Final Image Preview

Step 1

Draw an ellipse using the Ellipse Tool (L). Give it a light to medium dark green radial gradient using the Gradient Palette.

Step 2

Duplicate and paste the ellipse on top of itself by pressing Command + C then Command + F. Command + F pastes directly on top of where the object was copied from, while Command + V pastes in the center of the artboard. Uniformly scale the ellipse down slightly by holding down Shift + Option while you drag a corner of the ellipse.

Step 3

Next we will create the shape of the main highlight on the sphere. Draw another ellipse and use the Direct Selection Tool (A) to move the bottom-most point upward slightly.

Step 4

Go to Object > Envelope Distort > Make with Warp… Enter the values below and click OK.

Step 5

In order to continue working with the warped shape you will need to expand it first. Go to Object > Expand and select OK in the resulting dialog.

Step 6

Your shape should look close to this. Make any small adjustments if you deem necessary. If your shape does not match this exactly, it’s OK. Just make sure it looks good to you.

Step 7

Position the shape over the sphere.

Step 8

Give the shape a green to white gradient. Make sure the green you’re using is consistent any time you need to use a green color. The easiest was to ensure the green to white gradient blends nicely with the rest of the sphere is to use the sphere’s gradient, then drag a new white color onto the gradient slider bar, and delete any other unnecessary colors.

Step 9

We’ll make the reflection on the bottom of the sphere by overlapping two ellipses and selecting Subtract from Shape Area in the Pathfinder then selecting Expand.

Step 10

This is what your shape should now look like.

Step 11

Position the shape over the sphere.

Step 12

Make the top metal part of the ornament by drawing a simple shape using the Pen Tool (P). Give the shape a metal-like gradient by creating your own gradient or using Illustrator’s built-in gradients. Access the built-in gradients by going to Window > Swatch Libraries > Gradients > Metals.

Step 13

Create a highlight by drawing a rectangle using the Rectangle Tool (M), then Dividing the shapes using the Pathfinder. Once you divide the shapes go to Object > Ungroup so that you can eliminate the extraneous rectangle on the top and bottom.

Step 14

Give the piece a top by drawing an ellipse and giving the ellipse a subtle gradient too.

Step 15

Copy and paste the ellipse using the technique in Step 2 to quickly position the pasted ellipse in the center of the item it was copied from. Give the ellipse a brown gradient to simulate a recessed effect.

Step 16

Next we’ll create the loop that attaches the ornament to a string. Draw yet another ellipse and this time give it a stroke weight of about 1 pt.

Step 17

Go to Object > Expand… Select OK in the resulting dialog.

Step 18

Give the shape a gradient. Position the shape over the smaller ellipse and click Divide in the Pathfinder. Go to Object > Ungroup. Now you can delete the extra shapes around the edge that you do not need.

Step 19

This is what your artwork should look like right now.

Step 20

Create the shadow by drawing a circle and give it a radial gradient as shown below. Pay special attention to the highlighted areas below. In order to achieve an effective result you will need to drag the center point of the gradient to the right and use a light grey on the left.

Step 21

Condense the circle using the Selection Tool (V).

Step 22

Create the background by drawing a rounded-corner rectangle. Tip: When you are drawing the rectangle you can change the radius of the corners by holding the up and down arrows on the keyboard while you are drawing the shape.

Step 23

We’ll create a burst shape by first drawing a circle with a stroke weight of about 1 pt.

Step 24

Change the Weight to a substantially larger number and select Dashed Line then enter a few arbitrary numbers in the first few boxes to create the burst pattern. The numbers you enter determine the pattern the burst makes. Experiment with a combination of values to produce an effect that you like. If the center of your burst pattern does not touch (or overlaps too far) change the Weight of your stroke.

Step 25

Go to Object > Expand…. and click OK. Now you will be able to change the fill color of your burst pattern.

Step 26

Below I have changed the fill color of my burst pattern to white and overlapped the pattern with the red rectangle. Use the Align Palette to make sure your shapes are perfectly centered.

