#Vector design illustrator software#
#Vector design illustrator trial#
#Vector design illustrator series#

Paste in the belly duplicate and send it to the top (CMD+Shift+]), then with both elements selected (CMD+Alt+2 to unlock all) hit the Crop button from the Pathfinder palette. We’ll need to copy the belly shape to use as a tool with the Pathfinder so press CMD+2 to lock the pattern shape so you can select the underlying elements. Group all the shapes together then overlay them over the penguin’s belly area.

#Vector design illustrator series#

Hold Alt while dragging a copy of the whole line to create an offset row, then press CMD+D until you have a whole series of patterned shapes. Hold Shift and Alt to drag a duplicate horizontally, then repeatedly press CMD+D to create a complete line. Alter the offset to zero then add the effect.Įlsewhere on the artboard draw a small oval with a grey to transparent linear gradient fill. Select the beak and eyes then go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow. Our penguin is really starting to come to life now it has colour, but there’s a couple more little touches that will help add more definition.

The bottom circle should be the lighter yellow tone to create a kind of highlight effect.Īdd the grey to black gradient to the two remaining circles around the eyes as linear gradients, then reduce the opacity to around 50%. Illustrator will automatically flow the gradient across the shape.Īdd another gradient mesh to the beak, but this time start with an orange base colour and add a light yellow tone near the top edge to act as a highlight.Ĭreate a couple of nostrils by overlapping two circles. Select a lighter shade of grey to add this colour to the gradient mesh point. Fill the wings with black first of all, then make a single click in the lower portion of the wing. Adjust this gradient so the lower portion has more grey shading to give a three dimensional appearance.įor the wings we’ll use the Gradient Mesh tool. Use a similar grey to white gradient on the belly shape. Adjust the gradient shape to match the outline of the eyeball. Give the eyes a subtle gradient of their own using a soft grey to white. Replace the default fill and stroke with a grey to black gradient then adjust the angle so it flows radially from the centre of the body. Now the basic structure and linework is complete we can begin bringing the character to life with colour. Use another oval as the penguin’s beak, but drag the lower most point downwards and adjust the bezier handles to make a slight point on the lower edge. Copy, paste and flip a duplicate of the eye shapes and position them next to the originals. Offset the pupil to give the penguin a cute dazed look. Merge them all together with the Pathfinder palette, copy, flip and position a duplicate on the other side.Ĭreate an eye using three differently sized circles. Position the new wing on the opposite side of the body.ĭraw a basic foot using three angled ovals. Paste in another copy of the body and use it to trim down the wing shape.Ĭopy and paste another wing onto the artboard then go to Object > Transform > Reflect. Select this duplicate along with the belly shape and hit the Intersect option from the Pathfinder palette to trim it to size.ĭraw another oval to act as a wing. We’ll need to trim down this new shape so copy (CMD+C) and paste in front (CMD+F) a duplicate of the original body outline and send it to the top (CMD+Shift+]). Overlap another oval shape to outline the belly fur, then align the two shapes centrally along the Y-Axis. Open up Adobe Illustrator and draw an oval on the artboard, then select and drag the lower most point vertically upwards with the Direct Selection Tool. The whole body is created from various circles and ovals which help give the penguin that cute and friendly appearance, while the gradients and shading help lift the character from the screen with a three dimensional illusion.

#Vector design illustrator trial#

To do so, you'll need to download Adobe Illustrator with a free trial or a paid subscription.Here’s our cute little chubby penguin character we’ll be creating as part of this tutorial.

#Vector design illustrator software#

You can use Adobe Illustrator as a desktop software program or as an iPad app. This means they can be scaled up or down, so you can design things to print at a very large scale without losing image quality.

It's different from a tool like Photoshop because it's used to create vector images, which comprise points, lines, shapes, and curves based on mathematical formulas rather than a set amount of pixels. First launched in 1985, it's still widely seen as the industry standard tool in graphic design. What is Adobe Illustrator?Īdobe Illustrator is a vector graphics editor and design program. Jeff Hurd's checklist will help you ensure your designs are ready for animation before you hand them over. Adobe Illustrator files often get passed over for animation when they're clearly not ready for After Effects.