Final Image Preview

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Tutorial Details

• Program: Adobe Illustrator CS4
• Difficulty: Beginner
• Estimated Completion Time: 1.5 hours

Step 1

Open up a new document and select the Rectangle Tool (M). Create a rectangle. This will be used for the cable. We will keep it simple, for now set it to the default white fill and black stroke.

Step 2

Duplicate the rectangle below the first (Alt-drag).

Step 3

Create another rectangle and set the height to the same as the two long rectangles together, as shown below.

Step 4

Duplicate the small rectangle five times. Either use Alt + drag and the Command + D or use the Blend Tool. Select all of them and align them along the vertical.

Step 5

With the shapes still selected, distribute them now horizontally .

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Step 6

Create another rectangle and repeat the Steps three to five times.

Step 7

We now have six smaller rectangles and seven slightly taller ones in between.

Step 8

Again, create another more square rectangle next to the smaller ones.

Step 9

Create yet another rectangle, but make it slightly bigger. Use the Direct Selection Tool (A) to select both right side points, then use the Scale Tool (E) to scale them up, while pressing Shift + Option.

Step 10

Create one more square looking rectangle.

Step 11

Add another one and make sure you keep the sizes oriented with the previous ones.

Step 12

We are now moving on to the thin part of the plug. Create another rectangle, which is the same height as the last one, but much thinner. Quick Tip: You could just duplicate the rectangles and scale them to the correct sizes.

Step 13

Make another rather long rectangle and align it to the vertical center of the rest of the shapes.

Step 14

Rinse and repeat!

Step 15

We need two small thin rectangles that will simulate the two small black rings on a headphone plug.

Step 16

Rinse and repeat.

Step 17

Copy the small rectangle from Step 15.

Step 18

Add another rectangle, but on the right side add one path point with the Pen Tool (P) in the middle of the path line and with the Direct Selection Tool (A). Repeat the scaling we did in Step 9. Now select the middle point and move it to the right. You can do this by hitting the right arrow key on your keyboard.

Step 19

This is the basic shape composition of the headphone plug.

Step 20

Select the small shapes we created earlier in Step 3-7 and group them (Command + G). Now go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners and apply a radius of 2pt.

Step 21

Let’s move on to the colors. Create a linear gradient that goes from 100% black to 90% black to 100% black. Now drag it into the Swatch Palette.

Step 22

Setup another linear gradient with browns and beiges to simulate a golden color and drag it into the Swatch Palette.

Step 23

Now use the Selection Tool (V) to select the two rectangles that simulate the cable, then apply a dark gradient. Set the radius in the Gradient Palette to 90 degrees. Keep the Stroke.

Step 24

Apply the same gradient to the shapes with the rounded corners but set the radius to 0 degrees.

Step 25

Select all the other shapes and fill them with the golden gradient, radius 90 degrees. Just keep the two small rectangles filled with black.

Step 26

Select each golden shape separately, duplicate it on top (Command + C + F) and set the Layer Mode to Multiply.

Step 27

Select the next two shapes and repeat Step 26.

Step 28

Skip the next two shapes and select the following two rectangles. Repeat the duplicate and Layer Mode change.

Step 29

Select the two black shapes, duplicate them on top and increase the width with the Scale Tool (E), then fill them with the golden gradient and set the Layer Mode to Multiply.

Step 30

Last but not least, duplicate the tip shape on top and change the Layer Mode to Multiply.

Step 31

Select the cable shapes and make a duplicate. Then select the Warp Tool (Shift + R) and start pushing the cable shapes.

Step 32

Keep it simple and apply slight warping.

Step 33

This is what it could look like. Make sure you don’t warp to much so the shapes won’t separate.

Step 34

Connect the warped cables to the plug and voila, we have our little golden headphone plug. I applied small white squares which I duplicated and then grouped to simulate the rippled texture on a plug.

Conclusion

I grouped the shapes, reflected them and applied an Opacity Mask to simulate a reflective surface. You can easy change the colors or apply other gradients. Have fun!

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For the sake of fun and simplicity, I will be supplying a simple drawing of a hippie bus as a starting point. Simple enough, till the client comes back with CHANGES!

Final Image Preview

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Tutorial Details

• Program: Adobe Illustrator CS3
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Estimated Completion Time: 30 minutes

Introduction

The client wants to incorporate a paint job on the van so that it says “Awesome.” After showing them a initial sketch proof image, they come back with totally different feedback. Now they want the bus to have “Be Free” on the side and they want a bird and a bird cage on the roof.

Instead of re-drawing the image with the new lettering, scanning, cropping, cleaning it up in Photoshop and then finally creating a new proof image for the client to view, I will simply just sketch-in the requested changes in illustrator. This allows you to show the client the requested changes quickly, without having the clutter and headache of creating new drawings. Since there are often numerous rounds of changes, I can quickly and efficiently create a visual for them by simply doing it in Illustrator.

Step 1

We’ll start with an existing illustration that has been drawn, scanned, cleaned up in Ps, vectorized, colored and shown to the client. The colors are grouped and you think you’re close to finishing up the project. But hold it right there…

Step 2

The client comes back with changes! Dang! You were so close, you even stared prepping the file for print. They want lettering on the bus that reads “Awesome.” Using the Pen Tool in AI sketch in the lettering.

Step 3a

You’ll need to create a clipping mask around the lettering, so it’s clear for the client. To do this you will need the outside shape of the van. A quick trick that I use to select this outside shape from a complicated drawing like this is to use the Direct Selection Tool (A); chose one point from the outside of the blue outline. Then copy and paste the point.

Step 3b

Next, hit undo (Command + Z) and the entire outside of the shape will be selected. Simple copy (Command + C), deselect everything (Shift + Command + A) and paste in front (Command + F). Viola, you have the nice blue outside shape.

Step 3c

Next select the outside blue shape and the “Awesome” lettering, Control-click and select Make Clipping Mask.

Step 3d

Double-click to enter the clipping mask, and change the lettering from a stroke to a fill (color = #EC7892).

Step 3e

Simply move the “awesome” lettering below the linework/window shapes and you can save out a JPG, then send along to the clients for approval.

Step 4a

Shoot! The client has come back with more changes. Now they want the paint job to be more psychedelic and read “Be Free.” Additionally, they want a bird with a bird cage sitting on top of the bus. No problem, simply start sketch out the lettering using the Pen Tool.

Step 4b

Disregard the “awesome” lettering, but don’t delete it, as they may want it back later. Sketch in the new lettering with the Pen Tool. You can sketch directly inside the clipping mask. To get the psychedelic feel add a few motion shape/lines.

