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How to Create the Definitive Designer's Essential Pack in Adobe Illustrator

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How to Create the Definitive Designer's Essential Pack in Adobe Illustrator

Final product imageWhat You'll Be Creating

Because I believe that all designers have their own secret essentials pack, I decided to show you how to build a small yet cute set of illustrations that you can use however you like.

The entire creative process will focus on using the Rectangle Tool's basic shapes, which we will adjust here and there.

Open up Adobe Illustrator, and create a New Document (File > New) using the following settings:

  • Number of Artboards: 1
  • Width: 600 px
  • Height: 600 px
  • Units: Pixels

And from the Advanced tab:

  • Color Mode: RGB—standard digital color model for the digital medium
  • Raster Effects: Screen (72 ppi)
  • Align New Objects to Pixel Grid: checked
setting up a new document

If you’ve followed any of my other tutorials, you might have noticed that I have a “thing” for Layers. So the current tutorial won’t be the first exception to drop the layering process, which I find helps us achieve a better sense of control over our elements.

Now that I've pointed that out, go to the Layers panel, and create six layers, naming them as you see below:

  1. background
  2. notebook
  3. pantone book
  4. ipod
  5. dice
  6. pen
setting up the layers

Make sure you’re on the notebook layer, lock all the other ones, and then using the Rounded Rectangle Tool, create a 176 x 230 px shape with a Corner Radius of 16 px. Use #695858 to give it a nice leather color.

creating the notebooks base shape

As you might have noticed from the final example image, the left side of the notebook needs to be hard cut, meaning we need to get rid of the top and bottom rounded corners. To do so, simply grab the Direct Selection Tool (A), click on the shape we just created, and then drag and select the left middle anchor points.

adjusting the notebooks base shape left side

Once you have them selected, simply press Delete to erase them, and then use Control-J to unite the remaining anchors, and form a whole shape.

notebook base shape with no left side rounded corners

Quick tip:To make sure that the elements you are designing are positioned in the exact same place as mine, use the Transform panel to lock this first object onto the following coordinates:

  • X: 315 px
  • Y: 300 px
positioning the notebooks base shape

As we now have our right side basic shape, we need to create the left side binding. To do so, click on the Rectangle Tool (M) and draw an 8 x 230 px object, which we will color using a darker shade #5C4D4D and place exactly on the left side of our previously created shape.

creating the binding base shape

Now that we have our basic shape for our notebook, it’s time to start adding some details. As our illustration is line-based, we need to create the thick outline that overall adds some playful weight to our composition.

Quick tip:I want to take a quick break here, and explain why I chose to use the Offset Path function instead of giving our objects a basic stroke value.

Due to the imperfect nature of the Align to Pixel Grid in Illustrator, I found that instead of having to reposition each object that has received a stroke (because it will shift position by a couple of pixels), it is easier and handier to simply create a back shape that acts as an outline. This way, you can create the highlights more easily, as you don’t have to duplicate the object and then make sure to get rid of its stroke.

Below you have two examples of the same object jumping positions while trying to replicate the outline using Offset Path (in the first one)...

outline using offset path

... and a 6 px Stroke set to the Outside (in the second one).

outline using stroke

Now, let’s continue by duplicating the two notebook parts that we have until now (select them both and Control-C > Control-F), and then uniting them using the Pathfinder panel.

uniting the notebooks base shape with the binding

Selecting our newly formed shape, go to Effect > Path > Offset Path and change the values as indicated below:

  • Offset: 6 px
  • Joins: Round
creating the notebooks outline

As soon as the offset is made, change the shape’s color to a darker shade #453939, expand it (Object > Expand) and then position it under the notebook by right-clicking on it and then Arrange > Send to Back.

sendind the notebook outline to the back

At this point our illustration should look something like this.

basic version of the notebook illustration

Because almost every part of our illustration will have an outline, we need to add one to the binding too.

To do so, simply grab the Rectangle Tool (M) and create a 4 x 230 px shape, color it using the same value as for the larger outline (#453939) and then position it (using the Align panel) on the right side of the binding, horizontally aligning the two.

