two halves.
Step 5
Delete the upper half and turn the
remaining part into a cute bunny nose. Press X to swap Fill and Stroke colors. Set the Stroke Weight to 2 px
and change the Variable Width Profile
in the control panel on top. Create two copies of the nose and make them
somewhat thinner and lighter, forming a mouth as shown in the screenshot below.
Step 6
Let’s finish up with our bunny by adding
tiny whiskers to his head. Make a 9 px
horizontal stroke of 1 pt, using the Line Segment Tool (). Rotate the
whiskers a bit and add them to both sides of the face.
Step 7
Add a flat shadow to one half of the
bunny’s head, as we did previously. Form a rounded rectangle for the background
and create a semi-transparent long shadow to finish up with the icon.
If you feel any difficulty in adding a long shadow to a complex object, check out the following tutorial from Part 7, Step 1 and onwards in order to find out how to give our long shadow the desired shape.
This time we’ll depict a funny little
chicken popping out of the egg. First of all, make a striped egg with a few stripes
or other decorative elements to your liking, using the techniques that we’ve
learned in previous steps.
We need to remove the top part of the egg,
creating a cracked edge. Keep a copy of the egg’s base somewhere in the bottom, because we will need it later to form our chicken.
Make a horizontal line across the egg and
apply Effect > Distort &
Transform > Zig Zag. Set the Size
to 4 px,Ridges per segment to 7
and Points to Corner in order to
make the cracked edges sharp.
Step 2
Object
> Expand the zigzagged line and position it
across the egg, in the center of it. Copy the blue base of the egg, Paste
in Front (Control-C > Control-F) and Bring it all the way to
Front (Shift-Control-]), placing it on top of all the elements.
Select the zigzag and the egg base and Divide them in Pathfinder. Delete the upper part of the divided shape.
Finally, select everything, right click and Make Clipping Mask. Great! The cracked
piece of the egg is ready. Let’s put a chicken into it.
Step 3
Reveal the copy of the egg base that we’ve
created previously and fill it with gentle yellow color for the chicken’s body.
Shrink the shape to 60 x 75 px, making
it smaller. Select the side anchor points with the Direct Selection Tool (A) and drag them up a bit, making the
chicken rounder.
Step 4
Take the Polygon Tool and single-click
anywhere on the Artboard to open the pop-up options window. Make a 15 x 10 px triangle for the beak and fill
it with orange color.
Combine two triangles to form a beak and
squash them to form the proper shape. Don’t forget to add a pair of shiny eyes.
We can copy them from our bunny icon.
Step 5
Add a couple of oval wings, using the Ellipse Tool (L). Place the copy of the
chicken’s body above the wings and Make
Clipping Mask to hide the unneeded elements inside the mask.
Step 6
Finish up with the icon by adding all the
necessary elements like shadows and background. Awesome!
Let’s move on to our last icon and finish
our Easter set!
4. Make a Gift Box Icon
Step 1
Let’s start shaping our box from a 60 x 40 px green rectangle. Form a top of the box from a 65 x 15 px orange rectangle.
Step 2
Now let’s create a ribbon across the box.
Select both parts of the box and remember the mutual height of the shapes. You can find it in the Transform
panel. In our case, it is 55 px.
Make a blue ribbon of 5 x 55 px size,
placing it right in the center of the box. Add a smaller 5 x 15 px piece of ribbon at the top of the box, filling it with
darker blue color.
Step 3
Use the Pencil Tool (N) to make a bow with blue Stroke of 2 pt Weight.
Step 4
Let’s decorate our box with some ornament
or pattern. Copy the base of the box
and Paste it in Front (Control-C > Control-F).
Head to the Swatches panel, open the Swatch Libraries menu > Patterns > Basic
Graphics > Basic Graphics_Lines. Find the 10 lpi 30% swatch and click to apply a pattern with horizontal lines.
Step 5
Keeping the textured shape selected, double-click the Rotate Tool (R) and set the Angle
to 45 degrees. Deselect the Transform Objects checkbox and click OK, changing the direction of
the stripes.
Step 6
Let’s change the color of the stripes to
make them match our overall palette. Double-click
the applied pattern in the Swatches
panel to isolate it in the Pattern Mode.
Apply a light-green color to the Strokes
in the Color panel and click Done in the upper part of the working
area.
Step 7
Finish up with the icon by adding depth
with the help of the shadows and simple background.
Our Set of Icons Is Finished! Happy Easter!
Congratulations! We’ve done a great job, learning how to use the Shaper Tool and how to use work with basic shapes and the Pathfinder
panel. We can use these simple techniques to expand our set and create
more festive flat Easter icons!
