Let’s learn how to use the Mesh Tool while creating a photo-realistic T-shirt!
Begin by drawing the shape of half of a shirt with the Pen Tool (P). Fill it in with #F3F3F3.
Create a copy of the shape! Put it aside—we will need it later.
Let’s start using a Mesh! Take the Mesh Tool (U)
and start creating a Mesh grid on the object by placing nodes.
Afterwards, select the nodes on the left edge of the shirt and
change their color to #B7B7B7.
Add some more nodes, as indicated in the screenshot below, and color the selected nodes with #F4F4F4, adding wrinkles to the shirt.
Step 2
Continue coloring the nodes as indicated below. Use these colors:
#DFDFDF
#E3E3E3
#F7F7F7
#B9B9B9
Step 3
Take the second copy of the shirt, reflect it, and continue coloring.
#F3F3F3
#B7B7B7
#D9D9D9
#EEEEEE
Step 4
Finish the second half.
#CFCFCF
#C4C4C4
#B9B9B9
#E3E3E3
Step 5
Draw a sleeve.
#EAEAEA
#BDBDBD
#B6B6B6
#CFCFCF
#DADADA
#BDBDBD
Step 6
#E9E9E9
#C0C0C0
#F4F4F4
Step 7
Bend the Mesh into a collar with Effect > Warp > Arc, using -85% Bend.
Object > Expand Appearance of the result.
Step 8
Draw the second part of the collar.
#6A6A6A
#979797
Step 9
Combine the collar parts.
Step 10
Assemble the T-shirt mockup!
2. How to Recolor the T-Shirt Mockup Template
Step 1
To get all the colors you can see in the thumbnail, create three more copies of the white shirt we just made.
Grab a copy and proceed to Edit > Edit Colors > Adjust Colors. Change the tab to Greyscale and apply 32% Black. Don’t forget to tick the Convert box.
Step 2
Create two more copies of the grey shirt mockup we just made. Grab the original and recolor it with Edit > Edit Colors > Adjust Colors.
This time, change the tab to RGB and apply 18% Red, -30% Green, and -26% Blue. Don’t forget to tick the Convert box.
Step 3
Take another copy and essentially repeat the last step by going to Edit > Edit Colors > Adjust Colors, changing the tab to RGB and applying 6% Red, 13% Green, and -60% Blue.
Step 4
Take the final copy and convert it to orange with 27% Red, -5% Green, and -41% Blue.
Step 5
Grab one of the original white T-Shirts and convert it to Grayscale with 40% Black.
Step 6
Recolor the grey template to cyan with -9% Red, 20% Green, and 16% Blue.
Step 7
Take the last white copy and turn it black with 63% Black.
Step 8
Create a copy of the black T-Shirt mockup and recolor it to dark red with 9% Red, -9% Green, and -7% Blue.
Step 9
Congratulations! Your colorful set of T-Shirt mockup templates is done!
Do you want to learn how to design high-quality logos using gradients in Adobe Illustrator? In this video from my course, 10 Essential Design Tips in Adobe Illustrator, you’ll learn how to create gradient-based logos, primarily using only two colors: black and white.
Logo Design With Gradients
Why Gradient-Based Logos?
Sometimes you see logos and they have a gradient to them, and they blend really nicely over different colors.
A good example would be the Adobe MAX logo—the more abstract one that was made out of lots of different triangles. It’s very, very minimal, and it’s all made up of gradients. So when you lay a color or any image behind it, no matter what it is, it looks fantastic and it works.
How to Create a Gradient-Based Logo
Let’s start by creating a polygon. So choose the Polygon Tool and left-click anywhere on the artboard. Set the number of Sides to 3. Don’t worry about setting the radius—just click OK, and then just scale it up by dragging from the corner while holding Shift.
Now click on the Gradient panel on the right. (If you don’t see that panel, just go to the top menu and choose Window > Gradient.) And if you click anywhere on that slider, you’ll get the default black to white gradient.
You can then duplicate the shape by holding Alt-Shift and dragging to the right. And then repeat this last action with Command-D to create a third triangle.
Let’s rotate this now. So select everything, and hold Shift and rotate from one of the corners.
Now drag over everything, and change the Transparency blending mode from Normal to Multiply.
And there we go. We’ve got a kind of W logo. So let’s pretend that this is a fictional company and the logo is a W. What using Multiply does is that it just blends those shapes together so that they overlap with each other.
Now let’s bring the triangles in a bit so that they’re closer to each other. Just drag them in manually, and then if you end up with unequal spacing, just select everything and from the Align panel, go to the Distribute Object section and select Horizontal Distribute Center, and it will space them equally apart.
Varying the Logo’s Background and Color
Now let’s add a background color. You can use the Rectangle Tool and size it so that it covers the artboard. Pick a blue color from the Swatches panel, and then go to Object > Arrange > Send to Back.
As you can see, because we have the black and white gradient, it blends in really well with whatever color you lay behind this. So if you go back to the Swatches panel and change the global swatch, you can see that it works well with lots of different background colors.
We can also go back into each shape and adjust the rotation, reverse the gradients, change the angle, and so on. And you can also double click on a swatch in the gradient and then go and add colors as well. So let’s add a dark blue color. And then you can use the Eyedropper Tool to copy that to the other two shapes.
Now, of course, we’ve introduced a specific color. So if we do start changing the background color, now we’ve got to be conscious about how these two colors blend together with the multiply blending mode.
So we’ve got this really dark blue swatch that we used in the gradient, and we can add different background colors. For example, here it is with a coral color background, and those two colors are blending together, which I think works really well.
Or here it is with a teal background:
So you have a lot of flexibility here. It depends entirely what you’re going for, but that is one way that you can use gradients within your logo design to make something that looks awesome and works with a variety of different backgrounds.
Watch the Full Course
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Kolam is a form of drawing that is drawn by using rice flour/chalk/chalk powder/rock powder often using naturally/synthetically colored powders as Wikipedia says. A Kolam is a geometrical line drawing composed of curved loops, which is drawn around a grid pattern of dots. In South India it is widely practiced by female Hindu family members in front of their houses. More complex Kolams are drawn and colors are often added during holiday occasions and special events.
When I was requested to create a Kolam pattern, I thought it might be interesting to do so. And the more you search, the more interesting it becomes. So I tried to recreate the pattern drawn by rice powder by Indian women.
In this tutorial we will use the Grid and the Arc Tool. After creating the pattern, we will apply two special brushes to make it look as if the pattern was drawn using rice powder.
Let’s start!
1. How to Set Up the Grid and Create a Quarter of the Pattern
Step 1
After you opened your Adobe Illustrator, create a new document with 850 px Width and Height.
Now let’s set up some settings to make our future work easier. First, we will set up the Grid. Press Control-K and a new dialogue window will pop up. On the left side of this window, you will find the words Guides & Grid. Click on that and enter the options shown in the image below, and then press OK.
After that, you want to see the grid you just set up. Right-click your mouse and check Show Grid.
The last thing you want to do in order to make your job easier is to check Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid).
Step 2
So now we have our grid, which will help us to draw. But this grid is everywhere, even beyond the borders of the artboard. That’s why we want to set some boundaries for our future pattern.
