Comb Through Fuzzy Fur

Super simple comb. Sometimes the simple ideas are the most amazing. And this is a fast way to create a comb. Yet the fun part is creating the fuzzy  look. This would be great when creating a stuffed animal or plush toy, a feather boa or feather duster.

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Start with a rectangle Fill with no stroke. 

Click on the Free Transform Tool and choose the Perspective Distort option.

Pull the bottom corners in to taper the shape. 

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Use the Direct Selection Tool  to select the upper corners, pull the corner widgets in a bit to round the corners. 

Use the Direct Selection Tool  to select the lower corners, pull the corner widgets in a bit to round the corners. 

Draw a line with a white stroke. Ruund the end caps (hot dog the end) in the stroke panel. 

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Choose Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. set the Horizontal Move to space the teeth apart then enter the number of Copies at the bottom of the panel. 

Adjust the Move and Copies as needed to achieve the desires number of teeth and spacing. Click OK. 

Select the lines and choose Object > Expand Appearance. This will turn the "effect" of the lines into individual lines. 

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Choose Object > Expand to turn the lines into shapes. 

Select all the teeth with the Direct Selection Tool but not the ends. Pull the corners widgets in to round the teeth.

Select the first and last teeth with the Direct Selection Tool and pull the corners widgets in to round the teeth.

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Once the ends are rounded, they will look short. 

Use the  Direct Selection Tool to select and pull the ends lower to match the length of the other teeth.

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Use the Curvature Tool to select the top of the comb and pull up to curve the top. 

Select the comb and choose Object > Path > Offset Path and set the offset to a large negative number so only the top part of the comb shape is created. 

Select the new offset path and fill it with a different color for contrast.

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To warp the comb, choose Object > Envelope Distort > Make With Warp... 

Choose the Arc and set the selection to Horizontal and a 5% Bend. When the Envelope is done, choose Object > Envelope Distort > Expand to set the Warp effect. 

To create the fake fur, create a circle and fill it with a gradient. 

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Click on the round color stop at the bottom of the gradient ramp to select the gradient colors of the circle. 

Create multiple circles by using the Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Set the Horizontal move to 10 pt and the number of copies to 50. 

This will create a set of circles. Choose Object > Expand Appearance to break them into individual objects. 

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Choose Effect > Distort & Transform > Roughen. Set the size to 50%, the Detail to 75/in and the Points to Corner. 

To get the best result, you may have to rotate the gradient to get the best, fluffy look. 

Put the comb in the fake fur.
​Change the color of the comb to a contrasting color.  

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To change the color of the fur quickly, choose Edit > Edit Colors >Recolor Artwork. Click the Edit tab at the top, then the unlink chain in the lower right corner. Move the paddles around the color wheel to create other type of fur. 

Choose contrasting colors for a bolder look and more depth.