Tips for Working with the Gradient Mesh Tool In Illustrator
Tutorial Details
- Program: Illustrator
- Difficulty: Beginner
- Completion Time: 1 hour
A few times a each month we revisit some of our reader’s favorite posts from throughout the history of Vectortuts+. This tutorial by Irmi Arieli was first published on March 9th 2009.
One of the most amazing and confounding tools in Adobe Illustrator is probably the Gradient Mesh tool. Working with this feature allows the user to divide almost any shape into a mesh. Each intersection of two lines (horizontal/vertical) can be colored with a solid color. This tutorial takes a different format than some of our other tuts, and will help you work with the Mesh tool better.
In this tutorial, we’ll show you some tips that will improve your Mesh work. We’ll also show you a proper workflow to get outstanding results with this tool. We’ll take a close look at creating a layer within the detailed file of a meshed boot. The final design is available for review in our freebies section, and is titled Army Shoe. Let’s get started!
1. Introduction
I would like to thank Itai Lustgarten for co-writing this tutorial. Itai is a fellow graphic artist, designer and lecturer. We have both been in the industry since 1990. We both teach Illustrator, Photoshop and pre-press procedure in Mentor academy and several academies in Israel.
2. Creating a Basic Mesh
After selecting a shape (non compound shape, choose Create Gradient Mesh from the object menu. At the command window you can define the structure of the mesh – the number of rows and columns. Notice the mesh lines defined by the original outline of the shape.
3. Adding Points to a Mesh
Another way to add a point to a mesh is by using the Mesh tool and clicking anywhere in the shape’s area.
4. Colorize The Mesh
After converting a shape into a mesh, you can select points with three tools: Mesh tool, Direct selection tool, and the Lasso tool. All you have to do now to add color to the mesh is select a color from the swatches palette, or use the eye dropper tool to select a color from an image.
5. Moving Points
If you need to move a point on the mesh shape, choose the Mesh tool or the Direct Selection tool, then click on a point and drag it (holding the Shift key will drag the point in a horizontal/vertical line only).
6. Meshing With Shapes
In order to achieve the best result with a mesh, one has to use a symmetrical shape since the mesh uses an equal number of anchor points on each side of the shape. The problem is what happens when we want to make a complex shape. Look below at the result of the non-symmetrical shape versus a symmetrical shape.
The solution could be split into two parts. The first one is to start with a rectangle or an ellipse, convert them into a mesh and then distort them to the shape we want. The second solution is to work with multi-parts, which are symmetrical shapes – one on top of the other.
7. Place The Image
The army shoe image can be download here. When placing an image to work upon, the most efficient way is to place the image into a template layer without dimming.
8. Preview and Outline
Going between preview and outline view modes is a must. While meshing 80% of the time will be spent in an outline view mode. An example from the final boot is shown below.
9. The Building Process
It’s important to break the image apart into layers. This way you can work separately on the shoelace, shoe sole, and other parts on separate layers. Let’s take a look at working on the shoe sole. First, double-click on “layer1″ and change its name to “Shoe sole.”
Step 1
Draw a rectangle at the left side of the shoe sole (and change the view mode to outline).
Step 2
Use the Mesh tool (u) to click on one of the four anchor points of the original rectangle. This will
convert the rectangle to a mesh object without adding any unused lines.
Step 3
With the Mesh tool, move the two right points of the rectangle to the right edge of the shoe sole and play a bit with the anchor handles to match the shoe sole.
Step 4
Pay attention to the color flow direction. Any hoizontal/vertical line that you add to the mesh will flow between the existent two. Use the Mesh tool (u) to click on the bottom mesh line thereby adding a vertical mesh point. Drag it down to fit the shoe sole. Do the same adjustment to the top mesh point.
Step 5
Make the needed adjustments to correct the shape. Add more points along to the horizontal line of the shape to adjust the mesh to the shoe sole.
Step 6
After adding the points, it is time to use the Eye Dropper tool to color them. Select each point and
use the Eye Dropper (i) to sample a color from the image below (do it in an outline mode).
Step 7
Look closely for a change of color. Where you see a color difference place a mesh point and color it.
Step 8
Follow the horizontal line and move the mesh points along the shape according to color change.
Step 9
We’ll be making stops in this step. Wherever you identity contrasting colors there is a need to add more points – therefore stopping the color flow. Going from outline to preview mode is advised.
All there is to do now is just go through all the points and color them. Once you’re done, make a new layer and move on to the next part you want to mesh. You can see a close-up result of the toe and sole in a crop of the final vector shown below.
