Unit 2. Lesson 3-Creating a New Character

Unit 2. Lesson 1-Illustrator Training 1

 

 

 "PERSONAL CARTOON CHARACTER"

Class Topic: What is Graphic Design?


Unit 2. Lesson3- Creating a New Character
(2weeks)

Essential Unit Question:
What does Adobe Illustrator allow us to do in Graphic Design?


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     Essential Lesson Question:
How can you develop your own character in Adobe Illustrator?


     Lesson Objective:
Using a combination of all the information learned this unit, the student will be able to draw their very own cartoon character completing this using the pen tool in illustrator.

     Activity:
Students will sketch and create their own cartoon with dimension.  The project will be submitted to turnitintomsw@gmail.com.
      
    Assessment:

1. Completion Character in Illustrator.

2. Personal Critique.

3. Class Critique.

 

 

 

Illustrator

How To, Inspiration, Resources | Aug 16, 2011

In this post, we’re going to learn about a bit about Illustrator’s Mesh tool.

It’s one of the hardest tools to master in Illustrator, but if you want to achieve a 3-D look in your illustrations, you have to really understand how to use this tool properly.
We’re going to create a Super Mario-style mushroom in order to better understand how to use this tool using a real life example.
When you get to the end of the tutorial, please share your results with us. And do let us know if you ran into any trouble along the way.

 

Step 1

Let’s open Adobe Illustrator and create a canvas that is 25 × 11 cm (9.84 × 4.33 inches), in RGB, and at 300 DPI.
Let’s start on the left side of the canvas.

Make the rulers visible (Command/Control + R), and then draw one down the y axis.

Using the Ellipse tool (the shortcut is the letter L), draw a circle (hold down Shift to make the circle perfect).

Using the Pen tool (P), make this mushroom head shape. Don’t forget to include a straight line on the right, because we’re going to be reflecting this side later for the rest of the illustration.

Again using the Pen tool (P), draw the following contour (which will be one of the white dots) on the mushroom head, staying in perspective.

Create the face of the mushroom with the Pen tool (P), again to allow it to be reflected.

Finally, using the Ellipse tool (L), draw an ellipse, and adjust it with the Direct Selection tool (A).

 

Step 2

Using the Selection tool (L), select everything except the perfect circle. Hold them, and press Shift, and then drag across, which will duplicate the elements.

Right-click on these elements to open the context menu. Go to Transform → Reflect.

Choose the vertical axis.

Now, select everything, and go to the Pathfinder panel. Select “Unite.”

Now that our lines are done, let’s color them in.

 

Step 3

Before we can start with the Mesh tool, we have to choose the main colors of the mushroom, set them as fills, and disable all strokes.
I chose four colors…
Beige for the face (R:233 G:201 B:126)…

Red for the head (R:196 G:1 B:1)…

White for the dots (R:255 G:255 B:255)…

And black for the eyes (R:0 G:0 B:0)…

Ok, everything’s set. Time for the Mesh tool.

 

Step 4

Like me, you’ve probably used the Mesh tool only a few times, if ever. Mastering a tool is hard if you don’t know the basics, so let’s try a simple exercise before proceeding. First, create a perfect beige circle using the Ellipse tool (L) + Shift.

Use the Mesh tool (U) to create the grid below. The tool creates two axes at a time, so you might have problems plotting them on the shape the first time you try it. Practice on simple shapes like this circle, and always try to make the grid symmetrical. A good trick is to start with one point in the center.

Use the Lasso tool (Q) to select the points you want. This is the same selection tool that you know from Photoshop, so you’re probably already comfortable with it. Select the points in the upper-left portion of the ball.

Now go to the Color panel, and select the color you want. Don’t worry if the color is too harsh right now; you’re just testing it. You can adjust every color point by selecting it with the Eyedropper tool (I). (A good trick is to use the Eyedropper tool on colors that are already on the ball. The results are easier to control this way.)

Repeat the same process on the opposite side, with a lighter color this time.

If you didn’t achieve the result below, keep practicing. It’ll get easier. After a couple of tries, you’ll understand the dynamics of it.

 

Step 5

Before starting on the mushroom, lock the other elements so that you don’t accidentally select them with the Lasso tool (Q). But lock one element at a time (face, then head, then eyes, etc.).
Let’s begin with the face. Make a net using the Mesh tool (U). Try to make it symmetrical.