Step 4c

Sketch in the bird cage and bird. Since this in not completely integrated in the drawing, you really just need a guide line for the top of the bus.

Step 4d

This back and forth with the client could go on forever, but with a simple set-up, you can make it just a little easier on yourself.

Step 5

Once the client has signed off and approves the sketch, it is super simple to render out the final image. Simply change the shapes/lines you drew to a .25 line and print it out.

Step 6

Using these guidelines redraw the line-work for the illustration. Scan in the drawing.

Step 7

Bring the scan into Photoshop. Go to Image > Adjustments > Threshold to make the image strictly black and white. Clean up and dust/dots with the eraser or just by painting it white. Also, to save a headache later on, separate the birdcage from the bus outline. Save as a flattened PSD.

Step 8

Open the PSD file in Illustrator and using Live Trace to vectorize the black and white drawing. The settings that I use work like a charm.

Step 9a

Copy and paste the new vector drawn line-work into of the original illustration file.

Step 9b

Align the new drawing so that it matches up with the sketch lines/shapes.

Step 9c

Delete any access shapes, like the inside of the letters, and separate out the bird cage part of the drawing to its own group.

Step 10a

Now its time to bring it all together by combing the changes line-work with the original illustration. Using the large shape from the sketch clipping mask, simply create a clipping mask of the new line-work and color as is in the sketch. Delete (or just hide it to be safe) the sketch line-work/shapes.

Step 10b

Move the sketch to the correct position, just above the neon green and below all of the other shapes. Color the new line-work and shapes according to the sketch and move the bird cage into position. Hopefully the client wont come back with more changes!

Final Image

This is a simple look-in on how, in certain cases, I handle the feedback/changes process of a project. Obviously, this process will differ depending on how an individual works and as well as their illustration style.

The final image is below. You can view the large version here.

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Final Image Preview

Below is the final image we will be working towards. Want access to the full Vector Source files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join Vector Plus for just 9$ a month.

Tutorial Details

• Program: Adobe Illustrator CS3/4
• Difficulty: Beginner
• Estimated Completion Time: 30-45 minutes

Step 1: Creating the Blueprint

Draw a blueprint of the building that you would like to create, using the Pen Tool or Line Segment Tool (holding Shift for straight lines). Don’t mind the doors or windows yet, we’re just looking for the basic layout. When the blueprint looks the way it should, thicken the weight of the strokes depending on the scale you’re working at.

Step 2: Expanding and Clean-Up

Select all the lines, and hit Object > Expand to expand the lines. Keep all the lines selected, and use Unite (in the Pathfinder palette) to combine the lines into one solid shape (remember to keep a copy of the original blueprint, just in case). You’ll notice that some lines may not be perfect, as seen below. Correction is needed in some places, use the Pen Tool to clean up your blueprint.

Step 3: Windows and Doors

Now it’s time to place our windows and doors. Using simple square shapes, position them on the places where the doors or windows should be located. I used two different colors to avoid confusion, blue for windows and red for doors.

Step 4: The 3 Different Blueprints

Select all and make three copy’s of the blueprint, complete with the shapes that represent doors and windows. These three are going to be our blueprints for the 3D. Using the Divide function of the Pathfinder tools, cut out the doors and windows on “blueprint 1.” Cut out the doors only on “blueprint 2″ and leave “blueprint 3″ as door and windowless.

Step 5: Applying the 3D

On your first copy, apply Effect > 3D > Extrude and Bevel, using the preview function to achieve a nice result or the perspective you desire (I used -40°, -25° and 16°). Give it an Extrude Depth of 15pt. Take note of your rotation parameters, and apply the same with copy 2 and 3, only changing the Extrude Depth. Copy 2 should be extruded 20 to 23pt, and the 3rd copy 15pt.

Step 6: Stacking and Final Steps

Now place them on top of each other in a stacking manner. Change the color of your 3 building layers to a desired shade (I used #fddfd9). Your end result should look like that shown below.

Your building’s basic structure is done, but looks quite dull. This can be changed through selecting the whole building, and then hitting Object > Expand Appearance. You can now put in a floor (#fff0d9) and windows. You can also give the top of your wall a dark color (#606161). After this you could go crazy on detail, or leave it like as is.

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All of these decisions will result in the look and style of your final image, and your work as a whole. As a commercial designer/illustrator, the style and look of your work will make or break you. This tutorial will cover these decisions as we create an illustration from a reference photo.

Introduction

Some people may think it’s so easy to trace a photo, and that this tutorial is useless. I think it is extremely important to know how to do even the simplest things well. I have seen too many people try to trace a photo for an illustration and the end product is less than desirable to say the least.

The basic idea of this tutorial is to showcase how using the the process of tracing the basic shapes and contours of a photograph, as opposed to using predominately vector lines with strokes, as many beginning illustrators do, will result in a desirable, realistic yet stylized image.

Starting with a great photo is obviously a huge benefit to this style of illustration. Luckily, Kyle LaMere of ISR was able to supply me with a really nice photo from his ‘Visitors‘ Series. Thank you Kyle.

Final Image Preview

Below is the final image we will be working towards. Want access to the full Vector Source files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join Vector Plus for just 9$ a month.

Tutorial Details

• Program: Adobe Illustrator
• Difficulty: Beginner
• Estimated Completion Time: 2 hours

Step 1A

Open the source photo. In this case I’m using an image of myself and it’s available to Plus members. You can of course substitute your own image.

Step 1B

Lock the photo and make a new layer on top.

Step 2A

Start by tracing the outline of the glasses.

Step 2B

If you notice there are so many different shapes, shades, and highlights that make up the glasses, specifically within the interior shapes of the lens and frame, so you have to make a decision on how detailed/complex you want to make the image. Since this tutorials purpose is not an extreme photo-realism look, I will keep it relatively simple.

Step 2C

Be sure to stay consistent on which shapes/shades you are following. Trace both the interior and exterior shape of the frames.

Step 2D

Select both the interior and exterior shapes, choose the Subtract From Shape Area option in the Pathfinder palette, while holding Option to expand to one shape. Now you have one shape that makes up the base glasses.

Step 2E

Trace the bright (white) highlights on the glasses. Change them from a red stroke to white fill.

Step 2F

In addition to the highlights also trace the secondary highlights on the glasses and change them to a lighter red (#F47471).

Step 2G

Even though they are clear we’ll need to describe the lens and the nose pieces. You may have to finesse the shapes a bit, drawing them so they look right as opposed to sticking straight to the photo because the shapes are not well defined. Change them to a light gray (#EFE6E8).

