Premium Tutorial: Parrot

In the following steps, you will learn how to create a realistic and colorful parrot. We’ll start with some simple shapes by using basic tools. Once we have the starting shapes, we’ll add depth and shades using the complex gradients, masking and vector shape building techniques along with some effects. Finally, you will learn how to add some extra highlights and shadows for your colorful parrot. Now let’s start!

(Clubdeportestolima)

Difficulty: Intermediate
Requirements: Adobe Illustrator

What will you get?

Instant download of PDF e-book (36 pages, 56 steps)
Comes with Ai file for easy reference
Detailed step by step tutorial to draw a nice realistic parrot

Tutorial Preview:

Create the Chest with Orange-Red and Yellow Feathers

32.Start by drawing an object using the Pen Tool (P). Once your object is drawn, fill it with the radial gradient and then apply a 15px Feather for the result.

33. We’ll create the feather for the chest of the parrot. First, use the Rectangle Tool (M) to create a 22px by 28px object. Next, pick the Pencil Tool (N) or the Pen Tool (P) to create red curved paths as shown in the second and third images below. Now remove the yellow rectangle then select all the red paths created in this step. Go to the Object > Expand. Click OK when the Expand box appears. Keep the results selected. Go to the Object > Ungroup (Ctrl +Shift +G). Make sure that all the newly created shapes are still selected. Group them (Ctrl +G). Now reselect the newly created group and make some duplicates of this group. Replace the existing color of the newly created groups with the other linear gradients.

34. Make some duplicates of the “feather” groups created in the previous step and then place them to the positions as shown below. After you are done arranging the “feather” groups on the chest, reselect these groups and group (Ctrl +G) them.

35. With the help of the Pen Tool (P), create an object and fill it with the radial gradient as shown below. Now reselect the newly created shape and the group created in step 34 then go to the Object > Clipping Mask > Make (Ctrl +7). Keep the result selected. Set the Blending Mode to Screen and reduce the Opacity to 90%.

Create the Blue Belly

36. Use the Pen Tool (P) to create an object and fill it with the radial gradient as shown below.

37. Place the “feather” groups created in step 33 to the correct positions as shown below. After you are done arranging the “feather” groups on the belly, reselect these groups and group (Ctrl +G) them.

38. With the help of the Pen Tool (P), create an object as shown below. Now reselect the newly created object and the group created in step 37 then go to the Object > Clipping Mask > Make (Ctrl +7). Keep the result selected. Set the Blending Mode to Screen and reduce the Opacity to 90%.