Delete the fill color and set a black stroke color. Take the Ellipse Tool (L) and draw a tiny circle. Because you checked Snap to Grid, this ellipse will sit exactly on the intersection.
Step 3
Keep the circle selected, and immediately press the Enter button. This action means you want to move your object. In the new dialogue window, enter the options you see below, and then press Copy.
You’ll notice that you just created a new copy of the tiny circle. Then press Control-D a few times to fill the width of your artboard.
Step 4
Select the whole row that we previously created and press the Enter key again. Now we want to move the row vertically. Enter the options in the new dialogue window:
Fill your artboard vertically.
After you’ve finished creating the grid for the pattern, it’s best to create a new layer where you will actually draw the pattern, so that you don’t move the grid accidentally. Go to the Layers panel (Window > Layers) and hit the Create New Layer button. Then, lock the layer with the grid: click on the empty box on the left side and a tiny lock sign will appear there.
Step 5
And now we can start to draw our pattern. Make sure you are on the right layer (the new one we just created). Choose any stroke color you like—it doesn’t matter because we will change it later on.
Hit the Arc Tool and draw curves following the arrows shown below. I changed the stroke color for each of the arcs for better visibility.
Step 6
Continue to draw the pattern. We will need to create squares as well (use the Rectangle Tool (M) for the squares). For the straight lines you can also use the Arc Tool, because if you stretch the curve between the two dots lying on a horizontal or vertical line, it will be a straight line.
Step 7
Continue to draw the pattern, as shown below. Notice how some shapes are not connected to others.
Step 8
Now add even more detail to your pattern, by adding in more designs.
Step 9
Add a few more curves and circles (which actually look like dots). Make their stroke thicker on the Stroke panel (Window > Stroke) by increasing the stroke Weight, so they will be more visible.
2. How to Multiply the Quarter of the Pattern
Step 1
So now we have a quarter of the pattern. And now we are going to multiply this quarter to get the whole pattern.
First, select the quarter, and hit the Reflect Tool (O). While holding down the Alt key, click on the middle of the grid (the one we created especially for the pattern, not the one you switched to by right-clicking > Show Grid). In the new dialogue window, enter Axis Vertical, Angle 90 degrees and press Copy. Now we’ve got the first half of the pattern.
Step 2
And now reflect the half vertically in order to get the whole one. Select the half of the pattern, hit the Reflect Tool (O) and click just below the half. In the new dialogue window, enter Axis Horizontal, Angle 0 degrees, and press Copy.
Now you can switch off the layer with the grid by clicking the button with an eye on the Layers panel (Window > Layers) and see how your pattern looks.
3. How to Create the Background and Change the Brush
Step 1
Delete the stroke color and set the fill color shown below. Hit the Rectangle Tool (M) and click on your artboard. In the new dialogue window, enter 850 px Width and Height, and press OK. This will be the background.
Step 2
Place the background behind the pattern (Control-X, Control-B).
Select the pattern (without the background) and change its stroke color to white. To make it look more like rice powder, let’s change the brush. Go to the Brushes panel (Window > Brushes), and on the bottom of the panel click on the Brush Libraries Menu and select Artistic > Artistic_ChalkCharcoalPencil > Charcoal – Rounded.
Here are the options for the new brush:
Step 3
To make it more like actual art, we will make it a bit messier. Keep the pattern selected and go to the Appearance panel (Window > Appearance). Look at the top right corner of this panel and click on the button there. Find the words Add New Stroke, and press on it.
You just added a new stroke to the existing one, but they are still the same: both are white and use the same brush. We want to keep the same stroke color, but we want to change the brush. For the new stroke, go to the Artistic > Artistic_Ink > Galaxy. Be sure this Galaxy stroke stays behind the Charcoal – Rounded one. On the Appearance panel, you can drag it down.
This is what your pattern should look like once you have added the Galaxy stroke.
Here is the Galaxy brush options window:
Conclusion
As you can see, you have successfully created an amazing image. It is quite amazing how Indian women can create this pattern just by using rice powder. I hope you enjoyed creating this wonderful image.
The glitch effect is a major trend in 2018 and is quickly becoming a desirable effect that creates a nostalgic feel related to VHS. Here is an easy technique to create a unique glitch!
1. How to Create the Base of the Glitch in Adobe Illustrator
In order to apply the Displacement Tool in Photoshop, we need to create a file to disperse. Using the Blend Tool in Illustrator, we will create some shapes to use later in Photoshop.
Step 1
In Illustrator, go to File > New. Name the document Displace. Set the Width to 1270 px and Height to 1600 px. Set the Color Mode to RGB and the Resolution to 72 Pixels/Inch if you are planning on keeping the final image for web. Hit OK.
Step 2
Select the Ellipse Tool (L) and create two circles, one big and one small. Any size works as long as we cover most of the Artboard. To create even circles, press Shift-Option and proceed to create a circle. Select no fill color and a black stroke.
Step 3
To create an interesting shape, let’s add some anchor points to the circle. On the toolbar, select the Add Anchor Point Tool (+) and click in between the points already in both circles.
Step 4
Using the Direct Selection Tool (A), click on the points around the circle and move them around to create an organic shape. Feel free to do as much as you like—I suggest changing the shape to more than just a circle for the result to take on something more interesting.
Step 5
On the toolbar,select the Blend Tool (W) and click on any point of the smaller shape and then on any point of the bigger shape. We want to create multiple lines between the shapes, so double click on the Blend Tool (W) on the toolbar.In the Blend Options window, click on the Preview box to see what we are doing live. Set the Spacing to Specified Distance of 3 px. Click OK.
Step 6
Duplicate the shape by holding Option and dragging the shape.I am resizing the shape slightly to fit the whole Artboard.
Step 7
We are ready to proceed! Head over to File > Export and select and save the file in a folder that is easy to find. Save the file as a PSD and check the Use Artboards box. Under Range: type the number of the Artbox. It should be 1 unless you’ve created multiple artboards. Click OK. A Photoshop Export Options window will open. I am saving the file as RGB and Resolution at 72.
2. How to Use the Displace Tool
Step 1
In Photoshop, go to File > New. Name the document Glitch_Effect. Set the Width to 1270 px and Height to 1600 px. Set the Resolution to 72 Pixels/Inch. Click OK.
Step 2
Using the Type Tool (T), let’s create something to use the Displace.psd file we created. Type TEST COPY. I am using Archivo Black, but any typeface will do. Try to fill the whole page. Duplicate the text Layer by pressing Command-J. Right-click on the layer and select Rasterize Type.
Step 3
While selecting the rasterized layer, head over to Filter > Distort > Displace. Under Horizontal Scale and Vertical Scale, type 100. Set Displacement Map to Stretch to fit and Undefined Areas to Repeat Edge Pixels. Click OK and an import window will appear. Look for the PSD file we saved in Illustrator at the beginning of this tutorial. Click Open. Feel free to experiment with the settings to see what other different shapes you can get.
3. How to Create a Glitch
Step 1
Duplicate the displaced layer. Go to Filter > Distort > Wave. In the Wave options window, we can play with the different settings. Under Type select Square, and set Number of Generators to 1. Now head over to the Scale and set it to 100%. We can play with the Wavelength and Amplitude. There is no right or wrong in this part; you can use the small view to see the final effect. I used the settings below. Click OK.