Step 2H

That’s it for the glasses, switch the stoke to a fill (#EF4136).

Step 3A

Now trace the white shape of the eye. In order to get the shapes to align perfectly, select the top point of the eye shape, copy and paste a duplicate point on top. Add new anchor points using the Add Anchor Points Tool (+) where the pupil comes down from under the eyelash. Delete the extra end points and continue to draw the pupil using the top duplicated points. This is a very simple, yet useful tip that will help keep the shapes aligned and organized.

Step 3B

Simply use the process described above to get the black shape of the pupil as well as the white highlight shape. Color them as they are in the photo, black, white and light blue/gray (#72A8B2).

Step 4A

The eye lashes and shades that describe the upper and lower eyelids are so thin and subtle, they need to be exaggerated a bit. Trace them, and change them to a dark brown (#603913).

Step 4B

Do the same to the other eye.

Step 5

Tracing the eyebrows will be tedious, but if you take the time to really get into the detail, they can look phenomenal. Change them to the dark brown of the other facial features. Here is a peak at how its coming along.

Step 6

The nose can be a huge pain in the butt to get it to look natural. Do the simple line-work, tracing just the edges of the nose and cheeks. Change it to the same dark brown as the other facial features.

Step 7

The key to drawing the mouth is to not outline the entire mouth with the dark line-work like a clown. Draw the shape of the pink-ish part of the lips, and change it to a light pink (#FDE4E3). Then do the thin linework around the mouth, using only small shade shapes where needed.

Step 8

Once the mouth is established, finishing the smile with teeth is fairly easy. You don’t need to draw every tooth, you just put in a few shadows that hint at the teeth. Fill these teeth shadow shapes with a light cream (#E2D7D3) color. Draw a large white shape behind all of the shadows.

Step 9A

Vector hair could be a tutorial all on its own, it could have numerous layers of highlights and shadows, but I prefer to leave it simply flat with the contour of the shape describing the form instead of highlights. Now go around the outside of the hair form, tracing some of the big hair spikes. You can get fairly free form and deviate from the photo, as long as the shapes you are drawing reference hair. Be sure to include inside shapes which you will exclude using the pathfinder palette (step 2D).

Step 9B

Once you have one shape, with lots of little pieces nocked out using the pathfinder palette, change the hair shape to a fill of a dark brown color used previously.

Step 10A

Put in the dimple and chin shapes and some linework in the ear.

Step 10B

We’re almost there, time to bring it all together. Trace the basic shape of the face and fill it with a skin tone, which is a slightly orange (#F5DFD5) tinged color. Also apply a 1pt stroke with the same dark brown color used throughout, and place this shape under the hair shape layer.

Step 11A

If you want a floating head you can stop there, but if you want a place for the head to rest simply trace the neck shape and apply the same colors and stroke as the face.

Step 11B

Add a simple shade shape to the neck and choose a shade of brown that is close to the skin color (#C49A6B), so that it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb. Send this shape to the back (Shift + Command + Minus key).

Step 12

Add a few shapes and lines to describe the shoulders and shirts.

Step 13

After looking at the image, I notice that the coke bottle glasses effect is going on with the eyes. Select all the shapes that form the eyes, and enlarge them just a bit.

Step 14

Just for composition, add a light blue (#C2E6EA) background to the illustration.

Final Image

Thats it! Very basic, but learn to do it well and it can be a very useful illustration style. The final image is below. You can view the larger version here.

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Introduction

I needed a quick photo so I snapped one of my hand making a peace sign, it was the first thing that came to mind. I would urge you to quickly snap a photo of your own hand or something similar because my hands are not the prettiest things to looks at, haha!

Final Image Preview

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Step 1A

Open the photo file in illustrator, which is located in the Plus download “source” folder.

Step 1B

Lock the reference photo and create a new layer on top for the linework.

Step 2A

Using the Pen Tool simply start with the basic outline shape. I prefer to use a black .5pt stroke.

Step 2B

Finish the basic outline shape, be sure to go around just the silhouette, and not diving to the shape. A common mistake I make is to start going around a knuckle and ending up going around a finger, don’t do that.

Step 3

Choose the Align Stroke to the Outside in the stroke palette options. I do this so that you can change the stroke weight, or even change it to a fill, if you want, and it won’t affect how the interior lines match-up.

Step 4A

I have changed the line color to bright red and/or green so that it’s easier to see, you don’t have to do that though. Using the Direct Selection Tool (white arrow), select the point that juts between the fingers, copy (Command + C) and past the point in front (Command + F). The 2 additional points from each side of the selected anchor point will paste as well, delete those once the new points are established. This technique of selecting previously drawn points and creating a copy on top, helps to keep the linework spaced so that you don’t have to deal with extra points and overlap.

Step 4B

With the new point (green) selected, add two additional anchor points, where the shading/separation of the fingers starts, and delete the two points that were copied with the initial point.

Step 5A

Next start to define the interior shapes by drawing with the Pen Tool. Draw one side of the shadow shape of the ring finger. The technique I employ is to use filled shapes as opposed to lines with strokes, which in my opinion is the best way to achieve the desired look, which has a level of realism, though stylized.

Step 5B

Notice, even though the shadow shape of the ring finger runs into another shadow I will continue to complete the finger shape. I think it makes it easier to keep the finger shapes separate, because you can simplify/combine later if needed.

Step 5C

To define the shapes of the fingers draw both sides of the shadow shape, as opposed to drawing a single line with a stoke to represent the finger. Be sure to close the shape.

Step 6A

Continue on to the next finger shape. I like to go to the spots where I deviated from the shadow shape, just to make sure I don’t miss anything. This would be the thumb shadow shape. Notice that I am including any major shadow shape, but skipping any of the minor shapes, because if they are needed we can add them later. I’ll take care of the fingernails later, so I’ll leave those for now.

Step 6B

Complete the thumb shape, making sure the the start/end of the shape overlaps with the ring finger shape.

Step 7A

Next will be the pinky (little finger) shape, since there are spots that the shadow shaped meets the edge outline. I will again direct select the point, copy and paste it in front, and from the copied point continue drawing the pinky finger shape.

Step 7B

Finish the pinky shape. I never thought I would say that.

Step 8A

There are a few shadow/shapes that will help to define the right side of the ring finger, so draw those. Again, a shadow shape touches the outline, so I do the same process of copying a previous point in front.