Use the Lasso tool (Q) to select the points at the botton. Use the Color panel to choose a darker color (something like brown), and adjust the gradient using the Eyedropper tool (I).

Do the same thing at the top of the head, using a darker color this time to make it look like a shadow.

 

Step 6

Use the Mesh tool (U) on just one of the eyes. We’ll duplicate it later to save time.

Make a symmetrical grid. Choose the points in the center using the Lasso tool (Q), and adjust the amount of gradient using the Eyedropper tool (I), selecting each point individually.

Add some white for light in the eye. Take your time adjusting it.

Duplicate the eye, reflect it, and position it across from the left eye.

 

Step 7

Use the Mesh tool (U) on the head. Making this grid will be a bit tougher because it’s bigger, but it doesn’t have to get too complex.

Use the Lasso tool (Q) to add some white to the top of the head. Adjust the gradients using the Eyedropper tool (I).

The black gradient at the bottom is unusual and so might be a bit hard to get. But practice the selection and adjust it as you go along. It’s easy, trust me.

 

Step 8

I decided not to use the Mesh tool on the circles, because they are fairly simple shapes and have way less light to be managed. Instead, I used the Gradient tool (G) to get a white-to-gray radial gradient, and I just adjusted its direction and amount.

I repeated the process with the circles on the side. Just be careful with the gradient’s direction.

 

Step 9

For a final touch, I added a simple ellipse to the bottom using the Ellipse tool (L). Then, using the Gradients panel, I applied this fading black gradient and adjusted its amount and shape. Quite simple, and better than a Gaussian blur to achieve the same effect.

Our mushroom is finally done!

 

The Result

Well, I hope you had a great time following this tutorial and learning more about the Mesh tool.

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Email Call : GUM BALL MACHINE

Make a Shiny Gum Ball Machine with Mesh Gradients

 

Try this:

Goal- Create a 2D image with dimension.  Keep all gum balls the exact same size.  Use a "light source" when planning out shadows and highlights.

Step 1

Before we start, let’s grab some inspirational reference images to built our gum ball machine. I went to stock.xchng and pick some images that can help us with the part we need to build. Here are the links: Image 1, Image 2 and Image 3.
Let’s get started. Draw a shape like you see in the image below and fill it with a red color. I set up the document with CMYK colors. To have a symmetrical shape, I drew half of the shape with the Pen Tool (P), and then mirrored it and joined the shapes. This will be our base shape.

Step 2

Create a duplicate of the shape and fill it with a linear gradient (black/red).

Step 3

Move the just created shape behind the red shape, center it, and move it slightly downwards until you can see the black at the bottom.

Step 4

Create a duplicate of the red shape. This will be our mesh object. I am showing you the shape with mesh paths in the Outline Mode (Command + Y) to give you an idea how many mesh paths are needed.

Step 5

Select the Mesh Tool (U) and start adding mesh paths by clicking on the shape. I started by added paths in the middle.

Step 6

Add more mesh paths on the horizontal.

Step 7

Add more mesh paths on the horizontal.

Step 8

Add more mesh paths on the vertical and horizontal.

Step 9

Add some on the vertical and horizontal close together. We will need these so we can apply highlights.

Step 10

With the Direct Selection Tool (A), select the middle mesh point of the top middle mesh path, then fill it with the color white. As you can see, it spreads horizontally. This is possible since we added a mesh line above and below. This helps to constrain colors from spreading. The closer they are together, the thinner they spread. Keep that in mind when setting up meshes.

Step 11

Select a mesh point on the right and fill it with a darker red than the shape. This adds an illusion that the object is curved.

Step 12

Repeat this on the other side, then select the most outer mesh point and fill it with white. This will add another highlight.

Step 13

Select a mesh point towards the bottom, which is where we added three horizontal mesh lines. Repeat Step 10 and add another highlight. Also, I selected a light gray color so it’s not too harsh.

Step 14

Now select the mesh points above and below, then fill them with a light orange. You’ll see that this gives the shape the illusion that it has a beveled bottom.

Step 15

Select the mesh points above the orange we created and fill them with a lighter red to create more bevel. Continue to add more highlights, either in red or white or dark to give it a more realistic look. Remember to study some photographs to get a good idea where highlights and shadows should fall. Once finished with the mesh object, move it over the other base shapes and center it.

