How to Create a Magic Wand Icon
Download Source Files
In this Illustrator tutorial, I will show you how to create a magic wand icon. This tutorial will utilize gradient feathering and some simple shapes. These techniques are easily translated to other icons, illustrations, and logos.
Final Image
Below is the final icon we will be working towards. Want access to the full Vector Source files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join VECTORTUTS PLUS for just $19/month.
Step 1
Create a new document and draw a 35 px wide by 340 px tall rectangle with the Rectangle Tool (M).
Step 2
Draw another rectangle at 35 px wide by 210 px tall and place it in the center of the bigger rectangle.
Step 3
Select the bigger rectangle and go Filter > Stylize > Round Corner to bring up the Round Corners dialog. In the dialog, change the Radius to 15 px.
Step 4
Select the smaller rectangle and create a Linear Gradient from the Gradient Panel.
Step 5
For this step we are going to add two more swatches to the gradient. To do this, click two different times below the Gradient Slider. Now you should have 4 swatches on the Linear Gradient. Change the first swatch to a 63% black with a Location of 5 (the Location is middle right text field box in the Gradient Panel). Change the second swatch to a 100% black with a Location of 50. Change the third swatch to white with a Location of 90. Finally, change the last swatch to a 100% black with a Location of 100.
Step 6
Select the bigger rectangle with the rounded corners and fill it will a Linear Gradient. Make sure the gradient has four swatches like the previous gradient. Change the first swatch to a 40% black with a Location of 0. Change the second swatch to a 60% black with a Location of 30. Change the third swatch to white with a Location of 70. Finally, change the last swatch to a 30% black with a Location of 100.
Step 7
Create a rectangle the size of your document.
Step 8
Fill the rectangle with a Radial Gradient from the Gradient Panel. Change the first swatch to a violet color and the second swatch to a dark violet color.
Step 9
Place the wand over the background at a 35 degree angle.
Step 10
Adjust the gradient so the lighter part of the gradient originates from the tip of the magic wand. To do this, select the Radial Gradient using the Gradient Tool (G), then click and drag from the tip of the wand to a sixth of the way up from the bottom of the document.
Step 11
Create a 185 px by 185 px ellipse with the Ellipse Tool (L). Next, fill it with a Radial Gradient, then change the first swatch to black and the second swatch to white.
Step 12
Squish the ellipse to about a third of its original size and place behind the bottom of the wand. Once placed, change the Blending Mode to Multiply within the Transparency Panel.
Step 13
Create a 370 px by 370 px ellipse and fill it with a magenta color. Place the ellipse behind the wand and center the ellipse with the tip of the wand.
Step 14
With the ellipse selected, go to Effect > Stylize > Feather to bring up the Feather dialog. In the Feather dialog change the Feather Radius to 100 px. Next, change the Opacity to 35% within the Transparency Panel.
Step 15
Create another ellipse at 175 px by 175 px and fill it with a yellow color. Next, place it behind the wand, and center the ellipse with the tip of the wand. Feather this ellipse like the last, but change the Feather Radius to 50 px.
Step 16
Create five to seven more ellipse, as in the previous step, though use varying colors and place them around the top of the wand.
Step 17
Select the longer wand shape and Copy (Command + C) and Paste in Front (Command + F). Change the fill to a yellow color with no stroke.
Step 18
With the Selection Tool (V), grab the right center anchor and expand right. Then select the left center anchor and expand left.
Step 19
With the Direct Selection Tool (A), select the bottom right anchor (just before the paths starts curving) and drag it in close to the original shape of the wand. Do the same with the left anchor.
Step 20
Give the edited shape a 25 px feather and place it behind the wand.
Step 21
It’s looking pretty good, but let’s create some little sprites to dress it up. Start by creating a 40 px by 40 px ellipse and fill it with white and no stroke.