Step 8B

The ring finger shape runs into the middle finger shape, so finish it up. While we’re on the middle finger we might as well do the right side of it, and that should define it pretty well.

Step 9

Here is what the overall illustration should look like. I simply hid the reference photo and made the green outlined shapes black with a gray fill. Now it’s time to put in the defining details that will take this to the next level.

Step 10A

If you didn’t do so in the last step, change all of the previous shapes to a filled black, except the outline. Next we’ll do the 2nd layer of defining details. Draw any major (useful and/or noticeable) wrinkle or folds in the skin that helps to describe the gesture of the hand. Don’t pay attention to the weird callus skin or any other defects, but focus on the overall defining parts. I like to start at the wrist and work my way up.

Step 10B

Continuing up the hand, draw any additional linework that will help to describe the form of the hand. You don’t need every single detail, but the more you put in, the more realistic the illustration will look.

Step 11

Select everything, except the outline shape, and change it to a filled black. Things are starting to come together.

Step 12A

Now its time to get our nails done (haha)! Draw a simple shape around the fingernails. There are so many tones/shades in the nails. I think it looks best to have them be a simple flat shape. I don’t know if I need to say it again, but I will just in case someone missed it. If there are areas where the fingernail shape will touch or overlap with a previously drawn shape simply just direct select (white arrow) the point(s) you need and duplicate them. Add/Delete anchor points on the duplicated line and continue drawing.

Step 12B

Change the fingernails stroke to .5pt black.

Step 13A

A good way to see if there are any problem areas is to change the outline shape to a white fill and drop a black background shape behind everything, then hide the reference photo. The thumb looks kind of awkward, too straight or tube-like, so it could use a little more detail attention.

Step 13B

All it takes to fix any issues like this is to add a few more defining details to the thumb issue area. Change them to a filled black shape like the rest of the details.

Step 14

You could stop here, but for me the finishing touch is to add in freckles! Some people might like to draw the hair or shades of light. I have a bunch of freckles, so thats my thing. These final details will help to describe the volume of the drawing. A hint with drawing freckles is that they are all pretty much the same shape, so draw a few, then copy and move them around until they look right.

Conclusion

I often like things better just as black and white, but if color is your thing it’s very simply to color this illustration. You basically have four parts; the hand outline shape, hand detail, nails and freckles. Here I just dropped a nice brown background in and choose a dark brown shade for the hand details, changing the nail shapes to a filled yellow that is a little bit more saturated than the hand outline shape. Make the freckles a bright yellow and your done!

Thats how I use a reference photo to create a realistic yet stylized illustration. The final image is below. You can view the large version here.

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Final Image Preview

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Tutorial Details

• Program: Adobe Illustrator CS3
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Estimated Completion Time: 1.5 hours

Inspiration

The National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) has a wealth of free space related images. As I looked through some of these, I was inspired to create a space scene in Illustrator. I chose this photo below as a reference because I wanted to create my own colors and add some Illustrator effects. So let’s get started!

Step 1

Create a new document 10" x 7". I’m using RGB mode, for more intense colors, but CMYK is fine. Draw a rectangle the same size as the document. Create a three-stop radial gradient, and drag it across the rectangle, so that the center of the gradient is slightly above the center of the rectangle, and then lock the rectangle.

Step 2

Choose the Star Tool and click once on the artboard. Enter the following numbers in the dialog box. You can experiment with these, but generally, you want the first Radius (number 1) to be half the size of Radius 2. Fill the star with a radial gradient going from white in the center to light blue.

Step 3

Drag the star into the Symbols panel to create a new symbol. Name it and choose Graphic as the type.

Step 4

Double-click the Symbol Sprayer Tool to bring up its options. The Diameter setting specifies the brush size for the Sprayer (while using a Symbol Tool, press the left and right brackets to decrease or increase the diameter). Depending on how many stars you want in your galaxy, increase or decrease the Intensity and the Symbol Set Density.

Intensity controls how many symbol instances will appear when you spray, and Density controls how closely spaced the symbols will be to each other. So in this case, higher Intensity and Density settings equal lots of stars, closely spaced together. Experiment until you find a setting you like.

Step 5

Spray the star symbol on the background. I find it helps to deselect after each spray, so the result is many Symbol sets, as in the image below.

Step 6

When you have as many stars as you like, choose the Symbol Sizer Tool. Hold down the Alt key to reduce the size of the symbols in a set. It may take a few tries to get the hang of it — try clicking directly on top of a star to size it. With so many Symbol Sets on the background, it may be hard to tell which ones you’re resizing, so it’s helpful to hide the each set after you’re done adjusting it. Just remember to un-hide everything when you’re finished.

Depending on how many star symbols you sprayed in Step 6, your illustration should look like one of the images below.

Step 7

To add more stars and give a sense of depth to the scene, create a new symbol from a tiny white circle. As before, Spray the symbols on the background. The amount of stars is personal preference, but the illustration should look something like the image below.

Step 8

Lock the Background layer and create a new layer above it. Name this layer “Planet.” With the Ellipse Tool chosen, hold down the Shift key and draw a perfect circle. Next, draw a line through the middle of the circle vertically. Center-align the circle and the line as shown.

Step 9

Use the Pathfinder to cut the circle into halves. Delete the left half-circle. Fill the other half with a medium blue fill and a stroke of none.

Step 10

Select the half-circle and go to Effect > 3D > Revolve… Click the More Options button and tick the Preview box. The Revolve angle should be set to 360&deg. In the Surface section of the dialog box, select Diffuse Shading, set Light Intensity to 100%, set Ambient Light to 50% and input 50 Blend Steps. Move the spotlight (small white circle) to the lower-right in the thumbnail, so that the light appears to be coming from below. Depending on the color you’ve used for your planet, you may want to tweak these settings, but your sphere should look like the image below.

Step 11

To give the planet some texture and dimension, we’ll create some artwork, then map it to the 3D object. To make a moon crater, draw an ellipse and fill it with bright blue. Draw a smaller ellipse inside that one, and fill it with a darker blue group. Now make several copies of the crater and re-size them until you have a small cluster.

Drag the crater cluster into the Symbols panel to create a new symbol, just as you did in Step 3.

Step 12

Select the 3D globe. In the Appearance panel you’ll see The 3D Revolve effect listed. Click to bring up the 3D dialog again.

Step 13

As before, tick the Preview checkbox. Click Map Art… The Map Art dialog will appear. You’ll see a drop-down menu of symbols at the top-left. Click and scroll down to the crater cluster symbol you just created. Position the symbol in the white area of the grid (this is the surface that is visible).