10. Conclusion
Patience when meshing is a must to achieve a good results. Also, keep in mind that symmetrical shapes are the best way to work when meshing. The final design is available for review in our freebies section, and is titled Army Shoe. Have fun practicing these techniques on your own illustrations!
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By Irmi Arieli
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nice boot
wonderful!
Very Nice :)
cool tips.thanks
Good tips
Nice. Thanks a lot!
the very good stuff is always very time consuming ;)
thank you i´ll try this one later
Saweet! :) I love gradient meshes! They are definitely a lot of work though…
Most useful Gradient mesh tutorial I’ve seen. Thanks.
I am blown away by the patience you must have to draw and color the boot this way. How long did it take to illustrate?
Thanks for the mesh tips
I’m a long ways off that boot you’ve got there gradient mesh tool
That is a fantastic write-up for the mesh-tool! It is something that took me a good while learning to use and I’ll admit I’m still no master of it.
Good guide, great result and thank you for sharing it.
Alex | Zen Elements
Sweet looking boot – I’ll have to add this tutorial to my latest blog post!
Thank you .so i can know this very nice tip.
Really take long time but Really nice technique to learn. and the result above is so good
“All there is to do now is just go through all the points and color them.”
But you didn’t show how to color them!
The portion labeled “Colorize The Mesh” explains how to color the mesh, and steps 6-9 cover the topic specific to coloring the boot.
good job…
give some good tips again…
I looked up Itai Lustgarten on Google. wow he’s amazing. If he does his art this way then this is a mighty fine tutorial
Good tips Thanks a lot!
could you mail me. i’m interested in working in israel.
Simply brilliant. Best Tut, i’ve seen all day. Might be a little above my grade, but very impressive!
more steps…pleace…
realy its very nice creative desigin
Its’ not design, it’s art.
/pedantry
Thanks for the mesh tips
its really nice work!! u need lot of concentrate on these kind of work…..
nice … but old method .
If you know it so well, why don’t you share new method? Let’s see
This is great. A few Illustrator books I’ve looked at for mesh info did a lot of shallow hand waving–I think because the authors didn’t really understand how to use the mesh but didn’t want the readers to know that. I learned more from your first few instructions than from two whole books on Illustrator. Thanks!
Thanks for tutorial
Maybe I missed something, but how do you get the shoe to show up in outline mode like that?
View » Outline or press Ctrl+Y (Cmd-Y)
yes, it is very useful ! thank you very mcuh sir.
Mesh tool is now my new illustrator bff. I’ve tried in the past and failed, this tut really helps lay it all out.
Great tutorial! I’ve seen many people (certainly including me) that have had trouble starting out with the gradient mesh tool. This is a good way of explaining a real application for it.
Great job !!!! It will going to help me to dealing with G- mesh. thanx 4r ur great tips.
nice one thanx for great tips
nice clear tutorial
Uhhh… In step 2, the rectangle is being filled by white when I convert it to a mesh object. So I can’t really see where to create the mesh points. No stroke/fill applied on the shape tool. Am I missing out on something?
Wanted to know how to trace a watermelon with mesh tool when the watermelon is shot with foreshortened angle that means the bud of the watermelon is in front. tried to search every where kindly help
Great Tut .. :)
Thanks… one of the most help and explanatory tutorials on the gradient mesh that I’ve seen!
Cool stuff! Thanks…
But how did you get the grunge like texture on the shoe? The G-Mesh usually produces a smooth texture.
Hi Kala
i used an expanded brush with a clipping mask.
Irmi Arieli
Good tips
execelente tutorial me encanto el realismo que nle diste me gustaria aprender mas sobre the mesh tool thanks
great tut. thanks for sharing
Thanks for the tips in first place, for sharing your skills… it’s kind from you…. My question, having seen other photorealistic images done with the mesh tool, is, what if you want to go even further, and simulate the boot leather texture for example ? Would you add more nodes to the base mesh? or would you add new layers containing individual small meshes… let’s say for “used” leather spots, wrinkles, etc ? Thank you in advance….
I must say I agree with user Matt, on his comment about what you can and cannot get from the books….he’s right. It’s from tuts like yours where I find useful tips
Thanks again
HR
Most people will add a texture over the top to make it look like leather.
Thanks to LoungeKat for payin atention to my question, very kind of yours ! Oh, sorry for my English, I´m working on it !
thanks for these tips, its really wonderfull and helped me a lot….
Maybe a dumb question but how do i just change the rectangle’s view mode to outline? If i change the mode to outline the ground picture turns white too
i’ve tired this but for some reason my eyedropper tool picks up the color of the grid not whats underneath so how do i fix this and get my gradient mesh to work