Then head up to Object on the main menu bar running along the top of the workspace, and choose Effects and then select any option from that menu. If you have a group of elements you want to apply the same effect to you may find it easier to first Right-Click > Group them together, as I’ve done here with the branches of the tree. Now you’re ready to start applying effects to your illustration to bring in texture and depth.
For larger shapes it almost always looks best if you set the Stroke Color to. Select the shape you’d like to apply the swatch to and set the Fill to your chosen swatch from the Swatches panel. Play around with the CMYK (for print) or RGB (for web) percentage levels, before clicking Add and OK to add it to the Swatches panel.
To create a variety of color swatches to work with, go to the Swatches panel (Window > Color > Swatches) and choose New Color Swatch from the panel’s top-right drop-down menu. If you’re creating a simple logo or icon design you may want to use just one or two colors, but more complex illustrations might benefit from a palette of colors. Once you have your shape in place it’s time to get creative with color! I switch to the Direct Selection Tool (A) to select individual anchor points and move them until I’m happy with their position. Here I’ve created a single central branch for the tree using the Line Tool, before creating individual branches reaching from the trunk to the outer edge of the tree using the same tool.
UNLIMITED DOWNLOADS: 50 Million+ Fonts & Design Assets DOWNLOAD NOW not a complete shape), it’s best to use the Line Tool (\). Step 3įor illustrations made up of separate lines (i.e. Once you’ve clicked onto an anchor point (it will switch to white once accurately selected), use your mouse or the arrow keys to shift the position of the anchor point, perfecting your shape. You can switch to the Direct Selection Tool (A) to select individual anchor points and tweak their position. Click onto the page and move around to create your shape, before connecting the silhouette at the first anchor point. This is docked over on the left side of the workspace (or go to Window > Tools).Įven if you’re not using a graphics tablet, using the Pen Tool (P) to create shapes on the page will give you a high level of control. With the document created, you’ll need to get familiar with the Tools panel to create your illustration. Want to create a design for social media or attaching to an email? Choose Web instead. flyers, stationery etc) set the Intent to Print. If you’re creating your illustration for print media (e.g. Open up InDesign and go to File > New > Document, creating a document at any size you wish. You can apply the same techniques and principles to your own designs-the only limitation is your imagination! Here, we’ll work towards creating this winter tree illustration, to demonstrate a range of handy drawing techniques. You’ll also end up with a vector (not raster) graphic, which means you can scale your design as you wish without compromising on quality. Geometric shapes, simple silhouettes, logo designs and patterns are all easily achievable with the tools available to you in InDesign. InDesign brings together the best of both worlds for illustration-a set of vector drawing tools you would normally find in Illustrator as well as the advanced effects you would usually only be able to apply in Photoshop.