If you’re interested, you can purchase these icons as well as many others as part of an Easter Icon Set on GraphicRiver.
If you’re on the hunt for a new job or simply trying to build up your network of clients or collaborators, a printed letter is still the best way to catch and hold someone’s attention. Compared to an email, a letter has serious weight—it shows you made the effort to design, print and post it, which speaks volumes about how much respect you have for the recipient.
Contacting a design agency or a potential new client? A well-designed letterhead will frame your message beautifully and demonstrate your creative prowess. Spend as much time refining your letterhead as you would a portfolio or résumé, and you’ll be sure to reap the professional rewards.
Want to design your own letterhead, but not sure where to begin? Don’t sweat it! A great letterhead is easier to achieve than you think. Here you’ll find 11 pro tips for nailing an awesome letterhead design…
1. Get the Basics Right
Every designer knows that a blank page can at times be incredibly daunting. But before you start simply throwing everything you have at the page, take a moment to set up the basics of your letterhead to a high standard.
First, make sure you’re using the best software for the job. Word or Pages are fine for an ultra-simple layout, but these will impose limitations when it comes to using graphics or an unusual text layout.
A program that’s tailored to creating more flexible publishing layouts is a much better choice and will help you to develop your design more professionally as you go. Adobe InDesign is probably the most suitable program for creating letterhead layouts (or try Quark xPress as a cheaper alternative), but Illustrator is also a great choice for creating a single-page layout.
If you’re determined to use Photoshop, remember to set up your canvas to 300 DPI to avoid any blurring or pixelation when you go to print. Still confused about which software to use? Choose the software you feel the most comfortable with using—you’ll feel more confident with crafting the layout, and the final result will be better.
Secondly, you need to consider the sizing of your letterhead. There are standard sizes for letterheads according to region. Sending a letter within the USA or Canada? Set up your page to US Letter size (215.9 by 279.4 mm, or 8.5 by 11 in). Within most other countries the standard letter size is A4 (210 by 297 mm, or 8.27 by 11.7 in). If you want to fit your letter in a standard sized envelope (which is advisable—these are more economical to print or buy), you’ll have to use one of these standard sizes.
Finally, think about the grid of your layout. Sure, a letterhead isn’t as complex as perhaps a poster or magazine cover, but it still needs a simple grid structure (breaking up the page into square or rectangular sections). Look at other well-designed letterheads and observe the grids they employ.
This letterhead may appear very simple, but you can see how the grid has been carefully considered. It’s split horizontally into thirds, and the top third has been devoted entirely to a logo and a balancing area of white space, while the central third is dominated by the bulk of the letter text.
Tip: In InDesign you can easily create a quick grid layout on your page by going to View > Grids & Guides > Show Document Grid.
2. Bring in a Beautiful Border
Printing technology has evolved at a phenomenal rate over the last couple of decades, and now you’ll find that high-quality, full-color printing is great value whether you opt for professional printing or print from home on a state-of-the-art home printer.
Don’t feel that you have to restrict yourself to a minimal, monochromatic layout for your letterhead—creative use of color can really add a stand-out element to your design and catch the reader’s attention.
That being said, you want to introduce color to your layout in a restricted, elegant way, without distracting from the content of your letter, which is after all the most important element on the page. A border is a great way of doing this, and with more modern home printers able to print up to the edge of the sheet, this is a great option for adding color to your design in a pared-back way.
Borders also help to frame the content of your layer, and in so doing draw attention to the text. A well-designed border acts in the same way as a picture frame would beautifully showcase a painting, helping to focus the viewer’s attention onto the content in the center of the layout.
To keep a border looking modern, consider dropping in graphics instead of block color, as in this calming, forest-inspired design.
Geometric vectors are an eye-catching way to up the style-factor of your letterhead. This is a bold trend that takes inspiration from digital and app design, so it’s a great pick if you’re applying to a tech start-up or web design agency.
You can achieve the low-poly look by creating simple, repetitive shapes in Illustrator or Inkscape, and applying a gradient color effect to create a 3D look.
Or take inspiration from this design, and build up repetitive triangle shapes in a punchy color palette to create a logo-like design which you can repeat on corners and the reverse of your page.
If you’re intending to extend your letterhead design to other stationery, like business cards and envelopes, this geometric style is easy to apply across other media. Simply copy and paste the design onto your other templates to create a uniform stationery set. It can’t fail to blow the socks off any interviewer.
4. Add a Creative Touch With a Header…
A top-heavy header might be one of the more traditional layout styles you could choose for your letterhead, but you can bring it bang up to date by using zesty color or pattern as the backdrop.