You can transform the symbol by dragging out the handles. You can also rotate it. Make sure the Preview box is checked, and click OK once you’re satisfied with the look of the craters on the planet’s surface. For this illustration, the texture needs only to be applied to the bottom third of the planet, since the rest will be cropped later.

If you like, experiment using different shapes for the mapped symbol. Modify the transparency and blending mode to get the look you want.

Step 14

Position the planet on top of the background, and scale if necessary.

Step 15

Just a few more finishing touches and we’re done. With the planet selected, go to Effect > Stylize > Outer Glow. Set the Blend Mode to Screen, the color to white, and the Opacity to 100%. Adjust the blur to your liking.

Step 16

Draw an 80-point star with the Star Tool. Now go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Pucker & Bloat, and enter a negative Pucker value until the rays of the star double and get longer. Change the fill to white and the Opacity to 70%. Position the star behind the globe, so that it looks like a huge ray of light peeking out behind the planet.

Step 17

Choose the Flare Tool (it’s underneath the Marquee Tool). And click once on the background. There are lots of options in the dialog box. Each section refers to a different part of the flare. Check Preview and experiment until you get one you like. Place it on the edge of the planet.

Conclusion

Draw a rectangle 10" x 7", or the same size as your background. Align it with the background, and place it on top of the planet. Select both, and go to Object > Clipping Mask > Make. This should mask off the outer edges of the planet, and you’re done!

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If you don’t know how to do this already, you may have a hard time following some of these steps. I strongly recommend you learn the Pen Tool (Illustrator’s Pen Tool: The Comprehensive Guide is a good tutorial on that), inside and out, considering Illustrator practically revolves around it. Let’s get started!

Final Image Preview

Below is the final image we will be working towards. Want access to the full Vector Source files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join Vector Plus for just 9$ a month.

Tutorial Details

• Program: Illustrator CS4
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Estimated Completion Time: 40 min. – 1 hr.

Step 1

Open up a new project at least 600px by 500px. Using the Rectangle Tool (M), draw a rectangle that is 430px by 290px. Give the rectangle a vertical gradient using the colors indicated in the image below. Make sure that the lighter color is at the top.

Step 2

Next, add a point on both vertical sides of the rectangle, using the Pen Tool (P), about 50px from the bottom. Make sure the new points are vertically aligned. Then move the top-left and bottom-left points to the right 20px, and the top-right and bottom-right points to the left 20px. Your shape should look like the image below.

Step 3

Now that we have our preliminary shape, we have to give it some sex-appeal by adding some curves. With the shape selected, go to Effects > Stylize > Round Corners. Give the effect a radius of 5px then click OK. Now go to Object > Expand Appearance. You should now have the same shape as before, but with rounded corners.

This is great for the top part of the image, but it’s not exactly what we want the bottom to look like. To get the desired effect we want for the bottom, we are going to have to eyeball it. Adjust the four bottom corners with the Pen Tool (P) so they look like the image below. I chose to simplify the bottom corners by deleting some points I felt were unnecessary, then dragging out the bezier anchors to smooth out the corners.

Step 4

Now lets add some depth. With the shape selected, go to Object > Path > Offset Path. Set the Offset to -5px then click OK. You should now have a second shape within your first shape. Now, color the new shape with another vertical gradient using the colors indicated in the image below. Again, make sure that the lighter color is at the top end of the gradient.

Step 5

With the second shape selected, go to Object > Path > Offset Path giving the offset another -5px then click OK. This will give us our third shape which we can color with a gradient using the values below. In the Gradient Palette (Window > Gradient) select ‘Radial’ from the drop-down menu. Now use the Gradient Tool (G) to position the gradient slightly lower than center and expand the gradient so it falls off the shape a bit. Note that this time the gradient has the lighter color towards the bottom of the shape unlike the two shapes before it.

Step 6

Now it’s time to create the buttons. Draw a shape using the Rectangle Tool (M) with a size of 150px by 305px. Give it a vertical gradient using the colors indicated making sure the darker color is at the top.

Step 7

Within the new shape draw a series of rectangles with the sizes shown below. Make sure you leave a 5px gap between each new rectangle. Color each new rectangle with a horizontal gradient using the colors indicated. Instead of centering the new group of rectangles within the first rectangle, offset them to the left. I have left 10px from the top, right, and bottom edges, but only 5px from the left edge. This will help give the final image a sense of depth.

Step 8

In order to add the small bevel, which two of the buttons have, we will add a rectangle with a height of 8px and a width equal to the buttons. Position the new rectangles at the top of the buttons. Color them with the lightest color shown in the image below.

As for the small dimple the middle button has – draw a circle using the Ellipse Tool (L) that is 15px by 15px. Center it within the button. Then give it a vertical gradient using the other two colors shown in the image below. Make sure the darker color is at the top of the gradient.

Step 9

Beside the buttons is a touch panel used for either scrolling or zooming. In order to make this piece, we will start by making a rectangle with a width of 65px and a height of 305px. Position the newly created rectangle about 20px from the buttons panel. Give the new rectangle a vertical gradient with the colors indicated below. Again, make sure the darker color is at the top.

Step 10

Next, create another (you guessed it) rectangle. This time with a width of 50px and a height of 290px. Position it 5px from the bottom-left and 10px from the top-right. Color it using a horizontal gradient with the colors shown below. Make sure the lighter color is on the left.

Step 11

With the entire button assembly selected, go to Object > Transform > Scale. Set the Scale to 20% then click OK. Now position the button assembly towards the top-left of the pieces we created earlier. Duplicate the button assembly and move it to the other side. Notice in the image below that both button sets are mirror images of each other. You might be tempted at this point to do a simple reflection, but this would reflect our gradients as well as the offset positioning we created earlier, so instead, move the button arrangement around by hand.

First, with both pieces of the touch panel selected, hold down Shift and drag it to the other side of the button assembly eyeballing its distance to match that of the original. Holding Shift ensures that the selection stays moving on a straight horizontal, vertical, or 45 degree path. Now do the same with the top three buttons of the button assembly switching the right two with the left one. Remember to hold Shift when moving them.

Now that the two sets of buttons are mirrored, we can shear them to match the angle of the tablet. With the left button assembly selected, go to Object > Transform > Shear. Set the Shear Angle to 5 then click OK. Repeat this step with the right button set selected, but this time give it a Shear Angle of -5. Your image should now look something like what I have below.

Step 12

At this point we can now create the drawing surface of the tablet. With our trusty Rectangle Tool (M) selected, draw yet another rectangle. This time give it a width of 270px and a height of 175px. Color it with the color indicated below.