Step 2
Let’s duplicate the layer we worked on in the step above and repeat the Wave effect but this time with different settings. I clicked on the eye icon in the Layers panel to see the effect. Go to Filter > Distort > Wave. You might notice some of the lines have now turned horizontal—this won’t be the same for everybody, but you can keep applying this effect as many times you want. Click OK when you are done.
Step 3
Let’s activate the two layers we just worked on and create a composite in which they can both work together. We can use the RectangularMarquee Tool (M) from the toolbar to select different areas on each layer and delete any parts that are conflicting.
Step 4
Let’s add a background by going to the Layers panel, clicking on Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer, and adding a Solid Color layer. I am using the color #2c2b2a. Move the layer under the displacement layers. To inverse the colors of the layer, press Command-I.
Step 5
It’s looking slightly busy, so we can use the Marquee Tool (M) to select and delete certain parts of the composition. I moved the composition to the bottom right of the artboard and deleted about an inch off the left side to leave space for the copy. I also lowered the Opacity of the first displacement layer to 30% to add dimension.
4. How to Add Text
Step 1
Let’s add some fitting text to the poster. Using the Text Tool (T), type troubleshootat 170 pt in Archivo Black. Duplicate this layer on the Layers panel and Right click > Rasterize Type. Hide the original text layer, and let’s work on the rasterized layer.
Step 2
While selecting the rasterized layer, head over to Filter > Distort > Displace. Set Horizontal Scale to 20 and Vertical Scale to 10. Set Displacement Map to Stretch to fit and Undefined Areas to Repeat Edge Pixels. Click OK and an import window will appear. Look for the PSD file we saved in Illustrator at the beginning of this tutorial. Click on Open.
Step 3
Using the Lasso Tool (L), we can delete different areas of the troubleshoot layer. This is to make the elements look random and achieve a disordered look.
Step 4
Feel free to move the elements around to fit them on the artboard. Duplicate the troubleshoot type layer one more time and rasterize it. Feel free to invert the color by pressing Command-I so that you can see the composition in the live view.
This time, we will apply the Wave effect. Go to Filter > Distort > Wave. I am using the settings below as I would like the letters to be slightly deconstructed. I placed the result on the left side margin of the flyer.
Step 5
Let’s add a few more words related to glitches using the Text Tool (T). I added “troubleshoot system reboot esc exit” very randomly. I also used Archivo Regular at 24 pt. Duplicate this layer by pressing Command-J and Right Click > Rasterize Type.
Step 6
While selecting the rasterized layer, head over to Filter > Distort > Displace. Set Horizontal Scale to 3 and Vertical Scale to 6. Set Displacement Map to Stretch to fit and Undefined Areas to Repeat Edge Pixels. Click OK and an import window will appear. Look for the PSD file we saved in Illustrator at the beginning of this tutorial. Click on Open.
I moved and resized the text box slightly while using the original text box for clarity, as shown in the image below. Feel free to use the Marquee Tool (M) to create harmony between all the elements.
Step 7
I decided to add an extra text layer in Chinese and repeat the steps above to reflect universality. I am typing “步步高升” vertically, which is a good luck saying during New Year. I am using Kozuka Gothic Pr6N, which should be available with your Adobe software. But feel free to use any typeface! This time, I am adding some color: #ec5c6c.
Step 8
Remember that the outcome of this piece will be different for everyone as the Wave and Displacement effects have a plethora of settings. You can duplicate and apply the effects multiple times on the same layer as I’ve done with the text and the displacement layers. So there is no right or wrong—experimentation is encouraged!. Add your own spin!
5. Saving the File for Web
Step 1
Head over to File > Save and save the file as you would normally.
Step 2
Head over to File > Save for Web or Shift-Option-Command-S. Select the file type you want to save the document in; I am choosing JPEG and setting 100 for Quality. Under Image size, you can change the pixel size of the image if you have any size constraints.
On the bottom left-hand side, you can see a preview of the size of the file. This is useful when there are size constraints on a website and you need to lower the quality or the size of the image.
Click on Save… to choose the location in the new window, and click on Save again.
Awesome! You’ve Finished This Tutorial!
In this tutorial, we’ve covered a major trend for 2018 that shows no sign of disappearing! Today we’ve learned to:
Use the Blend tool in Illustrator.
Integrate the Displace effect to create a dispersed look.
Achieve a glitch effect by combining the Displace effect and Wave effect.
Last but not least, experiment with different tools!
Creating interesting textures can
sometimes be a difficult and annoying task, especially if you don’t know
exactly where to start.
Since I’ve been there, I wanted to help
you out by putting together this little tutorial which will show you three different methods that are easy to learn and master.
So, if that sounds
interesting, join me as we learn how to create a simple decorative vase and use
textures to bring it to life.
1. How to Set Up a New Project File
As always, let’s kick off the project by
opening Illustrator and setting up a New
Document by going to File > New (or Control-N), which we will adjust as follows:
Number
of Artboards: 1
Width: 1200
px
Height: 600
px
Units: Pixels
And from the Advanced tab:
Color
Mode: RGB
Raster
Effects: Screen (72ppi)
Preview Mode: Default
2. How to Set Up
the Layers
Once we’ve created
our new document, we’ll want to layer it so that we can separate our vases (that
we’ll use as support for the different textures) from the background.
So open up the Layers panel and create a total of two
layers, which we will rename as follows:
layer 1:
background
layer 2: vases
3. How to Create the Background
With the document
all layered, we can now start working on the actual project, and we will do so
by creating the background. That being said, make sure you position yourself
onto the first layer and let’s jump straight into it!
Step1
Using the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 1200 x 600 px rectangle,
which we will color using #FF8269 and then align to the center of the
underlying Artboard using the Align
panel’s Horizontal and Vertical Align Center options, making
sure that the alignment is made to the Artboard.
Step 2
With the background in place, we can now lock the current layer and move
on to the next one, where we will start working on our little vases.
4. How to Create
the Vase
Assuming you’ve
already positioned yourself on the second layer, let’s start working on the
actual decorative vessels that we are going to display our textures on.
Step 1
Start by creating the lower section of the vase’s body using a 128 x 128 px circle, which we will
color using #FFE7C5 and then center align to the larger Artboard, positioning
it 178 px
from its bottom edge.
Step 2
Add the main shape for the neck section using a 24 x 88 px rectangle (#FFE7C5) and the base using a 48 x 8 px rounded rectangle (#FFE7C5), which we will position as seen in the reference image.
Step 3
Open up the path of the circle’s upper half and the rectangle’s bottom one, uniting them into a single larger shape using the Control-J keyboard shortcut, making sure to adjust the transition between the neck section and the lower body as seen in the reference image.
Step 4
Take a couple of moments and quickly decorate the vase using #2A323D for its darker sections and #FFE7C5 for its lighter ones, making sure to mask them where needed (desired shapes selected > right click > Make Clipping Mask). Once you’re done, select and group all its composing shapes using the Control-G keyboard shortcut, before moving on to the next step.
Step 5
Once we’ve finished working on the vase, we can now add the foreground
line using a 160 px wide, 2 px thick Stroke line (#2A323D). After grouping (Control-G) the two together, add the remaining instances (Control-C > Control-F twice) which we will position at a distance of 160 px from the original.