Quick tip:In case you’re new to the Align panel, you should know that in order to position two objects in relation to one another, you must first have them selected and then define one of them as the key object by simply clicking on it, and then make use of the different options which are pretty straightforward.

adding an outline to the notebooks binding

Also, if some options like the Distribute Spacing aren’t visible, that’s because you need to activate them by clicking on the small down-pointing arrow in the top right corner, and then selecting Show Options.

align panel show options dropdown

Our next task will be to add some highlights and shadows to the notebook. First let’s take care of the right side highlight. Simply copy (Control-C) and paste in place (Control-F) the lighter notebook object twice, and then move the upper duplicate 2 px towards the left.

To be as accurate as possible, enable the Pixel Preview (View > Pixel Preview or Alt-Control-Y).

previewing the pixel arrangement in Pixel Preview

With both duplicates selected, use Pathfinder’s Minus Front option to cut out the part that we don’t actually need.

creating the notebooks highlight

Change the resulting shape’s color to white (#FFFFFF) and then go over to the Transparency panel (on the right side toolbar) and adjust the values as below.

  • Blending Mode: Overlay
  • Opacity: 20%
changing the notebooks highlight blending and opacity settings

Next, we will add a highlight for the binding.

Using the Rectangle Tool (M) create a 2 x 230 px white shape (use the same Overlay Blending Mode with an Opacity of 20%) and then position it by using the Horizontal Align Right option.

adding a highlight to the notebooks binding

To add a shadow to the binding, simply duplicate the highlight we just created, align it to the left margin of our binding shape, and then make sure to change the color to black (#000000), the Blending Mode to Multiply and to lower the Opacity to about 10%.

adding a shadow to the notebooks binding

Once we’ve added the highlights and shadow, we can move to adding the subtle sewing which will add to the feeling of leather.

Using the Pen Tool (P), draw a line that starts at the very top of the notebook (not the outline) and ends at the very bottom, and set its Weight to 1 px. Color it using the same #453939 value that we used for the outlines.

creating the notebooks stitch

Add small breaks in the line, by using the Stroke panel, and checking the Dashed Line option, giving it a value of 4 px.

changing the stroke settings of the stitch

As I’ve already positioned the leather stitch in my version of the design, in order to help you visualize it more clearly, you will have to make sure to distance it at about 2 px from the binding’s outline so that it looks like mine.

positioning the notebooks stitch

Next we will work on adding the angled scratch-like lines that will go over the right side of our notebook.

Grab the Rectangle Tool (M) and create two 1 x 438 px shapes, positioning them at a fair distance from one another.

creating the diagonal line blend

Now comes the interesting part, as we need to create a total of about 57 individual pieces. You might be tempted to copy the first and then press Control-F 57 times, but a quicker and more efficient solution would be to use the Blend tool.

With both of the objects selected, go to Object > Blend > Blend Options.

blend options

From the Blend Options popup box, set the Spacing to Specified Steps, enter 57 in the right value field, and then press OK.

specifying the number of steps in the blend

For those new to the Blend tool, you should take note that the blend itself won’t be created until you go back to Object > Blend and then click on Make (or if you prefer shortcuts, Alt-Control-B).

expanding the blend

As you’ve probably already seen, the objects in the blend itself are linked, which means we need to expand the blend (Object > Expand) and then ungroup it (right-click > Ungroup).

blend expanded

Once you’ve ungrouped the objects from the blend, make sure to click on the first one on the left (to mark it as the key object), and then using the Align panel, horizontally distribute the rest at a distance of 4 px from one another.

positioning the blends elements

Once you’ve distanced them correctly, regroup them (Control-G) and then rotate them at a -45° angle (right-click > Transform > Rotate).

rotating the blend

Now all we need to do is position the lines on top of the right side of our notebook, and apply a mask onto it so that it will cover only the surface that we want it to.