This lemon-inspired letterhead template is a great example of how a simple flagpost header can actually look incredibly contemporary and stylish. It’s also a great way of introducing a touch of style to an otherwise conservative design, making it an adaptable template for sending to both corporate and informal employers.
If you have a logo or signature, a header across the top of your layout is the perfect place to showcase it. So if you’re looking to create a memorable brand look for your application, a simple, eye-catching header is a good style to go for.
5. …or an Elegant Edge With a Spine Column
Once you’ve established a basic grid (see Tip 1, above), you have the freedom to divide up your layout to suit your purposes. Pulling out a single column on the left-hand side of your layout can be a really effective technique for breaking up the width of the page, allowing you to maximize the space available to you on the page.
This is a common layout style to use on a résumé, where you might want to place more important details, like a profile photo, contact details, and key skills. However, the same layout style works just as well for letterheads and, as with résumés, is a clever way of drawing attention to key elements on your letter. Placing a logo, your website and your phone number in a colored column ensures that these details will be seen by the reader.
In addition, dividing your letter into a columned structure is incredibly elegant, and looks particularly nice on US Letter-sized layouts where the page is wider and shorter. The column visually stretches the page vertically, creating a more elegant, visually pleasing aesthetic.
6. Adapt to Your Audience
While you’re completely absorbed with perfecting your grid and creating cool graphics to use on your letterhead, you should take a moment to pause and consider who you’re actually sending the letter to.
There’s nothing more inappropriate than sending a multicolored, hip letterhead to a formal, corporate company. Likewise, an ultra-minimal design might not communicate to that young start-up that you’re a fun team member to have around.
Consider who you’re sending your letter to and adapt the style appropriately. This minimal, monochrome design is a perfect fit for a legal firm, for example. You will come across as professional and measured, even before the reader has skimmed the text.
A style like this would also suit a company that’s more traditional at its core. No borders and no color is a convenient choice for a business that might not be super design-savvy—it will be easy for colleagues to photocopy and share your letter amongst themselves.
This minimal yet more design-forward style would be sure to impress an art gallery team or a smart retailer. This again communicates professionalism, but the on-trend logo and elegant layout speak volumes about your understanding of design and style.
Applying to a more informal company but not really sure how to pitch your letter? A letterhead design with a bit of personality, like this red template, is a good halfway house. Corporate styling and a traditional grid make this an excellent suits-all style.
A bit of self-promotion never hurt anybody, but have you considered creating a complete brand design for yourself? If you’re applying for creative roles, trying to attract more clients, or simply wanting to get a leg-up on the career ladder, creating a brand is a way of telling readers you are serious about your work.
A logo is the best way to get started with creating your brand, and it can be a quick and simple process. Explore simple concepts, using the letters of your initials or your own signature, to create a logo that memorably expresses who you are in a single graphic. This letterhead is a lovely example of a simple brand design.
Mimic the style by setting the first letter of your name in a sans serif typeface and teaming it with a simple color palette. Yellow and gray have a corporate feel, but try other combinations to suit your role. Blues are calming, while green has an eco-friendly feel which suits charities and start-ups.
Are you designing a letterhead for a client or a company of your own? Establishing a consistent brand look across your stationery is vital for communicating the authenticity and solidity of your business. This monochrome panda-inspired brand design is a strong yet simple way of giving your communications a unique and memorable look.
Color is hands down the most effective way of manipulating the psychological impact of your letterhead. When a potential employer opens up your envelope, a shot of color can really set the tone for how they view your letter.
Bright primary tones like yellows, blues and reds are instant mood-lifters and feel assertive and positive.
Going one step further, a spectrum of rainbow hues could put off a more formal readership, but it can set the perfect tone for an employer who’s looking for a candidate who’s going to be a fun, outgoing addition to their workforce.
Rainbow tones can’t fail to raise a smile, so if you want to come across as the sort of person that people want to gravitate towards in the office, being liberal with your use of color can really play to your favor.
A great tip for designing any letterhead or stationery item is to start small. Focus on refining a small element of your design, whether that’s a graphic element, a logo, or a simple colored header or column. Once you’re happy with that single feature, use it to develop a whole theme for the letterhead and for other print media.
Here a color palette of purples, oranges, grays and blues has been applied to a very simple set of shapes. The designer uses these as building blocks for creating a more interesting geometric design, which they use to embellish the letterhead, business cards and other items in their stationery set.
You can use a single element, whether it’s a color, a shape or a photo (see Tip 10, below) to build a thematic style for your stationery. It’s a surprisingly simple technique for establishing a holistic design quickly.
10. Integrate Photos Into Your Design
A letterhead might not seem the obvious place to showcase your photography skills, but subtly integrating a photo into your design can look incredibly modern and effective.