So at this point,
we’ve pretty much finished working on our blank canvases (the vases) which
means we can now move on to the part that most of you are interested in, and
see how we can add textures to them using three different methods.
5. How to Add Textures Using the Grain Effect
The first method, and my personal favorite, is using the Grain Effect, which is actually derived
from Photoshop.
Step 1
Position yourself onto the first vase (that would be the left one), and
then using the Direct Selection Tool (A)
select the shapes for its body and base, which we will copy (Control-C) and then paste in front (Control-F) where they will be used as a Clipping Mask.
Step 2
Since we want the two shapes to behave as a single larger one, we’ll
have to turn them into a Compound Shape
by going over to Pathfinder’s
advanced menu and then clicking on the Make
Compound Shape option.
Step 3
Next, we’ll want to apply a linear gradient to the Compound Shape, setting the color of the left stop to white
(#FFFFFF) and that of the right one to the same value used for our darker
sections (#2A323D).
Step 4
Once we’ve applied the gradient, we can add the grain texture by going
to Effect > Photoshop Effects >
Texture > Grain, where we will want to set the Grain Type to Stippled and then adjust the Intensity and Contrast levels until we get an interesting
result. In my case, I went with a value of 40 for the Intensity and 50 for the Contrast, which gives me a heavy enough texture to work with.
Step 5
Depending on the result, you can adjust the position of the texture by
opening up the Gradient panel and
then dragging the top slider either to the left to add more details or to the
right to remove them. Another thing that you should always remember to do
is set the Opacity level of the lighter color stop (in our case the left one) to 0% (or a close enough value like 10%) since otherwise the
white will end up ruining the texture.
Step 6
All we need to do now is blend our texture to our vase by opening up the Transparency panel and choosing a Blending Mode that works. For the
current example, I went with Overlay,
which as you can see produces a nice, subtle transition between the texture and
the vase, which is exactly what I want. Depending on the project, you might end
up using a different Blending Mode
and Opacity level, so I strongly
recommend you play around with them until you find one that produces an
interesting effect.
6. How to Create
Textures Using a Custom Stipple Brush
Once we’ve
finished adding texture to our first vase, move on to the second one, where we
will see how we can create a stipple brush and then use it to decorate our second
canvas.
Step 1
As we did with the previous method, we’ll first want to create a copy of
the vase’s main body and stand, which we will turn into a Compound Shape that we will later on use as a Clipping Mask.
Step 2
Next, we need to create the custom brush by drawing a couple of
different sized circles (#000000) displayed in a circular formation (highlighted with green), positioning
the smaller ones towards the outside and the larger ones on the inside.
Quick tip: as you can
see, I went and created a new document so that my brush
elements don’t overlap with the vases, but you can just as well do it on the same project
file as long as you are careful.
Step 3
Once you have all the shapes in place, all you need to do is bring up
the Brush panel and, with all of them
selected, simply click on New Brush,
making sure to set the brush type to Scatter
Brush. A new window should pop up letting you adjust some of its settings,
but for now just leave them as they are since you won’t be able to preview any
changes. That being said, give it a custom name and hit OK, since we’re going
to fine tune it in the next step.
Step 4
If you take a closer look at your Brushes panel, you should now see the
custom stipple brush that we’ve just created, which you need to select and then
use to draw a horizontal line using the Paintbrush
Tool (B). This will help us get a preview of all the changes that we’re going to make to its different options.
As
soon as you have the line, you can go back to the panel and double click on the
brush, which should bring up a new window, where you can adjust its different
features and preview them live.
In my case, I’ve set the Size to Pressure and
lowered its level to 28%. I then adjusted the Spacing to 40%, making sure the Scatter is on 0% and the Rotation set to Random
with a -120º angle. Last but not least, I’ve made sure to set the Colorization to Tints since I want to be able to change the color of my brush later
on when I need to.
Step 5
Once I’ve finished adjusting my brush, I can go back to my project file
and use it to add texture to the sides of my vase using #000000 for its left side
and #FFFFFF for its right one. Depending on what you are trying to achieve, you
can adjust the Weight of the Stroke in order to get the desired
effect. Since I wanted to get a subtle result, I lowered it to a value of just 0.3 px.
Step 6
Once you’re happy with the result, all you have to do is position the underlying Compound Shape in front of the
texture (right click > Arrange >
Bring to Front), and then use it as a Clipping
Mask (desired shapes selected >
right click > Make Clipping Mask) in order to constrain it to the surface
of the vase.
7. How to Create
Textures Using Pattern Swatches
Our third and last
method is one that you probably never even thought of using, which is why I
really wanted to point it out since it’s super easy to use and gives you really interesting results.
That being said,
position yourself onto the last vase, and let’s see what I’m talking about!
Step 1
As we did with the previous methods, start out by creating a Compound Shape using a copy (Control-C > Control-F) of its body
and base.
Step 2
With the Compound Shape selected,
open up the Swatches panel, and then
click on the Swatch Libraries menu and navigate down to Patterns > Basic
Graphics > Basic Graphics_Textures. As you can see, there are a bunch of options that we can choose from, but for this project we’re going to use the one called Ripple.
Step 3
Next, all we need to do is adjust the visibility of the texture by setting
its Blending Mode to Overlay and lowering its Opacity to 60%, which should give us an interesting final result.
It’s a Wrap!
There you have it, fellow texture addicts: a nice, easy tutorial on how to create textures for your
different projects using three different methods.
As always, if you have any questions, feel free to post them within the
comments section and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!
Need More
Textures?
Since the process of creating a collection of custom textures can end up taking a lot of time, I thought that I could help you out by sharing some of
my favorite ones which you can get over at Envato Elements.
Vintage Halftone Textures
This Halftone Texture pack includes 10 high-quality vector EPS and PNG files derived from high-resolution photos. These textures capture the feel of old-school prints and hearken back to the day when you could easily spot the halftone textures in prints. They can provide an authentic and classic feel to almost any project. Click on the larger view of each of the product images to better see the detail.
Example of Vintage Halftone Textures applied on vases.
Vintage Grit Textures
This authentic collection features an old-time vintage feel with a variety of textures ranging from very subtle grit to heavier grit so you can find the right texture for the job. Easily drop these finely detailed textures onto your design and add multiple textures onto one design for an even heavier distressed look.
Example of Vintage Grit Textures applied on vases.
Wave Painted Textures
Presenting a unique collection of hand-painted wave textures with a high-impact look. This collection is perfect for projects where you need an abstract background with some dramatic flair.
High-resolution textures for all your designing purposes. This pack includes eight Rippled Water textures for photographers, graphic designers, and DIY creatives to help you create cards, backgrounds, banners, or other projects.
Example of Rippled Water Textures applied on vases.
Vintage Fabric Textures
Here’s a set of high-quality full-page fabric textures for some good old vintage flavor. The set covers a range of fabrics from denim varieties to standard t-shirt fabric. Any of these textures can be used in either Photoshop or Illustrator (or any program that uses either Vector EPS or Transparent PNGs).
Example of Vintage Fabric Textures applied on vases.
Now, even though the above textures were created using different methods than those presented in this article, you’ll be applying them in the same way, by first positioning them on the desired shape, and then masking them, making sure to play around with colors, Blending Modes, and Opacity levels.