Step 27

Copy the rectangle (do not paste.) Select both shapes and in the Pathfinder select Intersect Shape Areas followed by selecting Expand. Paste the rectangle you previously copied by pressing Command + F. Put the rectangle behind the burst shape by going to Object > Arrange > Send to Back. You should now have the rectangle and the burst pattern perfectly layered on top of each other with neatly trimmed edges.

Step 28

An easy technique to certify that the color of the burst pattern and the rectangle are harmonious is to select both shapes and give them a gradient at the same time. Next, select the top shape (the burst pattern) and change either the light or dark red color, as highlighted below.

Step 29

Position the ornament and shadow over the background.

Step 30

Easily create snow by using a simple circle. We’ll create a Scatter Brush that will allow us to cover our design with snow. Draw a circle and drag it into the Brushes Palette (view your Brushes Palette by pressing F5).

Step 31

Select New Scatter Brush and press OK.

Step 32

Adjust your Size, Spacing and Scatter so that the snow will be uniquely varied. The farther apart the highlighted values are, the more varied your snow will be.

Step 33

Using the Paintbrush Tool (B) paint a smooth line. You can easily adjust the size of the snow by changing the stroke weight. If your snow is not as varied as you would like (or has too much variation), then just double-click on the Scatter Brush in the Brushes Palette and modify it.

Step 34

Go to Object > Expand Appearance. Go to Object > Ungroup. Now you can select each circle and change it’s Opacity in the Transparency Palette to create even more diversity.

Step 35

Give the illusion of some of the snow being out of focus by blurring it. Go to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur… and enter values that look good to you.

Step 36

We’ll create the loop that hangs the ornament by drawing an ellipse and giving it a Dashed Line.

Step 37

Using the Convert Anchor Point Tool (Shift + C) click the bottom-most anchor point to give it a sharp angle.

Step 38

Give the stroke a white color and place it above the ornament.

Step 39

We’ll create a Christmas tree in the reflection of the ornament by using simple shapes. Using the Star Tool draw a triangle. Use the Direct selection Tool to move the bottom, center point upwards.

Tip: When drawing shapes with the Star Tool you can add or remove star points by using the up and down arrows while you draw the star.

Step 40

Duplicate the star and change it’s shape.

Step 41

Select both shapes and go to Object > Blend > Blend Options. Select Specified Steps, enter 3, and click OK.

Step 42

Go to Object > Expand… and click OK in the resulting dialog.

Step 43

Go to Object > Ungroup. Next click Add to Shape Area followed by Expand in the Pathfinder.

Step 44

Reflections usually have a distorted look to them. Give the tree distortion by going to Object > Envelope Distort > Make with Warp… Select the options that provide the effect you’re looking for and click OK.

Step 45

Since the tree shape is not rounded on the bottom we will need to mask out the areas that fall outside of the ornaments boundary. Draw a circle and remove it’s stroke and fill. Make sure the circle is the same size as the ornament as well as making sure it’s the top-most object. Select the circle and the tree and press Command + 7. Now, the areas of the Christmas tree that fell outside of the ornament’s boundary are masked out. You can adjust the opacity of the shape in the Transparency Palette if necessary.

Step 46

For the final touch add another circle and give it a gaussian blur to create a highlight on the ornament. To create a gaussian blur go to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur…

Conclusion

Here is what the completed design looks like. Have a Merry Holidays and Happy New Year!

STEP1:

Creat a new document (Ctrl+N)

Size at 800×600px or 1024×768px that suitable for your monitor.

Pick Gradient Tool

Choose this gradient from the Gradient Editor

If you can’t see this gradient, please go to “Load…” ~> Point to gradient preset folder inside Photoshop folder ~> Load “Special effect”

Hold your left mouse and drag from A to B :

And you’ll have this result :

STEP 2:

Download and load this brush into your photoshop : Land_brush

Choose any “island” inside this brush set that you like :

I choose this one :

Creat a new layer on the top, brush in the middle :

Creat a new layer and put it under “island layer”

Pick Eliptical Marquee Tool

Make an eliptical selection :

Fill this selection with color #12a80d

Continue making creat new layer and fill selection like this :

Result :

STEP 3:

Download and load this brush into your Photoshop : Tree_brush

Pick any brush inside this brush set that you like, creat new layer on the top and start brushing….