Step 13

Now take the top-left point of the new rectangle and nudge it to the right 14px. Do the same to the top-right point, but to the left 14px. With the entire shape selected, go to Object > Path > Offset Path. Give the Offset a value of -2px then click OK. Nudge the new shape up 1px to give it depth and color it with the lighter gray shown below. With the outer shape selected, go to Effect > Stylize > Round Corners. Give it a Radius of 2px, then click OK.

Step 14

Now lets add the drawing surface to the entire project. Center it horizontally and make sure the top is slightly higher than the buttons, 4px to be exact.

Step 15

Next, we will be making the blue light at the top of the unit which indicates that it is receiving power. Start by creating a 10px wide by 4px high rectangle using the Rectangle Tool (M). Center it horizontally and move it to the top just above the drawing surface. Using the Gradient Palette (Window > Gradient), give the rectangle a Radial gradient with the three colors (shown below).

Make sure that the white is in the center and the dark blue is on the outside. Set the Location of the light blue color stop to 20% on the Gradient Slider. This will ensure that the white spot is not to big and overpowering.

Now go to Effect > Stylize > Outer Glow. Set the Mode to Normal with a shade of blue somewhere between the two shades listed below. Set the Opacity to 100%, and the Blur to 5px, then click OK.

Step 16

This step is what will bring the somewhat flat tablet to life. Start by selecting the back most object, Copy it (Command + C), then Past in Front (Command + F). Delete the top four points that make up the two top rounded corners, then give the top line of the new shape a slopping curve by using the Pen Tool (P).

Using the Transparency Palette (Window > Transparency), set the mode to Soft Light. Finally, using the Gradient Palette (Window > Gradient) set the Type to Radial and give it the setting shown below.

Hint: The color stop on the left of the Gradient Slider is black with an Opacity of 0%.

Step 17

Now that we are done with the tablet itself, lets make the stylus. In the picture below you will see all the shapes that the stylus is made up of on the left and the gradients and how they are colored on the right. The shapes are all simple rectangles that have been created with the Rectangle Tool (M) and then manipulated either by nudging points to the left or to the right.

I then added some curves using the Pen Tool (P) to the tip, the back, and the grip. The only tricky part about the coloring you might not notice just from looking at the picture below is that the Radial gradient on the back end (top most piece) is not centered. It is positioned slightly higher than center and a bit to the right. This helps give it some extra depth and realism.

Step 18

Next we will be creating the buttons on the side of the stylus. Start by making two tall rectangles using the Rectangle Tool (M). One should have a width of 70px and a height of 480px while the other has a width of 70px and a height of 340px. Then nudge the two top points of the shorter rectangle inward 7px on each side. The top side should now be 56px wide.

With the smaller shape selected, go to Object > Path > Offset Path. Set the Offset to -8 then click OK. Proceed to color the three new shapes as shown below. Once colored, horizontally center all three objects with the biggest at the back and the smallest at the front. Nudge the back shape down by 5px so you can see a bit of it coming out the bottom.

Step 19

With the new group of shapes selected, use the Free Transform Tool (E) to resize it to fit in the center of the stylus. Position it in the area shown below. Your stylus should look like this now.

Step 20

With the entire stylus selected, go to Object > Group. This will combine all the shapes into one group so we can add the drop shadow. Position the stylus were you want it on the tablet. Use the Free Transform Tool (E) to rotate it if desired. Then, with the “stylus” group selected, go to Effects > Stylize > Drop Shadow. Set the Opacity to 40%, both the X and Y Offset to 7px, and the Blur to 5px. Click OK.

Conclusion

There you have it – your very own Wacom style tablet. I hope this inspires all of you to see what else you can make using some simple shapes, a bit of pen tool work, and gradients. Have fun and enjoy!

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Final Image Preview

Below is the final image we will be working towards. Want access to the full Vector Source files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join Vector Plus for just 9$ a month.

Tutorial Details

• Program: Adobe Illustrator
• Version: CS4
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Estimated Completion Time: 1.5 hours

Step 1

Open up a new document and select the Polygon Tool. Click once on the artboard and choose Radius 50pt and Sides: 6 in the pop up window. Fill the polygon with an orange color.

Step 2

Select the Mesh Tool (U) and start adding mesh points. Click once on the top line of the polygon.

Step 3

Then repeat the step by clicking in the middle and on the right of the top horizontal line of the polygon as shown.

Step 4

Then click once right into the middle of the polygon with the Mesh Tool (U).

Step 5

Select the Direct selection Tool (A) and highlight the center mesh point, then fill it with a darker orange.

Step 6

Next, select each corner mesh point and fill it with a yellow.

Step 7

Start dragging each middle mesh point of each side of the polygon towards the middle until you create a similar star shape, just like you see in the image below.

Step 8

Let’s move onto the flower pedal creation. Select the Pen Tool (P) and draw a similar shape as shown in the image below. Fill it with 5% Black.

Step 9

Create another shape similar to the one shown below, which will be the bottom part of the flower pedal. Fill it with a pink or any other color of your choice. Then go to Effect > Stylize > Feather, then set the Feather amount to 5pt. Place it on top of the gray pedal.

Step 10

Apply mesh points to the pedal with the Mesh Tool (U). Select random mesh points and fill them with a darker gray.

Step 11

Select the smaller pink shape and make a copy. Then scale it down to about 75% of the original one. Fill it with a darker pink or a purple. Apply a Feather effect of 2pt.

Step 12

Group the flower pedal and the two small shapes together. Then select the grouped shape and Rotate (R) and duplicate it until you have six pedals.

Step 13

Select the orange shape from Steps 1-4 and place it on top of the pedals. Set the layer mode to 88% Opacity and apply a Feather effect of 5pt.

Step 14

Make a copy of the orange feather shape and scale it down.

Step 15

Create a rectangle and fill it with green. Then add mesh points with the Mesh Tool (U). Select random points and fill them with a darker or lighter green. This will be the backdrop.

Step 16

Group all the flower shapes together and make a copy. Then apply a Gaussian Blur effect of 21 pixels.

Step 17

Place it on top of the backdrop.

Step 18

You can add some text on the right.

Step 19

Make a copy of the blurred flower, scale it down and place it to the right of the bigger one. Set the layer mode to 20% Opacity.

Step 20

Make another copy and apply a stronger Gaussian Blur of 65 pixels, then place it on top of the big flower. Set the layer mode Opacity back to 100%.