It goes without saying that if you’re applying for a photography role, it’s certainly not a bad idea to use a photo in the header of your layout, as in this stylish cityscape design.
But any letterhead might benefit from an image. This geometric design is a wonderful example of pulling together shape and color and teaming it with a dramatic photo, creating a futuristic, tech-forward look.
While a portrait shot might seem a bit intimidating or pretentious, a landscape shot or a patterned image can add an extra dimension of interest to your design.
Tip:When using photos in your letterhead layouts, experiment with gradients and transparencies to push images into the background, keeping the overall look subtle and letter-appropriate. In InDesign you can edit the opacity and gradient settings of an image by going to Object > Effects.
11. Build a Uniform Stationery Set
Many of the examples used in this article have demonstrated whole stationery sets, and not simply letterheads alone.
While it may sound like a lot of effort, taking the time to design a whole stationery set can really help to set you apart from other candidates when applying for competitive creative roles. Opening up a branded envelope to find a letter, portfolio and business card in a matching style is an utter delight for an employer reviewing hundreds of indistinct applications, and it will certainly make your letter more memorable.
Creating a whole stationery set needn’t be a daunting task. InDesign is ideally suited for creating different stationery items, and you can find blank templates for envelopes, business cards and more on InDesignSecrets.
In this article we’ve looked at 11 tips and tricks for designing awesome letterheads. This humble stationery item is your key to landing the job or client of your dreams, so design with confidence and you’ll be sure to catch someone’s eye.
This tutorial was originally published in October 2009 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.
During this tutorial, I’ll show you the process for creating one of my illustrated type posters. I love to work type into all of my illustrations for the balance and rhythm it provides to a layout, but I especially love creating images out of type itself… the graphic designer inside me compels me to do it!
For more incredible resources, check out our amazing selection of Vector Robots available through GraphicRiver. Or enlist the help of a design professional from Envato Studio for custom robot design.
1. How to Prepare Your Sketch and Document
Step 1
I have a passion for robots, sci-fi, and typography, so what better chance would I have to create a poster that merges all three? After gathering some robot references and paging through a few Will Eisner issues of “The Spirit” (look him up…a comic artist who was a master at illustrated type), I began by getting a very rough layout for my faux movie poster down on paper.
My vision was to create a large robot (that also serves as the type for the movie’s title) roaming menacingly through a war-torn city.
Step 2
With the initial idea out of my brain and into my sketchbook, I moved into Adobe Illustrator. The next task was to set up my document. I created an 11″ by 14″ artboard and, once open, optimized my workspace by opening and organizing frequently used panels and toolbars. My must-have panels include Character, Pathfinder, Align, Layers, Swatches, Color, Transparency, Gradient, and Stroke.
2. How to Add the Initial Elements
Step 1
I tend to use a lot of layers in my illustrations, and this one was no exception. The first layer that I always create is a white “frame.” I set it as my topmost layer, and it acts as a mask for all of the artwork underneath it. That way, I can extend images on layers out past the artboard, but not worry about seeing them.
I started with a rectangle the size of the artboard, and then created a larger one that I placed behind it, selected them both, and used the Minus Front option in the Pathfinder panel. I locked this layer and left it that way for the rest of the project.
Step 2
After adding a few new layers in the Layers panel, I began to mix some custom colors. I always throw out all of the generic Illustrator colors and mix my own simple, limited scheme in CMYK.
It’s also very helpful, when mixing your own colors in the Color panel, to set them as “Spot Color”. This allows you to double-click that color in the Swatches panel at any time, adjust the CMYK mix, and have those changes automatically applied to any instance of that color in your document.
I envisioned a warm palette for this illustration, and I created a red, a brown, and a few tans to get me started.
Step 3
After adding a solid rectangle of color to the background layer, I dropped a scan of the sketch into the scan layer (File > Place), resized it to fit the page, and set the Blending Mode to Multiply using the Transparency panel. This drops all of the white out of a placed image and allows you to work on layers underneath it by seeing through it.
I also added a second frame layer that would serve as a foreground element that the robot would be walking through (you’ll see later on that I abandoned this element for the final piece).
3. How to Add the Text
Step 1
Next, I began to rough out the body of the robot. Starting with straight type, I designed a flat type composition that would eventually become the torso of the robot. Note the name changed from “Robot Earth 57” to “Robot Earth 3009.” I thought 3009 would serve as a better basis for robot hips.
Step 2
I dragged the flat type-body on top of the rough scan and with it still selected, chose the Free Transform Tool.