Download and load this brush into your Photoshop : AK_VectorPeople

Pick any people you like and put them on the grass :

Download and load this brush into your Photoshop : Cloud Brush

Creat a new layer under “island layer” and brush a little…

You’ve already finished this tut with sample details.

This is my final result with some other details :
(click on the picture below to see full size)

You’ve already finished this tutorial. Good luck!

Download PSD file

You were wondering how to make that wallpaper? Well it’s here now, a little big but not hard to follow Tutorial, you will learn everything from the liquid to the blending of the iPhone Apps. In the end you will have a piece like mine. Remember experiment, be creative too.

What you’ll need:

• iPhone PSD (Credit to Kol’s) Get it here
• Icons of iphone applications (browse google)

Credits of this Tutorial:

• Artist: Duarte Pires
  
• Website: http://www.DuartePires.com

Creating the Background

Create a new Document name it Liquid, make sure you use 2560×1600 or not everything will work like in mine.

Create a new layer and name it BG, get the gradient tool (G) and go to the gradient tool options, there put this values and save this as “Basic Gradient”. After that go to your document again and do a Radial Gradient with your current options to make the background, I made from the left to the right.

The Liquid

It’s very simple to make this effect, just pick up your Pen-Tool (P) do a selection like I did or something similiar, just make sure you have a nice perspective. Fill it with “f445ac” (don’t mind the blue color in the image below).

Go to the Blending Options and use these settings:(click them) Drop Shadow, Inner Shadow, Bevel and Emboss, for the contour use 89% default. Make more cut’s in the middle of the liquid.. add some little bubbles outside to make it more real, pay attention to the next pictures to see how I did.

Get your iPhone PSD here. Now simply place the “front” in your document, remove the Drop Shadow layer, the Reflection layer and duplicate the Shadow layer. Also right click the “front” Folder and select Merge Group to make this only one Layer.

This is what we have so far, see the cut’s I did in the middle of the liquid? And the little bubbles I was talking about? It’s easy select your liquid layer and make small selections inside the liquid, hit delete and that’s it.

A little Illustrator

Go to Illustrator and create a new document 800×600 is good and make some strokes like I did below, make sure the fill color is set to NONE and the stroke color is “425e71″.

Go to Object -> Blend -> Blend Options and make the following settings.

Go to Object -> Blend -> Make and that’s done, ctrl+c or command+c and paste this to your iphone document, name this layer “Flow”.

In the “flow” layer give it a Layer mask(don’t mind the Quick Mask name in the image), choose a soft brush and put the opacity of the brush to 30%, now simply brush away the ends and soften the color of the strokes, like the image below.

Create a new layer and do a selection now using the Lasso Tool (L) make sure you use a Feather of “50px” do a selection around the iPhone and go to Filter -> Render Clouds (black and white as your colors). Create a layer mask here and eliminate some of the clouds with a soft brush, especialy below the iPhone. Set this Layer to Color Dodge.

Create another new layer and another selection still with the lasso tool and 50px feather, this time select around your Strokes (the ones you brought from illustrator), and go to Filter -> Render Clouds.

Go to Blending Options and use this settings: Gradient Overlay.

I also used this gradient, you don’t need to be exact like this.. try to find similiar colors. And lower the opacity of this layer to about 70%.

Gradients and more Gradients

Ok now see our Strokes there? follow that path and make a selection like I did.

Now Fill it with a Gradient of White to Transparent follow my image below.

You got a white gradient right? Make a Layer Mask, choose a soft brush and lower the opacity of the brush to around 35%, brush around play until you got something like me.

Great now do the same for some of the paths there, like I did here. Remember you are completly free, Experiment, create something different!

Dont’ Forget the Other Side!

The Falling Liquid

Ok maybe the hardest part is now, I use a Wacom tablet it’s much easier to give some soft shadows and highlights but you can do this with the mouse too. One of my procedures and ways to work is to draft everything before, and everyone should do it, this way I know exactly hows it going to be…

Now that I got my draft done I know where to start doing my paths, get your Pen Tool (P) and make a selection like I did.

