Colorburned » Illustrator Tutorials

Create a Color Picker Icon In Illustrator

Ryan Putnam — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:55:50 +0000

In this tutorial I will show you how to create a color picker icon from some blends, gradients, and simple shapes. This icon works great for web design project and in user interface design. Moreover, you can use the techniques in this tutorial in other icon, web, and print projects. Let’s get started!

Final Image

Take a look at what we will be creating.

Preparation

There isn’t much preparation needed for this tutorial. All you need is Illustrator CS4 or CS5 and a beginning to intermediate knowledge of how to use the program.

Step 1

With the Line Segment Tool (/), create a path that is about 80 px tall. Make sure the new path has a 1 pt stroke and change the stroke color to an orange.

Step 2

With the line selected, choose Effect > Distort and Transform > Transform. In the Transform Effect dialog, change the number of copies to 6, select the bottom center reference point in the Reference Point Locator, and set the Angle to 60. Generating six copied will place one copy in front of the original. We want to do this so we will have a complete blend in the next couple of steps.

Step 3

With the transformed line selected, choose Object > Expand Appearance and Ungroup (Command +Shift + G). Change to stroke colors to primary (red, yellow, blue) and secondary colors (orange, purple, green).

Step 4

Select all the strokes and choose Object > Blend > Make (Command + Alt/Option + B).

Step 5

Create an ellipse within the blend with the Ellipse tool (L) centered over the blend. Select the ellipse and blend and choose Object > Clipping Mask > Make (Command + 7).

Step 6

Create another ellipse about half the height and slightly smaller width as the previous ellipse. Place it close to the top side of the masked blend. Change the fill of the new ellipse to a linear gradient and in the Gradient panel, change the Location to -90, change both colors stops to white, change the opacity of the second color stop to 0, and change the middle point Location to 30.

Step 7

Copy (Command + C) the highlight ellipse and Paste in Front (Command + F). Move and rotate the copy to the bottom side of the mask blend. Change the first color stop in the gradient to a light gray and set the Blending Mode to Multiply from the Transparency panel.

Step 8

Create another ellipse about the size of the main masked blend and fill it with a radial gradient. Make sure the first color stop in the radial gradient is black and the second is white. Squish the ellipse and place it behind all other artwork. Set the Blending Mode of the ellipse to Multiply and change the opacity to 50 percent.

Step 9

Now that we have the color wheel done, we can concentrate on the eyedropper. Create a rectangle with the Rectangle tool (M) about three fourths the height of the color wheel. Create another smaller rectangle about a fifth the height of the main rectangle and half its width and place at the bottom of the main rectangle.

Step 10

Select both rectangles and press the Unite button from the Pathfinder panel. Next, choose Effect > Stylize > Round Corners. In the Round Corner Dialog, change the Radius to 3 px. Next, choose Object > Expand Appearance.

Step 11

Copy (Command + C) the eyedropper shape and Paste in Front (Paste in Front). Create another rectangle that covers the bottom part of the eyedropper. Select the main copy and the smaller rectangle and press the Intersect button from the Pathfinder panel.

Step 12

Create a rectangle towards the top of the main eyedropper shape. Make the new rectangle about double the width and one sixth the height of the main eyedropper shape. Next, choose Effect > Stylize > Round Corners and in the Round Corner Dialog, change the Radius to 5 px.

Step 13

Create another rectangle slightly wider and about a fourth the size of the main eyedropper shape. Place the shape towards the top of the previous rectangle and round the corners 15 px.

Step 14

Select the top eyedropper shapes and go Object > Expand Appearance. Next, go Object > Path > Offset Path and in the Offset Path dialog change the Offset to -2 px. This value might be different depending on the original size of your shapes.

Step 15

Now that we have all the shapes done for the eyedropper, we can place them over the color wheel we already created. Creating the shapes and not filling in before we place the dropper makes it easier to see the white and transparency parts of the gradients when we fill them. So, place your eyedropper shapes over the color wheel at a 45 degree angle.

Step 16

First, select the smaller rectangle and its offset from the top of the dropper and go Object > Arrange > Bring To Front (Command + Shift + ]). Select the original top shapes (not the offsets) and fill with a linear gradient. Change the first color stop in the gradient to a dark gray and the second color stop to black. Change the Angle to -90 in the Gradient panel.

