|
Insight
Illustrator Fundamentals: Create a Stylized Flower
Dateline: January 2, 2007
Version: Adobe Illustrator CS2
More Insight articles
|
| There are a number of tools in Illustrator’s tool palette that allow you to develop your own stylized flowers. To create a flower hair clip like the one on the woman in our illustration, you’ll begin by using the Ellipse tool to draw a circle. Next, you’ll use one of Illustrator’s grid tools, the Polar Grid, which uses arcs to produce concentric circles. Then activate the Wrinkle tool to create uneven edges on an object. Select the Free Transform tool to distort the shape of a selected path or series of paths. And, for a final touch, use the Pen tool to draw some leaves.
|
|
Launch Illustrator, choose
Window > Color (F6). Set
the Fill to White and the
Stroke to None. Using the
Ellipse tool (L), press Shift
and drag to create a circle. In our example, we created the flower using an existing illustration.
|
|
Double-click the Polar Grid tool. Use the options in the resulting Polar Grid Tool Options dialog box and click OK. Starting from the middle of the already existing circle, press Option + Shift and drag to create a Polar Grid Circle. In the Color palette, set the Fill to None and the Stroke to C:0; M:55; Y:0; K:0.
|
|
Double-click the Wrinkle tool. Use the options in the resulting Wrinkle Tool Options dialog box and click OK. Quickly click twice in the middle of the Polar Grid Circle.
|
|
Choose Window > Brush Libraries > Artistic_ Watercolor. Choose Watercolor Stroke 4. Set the Stroke weight to .5 pt.
|
|
Choose Select > All (Command + A). Using the Selection tool (V), Optionclick the flower and drag to the left to duplicate it. Using the Free Transform tool (E), shift-click the lower left corner of the box and drag to reduce the size of the flower. Change the Stroke to C:0; M:12; Y:90; K:0 (left). Choose Object > Arrange > Send Backward (Command + [ ).
|
|
Choose Select > Deselect (Command + Shift + A). Set the Fill and Stroke to C:100; M:0; Y:100; K:0. Using the Pen tool (P), draw leaves around the flowers. Using the Selection tool (V), press Shift and select all the green leaves. In the Artistic_ Watercolor palette, choose Watercolor-Blend (far below, left). Set the Stroke weight to .5 pt. Choose Object > Arrange > Send Backward (Command + [ ).
|
|
Our final effect is shown at left.
|