Conclusion
So, as you saw, the process of creating and using custom vector textures isn’t all that hard, especially when you have a basic understanding of the tools and methods involved.
Even though today we explored just three of the different available methods, you’ll be amazed at how much you can achieve using these simple techniques.
That being said, you can always expand your texturing skills by checking out these amazing tutorials that are really fun and easy to follow.
Learn to create an instant snapshot of a busy city, using nothing more than some basic shapes and tools in Adobe Illustrator.
Learn to create your very own alien abduction illustration, using your creative imagination and a few shapes and tools in Adobe Illustrator.
Design a whimsical tribute poster for the original production of the Broadway musical “Once Upon a Mattress” (based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale…
In this short course, freelance illustrator Ioana Sopov will teach you how to mix traditional media with digital mastery and apply some custom-made textures…
In this tutorial, you will learn how to use the Offset Path option in illustrator and the difference between using it through the Appearance panel method and the menu bar method.
What You Will Need to Create the Poster
Access to Adobe Photoshop. If you don’t have the software, you can download a trial from the Adobe website.
1. How to Create an Illustrator Document
Step 1
In Illustrator, go to File > New. Name the document Infinity. Set the Width to 1080 px and Height to 1080 px. Set the Color Mode to RGB and the Resolution to 72 Pixels/Inch. Click OK.
Step 2
On thetoolbar, select the Type Tool(T), click on the artboard, and type Infinity. I am using Bergen Sans Regular set at 200 pt.
Step 3
Head over to Window > Align to bring up the Align panel. Click on the dropdown menu and select Align to: Align to Artboard and select the Horizontal Align Center and Vertical Align Center buttons. This will align the text to the center of the artboard.
Step 4
While selecting the text box, press Shift-Command-O to create outlines on the text.
2. How to Use the Offset Path Tool
The Offset Path tool can be accessed in two ways:
Go to the Appearance panel and click on Fx > Path > Offset Path.
In the menu, go to Object Path > Offset Path
The main difference when using these two is that when using Option 1, the object will have only the appearance of having an offset path. With Option 2, the object will be automatically duplicated, and the path will be applied to its duplicate while maintaining the look of the main object.
While both yield the same visual result, I prefer working with Option 2 as it allows me to have each layer as an expanded object.
Within the Offset Path option window are a few more options:
Offset: You can set the value as positive or negative; this will either make the shape larger or smaller within the object.
Joins: There are three different types of ways the end angles of the object can be joined. Miter is for pointed corners, round for round corners, and bevel for squared corners.
Miter Limit: This is usually always set at 4, but you can set any value depending on how far you want the points to extrude from the angles on the shape you are working with. For an acute angle, you might want a higher miter limit.
Below, I will show you how to do this tutorial in the two ways I just mentioned.
Option A
Step 1
For this tutorial, we will create an Offset Path using the Appearance panel. We need to copy and paste in place the object. Press Command-C followed by Shift-Command-V to paste in place. Visually, nothing will happen yet, but it will make a difference in a few steps.
Step 2
On the toolbar, double click on the Fill color and change it to white. I will be changing for this one step to light blue so you can see the effect on the screen. Remember that we will be alternating the colors.
Step 3
Head over to Object > Appearance for the Appearance panel to open. Click on Fx > Path > Offset Path. This will open the Offset Path options window. Click on the box next to Preview. Set the Offset value to 10 px, Joins to Miter,and Miter Limit to 4. Click OK.
Press Shift-Command-{ to send the object to the back.
Step 4
In order to create the illusion of this object expanding, you need to follow these steps until you’ve filled the whole artboard:
Press Command-C followed by Shift-Command-V to paste in place. Change the Fill to black. Head over to the Appearance panel, and double click on the Offset Path effect that is already applied to edit the settings. Increment the Offset path value by 10 px for each step. Click OK. Press Shift-Command-{ to send the object to the back.
Repeat these steps, alternating the colors in between and adding in 10 px increments to the Offset path value.
Option B
Step 1
Press Command-C followed by Shift-Command-V to paste the object Infinity in place. Visually, nothing will happen yet, but it will make a difference in a few steps.
Step 2
On the toolbar, double click on the Fill color and change to white. Alternatively, you can head over Window > Color to open the Color panel and change the color directly from there. I will be changing for this one step to light blue so you can see the effect on the screen.
Step 3
Head over to Menu > Object Path > Offset Path, which will open the Offset Path options window. Click on the box next to Preview. Set the Offset value to 10 px, Joins to Miter,and Miter Limit to 4. Click OK.
Step 4
You will notice that compared to Option A, this option duplicates the object with outlines while maintaining the points of the main object. Let’s simplify this and use the Pathfinder panel and select Unite under Shape Mode. This will merge the second object we just duplicated.
Press Shift-Command-{ to send the object to the back.
Step 5
In order to create the illusion of this object expanding, you need to follow these steps until you’ve filled the whole artboard:
Select the last object and change the Fill to black. Head over to Menu > Object Path > Offset Path, which will open the Offset Path options window. Click on the box next to Preview. Set the Offset value to 10 px, Joins to Miter,and Miter Limit to 4. Click OK.
Use the Pathfinder panel and select Unite under Shape Mode.
Press Shift-Command-{ to send the object to the back.
Repeat these steps, alternating the colors in between. For this option, you don’t need to add 10 px increments to the Offset value because you would be working directly from the duplicated object.
3. How to Add a Drop Shadow
Step 1
To add depth to the artwork, select the offset paths. On the Appearance panel, select Fx > Stylize > Drop Shadow, which will open the Drop Shadow options window. Set the Mode to Multiply, Opacity to 40%, X and Y Offset to 7 px,and Blur to 5 px. You can check the Preview box to see the changes instantly. Click OK.
Step 2
On the toolbar, select the Rectangle Tool (M) and draw an even square by pressing Shift and dragging on the board to create a square.
Step 3
For the Fill color, select None. Select the square and all of the offset paths we created. Press Command-7 to create a clipping mask around the paths we created.
4. How to Save an Illustrator File and Jpeg
To save the file, head over to File > Save As … to save the file as an Adobe Illustrator file. If you wish to save as a JPEG, head over to File > Export, choose the format, and feel free to check Use Artboards if you have placed elements outside of your artboard on the document. Click Export.
Congratulations! You’ve Finished This Tutorial!
In this tutorial, you’ve learned the different ways we can use the Offset Path effect. Today you’ve learned:
The differences between the two ways we can achieve an Offset Path look.
The options within the Offset Path window: Offset Value, Joins, and Miter Limit.
How to add shadow to create a sense of dimension in the artwork.
June is Pride Month, when people worldwide take a positive stance against discrimination and violence toward the LGBT community. As well as promoting equality, understanding and tolerance, Pride Month is also a time for celebration and joy.
To celebrate Pride Month here at Envato Tuts+, we’ve created an infographic using the theme of the Pride Marches, which you can recreate for yourself using InDesign and Illustrator. If you want more infographic practice, try this earlier tutorial:
Help spread awareness about the effects of global warming with this informative climate change infographic, which we’ll create in Adobe InDesign.
This tutorial is aimed at beginner-to-intermediate users of InDesign, and it’s a great all-round introduction to creating infographic layouts.
Have an upcoming presentation? Make a great impression with this brilliant selection of creative infographic templates.
