INFOGRAPHIC SERIES - Pouring Water Faucet

When it rains it pours. This tutorial adds a lot of features in this creation. Being able to easily edit a clipping mask and create come fun highlights and even use the Recolor Artwork feature. Enjoy the build.

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Start with a rectangle, heavy stroke. 

Add another rectangle to the left side. 

Select both shapes and unite them with the Pathfinder or the Shape Builder Tool.

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Add a rectangle at the bottom for the lip. Use the corner widgets to pull them n and create rounded ends. 

Unite all three shapes together. 

Select the two corner edges at the turn with the Direct Selection Tool and pull the Corner Widgets slightly to round the sharp bend. 

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Add another rectangle on the top.

Select the shapes and Unite them together. 

Select the two inside corners of the shape that was just added with  the Direct Selection Tool and pull the Corner Widgets slightly to round the sharp bend. ​

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For the handle, use a line with a very heavy stroke..

Use the Width Shape Tool to pull the center of the line in to its stop. 

Expand the line into a shape under Object> Expand Appearance.

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Remove the fill and add the same stroke weight and color as the other shapes. 

Add a vertical and horizontal rectangle over the handle.

Select all three shapes and Unite them together. 

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Select all the shapes and round the corners using the Stroke Panel. This takes away any sharp edges.

Add a rectangle to the right side and select the left two points with the Direct Selection Tool and pull the Corner Widgets to round them.

For the water, draw a line. Add a Zig Zag Effect from the Effect menu. Set the points to be smooth.

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Expand the line from an effect under ​Object> Expand Appearance. This will make it a wavy line instead just the effect of the wavy line

Duplicate the way line.

Select both wavy lines and join them together. Object>Path>Join. You will need to perform this twice to close the shape. COMMAND +J is join.

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Duplicate the shapes, add progressive colors to each one and stack them on each other for the water flow look. 

Select the shapes and narrow the width.  Copy a the shapes.

Draw a rectangle under the faucet spout. Select the Draw Inside Mode at the bottom of the Tool Bar . Paste the shapes inside and move/scale them to fit. Click on the Draw Normal Button.

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Select the faucet and remove the strokes, add a light fill. Click the Draw Inside mode at the bottom of the Tool Bar while the main body is selected.

Draw a shape inside the main body, about half way in the shape. Round the corner to match the shape. Click on the Draw Normal Button.

Repeat the process for the trim shape on right. 

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And again for the handle on tope. 

Add white lines for highlights and add strokes to the shapes. Trying to add strokes to a Clipping Mask shape (which is what Draw Inside creates) can be very tricky. Select one of the shapes, in the Control Bar the clipping mask section will appear.

Here is the process to isolate the shapes inside from the actual Frame that is doing the clipping. 
The trick to this is that you MUST click on the Edit Contents then BACK on the Edit Mask to edit the mask, If you don't, the entire artwork (mask and content) will be affected. 

1. Click on the Edit Contents button to edit the contents.

2. Click on the Edit Mask to edit the mask. 

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Add dark outlines on the stream of the water. Follow the last steps for isolating the mask contents to only edit the contents of the mask. 

Add some white highlight lines. Use the Direct Selection Tool to select the lower two points and round them. 

For the water splash, start with a a rectangle. Round all the ends using the Corner Widgets. Duplicate the shapes, making them longer and shorter and aligning them so each one touches but does not over lap. 

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Select all the shapes and Unite them together.

Use the Draw Inside mode at the bottom of the Tool Bar to draw a lighter colored rectangle inside to give the water a highlight look. 

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To change the color of the water easily, use the Recolor Artwork under Edit>Edit Colors>Recolor Artwork. Click on the EDIT tab at the top next to the ASSIGN tab to bring up the color wheel. Select the dots on the color wheel (I call them "lolipops") and move them around the wheel to change the hue and in and out from the center to change the Saturation. 

Add some circles for bubbles on the water. Then add some wavy lines as well for water ripples. 

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