Easy right? Now just follow the draft and make a similiar form, like mine, try to make it look like it’s falling, and splashing, give it some splashs.

Get your Burn Tool (O) and set the exposure to 6%, this tool is used to darken the liquid in certain areas to make it look like ..well like liquid. See Below where I’ve darken it.

Don’t mind how rough this looks, it will look better. Get your Dodge Tool (O) and give it an exposure value of 20%, use a bigger soft brush for the major highlights and choose a 2px 100% hard brush for those little highlights. See image below.

Now go to Filter -> Artistic -> Plastic Wrap, give it the following values, or play with them at your liking.

Now select some of your splashs and go to Filter - Blur - Motion Blur, give it a little test and see what you like, this way it looks like they are really moving and gives more depth to the work.

The Little Door

One of the easiest steps in our tutorial. Get your Rectangular Marquee Tool(M) create a new layer and fill it with black, create another layer and use your Polygonal Tool (L) make a selection like the one below.

Remember the gradient I said you should save? Get it again and make a gradient like I did.

Create a New layer and name it Soft Shadows, get your Pencil Tool and make a 1px line using black, set this layer to Soft Shadows. Create a layer mask and soften the top and bottom of the line.

Do the same for the inside of the door but this time with white.

Create another new layer and name it “Light” get a big brush like 140px 0% hardness, and lower the opacity to around 10%-20% click 1 time in the center of the door, then choose a smaller brush 80px and do the same thing again.

Select your Door Layer (ctrl/command+click on layer), but keep your new “light” layer selected and hit backspace to delete.

Do a Selection like mine and hit backspace to delete again.

Now to make it perfect to a layer mask on the “light “layer and brush away those hard edges.

The iPhone Apps

Get your self some iphone apps, go to google and browse away. Create a New Folder and put them in individual layers each one.

Remember my process? Always draw first, and as you can see I drafed how my apps will fall.

Ok now simply pick up your Apps and start spreading them around, rotate them, resize.. experiment, As you see for some of my apps I did a Gaussian Blur, go to Filter -> Blur -> Gaussian Blur give them a big value, experiment.

Wet Apps

Select your mail app layer, or whatever you using here and put them below our “light layer”, ok now create a new layer and name it “lightmailapp” get a small 0% hardness brush using about 5% opacity, choose white as your color and give it some small light there as you see the picture.

Now create a new layer and put it below our mail app layer, again using 5% opacity brush, get your black color and use a small brush with about 50% hardness.

Blending

Easy, simply select your app layer, create a layer mask and using a 50% hardness brush simply start erasing to look like the liquid is “eating” the app, and after that use a hard brush to make it look good.

Again the shadows, create a new layer and simply paint the shadows, 5% brush opacity using black with a soft brush and voila… paint away.

Do the same for all the other Apps that are touching the liquid. This is what we got so far.

The Twitter app is just perfect for this..

1. Put it by the side of the liquid
2. Using the Elipse marquee tool(M) make a selection like that.
3. Using a gradient of Black to Transparent Radial.
4. Gaussian Blur it a little, and take down the opacity.

Don’t forget your other apps, continue adding shadows to them, using the techniques you’ve learned.

I don’t like how the liquid is… so CTRL/Command+Click the liquid layer.

Go to Select -> Modify -> Contract and give this a value of 5px.

Ok now get the Gradient Tool, and select a dark pink/magenta and your normal liquid color. Make a Radial Gradient from the middle out, Dark to Bright.

Go to Filters -> Blur -> Gausian Blur and give it a value of around 3.0, put your layer to multiply and play around with the opacity I choose 75%.

Tutorial Finished.

More Info:

If you enjoyed this Tutorial, please subscribe to our Tutorial RSS feed, and digg our page, also you can check out our Wallpaper section with of course only Good-Walls.

Submit your Tutorial.

Send us your tutorial too, check out our Submition page for more info.

You can also Sugest a Tutorial.