Step 21

I started adding some Opacity Masks to the original non-blurred flower and placed several into the background in order to create a sense of depth of field. will explain how in the next step.

Step 22

Take a copy of the original flower and apply an Opacity Mask. Select the Opacity Mask window (Black square).

Step 23

Create a circle that is bigger than the flower and fill it with a black to white linear gradient.

Step 24

Add another smaller ellipse on top with a black to white gradient. This will hide the edges of the pedals. Remember, we are still in the same Opacity Mask.

Step 25

Leave the Opacity Mask. Place another original flower on top. We want to add another Opacity Mask.

Step 26

Repeat Step 24 and apply another Opacity Mask. As you can see, the image is set up with several flowers placed on top or behind, scaled down or blurred. This will create the illusion of a depth of field and it makes it much more interesting.

Conclusion

Voila, that’s it folks. Opacity Masks can be difficult to understand, but they can help to create some awesome effects. Just remember that black hides and white reveals and always make sure that you are in the active Opacity Window and that you leave it by clicking on the layer window next to it.

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Final Image Preview

Below is the final image we will be working towards. Want access to the full Vector Source files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join Vector Plus for just 9$ a month.

Tutorial Details

• Program: Adobe Illustrator CS4
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Estimated Completion Time: 1.5 Hours

Step 1

Draw the circle shown below using the Ellipse Tool (L).

Step 2

Select the circle and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Roughen. Change the Size and Detail so your shape becomes star-like.

Step 3

To further work with the star shape you will need to first expand it by selecting it and going to Object > Expand Appearance. After that, draw another circle behind the star shape.

Step 4

Select both shapes and in the Pathfinder Palette click Intersect.

Step 5

This is what you’ll be left with.

Step 6

Draw another circle that’s the same size as the star shape in the previous step. Give it a radial gradient with 3 points of color.

With Adobe Illustrator CS4 you now have the ability to precisely control and see how the gradient is applied to the object. Highlighted below you’ll notice that you can control where the color changes by using the slider!

Step 7

Make sure the star shape is in front of the circle you just drew. Give the star shape a green to transparent radial gradient. To change the opacity of a color simply select it in the Gradient Palette and move the Opacity slider to 0%. Below you’ll notice the top palette has a 0% Opacity while the bottom palette has a 100% Opacity. Note: you will not have two palettes. I’ve duplicated the palette in Photoshop to show you how both points of color should be handled.

Step 8

You can copy, paste and rotate the star shape to build up more levels.

Step 9

Draw another circle that will become the pupil. Use the Align Palette to make sure all your elements are perfectly centered. Select Align To Selection if need be.

Step 10

Draw yet another circle and simply give it a white outline in the Stroke Palette.

Step 11

Select the outline and go to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Enter a value that looks good to you.

Step 12

We’ll apply the eye graphic to a 3D object to easily add curvature to it. Group all the parts of the eye and drag them into the Symbols Palette. Select the Graphic in the dialog box that pops up and click OK.

Step 13

Draw another circle and drag a guide into the center if it.

Step 14

Draw a rectangle using the Rectangle Tool (M). Place the rectangle right at the edge of the guide. Select the circle and rectangle and in the Pathfinder Palette select Minus Front.

Step 15

This is the shape you’ll be left with.

Step 16

Select the half circle shape and go to Effect > 3D > Revolve. Enter 0 for the X, Y and Z rotations at the top. Select Right Edge for the Revolve. Enter 1 for Blend Steps. Now, click Map Art…

Step 17

Under the Symbol drop-down select the eye graphic. Position the eye at the location you’d like it to be on the sphere. Click OK on this dialog as well as the next.

Step 18

This is what you should be left with. Now that we have a slight curvature to the iris we can get rid of the gray area. Go to Object > Expand Appearance. Using the Direct Selection Tool (A), select the gray shape and press Delete. Continue to select any other extraneous shapes that need to be removed and get rid of those too.

Step 19

Ultimately, you want to be left with only the eye shown below. One thing to be aware of is that mapping certain objects to a shape may cause the graphic to become rasterized. This is the case with our eye graphic. Our final graphic won’t need to be seen at a very large scale so this is not a problem.

Step 20

Draw another circle shape behind the eye and give it a Radial Gradient fill. Notice on the bottom-right side I’ve given the eye a white color (instead of just fading from white to gray). This extra white area is called reflective light. Reflective light gives the eyeball an even greater level of realism.

Step 21

To easily make the veins on the eye we’ll use a brush that’s built into Illustrator. Go to Window > Brush Libraries > Artistic > Artistic_Ink. Select the brush that tapers down to a point. Select the Pencil Tool (N) and in the Stroke Palette give your pencil a stroke that’s fairly small. Using the Pencil Tool, draw an arbitrary squiggly line as shown. Overlap the edge of the eyeball slightly, as we’ll be masking the areas that fall outside the eye in a later step.

Step 22

Continue to draw the other veins on the rest of the eye.

Step 23

Select all the veins and go to Object > Expand then click OK. Give the veins a pink to dark pink and back to pink gradient. Try to use the same angle you used for the shading on the eyeball.

Step 24

Copy and paste the circle for the eyeball. Bring the shape to the front and remove both the stroke and fill. Select all the veins and the circle shape (with no stroke or fill) and go to Object > Clipping Mask > Make.

Step 25

Now, your veins will be masked precisely at the edge of the eyeball!

Step 26

To make a shadow, draw another circle and give it a radial gradient.

Step 27

We’ll give the eye a reflection by first using the Pencil Tool to draw a random shape like below. Tip: Hold down the Option key to close a shape that’s being drawn with the Pencil Tool.

Step 28

Give the shape a white to transparent Linear Gradient.

Step 29

Use the Pencil Tool again to create a unique shape around the edge of the eyeball.

Step 30

Duplicate the eyeball shape. Select both the eyeball shape and the red edge shape, then in the Pathfinder press Intersect.

Step 31

Move the shape into position. Give the shape a red to transparent Radial Gradient.

Step 32

You can also take advantage of Illustrator’s built in ink splatters. To access them go to Window > Brush Libraries > Artistic > Artistic_Ink. You can drag these ink splatters directly to your artboard. Note: In order to change their color or further manipulate them, you will need to expand them.

Step 33

Another small detail that helps the overall look of the website is the catchlight. Draw a circle, condense it slightly then rotate it. Give it a white to transparent Radial Gradient.

Step 34

We’ll make a crescent shape that will act as a reflection on the edge of the eye by drawing two circle shapes and overlapping them, as shown below. In the Pathfinder Palette click Minus Front.