Select the grouped objects, and using the Transform panel, position them using the following coordinates:

  • X: 326 px
  • Y: 266 px
positioning the rotated blend

Zoom in a little (Alt-scroll wheel) and select the right side (the brighter) of the notebook, copy it (Control-C) and then paste it on top (Control-F) of the lines we positioned earlier.

As soon as you’ve done that, simply select both the lines and the pasted object and create a Clipping Mask (right-click > Make Clipping Mask).

masking the rotated blend

You might have noticed that our clipped diagonal lines are now overlaid onto the right side highlight and the vertical stitch we created a few moments ago. To correct this, simply select both the highlight and the stitch and move them up by using the Arrange > Bring to Front option.

bringing the notebooks highlight and stitch in front of the diagonal blend

Your illustration should now look similar to this.

notebook almost finished

For the circle part, with the anchor point, we will first create an 80 x 80 px circle using the Ellipse Tool, and color it using #453939. Next we will flip the fill with the stroke (Shift-X) and set it to a thicker value of 4 px.

circle stroke settings

Expand the resulting circle (Object > Expand) and then position it using the following coordinates in the Transform panel.

  • X: 298 px
  • Y: 304 px
positioning the vector circle

For the anchor point, create a 20 x 20 px rounded rectangle with a Corner Radius of 3 px, and then horizontally align them, making sure that you have 8 px both on the top and bottom side of the rectangle going outside the height of the circle.

adding the anchor point to the vector circle

To finish the vector circle representation, simply create a 68 x 4 px rectangle which will act as our handles, and position two 10 x 10 px circles at each end.

adding the handles to the vector circles anchor point

Now that the notebook itself is done, we just need to add the elastic strap and then we can move on to the other objects in the pack.

notebook with vector circle representation

Before we begin working on the band, I recommend grouping the elements that form the notebook (select them all and hit Control-G),so that we can easily move and adjust different parts of the band.

Using the Rectangle Tool (M) create a 14 x 238 px object, color it using a lighter shade #9B7B7B and then position it at a distance of about 24 px from the right side of the notebook.

adding the elastic band to the notebook

Duplicate the shape (Control-C > Control-F), color it in the same dark shade as the notebook’s outline (#453939),and then go to Effect > Path > Offset Path to create the outline section.

creating an outline for the elastic band

Now that we have our strap outline, we need to push it to the back along with the notebook itself. To do so, select both the newly created object and the grouped notebook, and right-click > Arrange > Send to Back.

positioning the outline of the elastic band

For the strap’s highlight create a 2 x 238 px white object, and set its Blending Mode to Overlay, making sure to lower the Opacity to 20%. Then position it by vertically aligning it to the right side of the strap segment.

adding a highlight to the elastic band

Cast a subtle shadow onto the notebook, by creating a black 4 x 238 px rectangle, with the Blending Mode set on Multiply and the Opacity lowered to 10%. Then position it immediately on the left side of the strap’s outline.

adding a subtle shadow to the elastic band

To finish off the strap, we will need to create the dotted pattern. First create a 2 x 2 px circle, color it in the same shade as the outlines (#453939), and horizontally align it to the strap, making sure to position it about 12 px from the top of the strap’s outline.

creating the elastic band pattern

Now using the Ellipse Tool (L) create four 1 x 1 px circles, and position them at a distance of 1 px from the central larger shape we created previously. Use Pixel Preview (Alt-Control-Y) to get a better view on things.

first element of the elastic band pattern

Group all five circles (both the larger center one and the orbiting smaller ones) using Control-G and then create a copy by selecting and then dragging down 4 px while holding Alt.

positioning of the second elastic band pattern element

Duplicate the pattern by pressing Control-D 21 times (or by using the Blend trick I showed you when we created the diagonal lines on the notebook).

notebook illustration finished

Move up onto the pantone book layer, and using the Rectangle Tool (M) create a 50 x 212 px shape which we will color using #D8CECE. Position it with the help of the Transform panel using these coordinates:

  • X: 442 px
  • Y: 297 px
creating the basic shape for the pantone book

Give the base form an outline by duplicating it (Control-C > Control-F), and then using the Offset Path Effect.