You want to see an effect done? Please send us a suggestion and we will make it possible, all you have to do is Contact Us (use our About Us form) or just leave a comment.

DownloadWallpaper

File Type: Illustrator EPS and AI
No. in set: 17

License: See Download File

This new Vector Freebie Pack is created by Pien Duijverman (AKA DaPino)

The year 2008 had been a exciting year for vector community and Illustrator enthusiasts, the contents of tutorials and articles got remarkably better which aimed collectively to help the new users or advanced alike to polish there skills whilst learning new tools and techniques!

Vectordiary brings you a compilation of best tutorials and articles published during the year 2008, we endeavored to bring together all such tutorials and articles which our readers might find interesting and helpful. We have split this into two categories, tutorials and articles. So without much-a-do lets first look at some of the best tutorials of the Year 2008:

1. Creating trees in Illustrator

This tutorial shows you that by taking a photograph of a tree, then tracing its natural form how you can add your own creative touches to produce an eye-catching, contemporary illustration.

2. Recolor artwork using Illustrator’s LiveColor

This tutorial talks about how you can recolor your artwork in Illustrator CS3 using the LiveColor feature.

3. Creating convincing characters

The ability to dream up and design cool, dynamic people is a good skill for any graphic designer to have under their belt, whether you’re basing whole graphic novels around them or just using them to add a quirky twist to flyers or T-shirt designs.

4. Creating vector characters in Illustrator

Characters can add a recognizable face to your work. This tutorial shows how to go from a sketch to a finished product in Illustrator.

5.Create a Blissful Vector Scene

This tutorial shows a process of creating your own simple vector scene from scratch.

6. Illustrator’s Pen Tool: The Comprehensive Guide

This comprehensive guide aims to introduce or remind you of features, shortcuts, and methods for working with what is arguably Adobe’s most essential tool.

7. Learn Illustrator CS3 in 30 Days

A 30 days Illustrator crash course which covers all the essential tools that are commonly used so that you can get started and have a feel of how illustrator works.

8. Symmetrical Illustration: Thug Bunny

This tutorial talks about the method of using symmetry in your artwork. Learn how to do half the work but still get the full benefit from your artwork.

9. Creating an Environmentally Friendly Green Type Treatment

The following Illustrator tutorial, teaches you how to create a Green type treatment. It works great for logos and other design elements.

10. Design Gift Boxes Using Illustrator’s 3D Tools

A Tutorial on how to quickly make wrapped and unwrapped gift boxes using Illustrator’s built-in 3D Extrude & Bevel effect. Learn how to make a fully editable 3D ribbon and masked 3D typography.

11. Create Web 2.0 Stickers

This tutorial shows you how to design nifty Web 2.0 Stickers.

12. Creating geometric patterns in Illustrator

This tutorial shows you how to create a geometric pattern shape and fill a background with it.

13. 5 steps for drawing complex vector sun rays

This tutorial shows you how you can quickly and easily make sun rays in Adobe Illustrator.

14. Building a Website Wireframe in Illustrator

This tutorial reviews some techniques for setting up your document for the web, quickly building rounded boxes for layouts, creating a repository of usable web elements, using callouts, and more.

15. How to Make a Delicious Vector Orange in 9 Decisive Steps

A tutorial on how to create a semi-realistic vector orange with simple shapes, tools, and multiple effects.

16. Creating a Crazy Cool Logo

Just as the title says, this tutorial shows you how you can create a cool attractive logo.

17. Create a Wire Fence

Learn how to create a wire fence from scratch using the Line tool, Zig Zag and combining this shapes to make a interesting wire fence in Illustrator.

18. How to Draw Your Own Vector Wings

This tutorial will lead you through the process of creating a nice set of vector wings to use in your own graphic design work.

19. Illustrator Tutorial: Surprise Gift

This tutorial walks you through the creation of a beautiful surprise gift highlighting the various techniques involved.

20. Create an envelope icon with a satin feel

This tutorial shows you how to use the basic tools of illustrator. For example gradient , rectangle, pathfinder and line to create a simple looking envelope.

Now, we will look at some of the most in depth and insightful Articles during the Year 2008: