13 January 2008
Illustrator: Flag Day
17/01/08 04:36 Filed in: Illustrator
Another Illustrator tutorial for you. This one makes use of Illustrator's envelopes as well as blending modes. I've chosen a Japanese flag for this exercise. This is simply because I'm getting so many Japanese visitors to this blog. It'll work with any flag obviously.
1. Begin by drawing a Japanese flag: a red circle inside a rectangle. If you're an anorak like I am you can use the align palette to make sure that both objects are precisely aligned. Now group them.
2. Next use the Line tool and draw yourself a straight line above the flag that is slightly wider than the flag. Go to Effects> Distort & Transform> Zigzag and apply a smooth wave to the line. The more ridges you apply the windier the day is going to be for you.
3. Now go to Effects> Distort & Transform> Twist and choose an angle that makes your zig-zagged line look a little more random. Now alt-drag a copy of the line underneath the flag. Because the top and bottom of a flag are never the same go to the Appearance palette and double-click on Twist and adjust the angle slightly.
4. Now this is important: we need to join the two lines together to form an outline around the flag. In order to do so you must select Object>Expand Appearance and then Object>Ungroup. You can now use the pen tool to do this. Aim for one edge of a line and you will see a '/' icon. Click on this and then click on the other line to join the two segments together. Now repeat this process and you will have a fully closed path.
5. Now it gets easier. Select all objects and choose Object> Envelope Distort> Make With Top Object. The flag is now beginning to take shape.
6. Now copy the object and choose Edit> Paste In Front. This will make a copy of the flag and place it sitting on top of the original. Choose Object>Envelope Distort> Release and you will end up with a nice neutral gray version of the flag, Delete the underlying Japanese flag group that lies beneath the released envelope object. Now select the Gradient Mesh tool and make a series of cuts at the tops of the flag. When you have finished you will have something that resembles the screenshot below.
7. A little patience is now required. With the Direct Selection tool choose every other anchor point at the top and bottom of the flag. If you do this correctly you can then apply a black swatch to your selection and you should end up with something that looks like this:
8. Now go to the Transparency palette and set the blending mode to Multiply. Fiddle around with the opacity until you have what you want.
9. Now the fun bit: select all objects and group. Choose Effects> Warp> Twist and play with the settings until you get the flag shape that you require. Make it as windy as you like!
10. By the way: I know from my web stats that a lot of people are visiting this blog. I'd really appreciate it if you could post the odd comment or two, if only to know that there are other people in this world who enjoy using the Adobe Creative Suite. Thanks in advance.
1. Begin by drawing a Japanese flag: a red circle inside a rectangle. If you're an anorak like I am you can use the align palette to make sure that both objects are precisely aligned. Now group them.
2. Next use the Line tool and draw yourself a straight line above the flag that is slightly wider than the flag. Go to Effects> Distort & Transform> Zigzag and apply a smooth wave to the line. The more ridges you apply the windier the day is going to be for you.
3. Now go to Effects> Distort & Transform> Twist and choose an angle that makes your zig-zagged line look a little more random. Now alt-drag a copy of the line underneath the flag. Because the top and bottom of a flag are never the same go to the Appearance palette and double-click on Twist and adjust the angle slightly.
4. Now this is important: we need to join the two lines together to form an outline around the flag. In order to do so you must select Object>Expand Appearance and then Object>Ungroup. You can now use the pen tool to do this. Aim for one edge of a line and you will see a '/' icon. Click on this and then click on the other line to join the two segments together. Now repeat this process and you will have a fully closed path.
5. Now it gets easier. Select all objects and choose Object> Envelope Distort> Make With Top Object. The flag is now beginning to take shape.
6. Now copy the object and choose Edit> Paste In Front. This will make a copy of the flag and place it sitting on top of the original. Choose Object>Envelope Distort> Release and you will end up with a nice neutral gray version of the flag, Delete the underlying Japanese flag group that lies beneath the released envelope object. Now select the Gradient Mesh tool and make a series of cuts at the tops of the flag. When you have finished you will have something that resembles the screenshot below.
7. A little patience is now required. With the Direct Selection tool choose every other anchor point at the top and bottom of the flag. If you do this correctly you can then apply a black swatch to your selection and you should end up with something that looks like this:
8. Now go to the Transparency palette and set the blending mode to Multiply. Fiddle around with the opacity until you have what you want.
9. Now the fun bit: select all objects and group. Choose Effects> Warp> Twist and play with the settings until you get the flag shape that you require. Make it as windy as you like!
10. By the way: I know from my web stats that a lot of people are visiting this blog. I'd really appreciate it if you could post the odd comment or two, if only to know that there are other people in this world who enjoy using the Adobe Creative Suite. Thanks in advance.
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