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INFOGRAPHIC SERIES - VALENTINES BANNER

2/14/2016

Create a banner for any occasion. This looks like a simple set up but it takes several steps to make it look like it curls and curves like you want it to. Have fun! And just in time for Valentines day.

Start your banner with the Spiral tool, and while drawing, use your down arrow to take away the concentric arcs until you end up with the shape you see above.

While the Spiral is selected, use the Pen Tool to add a point as show. Then use the Direct Selection Tool to select the last tail of the arc and delete it.

With the tail of the arc deleted. Select the shape with the Selection Tool and make it 1/2 the height.

With it half he height, it is now ready for duplicating.
Option CLCIK + DRAG the shape down to create a duplicate.

With the 2 spiral selected, you need to Join the open ends. Select both shapes and use COMMAND + J to join the shapes on one end.

With the shapes joined, we now want to fill the shape with a color but we need the shape to be closed.

Use the Direct Selection Tool and delete two of the curves on the bottom shape as shown.

Create a straight, vertical line on each of the 3 ends as shown. They do not need to be joined to the open ends as it won't be possible as some of them are closed.

When you fill it with a color, it doesn't fill like you would want. So we need to Live Paint this object.... Undo the Fill before you go into Live Paint.

Select the objects and choose Object, Live Paint.

The Object will now be a Live Paint Object, noted by the "snowflakes" around the bounding box of the shape.

Choose Object, Live Paint, Gap Options to make sure that the lines "create" a closed shape to fill with Live Paint.

Using the Live Paint Bucket Tool (the only way you can fill a Live Paint Shape) you can now fill the shapes with color

By the Live Paint Tool is a set of 3 boxes filled with color, this is your Swatch palette at hand. Use the left or right arrows to work through the color choices then click on the shape to fill it with the active color.

Here is the shape filled with three shades of red to add depth.
Choose Object>Expand to break the shape up into usable shapes and outlines.

When expanded it will give you filled shapes and a seperate editable outline as well. Ungroup the shapes and delete the separate outline that is overlaying the shapes.

Duplicate the shapes to Reflect them and get a mirror image of the shape.

Select the right curl with the Selection Tool and right click, choose Transform>Reflect.

Draw a rectangle in the center of the two set of curls, matching the height to the verticals of the curls.

With the rectangle selected, choose Effect>Warp>Arc.

Set the percentage of arc to make the arc effect look like it fits. I set this arc to 20%

With the center section selected, choose Object>Expand Appearance to make the effect the actual shape. Select all the shapes and Ungroup everything.

Select just the arc rectangle and the two front sections of the curls and Add them all together using the Pathfinder Panel. You should end up with one solid shape.

Select all the shapes and add a gold stroke to all the shapes.

Select all the shapes and Group them all together.

Select the group and choose Effect>Warp>Arc and set the arc to make it curved. I used 30% here.

Here is your arc'd banner.

Add some type on a path to personalize your message!

INFOGRAPHIC SERIES - TAG WITH DROP SHADOW

2/7/2016

Here is a quick way to create and edit a drop shadow effect in Illustrator. And make it a bit fun as well.

Start with a rectangle, fill it with a color, no stroke.

Using the Pen Tool, add a point on the left side, directly in the middle. Use you Smart Guid to locate the position, and then click to add a point.

Select the newly added point with the Direct Selection tool, hold SHIFT and use your left arrow to move the point out to the left.

Use the Direct Selection Tool to select the three left points, this will show the Live Corners. Pull the targets in toward the middle of the rectangle slightly to round the edges.

Draw a circle and place it in the tip on the left.

Select both the circle and shapes, use the Pathfinder Mode to Minus Front.

Result will leave a hole in the tag.

Select the tag and choose object>Path>Offset Path.

Set the inset to be a negative number to inset the path inside the shape.

The result will give you a smaller inset shape, inside the tag.

Fill the inset shape with a contrasting color.

Duplicate the tag and fill it with black, no stroke

Chose the black shape, under the Effect menu, choose Blur under the Photoshop Effects section, then choose Gaussian Blur.

Set the Blur to 50.

Here is the result.

To edit the Blur Effect, open the Appearance panel under the Window Menu. Click on the Gaussian Blur link to edit the blur, don't go under the Effect Menu and choose Gaussian Blur or will add a 2nd blur on top of he first.

Use the Curvature Tool, select the right edge and push the center in. Choose the bottom and push the center up. Pull the lower right corner down slightly, all with the Curvature Tool.

Move the drop shadow to the back and position it behind and slight to the right of the tag. Adjust the opacity as needed.

Take the Pencil Tool and draw a bit of string, add a darker stroke to it.

And there you have a finished tag. Adjust the shadow to make it look like more of a curl if needed, or lighter or darker.

INFOGRAPHICS SERIES - INTEGRATED OVERLAPS

2/6/2016

This is a simple way to create what looks like overlapping circles. The problem is with circles, you have to send each circle to the back, and you never get the last overlap set that you want. So here is the trick!!

Start with a circle. Draw while holding SHIFT to create a perfect circle. Add a stroke to the shape, 10 pts work well.

Duplicate the circle, hold OPTION and click and drag, while holding SHIFT, and drag to the lower left. SHIFT will constrain to the left at a 45° angle.

Line up the duplicated circle to the point shown. Smart Guides will help in this alignment. View>Guides>Smart Guides

Use the pathfinder panel to Minus Front. This will remove the circle in front and leave the back circle shape.

OPTION + CLICK and drag the shape while holding SHIFT and drag at a 45° angle down and to the left. Snap the edges of the duplicated shape to the edges of the original shape.

Rotate the duplicated shape 90° clockwise.

Duplicate that shape and move up and to the left and snap to the second shape.

Rotate the newly duplicated shape 90° clockwise.
Repeat the duplicate process up and to the right, hold shift and snap it to the existing circle. Rotate that shape 90° clockwise again.

With the last shape duplicated, this will drop right into final position if you have created perfect circles AND lines the circles up to the existing edges of the circles.

In Outline Mode (View>Outline) you should see all the shapes line up as shown.

Now you have an overlap composite shape.

Duplicate the top shape. Remove the stroke on it.

Choose Object>Offset Path and set the Offset to be a negative number. This will create a path inside the shape.

With the Offset Path, remove the OUTER path leaving the smaller, inner shape.
Fill with a lighter color that you used in the original shape.

Move that smaller shape into position on the overlap shape.

Duplicate the inner shape, then rotate each 90° clockwise and move into position on the original shapes, aligning the center of the shapes.

If you change the stroke on the outer shapes to white, it changes the look considerably.

If you select everything and use the Pathfinder Minus Front Mode, this is the result.

If you select everything and use the Pathfinder Divide Mode, this is the result.

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Design Points n PixelS

INFOGRAPHIC SERIES - VALENTINES BANNER

INFOGRAPHIC SERIES - TAG WITH DROP SHADOW

INFOGRAPHICS SERIES - INTEGRATED OVERLAPS﻿

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INFOGRAPHICS SERIES - INTEGRATED OVERLAPS