HOW TO CREATE FLORALS -ILLUSTRATOR

HOW TO CREATE FLORALS

Very simple 8 steps to follow, no drawing experience needed all you need is knowing where the tools are

so here we go.

CREATING A STEM

STEP 1: Draw a thin vertical rectangle with rectangle tool and go to EFFECTS menu, select DISTORT & TRANSFORM / TWIST. Set a value of 50 or 60 depends on how much bending you need. And click OK. Go to OBJECTS menu and EXPAND the image. THIS will be the stem of the floral.

STEP 2:Select direct selecting tool from tools menu and click on the outline of the image, you will see path points. Use your imagination and pull /move path points and adjust the shape of the stem as you like.

STEP 3:Create a spiral from tool menu (border thickness would be 1 or 2 pt) and place it on your stem. EXPAND the spiral shape before duplicating.

STEP 4:Duplicate the stem and scale in different sizes, also duplicate the spiral and arrange them together. On the example image same stem and spiral used. Reflect the stem and spiral (right click on the image, TRANSFORM/REFLECT)  horizontal or vertical to get different look. Basically they are all variations of same 2 shapes we have created previously.

CREATING A LEAF

STEP 5: From tool menu take pencil tool (no outline but only fill color should be visible) and draw a leaf shape, it could be rough, with direct select tool (seen on the example) , just click on the shape and again play with the shape to get better curves.

Finally take pencil tool again with white fill color and draw a thin shape for the detail inside the leaf; it could be any nice shape. Also you can drag the paths on the white shape and make it perfectly smooth.

STEP 6: Draw a line with pencil tool (little curvy would be nice) and arrange the leaf we have created on step 5 around the lines as seen on the example, or create your arrangement.

CREATING FLOWER FROM LEAVES

STEP 7: Arrange same leaf like on the example , you may add some elements or leave it as is.

STEP 8: Place all leaves and flowers on the stem, scale some leaves to make it look natural. You can arrange it anyway you want.

For very complicated florals, again I suggest using same logic, once you create a stem and couple leaves around it, you can bend and twist the shapes, or use zig zag effects to create more curvy steam.

At all times expand your outlines and shapes created with effects.

Group final image: Select the whole thing and right click on it. Just select GROUP. You can edit colors with direct select tool from tool menu.

MAKING A BRUSH OUT OF THIS IMAGE

Be sure your image is grouped. Drag the image and drop in to Illustrator Brush Window and select it as ART BRUSH.

Now you can use this as a nice floral brush. Just draw a line and click on the brush in brush window, whatever shape your line was, becomes a nice floral.. Try different florals like this logic. Also create your own brushes by just dropping it in the brush window.

TO ACCESS THIS TUTORIAL DOCUMENT (word document and AI illustrator file of step by step drawings

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