Step 16

Lets create the glass shape. Draw a similar shape like you see in the image below with the Pen Tool (P). Fill it with a white to light gray radial gradient. Place the gradient highlight towards the top with the Gradient Tool (G).

Step 17

Duplicate the shape on top (Command + C + F) and reshape it with the Direct Selection Tool (A) and the Pen Tool (P). Fill it with a darker gray and set the Layer Mode to Multiply.

Step 18

Create another duplicate of the glass shape and fill it with a light gray light gray radial gradient. Make sure to put it right on top of the original glass shape. Select all three shapes and put them behind the base shape.

Step 19

Create a long pole with the Rectangle Tool (M), center it, and fill it with a gray to black linear gradient. Make sure that the pole is behind the base shape, but above the glass shapes. Next, select the Ellipse Tool (L), and create a small circular shape, then fill it with red. This will be our top part of the glass object.
On top of that create another circular shape (make it smaller but similar in size). Next, fill it with a dark linear gradient. Align the shape with the bottom of the red circular shape.

Step 20

Make a duplicate of both on top (Command + C + F) and select the Subtract from Shape Area in the Pathfinder Palette. We’ll use this shape as a mesh object for the top part.

Step 21

Add meshes with the Mesh Tool (U) and add shadows and highlights just like we did in previous steps. Make sure you add the shape on top of the other objects.

Step 22

We need to add some really glossy highlights. Let’s create a similar shape as you see in the image below, use the Pen Tool (P), and fill it with a white to red linear gradient. It’s important that the red is the same as the the one in the object below. They will have to match in order to make it look like it blends in. Repeat that for the other side. Place all the parts on top of the glass shape.

Step 23

Select the pole and set the Layer Mode to Multiply.

Step 24

We’ll also create two highlights for the glass shape. Draw a similar shape as in Step 22, and fill it with white or a light linear gradient, then set the Layer Mode to Screen.

Step 25

Repeat Step 24 and add another highlight on the right side.

Step 26

Let’s create the money slot. Create two black circles. One smaller than the other. Align them centered vertically. Have the smaller circle slightly overlapping the other, as shown below. Select both and choose Add to Shape Area in the Pathfinder Palette.
Create another circle just slightly smaller than the smaller black one, then fill it with a gray linear gradient. Add an Inner Glow to it via Effect > Stylize > Inner Glow. Apply the settings you see in the image below.

Step 27

Duplicate the black circle shape and place it above. Fill it with a linear gradient and add an Inner Glow to it.

Step 28

Let’s create the turn knob. Create a long rectangle (M) and a circle (L), then center both vertically and horizontally. Select both and choose Add to Shape Area in the Pathfinder Palette. Fill it with black. Duplicate it on top (Command + C + F) and apply a linear gradient and an Inner Glow, just like in the previous step. Move that shape one or two points higher than the black shape. This will give an illusion of depth.

Step 29

Create a rectangle for the opening. Fill it with a red linear gradient. Duplicate it and send it to the back (Command + C + B), then scale it up a bit (E). Next, via the Appearance Palette, add a Stroke of 1 pt in red and an Outer Glow. Choose a light pink as the glow color. Select the smaller rectangle and add the same Outer Glow, but use a lower Blur strength.

Step 30

Group both shapes and add an Opacity Mask to it in order to hide the bottom part. This will help achieve an open slot look.

Step 31

We need to add some shadow below the base shape. Let’s use blends to achieve that. Create two circles, one small black one, another one much bigger and white. Select both and add a Blend Mode of Smooth Color to it. Set the Layer opacity to 53% and place it underneath the base.

Step 32

To add some extra details, I added two rounded rectangle shapes for the top as screws. I added meshes to make them look round and shiny.

Step 33

Just to bring the gum ball machine to life, I added some bubble gum balls. You can easily create some gum balls by creating a circle and adding meshes to add some highlights and shadows. Then I used a circle and modified it to a sickle like shape. I added both together. Next, I selected both and added an Outer Glow. Voila your gum ball. Make as many as you want in different colors.

Step 34

I modified the base mesh shape a little and squeezed it with the Warp Tool. This will give it an even better rounded look. Hint: guess what you could do with mesh objects in the future!

Conclusion

Here is my final image. I placed all the gum balls inside and moved them around, behind each other, and on top. This will create more depth. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.

Make a Shiny Gum Ball Machine with Mesh Gradients