What You’ll Need to Create Your Infographic
We’ll use Adobe InDesign to create the main artwork for our infographic, and dip into Illustrator briefly to edit vector graphics for the design. You’ll also need to download the following images and font files:
Install the font files on your system, and you’re then ready to start designing.
1. How to Set Up Your Infographic Document in InDesign
Step 1
Open InDesign, and go to File > New > Document.
We’re going to size the infographic to an online-friendly size, but you can always reduce the width of the image as you need to later on.
Click on Web at the top of the New Document window, and set the Width of the page to 870 px and Height to 2600 px.
Then click Create.
Step 2
Expand the Layers panel (Window > Layers) and double-click on Layer 1. Rename it Background.
Choose New Layer from the panel’s drop-down menu. Name this layer Pointers and click OK.
Repeat to create three more layers in this order: Road, Icons, and finally Type.
Then lock all the layers except Background, which we’ll work on first.
Step 3
Expand the Swatches panel (Window > Color > Swatches) and choose New Color Swatch from the panel’s menu.
With the Color Mode set to RGB, adjust the levels to R=254 G=240 B=231, and click Add and then OK.
Use the Rectangle Tool (M) to create a shape across the whole page, setting the Fill to your new swatch, R=254 G=240 B=231.
Select the road graphic in the center, and Right-Click > Ungroup, separating the dashed lines from the main body of the road behind.
We want to join the individual sections of the road together, but to do this smoothly, we first have to make sure each section aligns to each other perfectly.
Take the Direct Selection Tool (A) and select individual anchor points at the top of each section of road which overlap another. Use the arrow keys to adjust their position so they meet the other anchor points neatly.
Step 2
Once you’ve finished aligning the sections, select all the central road sections (excluding the small outlying roads leading to the houses), and Edit > Copy them.
Head back over to your InDesign document and lock the Background layer. Unlock the Road layer. Then Edit > Paste the vector road directly onto this layer. Position towards the top of the page, centrally, as shown below.
Step 3
Select only the lower four sections of the road, and Edit > Copy.
Edit > Paste, and then Right-Click on the copy and Transform > Flip Horizontal.
Position this overlapping the top section, as shown below.
Step 4
Switch to the Direct Selection Tool (A) and use this to select the anchor points on the overlapping section, moving them so that they meet each section perfectly, as we did earlier in Illustrator.
When the sections are aligned, select all the sections of the road across the whole page, and go to Object > Paths > Make Compound Path.
Step 5
Choose New Color Swatch from the Swatches panel, and create six new RGB swatches:
R=237 G=83 B=86
R=245 G=107 B=53
R=253 G=188 B=61
R=64 G=197 B=117
R=75 G=207 B=245
R=196 G=93 B=172
Step 6
Then choose New Gradient Swatch from the Swatches panel.
Name the swatch Rainbow Road Gradient, and set the Type to Linear and Stop Color to Swatches.
Choose the red swatch, R=237 G=83 B=86, for the left-hand stop, and violet, R=196 G=93 B=172, for the right-hand swatch. Click on the Gradient Ramp to add more stops, graduating the color from your swatches to create a rainbow effect.
Then click Add and OK.
Step 7
Select the road and apply the Rainbow Road Gradient swatch to the Fill of the vector.
From the Gradient panel (Window > Color > Gradient), you can adjust the Angle of the gradient, so that the color moves from red at the top towards violet at the bottom.
Step 8
Head back over to Illustrator and the street vector for a moment.
Select the dashed line running along the center of the road, and Edit > Copy it.
Head back to your InDesign document and Edit > Paste it onto the Road layer. Scale and position it to match the top section of road.
Edit > Paste it again, and Right-Click > Transform > Flip Horizontal. Manoeuvre it into position over the lower half of the road.
3. How to Format Typography for Your Infographic
Step 1
Lock the Road layer and unlock the Type layer at the top.
On 22 April the world celebrates Earth Day, which recognises and aims to educate about the impact humans have on the environment. This easy-to-create…
Take the Rectangle Tool (M) and drag across the top of the page, setting the Fill to [Black].
With the shape selected, go to Object > Effects > Drop Shadow. With the Angle set to around 90 Degrees, bring the Opacity of the shadow down to 20%. Click OK to exit.
If you want to add space for a credit at the bottom of the infographic, you can create another rectangle with a [Paper] Fill.
Step 2
Create a text frame using the Type Tool (T) at the top of the page, typing in ‘ON THE MARCH TO CELEBRATE’.
From either the top Controls panel or the Character and Paragraph panels (Window > Type & Tables > Character / Paragraph), set the Font to Bergen Sans Semi Bold, Size 24 pt and Align Center.
From the Swatches panel, set the Font Color to [Paper].
Add two more text frames below this, typing in ‘PRIDE’ in the first, and changing the font weight to Bold and Font Size to 120 pt. Write up the date in the text frame below.
Apply your RGB swatches to the individual letters of ‘PRIDE’, to create a rainbow effect.
Step 3
You can add pop-out pointers to the road to mark good places for adding text to your infographic.
To create a pointer, take the Line Tool () and, holding Shift, drag to create a short line extending from the road. From the Stroke panel (Window > Stroke), increase the Weight of the stroke to 11 pt.
From the Swatches panel, choose the matching RGB swatch to apply to the Stroke Color of the line.
Use the Ellipse Tool (L) to create a circle shape 125 px in diameter (you can see this up in the top Controls panel), and set the Fill Color to [Paper].
Right-Click > Group the line and circle together.
Then go to Object > Effects > Drop Shadow. Bring the Opacity down to 10%, and click OK.
Step 4
Copy and Paste the pointer, and position the copies intermittently along the road.
Right-Click > Transform > Rotate some of the pointers, and you can adjust the Stroke Color of the lines and Fill Color of the circles to match the color of the road as you move down the page.
Step 5
Use the Type Tool (T) to create a text frame next to one of the pointers. Type in a subtitle and set the Font to Bergen Sans Bold, All Caps, Size 34 pt.
Create a second text frame below for smaller body text, setting this in Bergen Sans Semi Bold, Size 14 pt.
You can use this pair of text frames as a template for filling up the infographic with more text. Copy and Paste the pair and move these next to some of the other pointers.
Step 6
You can set pull-out statistics in other text frames, setting the Font to Bergen Sans Semi Bold, Size 23 pt and in All Caps.
You can also place number statistics in some of the pointer circles, setting the Font to Bergen Sans Bold, Size 110 pt.
From here, you can select individual icons and Edit > Copy them.
Back in your InDesign document, lock the Type layer and unlock the Icons layer.
Edit > Paste the icon directly onto the page, and size it to fit over one of the pointer circles, as shown below.
Keep heading back to Illustrator and copying icons, before pasting them into your InDesign document.
Step 2
You can also add some icons on top of the road. To add a slight 3D effect to these, go to Object > Effects > Drop Shadow and add a 20% Opacity shadow.
Continue to build up icons across your design, choosing images which fit well with your text.
You can paste in a flag from the icons set onto the Pointers layer, so that it sits below the road, creating a 3D effect.
5. How to Export Your Finished Infographic
When you’ve built up text and icons across your infographic and have done a quick spellcheck (Edit > Spelling > Check Spelling), you’re ready to export your design ready for sharing online.
