Adobe Illustrator Tutorial: Detailed Dynamite Illustration Page 2

Step 29

Enable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). For the following step you will need a grid every 1px. So, go to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid and enter 1 in the Gridline every box. Pick the Rectangle Tool(M), create a 144 by 20px shape, fill it with R=88 G=88 B=88 and place it as shown in the first image. Return to "gridline every 5px". So, go to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid and enter 5 in the Gridline every box.

Reselect your grey rectangle, grab the Add Anchor Point Tool(+) and add four new anchor points as shown in the second image. The Snap to Grid will ease your work. Switch to the Direct Selection Tool(A), select those four, new anchor points and drag them 5px up. Reselect your grey shape and go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Enter a 2px radius and click OK.

Step 30

Reselect the grey shape created in the previous step and go to Object > Transform > Reflect. Check the Horizontal button and click on the Copy button. This will create a horizontally, flipped copy. Select it and drag it down as shown in the second image. Reselect both grey shapes and go to Object > Expand Appearance.

Step 31

Disable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). Select the left, red shape along with the top grey shape and make a copy in back (Control + C > Control + B). Select the copy of the grey shape and move it 1px up. Reselect both copies created in this step and click on the Intersect button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with black, lower its opacity to 30% and change the blending mode to Soft Light.

Step 32

Select the left, red shape along with the top grey shape and make a copy in back (Control + C > Control + B). Select the copy of the grey shape and move it 2px up. Reselect both copies created in this step and click on the Intersect button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with black, lower its opacity to 30% and change the blending mode to Soft Light.

Step 33

Select the left, red shape along with the top grey shape and make a copy in back (Control + C > Control + B). Select the copy of the grey shape and move it 1px down. Reselect both copies created in this step and click on the Intersect button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with black, lower its opacity to 30% and change the blending mode to Soft Light.

Step 34

Select the left, red shape along with the top grey shape and make a copy in back (Control + C > Control + B). Select the copy of the grey shape and move it 2px down. Reselect both copies created in this step and click on the Intersect button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with black, lower its opacity to 30% and change the blending mode to Soft Light.

Step 35

Move to the bottom grey shape and repeat the techniques used in the last four steps.

Step 36

Reselect all the shapes created in the last five steps and group them (Control + G). Move to the Layers panel and drag this new group inside the left dynamite group, right above the red shape.

Step 37

Focus on the rest of the red shapes and repeat the techniques mentioned in the last six steps. It will take a while.

Step 38

Reselect the top grey shape and go to Object > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -1px Offset and click OK. Select the resulting shape and make a copy in front (Control + C > Control + F). Select this copy and move it 1px down. Reselect the two shapes created in this step and click on the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with white and change its blending mode to Overlay.

Step 39

Reselect the top, grey shape and replace the flat color used for the fill with the complex, linear gradient shown in the following image. The white numbers from the gradient image stand for location percentage.

Step 40

Move to the bottom, grey shape and repeat the techniques mentioned in the last two steps.

Step 41

Reselect the left, red shape and replace the flat color used for the fill with the linear gradient shown in the following image.

Step 42

Reselect the shape edited in the previous step, make a copy in front (Control + C > Control + F) and bring it in the top of the group (Shift + Control + ] ). Select it and fill it with the left linear gradient shown in the following image. The yellow zero from the gradient image stands for opacity percentage. Make sure that this new shape stays selected and focus on the Appearance panel.

First, select the existing fill, lower its opacity to 50% and change the blending mode to Overlay. Keep focusing on the Appearance panel and a second fill for your shape using the Add New Fill button. Select this new fill from the Appearance panel, lower its opacity to 50%, change the blending mode to Overlay and use the right linear gradient shown below.

Step 43

Reselect the right, red shape and replace the flat color used for the fill with the linear gradient shown in the following image.

Step 44

Reselect the shape edited in the previous step, make a copy in front (Control + C > Control + F) and bring it to front (Shift + Control + ] ). Select it and add the same properties used for the copy created in step 42. You can easily copy the properties from one shape to another. Here is how you can easily do it.

Go to the Layers panel, focus on the right side and you’ll notice that every shape comes with a little grey circle. It’s called a target icon. Hold alt, click on the target icon that stands for the copy created in step 42 and drag onto the circle that stands for this new copy created in the beginning of this step.

Step 45

Reselect the middle right, red shape and replace the flat color used for the fill with the linear gradient shown in the following image.

Step 46

Step 47

Reselect the middle left, red shape and replace the flat color used for the fill with the linear gradient shown in the following image.

Step 48

Step 49

Pick the Brush Tool(B) and draw the set of paths shown in the following image. Fill them with none but add a 3pt stroke and set its color at R=35 G=31 B=32. Make sure that these new paths are selected, focus on the Appearance panel and add a second stroke using the Add New Stroke button. Make it 1pt wide and set its color at R=88 G=88 B=88. Group these paths (Control + G) and send the group to back (Shift + Control + [ ).

Step 50

Enable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). Pick the Rectangle Tool(M), create a 10px square, place it as shown in the following image and go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Enter a 2px radius, click OK and go to Effect > Warp > Arc Lower. Enter the data shown below, click OK and go to Effect > Warp > Arc Upper. Again, enter the data shown below, click OK and go to Object > Expand Appearance.

Step 51

Reselect the shape created in the previous step and fill it with the linear gradient shown in the following image.

Step 52

Disable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). Reselect the shape edited in the previous step and make two copies in front (Control + C > Control + F > Control + F). Select the top copy and move it 1px up. Reselect both copies and click on the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with R=50 G=50 B=50.

Step 53

Reselect the shape created in step 51 and make two copies in front (Control + C > Control + F > Control + F). Select the top copy and move it 1px down. Reselect both copies and click on the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with R=88 G=88 B=88 and change its blending mode to Overlay.

Step 54

Reselect the shape created in step 51 and go to Object > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -1px Offset and click OK. Select the resulting shape, make a copy in front (Control + C > Control + F) and move it 1px down. Reselect both shapes created in this step and click on the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with R=205 G=205 B=205 and change its blending mode to Overlay.

Step 55

Pick the Ellipse Tool(L), create a 4px circle and place it as shown in the first image. Fill it with R=88 G=88 B=88 change its blending mode to Multiply and make two copies in front (Control + C > Control + F > Control + F). Select the top copy and move it 1px down. Reselect both copies and click on the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel.

Step 56

Reselect the 4px circle and make two new copies in front (Control + C > Control + F > Control + F). Select the bottom copy and move it 1px down. Reselect both copies and click on the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with R=205 G=205 B=205 and change its blending mode to Overlay.

Step 57

Enable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). Pick the Ellipse Tool(L), create four, 60 by 10px shapes and place them as shown in the first image. Fill them with black and lower their opacity to 10%. Select all these shapes and click on the Unite button from the Pathfinder panel. Send the resulting shape to back (Shift + Control + [ ).

Step 58

Reselect the shape created in the previous step and go to Object > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -1px Offset and click OK. Select the resulting shape and increase its opacity to 20%. Reselect the shape created in the previous step and make a copy in back (Control + C > Control + B). Select it, increase its opacity to 40% and go to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Enter a 5px radius, click OK and you’re done.

And We’re Done!

Once again, here is how your final result should look.

We hope that you enjoyed this new Adobe Illustrator tutorial, and that it taught you a few new techniques or tricks for sorting out your own illustrations. Leave us your thoughts or questions in the comment section.

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