Blog Archives

INFOGRAPHIC SERIES - VEHICLE ICONS

4/24/2016

I love cars, just in case you didn't know. And doing a set of vehicles is fun and it's quite simple. Just a few steps and you can get a car, bus, SUV, 4X4 or truck icon easily. And when I am not teaching or making infographics, I am most likely working on one of my 37 cars. Yes, 37, really. Enjoy!

Start with a rounded corner rectangle and fill it with a color.

Duplicate the original shape inline with the first one.

Create a new rounded corner rectangle wider that the the 2 "wheels".

Draw a circle and place it in the horizontal bar, fill the circle with white and duplicate it above the other wheel.

Draw a rectangle a bit narrow than the horizontal rectangle. Apply a stroke of 14 pt with no fill.

Select the top two corners with the Direct Selection Tool and round the corners a little bit.

Then select the upper left corner with the Direct Selection Tool, use the RIGHT arrow to move the point in toward the center. Repeat the process with the upper right corner to bring in the corners to form a trapezoid shape.

Put all the pieces together.

Darken the fill on the wheels, add a light blue to the upper rectangle to show the window.

Use the Direct Selection Tool to move the top of the car down to create a sportier look.

Now you have a sporty car, with a shorter roof.

You can round the top more, add a smaller set of lights inboard of the larger lights to create a sports car icon. This one I also made the tires to make it look more like a sports car.

To make the back of the sports car, add rectangles with a white stroke for tail lights.

To make an SUV or 4X4 look, move the body of the car up, duplicate the main horizontal rectangle and make it half as high. Put a gap between the two horizontal rectangles to show the tires a bit.

To create a small truck, take the main horizontal rectangle and make it twice as high. Add smaller lights under the main lights. Increase the height of the top.

To make the truck a 4X4, move the wheels down to reveal more to create a higher look.

To create a mini-van or a smaller delivery truck. Make a taller top, taller main section. Add a rectangle at the bottom and add another light to the set.

To create a bigger pickup. Select the right half of the truck with the Direct Selection Tool and move everything to the right.

This makes a wider truck and add a rectangle in the middle for a grill.

To create the back of the truck, add vertical rectangles for the tail lights.

Move the wheels down to create a 4X4 truck icon.

Create a bus by making the shapes wider, making the top more square. Adding two sets of circles for lights.

For a bigger truck, add more white rectangles at the bottom, keep the top more square, single lights and a big grill.

And now you have a great set of vehicle icons to choose from and more to make!

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INFOGRAPHIC SERIES - THERMOMETER

4/17/2016

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It is starting to feel like summer early. So lets make a thermometer to show the rising temps.

Start with a circle, fill it with a gray, no stroke.

Create a rounded rectangle to form the body of the thermometer.

Select both shapes with the Selection Tool and use the Unite feature in the Pathfinder Panel to create one shape.

Swap the fill for the stroke and set the stroke to 12 pt weight.

Select the outlined shape, then choose Object > Path > Offset path. Set the path in (negative number) to create a second shape.

Swap the stroke for the fill in the new offset shape.

Draw a line, 4 pt weight.

Round the ends of the line using the Stroke Panel to cap the end. I call it HotDogging since it makes it look like a hot dog! I should trademark that. HotDogging™

OPTION + CLICK and DRAG the line once, then use COMMAND + D to duplicate the line several times.

Change the color of the lines to white.

Choose Object > Path > Outline Stroke. Then Object > Compound Path > Make. This will make all the "pills" act as one shape.

Then select the center gray image and use the Pathfinder Panel to Minus Front and subtract eh "pills" from the center of the thermometer.

Select the center section of the thermometer. At the bottom of the tool bar, select the Draw Inside Mode (far right option)

Draw Inside Mode shows the section with dotted edges or "clipping". This is really a clipping mask just made easier to use.

With the center object selected and the Draw Inside Mode active, draw a box and fill it with red. Then click back to Normal Draw mode. (Left icon of the Draw icons at the bottom of the tool bar.

Use the Arc Tool to draw a quarter circle at the bottom. White stroke.

Round the ends of the line using the Stroke Panel. (Hot Dogging the ends)

And there you have your final thermometer. Have fun and share it!

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INFOGRAPHIC SERIES - CREATE A FAN

4/12/2016

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Spring is here, the weather is warm and a breeze would be nice. Here is how you can build a fan icon to cool you down, and it's a breeze to create!

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

Using the Direct Selection Tool, select the bottom point of the circle, hold SHIFT and use the Down Arrow to move the point down.

Once the point is moved, use the Convert Anchor Point button in the Control Bar to change it to a Corner Point.

Using the Curvature Tool, select the right point and pull it out.

With the Curvature Tool, move in the right lower edge in toward the middle.

Move the upper right point up with the Curvature Tool

This creates a blade like shape.

Select the blade, the select the Rotate Tool. OPTION + CLICK the rotate tool at the bottom point of the blade.
Set the angle to 90° and click COPY. This will copt it 90° from the original.

Use COMMAND + D to duplicate the blade 2 more times after the rotate/copy.

Draw a circle in the center of the blades. Fill the circle with white, add a stroke the same color as the blades.

Draw another circle in the center, smaller and fill it with the same color, no stroke.

Now you have one cool fan. That was a breeze!

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INFOGRAPHIC SERIES - SCREWDRIVER

4/10/2016

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After a nice sunny weekend of working on the house and cars, I decided to build a screwdriver icon. Simple and quick, this is the perfect tool to build.

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

Select the two lower points with the Direct Selection Tool and pull in the corner widgets to create a rounded end on the bottom. Do the same process on the top edges of the rectangle, just slightly less curve than the bottom corners.

Draw another rectangle, fill it with gray and no stroke. This becomes the shaft.

Duplicate the gray rectangle and make it short for the tip.

Make the end of the shape wider at one end using the Direct Selection Tool to move the end points outward.

Duplicate and flip the new shape and line then up to the existing shape.

Change the color of the lower shape to a slightly darker color to add dimension.

Duplicate the shaft and make it narrower. Fill it with a lighter color than the handle

Use the Direct Selection Tool to select the shape and round the ends.

Line the shapes up to create the handle.

And here is the finished product.

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INFOGRAPHIC SERIES - COLD BEER MUG

4/3/2016

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Spring is here, the sun is out and a nice cold beer is in order. Here is how to raise a glass and relax.

Draw a rounded corner rectangle and fill it with a color, no stroke.

Duplicate the rectangle, reduce the size of it for the handle. Switch the fill for the stroke and add a 20 pt stroke to the shape to form the handle.

Move the handle behind the rectangle and position it so about 1/3 sticks out the side.

Duplicate the original rectangle, reduce the width of the rectangle. Use the Direct Selection Tool to select the upper two corners to remove the rounded corners and make them square.

Fill the "highlight" rectangle with a lighter color of the original fill. Double click on the color picker at the bottom of the Tool Bar. The Color Picker will pop up, select the S (Saturation) button and slide the slider to the lighter portion of the slider.