Step 3
This tool is a great addition to Illustrator, if a bit tricky to use. It allows you to scale an object in perspective, which is just what the doctor ordered for this image. I began by moving the cursor over one of the open white boxes in the corner of the selected group and moved it ever so slightly until the white boxes disappeared. While still holding the mouse down, I then pressed Command-Alt-Shift.
This forces the art to skew back into space with perspective. Releasing any one of that combination of keystrokes, while still holding the selection with the mouse, releases one constraint, so you can get some pretty sophisticated effects. My best advice is to experiment liberally to get the hang of it.
Step 4
With the desired perspective achieved, I deselected the art and turned off the layer with the scanned sketch in it.
Step 5
Finally, I broke the type down into separate layers: “robot,” “earth,” “3009”, and the two shoulder blocks. This allowed for greater control when working on each section.
4. How to Add Depth to the Text
Step 1
Never one to leave the fun parts for last, I jumped in and started work on the robot head. I wanted it to have the effect of an array of machinery covered by a transparent glass dome. Starting with a half-pill-capsule shape, I copied (Command-C) and pasted in front (Command-F) and stroked the copy. Then I converted that path to outlines (Object > Path > Outline Stroke).
Next, I copied the original dome shape and pasted it in front to make sure it was perfectly lined up. With that still selected, I selected the new outlined stroke, went into the Pathfinder panel, and pressed Intersect. I was left with a shape perfectly contoured to the dome shape that would serve as a lit edge for the clear glass dome. Next, I added the brains of the robot by adding simple shapes together.
I sent them behind the dome shape, which I set to Multiply in the Transparency panel. Finally, I copied the original dome shape and pasted it all the way in back and set the color to white. This allowed me to place the head assembly on any color background without that background showing through the multiplied glass piece.
Step 2
Once the perspective was finished, I began to add dimension to each of the characters in the body type. I created an angled box that served as a side of the letters and then copied, repeated, and adjusted it over and over until the letters appeared to have volume.
For some more visual interest, I slid the word “earth” backwards a bit to create the illusion that it was a shorter depth than the word “robot”. To clean up my dimension work, I created temporary guides using locked white strokes (which I later threw away). These ensured that the perspective of the dimension boxes remained consistent with that of the original letters.
With the dimension finished, I dropped in the head that I created earlier to see how my robot was shaping up.
5. How to Add Limbs and Final Detailing
Step 1
Next up on the agenda was to create some legs for the robot. Always making sure the perspective visually matched the rest of the body, I intentionally made his lower legs out of large, flat surfaces to accommodate the bits of type that I had envisioned for them.
Step 2
Not content with the look of my hard-edged border, I thought the robot would look way cooler striding through clouds of dust created by the destruction he had just inflicted upon the city.
I printed a small copy of the file and laid a piece of tracing paper over that image. Then I drew my clouds on the tracing paper, scanned them in and dropped the image in a scan layer behind the robot. This way, I had a nice template to make the final vector art from.
Step 3
I was finally ready to start adding in all of my supporting type. I began by selecting and skewing the robot’s left shoulder block so that it appeared to be swinging in mid stride.
Step 4
Next, I created the “Is This The End For Humankind?” type lockup as a flat graphic and, using the Skew and Scale Tools, mapped it onto the side of the shoulder.
Step 5
Finally, I did the same for the actors, producer and director credits on the leg, and added a fictitious studio cred above the right shoulder. You can also see that I began to render the dust clouds that I talked about in the previous step.
Step 6
The robot’s claw began as a simple circle shape with the center punched out of it (Pathfinder > Minus Front). I then copied the shape, pasted it in back, and colored the new shape a lighter green.
Next, I created a concentric circle and added the movie premier date and “Destroying Theaters” with the Type on a Path Tool. Finally, I drew in the connecting dimension between the two circles, added some detail to the wrist joint, and skewed the type with the Scale and Skew Tools until I got the desired effect.
Step 7
My next task was to create a ribbed metallic effect on the robot’s arms. I could have created a section and copied and repeated it along the length of the arm manually, but to get even spacing just by eyesight would take an eternity. Fortunately, there’s a much better way.
I began by creating one section of the tubular arm, which consisted of the divider for each section, the shadows, and the highlights. Then I dragged that grouped section into the Brushes palette and selected Pattern Brush from the available options in the dialog box that popped up. I then hit OK in the following brush dialog box.
Step 8
Next, I made a Copy of the green stroke that serves as the base of the arm and pasted that in front (it’s shown here to the left of the original stroke for tutorial purposes). I applied the newly made pattern brush to that stroke and… voila! The tubing section that I created repeats along the length of the path. Some experimentation may be necessary to achieve the proper effect, but Pattern Brushes are a great way to get great looking, evenly spaced effects along a path.
