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INFOGRAPHIC SERIES - Creating Pine Trees with the Symbol Sprayer

12/24/2016

Pine Trees, snow, mountains and cold. 'Tis the season. And since I am up in Alaksa writing this blog post at -8°F, what better inspiration is needed. This is a quick way to create in icon of a tree, turn it into a Symbol then use the Symbol Sprayer to create a whole forest full of trees. Enjoy!

Create a triangle by using the Polygon Tool. Draw the Polygon and while drawing, hold the DOWN ARROW key to reduce the number of sides. Fill with a lighter green, add a heavy stroke of a darker green. Use the Stroke Panel to round the corners of the Stroke.

Duplicate the first triangle, then increase the size and place it below the first triangle. Do not scale the stroke & effects while sizing; open the Transform Panel and make sure Scale Stroke and Effects is OFF before you scale.

Double Click on the the Blend Tool in the Tool Bar. Set the Blend Options to Specified Steps and choose 3 steps. Steps are what are added in between the first and last items. Click OK.

With the Blend Tool, click the top triangle in the same location you click the bottom triangle so the blend is in line. (Shown by the red circles.)

This is the result of the Blend Tool on the triangles.

Choose Expand under the Object Menu. Check ONLY the Object button so it breaks it the triangles out of Blend Mode. Click OK.

Then, Ungroup the set.

With all the triangles selected, use the Pathfinder Panel to Unite all the shapes into one tree.

Copy the tree, tun off the stroke then duplicate it over itself in a slight offset as show.

Use the Pathfinder Panel Minus Front to leave just a sliver of the tree shape. Fill it with a slightly darker green. COPY this final shape.

Select the tree, and Select the Draw Inside Mode at the very bottom of the Tool bar. You will see the dashed line around the tree (indicating a Clipping Mask). PASTE the sliver of the tree you just copied into the tree and set the opacity of the cliver to 50%

Click back on the Draw Normal mode in the Tool bar to go back to normal drawing.

Add some horizontal lines with rounded (hot dogged) ends and throw in a circle or two for some character. Select the entire tree with the Selection Tool.

Open the Symbols Panel from the Window Menu. Drag the Tree into a free space in the Symbols Panel.

This will open the Symbol Options dialog box. Select the Type as Graphic from the drop down window. Set the Type as Dynamic, click OK.

A + in the selected tree will indicate that the tree is now a Symbol.

You can use the Symbol Tools to Spray the symbol and play with the other Symbol Tools.

Select the Symbol Sprayer and click and move the mouse around, "spraying" trees while you drag the mouse OR just click each time you want a tree to appear instead of holding the mouse down and dragging.

This is what the bunch of symbols will look like when you are done.

Add the trees to any scene you create and you now have a winter wonderland!

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INFOGRAPHIC SERIES - Wreath with a Red Bow

12/11/2016

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'Tis the season and so I though a nice holiday wreath would be cool to create. This one uses the Draw Inside feature as well as opacity to give the dimensional effect on the bow and wreath. The bold outline gives it a great look. Enjoy!

Create a circle, fill with a lighter green, add a darker heavy green stroke to the edge.

Select the circle, the select the Rotate Tool. hold OPTION then click away from the selected circle as shown.

This will open the dialog box and set the center of rotation. Set the copy angle to 15° the click COPY.

Use COMMAND + D to create circles to form a complete set.

Select all the circles and use the Pathfinder Shape mode UNITE to make it all one shape.

Draw a Polygon with 3 sides. Fill with red then add a darker heavy red stroke to the outside.

Use the Corner Widgets to round all the corners slightly.

Draw a rectangle. Use the Eyedropper tool to select the triangle to pick up the attibutes and apply them to the rectangle.

Use the Curvature Tool to select the center bottom anf move it up to round the end.

Draw a circle and use the Eyedropper tool to select the triangle to pick up the attibutes and apply them to the circle. Arrange all the shapes to make the bow.

Add some lines to make the bow lok like it is pulled together into a knot.

Duplicate one of the traingles, use the Direct Selection Tool to delete the points of two of the tips, leaving just the "candy cane"

Take the candy cane, set the opacity to 35%, then copy it. Click on the wing and choose the Draw Inside Mode at the bottom of the Tool Bar. Paste the candy cane "into" the wing, position it to create a shadow. Click back onto the Normal drawing mode button at the bottom of the Tool bar to exit out of Draw Inside mode (this is just another way of creating a clipping mask).

Select the 2 bottom tails, Unite them using the Pathfinder Panel shape mode UNITE.

Draw a circle, fill it with the dark red and set it to 35% opacity. Cut it, then select the tails, click the Draw Inside Mode at the bottom of the Tool Bar.

Paste the circle "into" the tails and position it as shown. Click back onto the Normal drawing mode button at the bottom of the Tool bar to exit out of Draw Inside mode.

Add a highlight noodle to the knot by using the Arc Tool.

On the wreath, create a circle from the middle of the wreath, fill it with the dark green and set the opacity to 35%.

Cut the circle, then use the Draw Inside mode to place it "into" the wreath. Then go back to Normal Drawing mode.

Add a higlight noodle to the wreath.

And you are done. Happy holidays everyone, enjoy the time
with friends and family and use the time to create more cool icons too!!

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INFOGRAPHIC SERIES - Create A Spring

12/8/2016

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Something as simple as a spiral is easy, until you have to create one and it can really mess with your mind!! This is an easy way to create a spring.

Create an oval. Add a stroke, no fill.

Use the Direct Selection Tool, select the left hand point on the oval and Cut the half of the oval.

Paste the cut piece of the oval, then reduce the height of the pasted half of the oval.

Align the two halves of the ovals at the bottom.

Select the set of half ovals, then duplicate ( OPTION + CLICK & DRAG) the shapes and drag them down to line up with the top end of the top oval with the open end of the other end of the oval.

Use COMMAND + D to duplicate the ovals as needed to create the spring. Select all the segements a join them all together by using COMMAND + J.

Add a thicker stroke and round the ends to finish it off. Looks easy, but if you ahve ever tried to draw one, you know it is not easy at all.

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Infographic Series - CREATE EYES

12/5/2016

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Here are a few ways to make a set of eyes. As always, super simple build in Illustrator and just a few quick steps to make these.

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

Duplicate the circle over the other circle, 1/2 way.

Select both circles, then use the Intesect Shape Mode option in the Pathfinder Panel to just end up with the overlapping shapes.

Rotate the "eye" so that it is horizontal.

Draw another circle in the center of the eye. Fill with white, black stoke of 4 pts.

Draw another circle in the center, fill with black and no stroke.

Draw another smaller circle on the outer path of the inner circle.

Select both the small circle and the inner circle and use the Minus Front Shape Mode in the Pathfinder Panel.

Add a stroke to the outer eye.

Use the Width Shape Tool to pull the stroke wider on the left side of the eye.

Duplicate the eye and rotate just the blue portion to create a mirror image of the eye.

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Design Points n PixelS

INFOGRAPHIC SERIES - Creating Pine Trees with the Symbol Sprayer

INFOGRAPHIC SERIES - Wreath with a Red Bow

INFOGRAPHIC SERIES - Create A Spring

Infographic Series - CREATE EYES

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