  • Offset: 4 px
  • Joins: Miter

Also change its color to #453939 and make sure to send the object to the back (right-click > Arrange > Send to back).

creating an outline for the pantone book

Now that we have the base pantone shape and its outline, we need to create the little cutout in the lower right corner. We will do so by using the Ellipse Tool (L) to draw a 10 x 10 px circle, which we will copy and then subtract from both the main shape and the back outline.

adding the cutouts to the pantone book

Once you’ve added the cutouts, it’s time to give the top one an outline. Simply paste (Control-F) the previously copied circle, and flip its fill with its stroke (Shift-X), making sure to set the Stroke to a thicker 4 px value. Also don’t forget to expand the shape using Object > Expand while you have it selected.

pantone book with cutouts added

Now how about adding some color to our little illustration? Create a 50 x 118 px rectangle horizontally top align it to the pantone’s main shape and then change its color to #74B586.

adding the top color value to the pantone book

Add three color box values at the bottom of the green rectangle by creating two smaller 16 x 8 px shapes (which will go towards to outer margins) and one 18 x 8 px which will be placed right in the middle.

Color the first box using #7CC290, the second one using the same green as the bigger object (#74B586), and the last one using #639C73.

adding the middle color variant to the pantone book

Add a highlight and shadow by creating two 4 x 212 px rectangles (one black and one white) and positioning them on each side of the pantone’s left and right margins. Set the shadow’s Blending Mode to Multiply lowering the Opacity to 14%, and the highlight to Overlay with an Opacity of 24%.

adding the highlight and shadow to the pantone book

Separate the green section from the lighter brown one of the pantone book by adding one 50 x 4 px rectangle and positioning it at the bottom, and another 50 x 3 px rectangle which will go just above the three colored box values.

adding horizontal separators to the pantone book

Since our pantone book is almost done, all we need to do is add some little details that will make it pop.

First let’s draw the little plus sign by creating a 4 x 16 px rectangle, coloring it using a darker shade (#5A8C68) and then duplicating it (Control-C > Control-F) and rotating the resulting object at a 90° angle.

Then group the two and position them at about 14 px from the top and 6 px from the left.

positioning the plus sign onto the pantone book

Once we’ve finished the plus sign, it’s time to add some horizontal lines that resemble actual text. For the top green section, create three rectangles (#5A8C68) with the following values:

  • rectangle 1: width 26 px / height 4 px
  • rectangle 2: width 12 px / height 4 px
  • rectangle 3: width 18 px / height 4 px

After you’ve created the lines, position them at about 12 px from the plus sign, making sure to left align them to it, giving them a line space of 4 px and a 2 px between the bottom two pieces.

positioning the text line onto the pantone book

For the lighter brown section, create nine rectangles as follows:

  • rectangle 1: width 14 px / height 4 px / color #969191
  • rectangle 2: width 22 px / height 4 px / color #A8A1A1
  • rectangle 3: width 28 px / height 4 px / color #A8A1A1
  • rectangle 4: width 8 px / height 4 px / color #969191
  • rectangle 5: width 12 px / height 4 px / color #A8A1A1
  • rectangle 6: width 8 px / height 4 px / color #969191
  • rectangle 7: width 14 px / height 4 px / color #A8A1A1
  • rectangle 8: width 8 px / height 4 px / color #969191
  • rectangle 9: width 18 px / height 4 px / color #A8A1A1
positioning the bottom text lines to the pantone book

Your pantone book should look something like this.

pantone book finished

As before the first thing we need to create is our base shape. Using the Rounded Rectangle Tool, draw a 72 x 66 px object with a Corner Radius of 4 px and then color it in a light grey (#999999). Don’t forget to position it correctly using the following coordinates:

  • X: 169 px
  • Y: 370 px
creating and positioning the base shape of the ipod

Duplicate the previously created shape (Control-C) and paste it on top (Control-F). Using the Offset Path function, create a new object with an offset of 4 px and color it in a darker grey (#545454). Also make sure to send the object to the back of our iPod’s main body.

creating the outline for the ipod

Next we’ll add the shadow and highlight by simply duplicating the lighter grey shape of the iPod twice and moving the upper duplicate 4 px to the left. With both copies selected, use Pathfinder’s Minus Front function to cut out the unwanted section.

adding a highlight to the ipod

Set the resulting shape’s Blending Mode to Overlay, lowering the Opacity to 20%.

setting the blending mode and opacity level for the ipod highlight

To create the shadow, simply duplicate the highlight (Control-C > Control-F) and then vertically reflect the shape (right-click > Transform > Reflect).

