Adobe Illustrator Tutorial: Create a Detailed Restaurant Chalkboard Page 2

Hopefully you took a moment to stretch your legs, but now lets dive right back in to the second half of this restaurant chalkboard Adobe Illustrator tutorial.

Step 20

Next, you need to mask the group created in the previous step. Select the "Board", make a copy (Control + C > Control + F) and bring it to the front (Shift + Control + ] ). Select this fresh copy along with the group created in the previous step and go to Object > Clipping Mask > Make.

Step 21

For the following step you will need some built-in art brushes. Move to the the Brushes panel (Window > Brushes), open the fly-out menu and go to Open Brush Library > Artistic > Artistic_Paintbrush. A new window with a nice set of art brushes should pop-up.

Now with the Pen Tool(P), draw several horizontal and vertical paths as shown in the following image. Select them all, set the stroke color at white and use the two art brushes shown below. Lower their opacity to 5%, change the blending mode to Overlay, then group them (Control + G).

Step 22

Again, you need to mask the group created in the previous step. Select the "Board", make a copy (Control + C > Control + F) and bring it to the front (Shift + Control + ] ). Select this fresh copy along with the group created in the previous step and go to Object > Clipping Mask > Make.

Step 23

For the following step you will need a different built-in art brush. Return to the the Brushes panel (Window > Brushes), open the fly-out menu and go to Open Brush Library > Decorative > Decorative_TextDividers. Pick the Pen Tool(P) and draw two horizontal paths as shown in the image below.

Select both paths, add the Text Divider 13 art brush and go to Object > Path > Outline Stroke. Select the two resulting group of shapes and go to Effect > Stylize > Scribble. Enter the data shown below and click OK.

Step 24

Reselect the "Frame", move to the Appearance panel, select the bottom fill and go to Effect > Stylize > Inner Glow. Enter the data shown below and click OK.

Step 25

Pick the Type Tool(T), click on your artboard and add some white text. Select it, lower the opacity to 70%, and go to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Enter a 0.5px radius and click OK. If you happen to have two or more text paths then group them (Control + G).

Step 26

For the following step you will once again need a new built-in art brush. Move to the the Brushes panel (Window > Brushes), open the fly-out menu and go to Open Brush Library > Artistic > Artistic_ChalkCharcoalPencil. You will need the "Chalk" brush. Pick the Brush Tool(B) and draw several paths as shown in the image below.

Select them all, set the stroke color to black and use the "Chalk" brush. Select all these paths and go to Object > Path > Outline Stroke. Turn the resulting group of shapes into a compound path (Object > Compound Path > Make). Make sure that it’s filled with black.

Step 27

Select the black compound path created in the previous step along with the text path(s) and go to the Transparency panel. Open the fly-out menu, click on Make Opacity Mask and uncheck the Clip box.

Step 28

Select all the shapes created in the last nine steps, group them (Control + G) and send the group to the back (Shift + Control + [ ).

Step 29

Focus on the Layers panel, open the group created in the previous step and select the "Board". Move to the Appearance panel, add a new fill and select it. Make it black, lower its opacity to 5%, change the blending mode to Multiply and go to Effect > Artistic > Film Grain. Enter the data shown below and click OK. Make sure that the "Board" is still selected and add a black stroke. Make it 10pt wide, lower its opacity to 7% and align it to inside.

Step 30

Pick the Rectangle Tool(M), create a 260 by 70px shape and place it as shown in the first image. Select nothing for the fill, but add a 3pt, black stroke. Switch to the Direct Selection Tool(A), select the top anchor points and go to Object > Path > Average. Check the Both button, click OK then go to Object > Path > Outline Stroke. Send the resulting shape to the back and fill it with the linear gradient pictured.

Step 31

Reselect the shape created in the previous step, add a second fill and use the linear gradient shown below. Select it from the Appearance panel and go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -1px Offset and click OK. Keep focusing on the Appearance panel, deselect the second fill and go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow. Enter the data shown in the second image and click OK.

Step 32

Pick the Ellipse Tool(L), create a 10px circle, fill it with R=167 G=169 B=172 and place it as shown in the first image. Disable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid), select this new circle and go to Object > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -1px Offset and click OK.

Select the resulting shape, make a copy in front, select it and move it 1px down. Reselect these two, smaller circles and click on the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with white.

Step 33

Reselect the 10px circle created in the previous step and add a 2pt stroke. Set its color at R=209 G=211 B=212 and align it to inside. Move to the Appearance panel and add a second stroke for this shape using the Add New Stroke button. It’s the little, black square icon from the bottom, left corner of the Appearance panel.

Select this new stroke, make it 1pt wide, set its color at R=109 G=110 B=113 and align it to inside. Reselect this 10px circle, make sure that no fill or stroke is selected and go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow. Enter the data shown below and click OK.

Step 34

Select all the shapes created in the last four steps, group them (Control + G) and send the group to the back (Shift + Control + [ ).

Step 35

Pick the Rectangle Tool(M), create a 640 by 420px shape and place it as shown in the first image. Fill it with white and go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Enter a 10px radius and click OK. Send it to the back (Shift + Control + ] ) and go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow. Enter the data shown in the second image and click OK.

Step 36

Pick the Rectangle Tool(M), create a 640 by 420px shape and place it as shown in the first image. Fill it with black and go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Enter a 10px radius and click OK. Send it to the back (Shift + Control + ] ), lower its opacity to 30% and go to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Enter a 15px radius and click OK.

Step 37

Finally, let’s add a nice background. Pick the Rectangle Tool(M), create a shape the size of your artboard, fill it with R=255 G=202 B=95 and send it to the back (Shift + Control + [ ). Add a second fill for this shape and use the radial gradient shown below.

Step 38

For this final step you will need a built-in pattern. First, open the Swatches panel (Window > Swatches). Open the fly-out menu and go to Open Swatch Library > Patterns > Decorative > Decorative_Geometric1. A new window with a bunch of patterns should open. Look for the "Diamond Rhombic Color" pattern.

Reselect the shape created in the previous step and add a new fill. Select it from the Appearance panel, lower its opacity to 30% and add the "Diamond Rhombic Color" pattern.

And We’re Done!

Again here is what your final result should look like.

The Conclusion

This intermediate Adobe Illustrator tutorial used various techniques and tool to bring the illustration together, and we hope that you were easily able to follow along. Please feel free to leave us your thoughts in the comment section and let us know how you found the tutorial to work for you.

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