Step 9
Heading into the home stretch, I turned my attention to the cityscape in the background. I had created buildings for an earlier illustration (recycling works!), but they weren’t destroyed, as I intended them to appear here.
A simple mask with a jagged edge over the original building achieved the crumbling look that I was going for, and the addition of an uneven-edged grid pattern behind the building stood in for exposed I-beams. Finally, a tilt added to each building sewed up the just-destroyed-by-a-100-foot-robot look that I was going for.
Step 10
With all of the elements of the illustration created, I just had to add some depth by using multiply shadows. For any surface that I thought could use a shadow, I simply Copied and Pasted in Front, set up that new copy as a linear gradient in the Gradient panel, set it to Multiply, and aimed the direction of the shadow with the Gradient Tool.
I went on to add many more multiplied shapes throughout the piece for a uniformly shaded look.
Step 11
For one final menacing touch, I added eye beams coming out of the robot’s eyes. White shapes set to an Opacity of 50% achieved this effect.
Awesome Work! You’re Now Done!
Illustrated typography is a passion of mine, so I hope you’ve enjoyed my tour of one of the fiercest type-based-robot-designs you’ve ever laid your eyes upon! The final image is below. You can view the large version here.
Fun Vector Robots From GraphicRiver
Can’t get enough vector robots? Check out our amazing selection of Vector Robots from GraphicRiver for more incredible design assets. Enjoy one of our favorites listed below!
This colorful set of vector robots is ready to take over the world! Complete with modern flat designs and gorgeous color schemes, these robots are sure to charm the socks off any intruder. Create an Envato account today to download these helpful resources.
In the following steps you will learn how to create a simple Western text effect in Adobe Illustrator.
For starters you will learn how to create a simple background and how to add a basic piece of text. Taking full advantage of the Appearance panel, you will learn how to create your Western text effect.
You’ll learn how to work with multiple fills and stroke, Offset, Rounded Corners and Transform effects, some Photoshop effects plus basic blending techniques. Finally, you’ll learn how to save and use a simple graphic style.
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 Add a Simple Background
Step 1
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 the Advanced button. Select RGB for the Color Mode, set the Raster Effects to Screen (72 ppi), and then click Create Document.
Step 2
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=231 G=207 B=180. Move to your artboard and simply click on it to open the Rectangle window. Enter “860” in both boxes and then click that OK button.
2. How to Add Your Text
Step 1
Pick the Type Tool (T) and open the Character panel (Window > Type > Character). Use the Texas Tango font, set the size to 120 px,and then simply click on your artboard. Add the “WILD” text and set its color to white (R=255 G=255 B=255).
Step 2
Make sure that your text remains selected, focus on the Swatches panel (Window > Swatches), and click the [None] swatch to get rid of that white fill.
Move to the Appearance panel (Window > Appearance) and click that Add New Fill button to add a new fill for your piece of text. Select it and set its color to R=212 G=92 B=17.
3. How to Create the Back Side of the Text Effect
Step 1
Make sure that your text is still selected and keep focusing on the Appearance panel. Add a second fill using that same Add New Fill button and drag it below the existing fill.
Select the new fill, set its color to R=53 G=9 B=8, and then go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Enter a 10 px Offset, click the OK button, and then go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Set the Radius to 10 px, click OK, and then go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Drag the Move-Vertical slider to 5 px and then click OK.
Step 2
Make sure that your text is still selected and keep focusing on the Appearance panel. Reselect that bottom fill and go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow. Enter the attributes shown in the top left window (in the following image), click the OK button, and then add the other three Drop Shadow effects shown below.
Step 3
Make sure that your text is still selected and keep focusing on the Appearance panel. Add a third fill and drag it between the existing two fills.
Select this newest fill, set its color to R=76 G=28 B=15, and then go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Enter a 5 px Offset, click the OK button, and then go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Set the Radius to 6 px, click the OK button, and then go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Drag the Move-Vertical slider to 4 px and then click OK.
Step 4
Make sure that your text is still selected and keep focusing on the Appearance panel. Add a fourth fill and drag it right below the top fill.
Select this newest fill, set its color to black (R=0 G=0 B=0), and then go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Enter a 10 px Offset, click the OK button, and then go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Set the Radius to 10 px, click the OK button, and then go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Drag the Move-Vertical slider to 5 px, click the OK button, and then go to Effect > Artistic > Film Grain. Drag the three sliders as shown in the following image and then click that OK button.
Step 5
Make sure that your text is still selected and keep focusing on the Appearance panel. Reselect that black fill, lower its Opacity to 15%, and change the Blending Mode to Multiply.
Step 6
Make sure that your text is still selected and keep focusing on the Appearance panel. Add a fifth fill and drag it right below the top fill.