Step 17

Select the offsets of the upper rectangle shape and fill with a linear gradient. Change both color stop in the gradient to white. In the Gradient panel, change the opacity of the first color stop to 80 and the second to 0. Change the Angle to -90 and change the middle point Location of the gradient to 15.

Step 18

Select the main body of the dropper and fill with a linear gradient. For this gradient we are going to add three more color stop giving a total of five. Add these color stop by clicking right below the Gradient Slider in the Gradient panel. Once you added the color stop, change the first stop to gray, the next three to white, and the last one a dark gray. Change the Opacity of the first white color stop to 56 and change the Opacity of the third white color stop to 35. Change the Location of the first white color stop to 12, the Location of the second white color stop to 30, and change the Location of the third white color stop to 63. Change the Angle of the gradient to -45. Finally change the stroke to white and press the Align Stroke To Outside button from the Stroke panel.

Step 19

Select the shape at the bottom of the drop and fill it will a linear gradient. Change the first color stop to white and the second to a gray color. From the Transparency panel, change the Blending Mode to Multiply.

Step 20

Select the main small rectangle from the top of the dropper, Copy (Command +C), and Paste in Back (Command + B). With the copy still selected move it slightly down. Select the main dropper shape, Copy (Command + C), and Paste in Front (Command + F). Select both copies and press the Intersect button from the Pathfinder panel. Change the fill to a light gray color, change the Blending Mode to Multiply from the Transparency panel and slightly scale it to fit over the stroke of the main dropper shape.

Step 21

Select the main dropper shape, the main top shapes, and Copy (Command + C) and Paste in Back. With the copies still selected, press the Unite button from the pathfinder panel. With the Selection tool (V) move and rotate the new shape clockwise to create a shadow of the dropper.

Step 22

Create a ellipse the size of the color wheel, select the ellipse and shadow shape, and Intersect them.

Step 23

Select the new shape and go Object > Arrange > Send Backward (Command +[) until the shape is behind the original eyedropper shapes. Fill the shape with a linear gradient, change the first color stop to a dark gray, and the second color stop to a light gray. Change the Blending Mode to Multiply from the Gradient panel and you are all done!

Conclusion

That wasn’t too bad was it? This tutorial uses some pretty basic concept that can easily be applied to other vector illustrations, icons, and more. What can you come up with?

6 Easy Ways to Evenly Distribute Space Between Objects in Illustrator

Grant Friedman — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:45:53 +0000

Trying to evenly distribute the space between objects is a task that most designers have to perform every day. While this task is quite easy in Illustrator, you may find that some techniques work better than others in different situations. In this tutorial, I will demonstrate 6 easy ways to evenly distribute space between objects in Illustrator that include using the align palette, the blend tool, brushes, transformation effects, and more.

Video Tutorial

Screenshot

How to Customize Your Keyboard Shortcuts in Illustrator

Grant Friedman — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 14:00:54 +0000

Keyboard shortcuts are an essential time-saving tool for any graphic designer but often times the default settings can be inefficient and it is necessary to edit them in order to make the job much easier. In this brief video tutorial I will demonstrate how to edit your default Illustrator keyboard shortcuts so that you can select them much more efficiently.

Video Tutorial

Screenshot

Don’t Be Constrained by Control Points: An Introduction to Extreme Path

Grant Friedman — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 05:00:07 +0000

Hello everyone! Today, I would like to introduce you to Extreme Path, a plug-in for Adobe Illustrator that allows you to manipulate paths and shapes in ways that you can’t otherwise do using Illustrator. One of the biggest selling points to Extreme Path is the ability to manipulate line segments without using control handles. I’m sure I’m not alone in my loathing of control handles. Extreme Path allows you to edit curves simply by dragging out a portion of the line segment. This makes the process of refining your shapes much more intuitive. In addition to Extreme Path’s line segment edit tools, it also comes with some really nice options to help you manipulate and rotate shapes. In this 7-minute video tutorial I will demonstrate how to use Extreme Path and use these tools to help you work in Illustrator much more smoothly.