Make sure to align it to the left side of the iPod and to change its color to black (#000000) setting its Blending Mode to Multiply and its Opacity to 10%.

adding the shadow to the ipod

Next, we’ll create the top section buttons. Grab the Rounded Rectangle Tool and draw an 8 x 4 px object with a Corner Radius of 1 px. Color it in a darker grey (#A8A8A8) and then position it using the following coordinates:

  • X: 191 px
  • Y: 333 px
positioning the top section button on the ipod

Using the Direct Selection Tool (A) select the bottom-centered anchor points and delete them, uniting the remaining form using Control-J. Then select the bottom anchor points one more time and move them up 1 px.

deleting the bottom anchor points of the top section button

Create the highlight and shadow by using the same technique we followed for the iPod’s body.

adding a highlight and a shadow to the top section button

Add an outline to the shape by duplicating the main object and applying an Offset Path effect, with an Offset of 4 px, Round Joins and the default Miter Limit. Once the outline is created, select it and send it to the back, grouping (Control-J) all the button components (main body, highlight, shadow and outline).

adding an outline to the top section button

Create the second button by copying (Control-C) and pasting (Control-F) the first instance and then positioning it at about 2 px towards the left, making sure to send them both to the back of our iPod.

duplicating the top section button

For the front buttons, we will need to first create the ring in relation to which we will position the rest of the elements. Using the Ellipse Tool (L) create a 42 x 42 px light grey circle (#808080), flip its fill with its stroke, and then give it a thick 14 px weight.

setting the stroke settings for the front ipod ring

Expand the shape (Object > Expand) and then center it both vertically and horizontally to the iPod’s main object—the light grey one.

positioning the front ipod ring

When it comes to the front buttons, will first create the bottom minus one and build up from there.

Using the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 2 x 6 px object, which we will color in a darker grey (#999999). Horizontally align it to the ring and then position it at the middle of the bottom section of our ring.

adding the minus button to the ipod

Copy the minus button, and move it to the top section of the ring, making sure to keep it centered as we did with the bottom one. Create another instance and rotate it at a 90° angle, thus creating our plus button.

adding the plus button to the ipod

For the previous and next buttons we will create one instance which we will then reflect and position in its correct place.

Before we start creating the arrows, let’s grab the vertical section of the plus button and move it to the left, positioning it using the following coordinates:

  • X: 145 px
  • Y: 370 px
creating the first element of the previous button

Once you have the first section of the previous button positioned, we need to grab the Pen Tool (P) and create a left oriented arrow with a height of 6 px and a width of 3 px which we will stick to the front line section.

creating the second element of the previous button

To finish the button, duplicate the arrow and position it exactly on the right side of the one we already have, grouping all three of the elements together (Control-J).

previous button finished

To create the next button, simply duplicate and reflect the one created just a few moments ago and then position it on the right side of the ring using these coordinates in the Transform panel:

  • X: 190 px
  • Y: 370 px
ipod almost finished

For the play/pause button we’ll need to create a slightly bigger version of each of the elements that we’ve already drawn. For the pause section, simply create two 2 x 8 px rectangles, color them using #808080, distance them at 2 px from one another, and once grouped, position them at the following coordinates:

  • X: 173 px
  • Y: 370 px
creating the pause button for the ipod

When it comes to the play button, again using the Pen Tool (P) create a right oriented arrow with a height of 8 px and a width of 6 px.

creating the play button for the ipod

Our iPod should now be ready for use.

ipod finished

We’re almost there guys. The final pieces of our illustration are the dice and the crayon, so it won’t be long until you’ll have a cool looking self-made vector pack.