Step 35

Put the shape into position and fill it with a white to transparent Gradient.

Step 36

To make the eye chart simply type your text onto a few lines. I’ve used a font called Trajan Pro.

Step 37

Flip your text using the Reflect Tool (O). Drag the text into the Symbols Palette and select Graphic, as we did when we created a symbol out of the eye.

Step 38

Map the letters to a sphere as we did in Step 17. After you map the letters you’ll again expand the shape and get rid of the extra gray area so you’re left with only the letters.

Step 39

Draw a triangle-like shape using the Pen Tool (P). Give the shape a white to transparent Gradient.

Step 40

Give the triangle shape a small stroke.

Step 41

Draw a blue circle in the background and give it a blur by going to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur.

Conclusion

Complete the illustration by filling the letters with a color if desired. You’ve just learned how to create an eye-popping vector eyeball!

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Final Image Preview

Below is the final image we will be working towards. Want access to the full Vector Source files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join Vector Plus for just 9$ a month.

Tutorial Details

• Program: Inkscape
• Version: 0.46
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Estimated Completion Time: 1 hour

Step 1

Do a Google image search for “candle.” We won’t be tracing over a reference image, but you may want to study several photos. There are a lot of subtleties to a candle’s lighting, and it’s hard to create them from your imagination alone.

We’ll be using several layers, and it helps to give them descriptive names. Rename the current layer to “Trunk.” This will hold the body of the candle.

Using the Pen tool, draw the outline of the candle. The top of the shape you draw will ultimately become the top-rear of the candle. If you make the top wavy like I did, the candle will look like it’s been burning for awhile.

Note that the very top of the candle is wider than the base. This gives the impression that the wax has melted and curled over a bit. We’ll strengthen this effect later with highlighting.

I drew the bottom arc by hand, but if you want, you can use the Ellipse tool, then merge it with the rest of the shape. To do that, select both the ellipse and the shape. Then click Path > Union.

Step 2

Right-click the shape and select “Fill and Stroke.” Select the Fill tab and click the linear gradient icon. Click Edit and set up gradient stops with these four parameters: (1) Offset of 0.00 and Color of #c62f08ff, (2) Offset of 0.30 and Color of #c03c08ff, (3) Offset of 0.60 and Color of #bd4607ff, and (4) Offset of 1.00 and Color of #df512aff.

Step 3

Create a new layer on top of the current one and call it “Top.” Using the Pen tool, draw an irregular elliptical shape. This will be the top of the candle.

Step 4

Fill the shape with a radial gradient. This creates a highlight in the center where the flame will eventually be. The stops for this gradient are: (1) Offset of 0.00 and Color of #fffab0ff and (2) Offset of 1.00 and Color of #ffac19ff.

Step 5

Now we can start highlighting the candle. This is the most important part, as almost all of the depth in the image comes from the highlights.

Create a new layer between the “Trunk” and “Top” layers, and call it “Trunk Highlights.” Draw a simple box across the upper half of the candle.

Step 6

Fill the box with a radial gradient. Unlike the others, this one will go from solid to transparent. The stops are: (1) Offset of 0.00 and Color of #ffac29c3, (2) Offset of 0.47 and Color of #ffa92247, and (3) Offset of 1.00 and Color of #ffa21c00.

Step 7

We can’t let that highlight spill over the way it’s doing now, so we have to clip it within the bounds of the trunk. To do that, select the trunk (the first shape your created) and copy it to the clipboard. Choose Edit > Paste In Place. Fill it bright green so it stands out.

Remove the top of the shape as illustrated below. Handy Trick: To get rid of Bezier handles, mouse over them and Control-click.

Step 8

Make sure the green trunk copy is above the highlight. You can reorder objects with page-up and page-down.

Select the green trunk copy and the highlight. Choose Object > Clip &gt Set. The highlight should now be clipped to the shape of the trunk.

Step 9

We’ll now add highlights to the sides of the trunk, simulating a studio lighting setup. Draw two shapes like those shown below.

Step 10

Select the two shapes, go to Fill and Stroke, and set their Blur to 4.0.

Step 11

Give them each a linear gradient going from white to transparent. Clip them both to the shape of the trunk, following the same procedure as before.

Step 12

Now we’ll emphasize the lip around the top with some highlights. At the top-front, draw a shape like that shown below (green shape), just below the edge.

Step 13

Blur it.

Step 14

Apply a white to transparent radial gradient.

Step 15

Draw similar shapes at other points around the lip.

Step 16

Blur them and add radial gradients.

Step 17

These few sharp highlights aren’t quite enough to suggest the shape of the lip. So, we’ll add one subtle highlight going all the way around. This shape will be a ring with a hole in the middle. To achieve that, draw the outer ring, and then draw the inner ring on top of it. Select both rings and choose Path > Difference.

Step 18

Set it to a semi-transparent white and Blur it. This one doesn’t need a gradient.

Step 19

To suggest light coming from the flame, we’ll add a highlight on the inside of the lip. Drawing the left and right sides of the shape requires a bit of three-dimensional thinking.

Step 20

Blur the inner highlight. Thanks to our layering, the Blur doesn’t spill over onto the yellow ellipse.

Step 21

Apply a radial gradient going from orange-yellow to transparent. Extend the gradient handles beyond the bounds of the object.

Step 22

We’re done with the highlights. Here’s how it looks so far, shown below.

Step 23

Now we can start drawing the wick and flame. First, draw an ellipse in the top-center, color it yellow-orange, and give it some Blur. This will simulate the pool of molten wax around the wick.

Step 24

Draw the wick. This should be a very simple shape, but make it a little more interesting than a rectangle. Give it a black to yellow gradient.

Step 25

Let’s draw the flame. Create a new layer called “Flame.” Start by drawing a simple shape that shown below. Fill it with a solid, fleshy color.

Step 26

Draw a slightly different shape on top of it, leaving a bit of a gap at the bottom.

Step 27

Fill the top shape with white and Blur it.

Step 28

Draw a boomerang-like shape at the bottom of the flame.

Step 29

Fill it with yellow and Blur it.

Step 30

Draw a circle at the bottom of the flame and Blur it.

Step 31

Apply a peach to transparent gradient, running top to bottom.

Step 32

The candle itself is done, but it looks rather bland against a white background. Let’s draw a simple backdrop.

For mine, I just applied a vertical, linear gradient, then layered a radial gradient on top of it.

Final Image

With the background in place, our candle stands out nicely. For added realism, you could put a few shadows on the ground beneath the candle.

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