This tutorial will take you through the process of creating a highly detailed desk workspace. You will learn interesting techniques on how to create realistic grunge textures for the envelope and paper. In addition, you will learn the process of creating retro-style business cards, magnifying glass effect, postage stamp and so much more. At the end of this tutorial, you will gain insights on how to draw complex scenes and the techniques you can implement in your own work.
Difficulty: Beginner
Requirements: Adobe Illustrator
What will you get?
- Instant download of PDF e-book (37 pages, 97 steps)
- Comes with Ai file for easy reference
- Detailed step by step tutorial to create a vintage letter, envelope and magnifying glass
Tutorial Preview:
How to Draw an Envelope
1. Open up a new document and create a new layer titled ‘Envelope and Paper’. Now, we shall start with the rectangular basic form for the envelope. First, pick the Rectangle Tool (M) from the Tools Panel on the left and create a rectangle with this size: width: 415px, height: 190px. Now, go to the Gradient Panel and fill the selected object with linear gradients as shown below.
2. Copy the object we have created and place it exactly above the previous one. Grab the Pen Tool (P) and add another anchor point in the middle of the upper edge of the rectangle. Turn on the Smart Guides (Ctrl+U) that will help us find the central point easily. Simply grab the Direct Selection Tool (A), select the middle anchor point and move it to 80px down. Then, change the gradients the way you see on the image below.
3. Let’s create red and blue stripes around the edges of the envelope. First, make 2 copies of the modified rectangle shape from Step 2 and save them for later use. Pick the Rectangle Tool (M) and draw a long, thin, vertical rectangle with dimensions set to 10 x 200px. Then using the Line Segment Tool (\), draw 2 straight horizontal lines over the rectangle (hold Shift to keep them straight). Arrange them so that the first line is 20px away and the second line is 30px away from the top edge of the rectangle.
4. With both horizontal lines selected, go to Object > Transform > Move... and move the selected objects by 30px along the vertical axis and click Copy. To repeat a transformation, hit the command Transform Again (Ctrl+D) for another 4 times, giving you a total of 12 lines.
5. With all the objects selected (the rectangle and the horizontal lines), activate the Pathfinder Panel and click on the Divide button, in order to get separated surfaces.
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