Video Tutorial

Screenshot

Create a Seamless Heart Pattern From a Simple Heart Shape

Grant Friedman — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 05:00:18 +0000

I have to say that I have always been fascinated with these types of illustrations; illustrations composed of shapes that form shapes; and while Illustrator allows you to create these types of Illustrations rather easily, there really aren’t any shortcuts. In this 15-minute video tutorial I will demonstrate how to create a seamless heart pattern using some simple illustration techniques and SymmetryWorks.

Video Tutorial

Screenshot

Below is a screenshot of the final image we will be creating.

Use Insertion Mode in SymmetryWorks 5 to Create a Seamless Valentine’s Day Pattern

Grant Friedman — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 05:00:55 +0000

As most of you guys know, I’m a big fan of SymmetryWorks. SymmetryWorks is a plug-in for Adobe Illustrator that allows you to easily create seamless patterns. If you have ever tried to create a complex seamless pattern in Illustrator you know how difficult this can be. SymmetryWorks takes the guesswork out of the process and will allow you to do this in no time at all. In this 15-minute video tutorial I will show you how to create a seamless Valentine’s Day heart pattern in Illustrator using SymmetryWorks 5.

Video Tutorial

Screenshot

Below is a screenshot of the pattern that we will be creating.

This screencast was brought to you by SymmetryWorks 5.

How to Create a Seamless Argyle Pattern in Illustrator

Grant Friedman — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:00:43 +0000

You guys may remember last year when I posted a really nice set of seamless argyle patterns for Illustrator on this site. Those patterns quickly became very popular and I received several requests for tutorials on how they were created. I know it has been a while but today I decided to record a quick screencast detailing the steps required to create a seamless argyle pattern in Illustrator.

Video Tutorial

Final Image

This is the final image that we will be creating.

Screencast: How to Customize Your Default Illustrator Pattern Swatches

Grant Friedman — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 05:00:02 +0000

Customizing your default settings for Illustrator can save you tons of time. Adobe has done a lot in recent years to make it easier for us to create new documents but even though they have managed to save us a few clicks here and there you can save even more time by making some quick adjustments to your default Illustrator profiles.

Illustrator profiles contain lots of information regarding documents including; pattern swatches, brushes, symbols, graphic styles, and much more. In this brief video tutorial, I will show you how to make a set of pattern swatches into a persistent swatch as well as how to customize your default settings for Illustrator pattern swatches.

Video Tutorial

Resources Used

20 Seamless Plaid Patterns for Illustrator

Screencast: How to Customize Your Default Illustrator Brush Settings

Grant Friedman — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 05:00:57 +0000

Customizing your default Illustrator brush settings can save you loads of time. How many times have you opened your brush palette in Illustrator only to see the same tired, old, default, Illustrator brushes that you have probably never used? If you are like most, probably a lot. The default Illustrator brushes that you see are there as examples, not really for professional use. In fact, Adobe actually wants you to customize them; even though instructions on how to do so are often vague and hard to find.

In this 5 minute video tutorial I will demonstrate how to customize your default Illustrator brush palette to only display the brushes that you actually use. In addition, I will show you how to make custom Illustrator brush sets, like the ones available on this site persistent; to display at startup every time you open Illustrator.

Editor’s note: make sure you back up your default brushes before you make any changes just in case you decide you need them in the future.

Video Tutorial

Resources Used

85 Illustrator Paint Brushes

Special Thanks

Thanks to @KyleSteed for requesting this tutorial. If you have a question you want answered, feel free to submit your questions.

Quick Tip: How to Import Pattern Swatches Into Illustrator

Grant Friedman — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 05:00:01 +0000

We frequently receive comments from readers who have downloaded a set of pattern swatches only to see a blank screen when they attempt to open the file. Our response is typically to tell them just to open up the swatches palette to see the swatches included in the download. This is usually the easiest way to explain how to do this but it is not the preferred way to work with pattern swatches. In this quick video tutorial we will show you how to open a pattern swatch in Illustrator by importing it into your working document.

Video Tutorial

Resources Used

50 Astonishing Argyle Pattern Swatches for Illustrator