Go to File > Export, give your file a name, and choose either JPEG or PNG for a social-media-friendly image. Click Save.
If you’ve chosen PNG, follow the default options in the window that opens.
For JPEG, set the Resolution to 72 ppi in the Export JPEG window. Click Export to create your image.
And you’re done! Great job!
Conclusion: Your Finished Infographic
Your Pride infographic is finished and ready for uploading online—awesome work!
Make sure to share this infographic on social media or pin up a copy at work or on your community noticeboard, to spread awareness about Pride Month and get everyone into the party spirit!
You can find more infographic templates and icons to use on your designs over on GraphicRiver and Envato Elements.
Draw a brown rectangle, filling it with #2F1D12, and then using the Mesh Tool (U) to shape the object as shown below.
By clicking inside the object, create several rows of mesh. Color half of the nodes (rows) on the left side with #5C4A41, creating stripes.
Finish the stripes by coloring the nodes on the right side with #6D5A52.
Step 2
Create a copy of the object and go to Effect > Warp > Arc. Input the following settings:
Bend: -14%
Horizontal: -14%
Vertical: -12%
Go to Object > Expand Appearance.
Step 3
Create another copy of the object we made in Step 1 and apply Effect > Warp > Arc again. Input the following settings:
Bend: 11%
Horizontal: -22%
Vertical: 9%
Go to Object > Expand Appearance.
Step 4
The vanilla spice is done!
2. How to Draw the Flower
Step 1
Bend a rectangle with mesh, and then color it as indicated in the screenshot below.
#F1EFF0
#E3DFDF
#E4E2E2
#F4F5F5
#FFFFFF
#F4F2F2
#D3CAAE
#E0D7C4
#EFEDEF
Step 2
Color another petal.
#E3DFDF
#E5E5E5
#CDBD96
#DADBD7
#E2DFD7
#F7F9FD
Step 3
Draw the third petal.
#E6E5E4
#F3F2F4
#E9E8EA
#E6E6E4
#DEDCD8
#DDCEBA
Step 4
Draw another petal.
#F0EEED
#E6E1DE
#F0F2EE
#E3DBDA
Step 5
Add one more petal.
#F0EEED
#EFEFEA
#E3DBDA
#EEECE7
Step 6
Draw an element for the middle of the flower.
#F0EBE5
#FEFDFC
#EEF0D5
#EDE3BC
#D0AD43
#E3DBBA
#DCD293
#E3DBBA
#E4DEBD
#D6BC9B
#DCC8AC
#DFC77B
Step 7
Add one more element.
#E0D9BB
#F0EEEE
#E0CA85
#CD9E68
Step 8
#F4F3F3
#F1F2DD
#EAE7E6
Step 9
Draw the final mesh element.
#D09208
#E3A500
#CD8A03
Step 10
Draw two red ellipses: one #860000 and the second one #D22600. Place the darker ellipse into the bigger one, and then make the big ellipse transparent.
Step 11
Go to Object > Blend > Blend Options, choosing Specified Steps, 30.
Select both ellipses and apply Object > Blend > Make.
Step 12
Repeat Step 10, but with different colors: #D22600 and #D09208.
Step 13
Repeat Step 11.
Step 14
Place two copies of the darker blend on top of the lighter one, and then go to Effect > Warp > Arc.
Bend: 18%
Horizontal: 32%
Vertical: 1%
Step 15
Place the blends on top of the element we made in Step 9.
3. How to Complete the Flower
Step 1
Assemble the middle of the flower.
Step 2
If you’d like to apply texture to the petals of the flower, go ahead and learn how to get this texture in this previous tutorial. Go to Part 2 for the texture!
Make the texture white, and then draw an outline of the first petal we made. Place the outline on top of the texture, right-click, and select Make Clipping Mask.
Change the Opacity of the object to 40% and Lighten, and then place it on top of the mesh petal.
Step 3
Do the same thing for the second petal.
Step 4
Continue with the third petal.
Step 5
Assemble the flower!
Step 6
Finally, draw a shadow for the image. Fill an ellipse with Radial Gradient from #B7B6A3 to #FFFEFF.
Step 7
Change the object’s Transparency to Multiply.
Step 8
Place the shadows under the vanilla and the flowers!
Awesome Work, You’re Now Done!
Thank you for following along, and please
feel welcome to post your result in the comments. I’ll be looking
forward to seeing it!
In this tutorial, you learned how to
create a pair of vanilla flowers using the Mesh Tool.
I
hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial and learned how to use some useful
tools for the future! Check out some of my other vector tutorials on my instructor profile.
Welcome to our Illustrator in 60 Seconds series, in which you can learn an Illustrator skill, feature, or technique in just a minute!
Illustrator in 60 Seconds: How to Create Custom Guides in AI
Always wanted to create custom guides from more intricate shapes but never knew exactly how? Well, if that’s the case, you should watch this quick video, which will show you how easy the process is!
By default, Illustrator
comes with a basic Ruler system that you can turn on using the Control-R keyboard shortcut. You can use it to add both horizontal and vertical guidelines, to which your shapes can
snap, by simply clicking and dragging them out.
But what about those
situations when you need to build a set of custom guides based on more
intricate shapes? You’ll be happy to hear that the software allows you to do just that using any shape, as long as it’s a vector.
In my case, I’ve set up a simple
grid system that I’ll be using for some custom icons that I’ve built using a
couple of basic geometric shapes and strokes.
To convert my shapes into guides, I first have to
select them and then go to View >
Guides > Make Guides or use the faster right click > Make Guides option. This will turn them into a
custom reference grid that I can lock and use to build my assets on.
Creating shapes in Illustrator can sometimes become an unintuitive process, especially if you’re doing it using Pathfinder’s Shape Modes. Luckily for us,…
In this article, we’re going to talk about the top ten most useful tools in Adobe Illustrator. Whether you’re into icon design, illustrations or any other…
This little quick tip is dedicated to a subject that is close to my heart but at the same time gave me some strong headaches in the early days of my design…
60 Seconds?!
This is part of a series of quick video tutorials on Envato Tuts+ in which we introduce a range of subjects, all in 60 seconds—just enough to whet your appetite. Let us know in the comments what you thought of this video and what else you’d like to see explained in 60 seconds!
Today, we are going to create a llama in Adobe Illustrator. Actually, this was a request from one of our readers, and I’m happy to show you how to create this adorable animal.
As always, we will use basic shapes and some warp effects. And that’s great, because it means you don’t need to be a professional artist to create such an illustration. You create a shape (ellipse or rectangle for example), warp it, combine few of them together, and here you go—you have an illustration!
If you don’t know what llamas look like, or how they are different from alpacas, check PhotoDune, as these animals are really funny.
Whenever you’re ready, let’s start!
1. How to Create the Llama’s Head
Step 1
Create a new document (File > New) with 850 px Width and 850 px Height.
Let’s start with the head. Delete the stroke color and set the fill color shown in the image below. Take the Ellipse Tool (L) and create a grey ellipse.
Next, we will apply the Inflate effect to this ellipse. Select it, and go to Effect > Warp > Inflate. Enter the options you see below.
Next, we will give the head some shading. Create a copy behind (Control-C, Control-B) and shift it down. Make the new copy a bit darker.
