SECERT SANTA

Ive started by using a a5 paper in portait

example appearance tool

know your style

flower

1.create a new file a4 land scape 

2.Draw a circle with the ellipse tool. Hold the shift button to create the circle. Leave the colour as default (white fill and black line). 

3.Go to the Effects menu > Distort and Transform > Roughen

4.Using the sliders, make the circle slightly rough. You will need to experiment. There really is not the "right" amount to chose. Smooth points might be best as we are creating flowers. But again you might want to experiment.

5. Expand the circle. Go to the Object menu > Expand Appearance.  There will be no change in the appearance of the rough circle.

6. Double click on the Scale Tool (in the Tool Panel).

7.Enter 80 in the Uniform Scale field. Again there is not "right" amount and you should eventually experiment.

8.Make sure the Preview is turned on. Press the Copy button. (The other options are fine to leave as they are).

Now you will have two objects on the art board similar to the picture below.

When your finish doing like ten of them start adding some colours to the flower 

9.Open the Gradient Panel

10.Drag colour from the Colour Panel or Swatches panel to either end of the Gradient Bar (the bar that is going from white to black, shown above).

    11. Chose appropriate colours for a flower.

     12.Change the Type of gradient from Linear to Radial. See above 

     13. Select all the objects on your art board (the rough circles).

 

     14. Click on the Swatch of the gradient you created (on the Gradient Panel, beneath the word Gradient).

  

     15.You should see something like the picture above  It is a good idea to group the object. Select them all and press Command + G on the keyboard.

    16.Turn of the Stroke.

patterns / textures in illustrator

 1. Create  a new file a4 landscape
 2. Go to object , pattern and make
 3. press ok but first make sure u have some shapes to make a pattern

 4. add colours or patterns to the shapes that you have chosen by clicking on the the shapes individually .

5. click save to save your pattern and done next 

 6. Your pattern should be in the swatches panel on the sides .

overall I'm satisfied with what i have done with this work, very simple and fun tool to use in illustrator . I've use colours like pure and green wit a leaf pattern to give it a nature look to it .