Create a Vector of a Flower Tree in Illustrator CS5
Wilson Flagg once said, “It is difficult to realize how great a part of all that is cheerful and delightful in the recollection of our own life is associated with trees.” Trees are a vital component of our daily lives; they give us oxygen and moderate temperatures. Because trees are so important for the development of human beings I decided to write a tutorial about how to create a Vector Flower Tree. We are going to use different symbols and shapes to create it along with imagination and creativity. So, let’s “plant” a tree!
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STEP ONE:
Open Illustrator CS5, create a New File (File > New), and give it a size of 500px by 600px.
Within the LAYERS palette (Window > Layers) rename “Layer 1” as, “Background”.
Select the Rectangle Tool (M), click anywhere on the canvas area to open its dialog box, and enter a Width of 500px and a Height of 600px.
Place the rectangle inside the canvas area, remove its stroke (if any), and within the GRADIENT palette (Window > Gradient) enter the following Linear Gradient:
First color box: (R= 215, G= 240, B= 252).
Second color box: (R= 171, G= 225, B= 250).
Third color box: (R= 150, G= 207, B= 241).
Image zoomed out to 66.67%.
Lock the layer (
).
STEP TWO:
Note: This step requires basic Pen Tool expertise.
Create a New Layer (
) and name it, “Branches”.
We are going to use the Pen Tool (P) to draw the outline of a tree. Select the Pen Tool (P) and draw an outline similar to this one:
Fill it with a dark brown color and add a rectangle for its base:
I used a dark brown color value of (R= 60, G= 36, B= 21).
Image zoomed out to 66.67%.
Lock the layer.
STEP THREE:
Now we are going to add pre-built leaves.
Create a New Layer and name it, “Leaves”.
Open the SYMBOLS palette (Window > Symbols), click its menu icon (
), and select Open Symbol Library > Nature. From the NATURE palette select Leaf 3 and place different instances around the outline we drew in STEP TWO.
Lock the layer.
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STEP FOUR:
Let’s learn how to create a nice looking flower and convert it into a symbol.
Create a New Layer and name it, “Flowers”.
Select the Polygon Tool (
) (under the Rectangle Tool (M)), click anywhere on the canvas area, and enter the following settings:
Fill the polygon with the color of your choice. I picked a purple color value of (R= 129, G= 90, B= 165).
Next, with the polygon selected go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Pucker & Bloat and enter the following setting:
Now we are going to create another polygon shape, but with 30 Sides.
Select the Polygon Tool, click anywhere on the canvas area, and enter 30 for Sides.
Select the new polygon, go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Pucker & Bloat, and click OK.
You should have the following shape:
Place at the center of the other polygon, resize it a little bit, and fill it with a Radial Gradient.
Within the GRADIENT palette (Window > Gradient) choose the following two colors:
First color box: (R= 78, G= 49, B= 102).
Second color box: (R= 101, G= 69, B= 130).
Repeat this step several times to create more “petals”.
Here is my result:
Easy, fun, and quick, right?
STEP FIVE:
Let’s convert our flower into a symbol. Open the SYMBOLS palette (Window > Symbols). Select the entire flower and drag it into the SYMBOLS palette. When any object is dragged into the SYMBOLS palette a Symbol Options dialog box will appear. Enter the following:
Click OK and your flower will appear as a symbol inside the palette.
STEP SIX:
Select your flower symbol and embellish your tree with various instances of it. Have fun!
Final result:
Enhance your tree graphic with more symbols like I did above.
As you learned, an entire composition can be created with just a symbol and few basic shapes. Be inspired to create more nature elements and don’t forget to plant a real tree!
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