22 replies to this topic

[sinjix_media]

Hi all,

I'm sort of a newb at Illustrator. I have sort of a weird question to ask. I want to create some basic shapes(sort of my own fonts), but when I use the pen tool they don't come out clean and professional looking. I've tried the simplify object route, but that doesn't look good either. I was wondering what the best technique to achieve this is. I've also tried drawing it, scanning it, and tracing it in illustrator, but that doesn't work either. How do people do it?

[Dance]

post a sample picture of a shape you are unhappy with so we could take a look, a printscreen with the shapes handles showing would be ideal.

[Scythar]

same here, cos there's nothing cleaner and meaner then the pen tool

bdw: loved the movie (Sig, Dance)

[sinjix_media]

I don't have any screen-shots or anything to show you. I guess I was speaking in general rather than talking about ONE thing I'm working on. I will give you an example logo that you can look at and let me know how they achieve those shapes hypothetically if they used illustrator to create it.

http://ic3.deviantar...y_DaniNeves.jpg
http://ic1.deviantar...by_bitcrumb.jpg

I understand that some of it may be font/text manipulation, but how would one achieve this by using illustrator's pen tool or other. What if I needed to create something that wasn't text, but had similar shapes?
I want to learn how to create PRECISE shapes. If someone would be so kind as to point me in the right direction or teach me how to achieve it, it'd be greatly appreciated.

[Dance]

Im not a illustrator expert, i use PS to create most of my shapes and then export tha paths into illustrator as needed. The thing you can do to get those clean circles and curves is to actualy go ahead and use the shape tool whitch generate premade primetive shapes for you. Then go ahead and edit those with the pen. Aka a clean O would be a circle and then another circle subtracted from it. Use the rulers and set out guides for the handles, if you are making a shape that requires that you have parallel lines symetrically running, copy parts from one line and use that as its own parallel. Combine primitive shapes and use the pen to edit them only where nessessary. Be methodical you can edit the line as much as you want, dont rush it. Look at the things people create and see how much of it could actually be broken into primitives and how much of it realy need to be custom made with the pen.

[Scythar]

i'lll try to make little tut:
mostly there vasic shapes, and use of the socalled "pathfinder tool".

Ill get back to you.

[Dance]

Woooh, custom tuts!

[sinjix_media]

i'lll try to make little tut:
mostly there vasic shapes, and use of the socalled "pathfinder tool".

Ill get back to you.

Oh my god!
You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to this.
This will have to be THE MOST viewed tutorial on Pixel2Life

[Scythar]

k,
here comes nothing,
i used the first logo as a reference for this one.

...

[Scythar]

1. Create 2 circles on top of each other (mine are 29 and 16)
 2Circles.jpg   20.37KB   50 downloads

2. Select them both and search the pathfinder tool, it will be easier in Illustrator CS2, then in CS3 to find it
 Pathfinder_tool_1.jpg   38.94KB   43 downloads

[Scythar]

When you did that you got a donut shape.

Now, copy the donut by ctrl+clicking and holding the shift too, placing the copy to the right and at a distance so the left outside snaps to the right inside point.

 CopyDonut.jpg   45.38KB   56 downloads

[Scythar]

Now, select the bottom 2 points of the right donut with the direct selection tool (the open arrow) and press delete.
 SelectBottom2.jpg   34.32KB   60 downloads

[Scythar]

Now lock the left donut for few moments so you dont accidently select it.

Take the pen tool, first click on the outer left point of the half donut (the pen tool will change from a pen with cross to a pen with slash, so you will now that Illustrator is going to add lines to the object)

Now click, holding shift to make a rectangle that extends the half donut, last point you will see that the pen tool changes again to show you he is going to close the path.

Repeat this on the other side too.

This is what you should have now:
 result_pentool.jpg   42.21KB   57 downloads

[Scythar]

Now choose the rectangle tool and draw a rectangle like this:
 rectangle_behind.jpg   32.98KB   41 downloads

Now put this rectangle behind the rest, if needed we can always put it back in front:
 send_to_back.jpg   26.09KB   57 downloads

[Scythar]

The reason for this, is because i was wrong :oops:

you have to delete 2 points again with the direct selection tool

2 points are indicated here:
 Deleting2points.jpg   20.37KB   54 downloads

This is the result: (hope your not lost again, sry bout mistake)
 result_2.jpg   53.44KB   51 downloads

[Scythar]

Now make a copy of each donut and paste it in the back, give it a stroke 4 pts.
 result_3.jpg   66.78KB   56 downloads

[Scythar]

k, for this last part i am just guessing, so chances are we need to do it another way, but ill try anyway:

select 2 upper donut and the rectangle and lock them.
then select everything (the locked objects wont be selected off course, thats the intention.
hide selected;
unlock the locked objects,

select 2 donuts, the get to the pathfinder tool again, then press unite:
 uniteTool.jpg   10.13KB   53 downloads
(if you got CS2 - 3 version you should press expand afterwards)

then repeat this with the rectangle, result:
 result_4.jpg   54.29KB   62 downloads

[Scythar]

next we are going to reshape the copy's with the stroke to substract it from the logo:

Try to hide the objects you dont need:
 result_5.jpg   63.9KB   78 downloads

[Scythar]

I hate new versions,
erm... ok, after trial and error, this is what you do now...

click on the add anchor point tool (pentool with + sign):
 addanchorpoint.jpg   14.46KB   44 downloads

This is the result:
 addanchorpoint2.jpg   65.11KB   62 downloads

Then start deleting the points we dont need with the direct selection tool, after some trial and error, you should get this:

 result_6.jpg   52.66KB   68 downloads

[Scythar]

Result of the operations:
 result_7.jpg   53.4KB   70 downloads

For the cut out, ill be back here, cos it used to be very simple, but this version doesnt seem to react like it used to be...

yea yea i am ashamed i know...

give me some moments...