Step 22
Go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Pucker & Bloat to bring up the Pucker and Bloat dialog, then change the option to -90. Next, go to Object > Expand Appearance. Once the ellipse is expanded, Feather the sprite at 1 px.
Step 23
Create a 35 px by 35 px ellipse over the center of the sprite and fill it with white with no stroke. Feather the ellipse at 7 px and rotate both the ellipse and sprite at 45 degrees.
Step 24
Place the new sprite element over all other artwork close to the tip of the wand.
Step 25
Copy (Command + C) and Paste (Command + V ) the sprite around the icon, making sure you change the size and Opacity of the different copies.
Final Image
Finished! Below is the completed image.
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Nice tutorial.
What font is used for the ‘Vectips’ text?
Very fancy looking. I love it. Thanks!
font looks like Qlassik
Oddly enough I was trying to do this the other day!
Personally I think this would look better as a cylinder rather than just the rounded off edges.
The colours blend really nicely togther, nice job.
Nice Wand Effect!
looks pretty cool
it’s quite simple and therefore very effective
Look good. Your directions are always so simple and to the point.
Very, very nice! I agree with Jonathan that your tutorials are very easy to understand and follow. Thanks!
Pretty nice thanks for this one.
Really nice work! cool icon! thank you Rype.
really simple and really great tutorial
Very nice and simple. Think how much easier that would be to make with Illustrator CS4 with transparency in gradients!
interesting tutorial
Very neat and interesting tutorial! I’m going to draw it …
Nice one, very simple and effective, clean results! In my experimentation, I used multiple fills and the Appearance pallet, as wel as turning the sprite into a symbol and using the symbol tools. This was an excellent tutorial to experiment with those!
Thanx!
Hmm honestly .. I totally appreciate your work and tutorials but mhh … you have enough beginner tuts here. Who needs yet another “make 2 gradients create icon” tutorials? I would love to see more difficult tuts here. There is almost no motivation for me to keep looking on this site with such “low skill required” tuts. At the beginning it was nice, but now you have tons of such tutorials, people are better with illustrator now. Don’t you think it’s time for more difficult tuts?
Just my two cents
Very nice tutorial. I love all the practical applications of common tools shown here. Cheers!
nice combinations
nice tut. I like this..
I sort of agree with @accessoire. I’m no expert at Illustrator and I enjoyed this tutorial, but even for me it was quite basic. Didn’t really stumble anywhere along the way and everything came together easily. So for me this was pretty basic and I’m going to scour the net for some more challenging tutorials.
Nice tutorial!
I’m actually in the process of doing a magic wand tutorial in Photoshop with a little bit more detail — how to design it so that it looks closer to the Quartz Composer icon in Mac OS Developer tools.
Very nice tutorial. Is there any division of tutorials in levels like beginner, mature etc on this site?
Good. I learn some option.
Good. I learn some options. keep it up.
Very nice
This would be so much easier in Xara Xtreme.
Nice, i already bookmark it. thanks for share
Thanks alot for this great tutorial. You inspired me so much.
Great Ryan!
I would have made differently the steps 21-22: once shaped a circle, add 4 anchors on it, than put a square in the middle of the circle shape (as big as you want) and drag each of these new 4 circle anchors on those ones of the square. No effects, compatible for SVG exporting, same result!
I hope it’s clear… sorry for my English!
Bye!
Im having problems!!
when i put the
http://vectortuts.s3.amazonaws.com/tuts/64_Magic_Wand/mgkwand_13.jpg
instead the Thing is infront the wand.
How to solve this??
nice one man actully thunder
good work but no use
Great tutorial, simple and easy to follow…and looks pretty.
It is very easy, but sometimes those are nice to do just to get ideas.
Thanks for this!
good work,keep on up dating us, more tutorial
Wow, Completely amazing tutorial…..
Looking for more…….
This was a great tutorial. I completed it with no problem and it came out lovely. I know I’m bound to get an A+ on my assignment. Thanks.