Select this newest fill, set its color to R=76 G=28 B=15, and then go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Enter a 10 px Offset, click the OK button, and then go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Set the Radius to 10 px, click the OK button, and then go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Drag the Move-Vertical slider to 5 px, click the OK button, and then go to Effect > Sketch > Graphic Pen. Set the Stroke Direction to Vertical, drag the two sliders as shown in the following image, and then click that OK button.
Step 7
Make sure that your text is still selected and keep focusing on the Appearance panel. Reselect the fill added in the previous step, lower its Opacity to 10%, and change the Blending Mode to Soft Light.
Step 8
Make sure that your text is still selected and keep focusing on the Appearance panel. Select the top fill and go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Set the Radius to 2 px, click the OK button, and then add the two Drop Shadow effects shown below.
4. How to Create the Front Side of the Text Effect
Step 1
Make sure that your text is still selected and keep focusing on the Appearance panel. Add a new fill and drag it above the existing ones.
Select this newest fill and replace the flat color with the linear gradient shown below. Keep in mind that the blue numbers from the Gradient image stand for Location percentage.
Next, go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Set the Radius to 2 px, click the OK button, and then go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -2 px Offset, click the OK button, and then go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Drag the Scale-Vertical slider to -96%, don’t forget to check the top middle reference point, and then click that OK button.
Step 2
Make sure that your text is still selected and keep focusing on the Appearance panel. Select the top fill and duplicate it using the Duplicate Selected Item button. Select the newly added fill, replace the linear gradient with black, and then go to Effect > Artistic > Film Grain. Drag the three sliders as shown below and then click that OK button.
Step 3
Make sure that your text is still selected and keep focusing on the Appearance panel. Reselect the fill added in the previous step, lower its Opacity to 5%, and change the Blending Mode to Multiply.
Step 4
Make sure that your text is still selected and keep focusing on the Appearance panel. Add a new fill and drag it above the existing ones.
Select this newest fill, set its color to R=76 G=28 B=15, and then go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -1 px Offset, click the OK button, and then go to Effect > Sketch > Graphic Pen. Set the Stroke Direction to Vertical, drag the two sliders as shown in the following image, and then click that OK button.
Step 5
Make sure that your text is still selected and keep focusing on the Appearance panel. Reselect the fill added in the previous step, lower its Opacity to 15%, and change the Blending Mode to Soft Light.
Step 6
Make sure that your text is still selected and keep focusing on the Appearance panel. Add a new fill and drag it above the existing ones.
Select this newest fill, set its color to R=235 G=190 B=89, change the Blending Mode to Soft Light,and go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Set the Radius to 2 px, click the OK button, and then go to Effect > Stylize > Inner Glow. Enter all the attributes shown below and then click that OK button.
Step 7
Make sure that your text is still selected and keep focusing on the Appearance panel. Add a new fill and drag it above the existing ones.
Select this newest fill, change its Blending Mode to Overlay, and replace the flat color with the linear gradient shown below. Keep in mind that the yellow number from the Gradient image stands for Opacity percentage.
Next, go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Set the Radius to 2 px, click the OK button, and then go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -7 px Offset, click the OK button, and then go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Drag the Scale-Vertical slider to -96%, don’t forget to check the top middle reference point, and then click that OK button.
Step 8
Make sure that your text is still selected and keep focusing on the Appearance panel. Reselect the fill added in the previous step and go to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Set the Radius to 3 px and then click that OK button.
Step 9
Make sure that your text is still selected and keep focusing on the Appearance panel. Reselect the fill added in the previous step and duplicate it using that same Duplicate Selected Item button. Select the newly added fill, lower its Opacity to 30%, and remove that Gaussian Blur effect.
Step 10
Make sure that your text is still selected and keep focusing on the Appearance panel. Add a new fill and drag it above the existing ones.
Select this newest fill, change its Blending Mode to Overlay, lower the Opacity to 20% and replace the flat color with the linear gradient shown below. Remember that the yellow number from the Gradient image stands for Opacity percentage.
Next, go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Set the Radius to 2 px, click the OK button, and then go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -5 px Offset, click the OK button, and then go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Drag the Scale-Vertical slider to -96%, don’t forget to check the top middle reference point, and then click that OK button.
Step 11
Make sure that your text is still selected and keep focusing on the Appearance panel.
Select the stroke, make it black, set the size to 6 px,and then go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Set the Radius to 2 px, click the OK button, and then go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -2 px Offset and then click the OK button.
Step 12
Make sure that your text is still selected and keep focusing on the Appearance panel. Reselect that stroke, lower its Opacity to 25%, and change the Blending Mode to Soft Light.
