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Infographic series - Strokes, strokes and more Strokes.

12/14/2015

Creating an interesting object like you see on the right seems like a daunting task. Layering objects on top of objects, arranging the order to make the one shape bigger or smaller than the others. Then getting them all aligned so they fit just like they should.

But this is just one shape. This is using the Multiple Path feature in Illustrator.

Start with any shape you want. This one I drew and then rounded the end points for interest.

Choose a color and set the size of the stroke to what you want.

Also, bring up the appearance panel under the Window Menu > Appearance.

This point size I then set to 80pts. Just enough to make a small space in the middle for the fill.

In the later steps we will add a stroke on top of a stroke and then another stroke on top of that.

In the Appearance Panel, you can see the fill of orange at 80 pts and the Fill.

At the bottom left of the Appearance Panel you will see the Add New Stroke Button.

Make sure to click on the TOP MOST STROKE to add another stroke ON TOP of the current orange stroke.

When the Stoke gets added, change the color and the weight to be LESS than stroke weight below it or else it will not appear to have done anything. Any larger stroke will hide the stroke below.

This adds the stroke on top, since the stroke appears above the orange stoke in the Appearance Panel.

This is still the same object, it now has 2 strokes applied to it.

Click the Add Stoke Button again and it will add another stroke on top of the current red stroke.

Choose another color from the drop down menu and also choose a stroke weight smaller than the one it is on top of.

The resulting shape is now 3 strokes on 1 object.

I rounded the corners by selecting the shape with the Direct Selection Tool, and pulling in slightly on the Live Corners to bring the point in toward the center.

Looks like multiple shapes but it just one, nicely aligned and easy to edit.

Enjoy and pass it along!

Update to Illustrators Smart Guides

12/6/2015

The current release of Illustrator CC has some improvements to the already great Smart Guides.

When drawing a circle now, you do not have to hold SHIFT to constrain, the new Smart guides will show a vertical and horizontal guide showing the circle is in proportion. Also, you will see the small word ON in the lower right corner (the word will show by the cursor).

Squares and rounded squares also show the guide from corner to corner as well to show the constrain.
These guides do not show up on Stars or Polygons.

When moving or duplicating, the new update tool hint will show the X and Y amount of movement.

And the spacing between objects also shows in the tool hint when spacing multiple objects out.

infographic series - new Illustrator feature - LIVE SHAPES

12/6/2015

The newest Illustrator 2015 update has just added some super cool features. This one I am showing you is the NEW Live Shapes feature. This is amazingly cool what it can now do.

Draw a circle and hover over the dot on the right side of the bounding box as shown above. A little "moon" icon will show next to the cursor.

Move that cursor around the circle...

And you will be able to get a Tool Hint showing the angle of the pie that you want.
Remember, each 1% = 3.6° so do the math before you have fun making your Pie Chart.

Presto, you now a have a Pie Chart without all the hassle of creating a Chart or dividing up a circle.

Next to the exterior "dot on a stick", there is another circle, that when you hover over it, you will see an oval with a dotted oval around it.

Pull in or out from the center and it will scale proportionately (no SHIFT required).

Polygon tool also has a few new features. The outside white dot allows for proportionally scaling with out holding SHIFT to do so. The inside "target" is the Live Corners that Illustrator has had before BUT they were only available when you selected the object with the Direct Selection Tool. Now it shows up when you select with the Selection Tool and will adjust all the corners at once.

At the bottom of the Polygon, there is a white dot, hover over it and will give you the Auto Add/Delete Side.

Slide while clicking on the point. Left to ADD sides, right to SUBTRACT sides.

Saves lots of time now and makes everything easier to manipulate quicker. Cool stuff!

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Infographic series - Strokes, strokes and more Strokes.

Update to Illustrators Smart Guides

infographic series - new Illustrator feature - LIVE SHAPES﻿

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infographic series - new Illustrator feature - LIVE SHAPES