INFOGRAPHIC SERIES - Lawn Mower

Spring has arrived, and the outdoors are calling... and so is the lawn. Create a lawnmower and a few sprouts of grass to get a head start on spring. 

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Start with 2 circles for the wheels, add a heavy stroke and a fill. 

Create a rectangle for the base of the lawn mower.

Use the Direct Selection Tool to select the upper left corner and move the point up to create a trapezoid. 

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Draw a square for the engine, fill it with gray. 

Place the block behind the mower. Object> Arrange> Send to Back.

Add a rectangle for the top of the mower. Use the Direct Selection Tool to Widget the upper corners. Fill it with orange. Create a rounded rectangle for the muffler. Add a few lines to the side of the engine.

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Add a second rectangle for the top of the mower. Use the Direct Selection Tool to Widget the upper corners, make it slightly darker than the orange for the top. Duplicate that shape, make it smaller for the gas cap. 

Create 2 lines for the handle. Heavy stroke with a rounded cap end (hotdog the ends)

Use the Direct Selection Tool to select the 2 point where the handles come together. Use COMMAND + J to Join the shapes into one shape. 

Use the Direct Selection Tool to select the joined corner, pull the corner widget to round the edge of the handle. 

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Draw a rectangle for the bag.

Use the Direct Selection Tool to select the upper right corner of the bag and bring it down to parallel the handle. Select the lower left corner to widget the corner.

Add a line to the middle of the handle. This is for the pull cord cord to come through.

Add a thicker line to create a pull handle. 

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Draw a darker circle on the top of the mower to have the pull cord come through. 

Draw a rounded rectangle, no fill. 

Use the Direct Selection Tool to remove half of the rectangle as shown. This is for the handle. 

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Place the red handle at the top of the handle. 

Copy the bag, choose Draw Inside Mode at the bottom of the Tool Bar. Paste the shape, lighten the fill color and move the shape to create a slip shadow. Click back on the Draw Normal Mode. 

Copy the deck for the mower and repeat the process for the bag to create a slip shadow. Don't forget to click back on the Draw Normal Mode after each section. 

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Copy the wheel and repeat the process of drawing inside. Don't forget to click back on the Draw Normal Mode after each section. 

Create a slip shadow on the mower top and muffler.

Add a slip shadow to the engine and the top lid.

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Here is the result of adding slip shadows to all the shapes. 

Draw a line, add a green stroke/dotted line under the mower.

Place the line after the back of the mower. 

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Create 2 outline circles, offset. Select both and use the Intersect Mode in the Pathfinder Panel to create a moon shape. 

Draw a rectangle over the moon shape, select both shapes and use the Minus Front Mode in the Pathfinder panel. 

This creates a blade of grass. Duplicate and flip the grass. 

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Draw a line to meet the lower point of the grass. Use the Direct Selection Tool to select the end of the line and one end of the grass. Use COMMAND + J to join the shapes. 

Repeat the Join on each end of the shapes as shown in the red highlights. In the Stroke panel set the line and grass shoots to have rounded corners on the strokes. 

Place the line and shoots of grass under the mower and you are done!