5. How to Save and Use Graphic Styles
Step 1
Make sure that your text is still selected, open the Graphic Styles panel (Window > Graphic Styles), and simply click that New Graphic Style button.
Step 2
Finally, you can add new text and use your saved graphic styles as shown below.
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 can find some great sources of inspiration on GraphicRiver, with interesting solutions to improve your design.
Welcome to our monthly feature of fantastic tutorial results created by
you, the Envato Tuts+ community! Every day, visitors like you take the
time not only to read our tutorials but also to try them out. This is an
assortment of those comment submissions found throughout the Design
& Illustration section. Check out this set of results and join in
for the next roundup, published next month!
Vector Tutorial Results
Taken from the
comments section of your favorite tutorials, these first pieces are an
assortment of results created with vector drawing programs. Check out
these amazing results!
How to Draw Little Red Riding Hood With Basic Shapes in Adobe Illustrator
Here’s my contribution! Big thanks to Beto Garza for this superb tutorial!
Design a CD Cover in Low-Polygonal Grungy Style in Adobe Illustrator
Inspired by this Low Polygonal tutorial from Yulia Sokolova, Hannah B created this stunning bird version. She said:
Thanks for the tutorial! I made a cute low poly bird by following your advice.
How to Create a Greyscale Monochrome Vector Portrait in Adobe Illustrator
User bennyqibal art took inspiration from this Monochrome Vector Portrait tutorial by Sharon Milne and created her own impressive version. She commented:
Great tutorial! I think I need to study illustrator more intensely. Thanks Miss Sharon!
How to Draw a Sweet Cherry Chocolate Cake Slice in Adobe Illustrator
Let’s
take a look at this next set of results inspired by Adobe Photoshop
tutorials published here on Envato Tuts+. Contributions range from photo
effects to icons and more! Check out these wicked results below!
Quick Tip: Expanding on the Style-Inspired Double Exposure Effect
Vera Raziote took on this Double Exposure tutorial from Kirk Nelson and ended up with her own stunning result below. She commented:
Beautiful! Thank you for the useful tutorial! It inspired me to do this in a “True Detective” style.
Create Destructive Black and White Lettering With a Dramatic Splash Effect
I found my own splatter for part four that worked out very well. I simply searched for it on Google. Also, when it came down to the red paint splash, since the composition is in greyscale, I was able to just edit out the watermark and still get very similar effects. I’m a beginner at using Photoshop and this tutorial was excellent and easy to follow.
How to Create a Fantasy Flaming Deer With Adobe Photoshop
User Twixt did an insane job recreating this Flaming Fantasy Deer inspired by a tutorial from instructor Jenny Le.
Create a Tasty 3D Typographic Illustration in Photoshop
I enjoyed this tutorial, so thanks! It is a very difficult and time-consuming lesson. We need to be patient with this one. But such joy awaits at the end of this path!
Design Tutorial Results
These final
pieces are inspired by an assorted of design tutorials that don’t quite
fit the previous categories. They include everything from print design
to drawing and more! Enjoy these beautiful pieces created by the
community below!
Create a BBQ Flyer
to Celebrate Australia Day in Adobe InDesign
Thank you for the tutorial, Janie! I followed most of the steps but made some tweaks for the upcoming Netflix series, “A Series of Unfortunate Events.” Thank you for the inspiration!
How to Design a Vintage Book Cover
Narcisa Didoaca created an impressive and perfect Vintage Book Cover inspired by a tutorial by Grace Fussell. She commented:
Hi Grace, as usual, I love your tutorials! Since I don’t have a printer and scanner, I used a different technique for the cover design. I drew everything in Photoshop and then traced it with the pen tool and vectorized it all in AI. I hope you like my result!
How to Be Involved in the Next Showcase
Have
you created a piece based on one of our tutorials here in the Design
& Illustration section of Envato Tuts+? We’re keen for you to share
your results with us! Check out the general guidelines below to join in
with our community:
Your artwork should be similar in some
way to the tutorial that you followed or that inspired it. The aim of
these showcases is to share what readers have created after following
the tutorial.
Comment on the tutorial you used, attaching an
image of your result. We’re keen on all levels of ability: from beginner
to advanced!
Include a comment about your result, yourself, or your process. We like knowing about you and what you’re sharing.
Share
the tutorial when you share that artwork elsewhere on the web. If
you’ve posted your piece on sites like Facebook, Tumblr or Behance, link
back to the tutorial so that other users know your source and can join
in on the fun.
Thanks to everyone who was highlighted above for sharing your results with the Envato Tuts+ community. We look forward
to checking out your brilliant versions of our tutorials in the near
future, and welcome users new and old to participate in upcoming
showcases.