Step 2
Now we are going to create the upper part of the llama’s head. Using the Ellipse Tool (L), draw an ellipse on top. Apply the Inflate Effect to it: Effect > Warp > Inflate. In the new dialogue window, enter the options shown below.
After that, we will create the llama’s eyes. Using the fill color shown below, create a small circle behind the head. To make an even circle, hold the Shift button while creating it. To place the circle behind the head, cut it off (Control-X), and then place it behind (Control-B).
Finally, create the second eye: select the first one and, while keeping the Shift and Alt keys pressed, move this first eye to the right.
Step 3
On to the muzzle. A lighter ellipse on the head will start the llama’s muzzle. While keeping it selected, go to Effect > Warp > Inflate. In the new dialogue window, enter the options shown below.
For the nose, add a tiny ellipse which should have the same fill color as the eyes. Using the Selection Tool (V), rotate it to the left. Then hit the Reflect Tool (O) and press the Enter button. In the new dialogue window, be sure to check Vertical, Angle 90 degrees, and press Copy. Move the new copy of the nostril to the right.
Step 4
To continue creating the muzzle, take the Rounded Rectangle Tool and draw a rounded rectangle which should resemble the one below. Make sure you deleted the fill color and left the stroke color.
After that, hit the Scissors Tool (C) and click on the places marked by circles in the image below. You just cut off the upper part of the rounded rectangle. Now, delete the upper part.
Again, take the Reflection Tool (O) and press the Enter button. As you already used this tool in this tutorial, all of the options by default are the same. So, after the dialogue window (Reflect window) pops up, just press Copy. Move the new copy to the right.
Step 5
Place the previously created curves as the llama’s muzzle.
Add a few small ellipses as shown below to create some funny bangs. You don’t need the black stroke as it’s there just for better visibility.
Step 6
On to the ear. Start with an ellipse and then warp it: Effect > Warp > Arc. Enter the options shown below. Keep in mind that you need the same fill color as the head.
Then create a smaller, darker copy of it in front (Control-C, Control-F). Expand both of the shapes (Object > Expand Appearance).
Step 7
Place the left ear on the left side of the llama’s head. By using the Reflect Tool (O), create a vertical copy of this ear to get a new one. Move the new ear to the right.
To make the neck, draw an ellipse behind the head. Then apply the Inflate effect to it.
2. How to Create the Llama’s Body and Legs
Step 1
To create the llama’s body, we will start with a rounded rectangle. Use the Rounded Rectangle Tool for it.
Next, we will warp the rounded rectangle: go to Effect > Warp > Fish and enter the options you need to deform this shape.
Step 2
The tail of a llama is quite funny, because it resembles a dog’s tail. Create an ellipse and warp it with the Arc Effect. It is very important to expand this shape, because later you will rotate the tail. Always remember that if you apply a warp effect to a shape, it is very important to expand the shape. That’s because when you rotate it, all the settings will be lost.
So, place the tail where it has to be and rotate it a little bit to the left.
Step 3
We’ll create the leg by combining different warped shapes. First, we are going to create the upper part of the leg. Draw an ellipse and warp it using the Fish Effect.
Next, we want to apply another effect to this leg: the Arc Effect. Your software may ask you in the new dialogue window something like: “Do you want to apply a new effect?” Simply press OK.
The Arc Effect options:
Step 4
After that, create a rounded rectangle below the first one and warp it using the Flag Effect.
Step 5
Now we are creating the llama’s foot. To make it, we need to start with an ellipse. Add a rectangle with any fill color that overlaps it, just to cover the lower part of the ellipse.
While keeping the two shapes selected, press the Minus Front button on the Pathfinder panel (Window > Pathfinder). You will end up with a semicircle.
Create a new copy of the new shape behind (Control-C, Control-B) and make it darker. Make sure it is a little bit bigger by stretching it diagonally to the top right corner.
Create another copy of the previous one behind. Stretch it diagonally to the top right. Using the Eyedropper Tool (I), make the newest copy the same fill color as the first semicircle. For this, while keeping the third semicircle selected, click on the first one. The Eyedropper Tool (I) helps you to transfer a color from one shape to another.
Place the foot on the leg. Group the whole leg, so it will be easier to move it later on.
Step 6
Keeping the leg selected, press the Shift and Alt buttons and, using your mouse, move the leg to the right. You’ll get a new leg.
Using the same method, create two more legs.
Change the color of two of the legs to a darker color, to make two of the legs look as if they are farther from us. And, of course, make sure that those two legs stay behind the body. First, cut them off (Control-X), and place them behind (Control-B).
If you see that the llama’s neck needs a smoother transition to the body, feel free to add an extra ellipse.
3. How to Create the Traditional Blanket on the Llama
Step 1
Create a pink rectangle. Then warp it twice. For the first time, you will need the Arch Effect. You can see the options you need in the first image, and then scroll down and you’ll see the options for the second effect.
Here are the options for the second Arch Effect.
Step 2
And now—the interesting and creative part! Delete the fill color and set a dark pink stroke color. Take the Pencil Tool (N) and draw a pattern you like on the blanket. It’s really nothing complicated: a few lines, a few dots, some flowers and zig-zags. If you are using the Pencil Tool (N) for the first time, double-click on the tool, and in the dialogue window you can move the slider in the Fidelity section between Accurate and Smooth. The closer your slider is to Smooth, the smoother your Pencil Tool (N) will draw.
If you would like, you can add a few pom-poms to the blanket. First, draw a few lines, and then change the stroke color to the same pink color as the blanket, and finally add a few circles.
Group the whole blanket (right-click your mouse > Group).
Step 3
Put the blanket on the llama.
You can also add pom-poms to the llama’s ears.
4. How to Create the Scenery
Step 1
We will start by creating the background. Let’s create a dark turquoise square: hit the Rectangle Tool (M) and click on your artboard. Enter Height and Width 850 px, and press OK. Set its fill color as shown in the image below.
Step 2
Now we will use the Pencil Tool (N) again to create the cacti. Be sure to delete the fill color and set the stroke color shown below. On the Stroke panel, increase the Weight of the stroke, and check Round Cap.
First, draw a stem, and then add a few branches. Draw one more cactus, which should be a bit bigger.
If you would like, but it’s not necessary, use the Width Tool (Shift-W) to make the stem wider compared to the branches, or just wider at the top of each branch or stem.
Step 3
Decrease the stroke Weight and make the stroke color darker. Using the Pencil Tool (N), draw a lot of tiny prickles on the cacti.
Group each cactus separately (right-click > Group).
Step 4
Now is the time to place everything we created so far on the background.
Step 5
To make the llama’s habitat more natural, let’s add a couple of mountains. Hit the Polygon Tool and click on your artboard. In the new dialogue window, enter 3 Sides with any Radius, and press OK. Set the fill color you need, with no stroke. This will be our first mountain.
Add two more of any size.
Place the mountains on the background, but put them behind the llama and cacti. And that’s it!
Conclusion
You did it! I hope it was interesting for you and maybe you learned something new today. Anyway, it was worth trying this tutorial, at least to polish your AI skills. Llamas are so trendy right now, so I just had to make a tutorial! I love all the decoration, the colors, and so on. This may be a bit of a time-consuming tutorial, but I think it is well worth it.
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