Assuming you’ve already moved up onto the dice layer, grab the Rounded Rectangle Tool and create a 30 x 30 px object with a Corner Radius of 3 px, which we will color using #DBDBDB and position after the following coordinates:

  • X: 190 px
  • Y: 278 px
creating and positioning the first dice

Duplicate the dice’s base shape and after coloring it in a darker grey #545454 give it an Offset Path of 4 px, sending the resulting outline to the back (right click > Arrange > Send to Back).

creating the outline for the first dice

Repeat the same process for creating the shadow and highlight used in the iPod part, keeping the same values for both the Blending Modes and the Opacity levels.

dirst dice with highlight and shadow

In order to complete the dice we need to add the little dots that indicate the number it has landed on. Using the Ellipse Tool (L) create a 6 x 6 px circle and color it in the same dark shade as the outline (#545454). Then using the Align panel, position it right in the center of the dice.

creating the first dot for the dice face

For the other dots, simply duplicate the middle one four times, and then position each of the copies at a distance of 3 px both horizontally and vertically from the centered one.

first dice finished

To create the second dice, just copy the one we already have and move it so that you have about 10 px between the two. Then duplicate the centered dot and align one copy to the left dots and the other to the right ones.

both dice finished

To start building the pencil, we’re going to rely on the good old Rectangle Tool (M) and create a yellowish (#F4D484) 12 x 122 px object which we’re going to position after the following coordinates:

  • X: 150 px
  • Y: 246 px
creating and positioning the pencil

In order to create the tip, we’ll first have to draw the main pinkish (#E2C3C3) shape from which we will build on the rest of the object. Using the Pen Tool (P) create a downward pointing triangle, with a width of 12 px and a height of 14 px, placing it exactly at the end of the pencil’s body.

creating the pencils tip

As you’ve probably gotten used to by now, we need to add an outline to our little yellow buddy. To do so, first create a duplicate of both the main body and the tip (Control-C > Control-F), color them using the grey from the iPod’s outline (#545454) and after that apply an Offset Path of 4 px to get it looking chunky. Also always remember to send the outline to the back as we don’t want it obscuring our main shapes.

creating an outline for the pencil

As we want the bottom side of the pencil to stay flat, we will need to expand the outline (Object > Expand) and then remove the top middle anchor points using the Direct Selection Tool (A), uniting the remaining ones (Control-J) and moving them up by 4 px.

deleting the bottom anchor points of the pencils outline

Next we need to add some vertical lines to delimit the three sections of our pencil’s body. Create two 2 x 120 px rectangles and position them at a distance of 4 px from one another. After that quickly group them (Control-J) and horizontally top align them to the pencil.

adding vertical dividers to the pencils body

As the tip needs some detailing we will start working on adding the round sections that are usually a result of sharpening the pencil.

Using the Ellipse Tool (L) create two smaller 2 x 2 px circles and cut them in half by deleting the top anchor points. Once you’ve done that, use the Direct Selection Tool (A) to move the bottom anchor points down by 1 px.

adjusting the pencils tip round sections

Again, using the Ellipse Tool (L), create a slightly larger 4 x 4 px circle deleting only the top anchor this time. You should now have three shapes looking like these.

pencils tip round sections finished

Position all three shapes at 2 px from one another, group them and then horizontally bottom align them to the pencil's base yellow rectangle.

aligning the pencils tip round sections

In order for the rounded shapes that we’ve just created to be visible, we will need to give them an Offset Path Effect (Effect > Offset Path), expand and unite the resulting offsetand then delete the top section so that it won’t interfere with the yellow section of our pencil.

adding an outline to the pencils tip round section

You should now have something like this.

basic pencil shapes

Add the shadow and highlight by creating two 2 x 120 px rectangles and aligning them to the left and right margins of the yellow section of our pencil. Change their Blending Modes and Opacity level to match those of the iPod.

adding a shadow to the pencils main body

As you can see, neither the shadow nor highlight manage to cover the bottom rounded sections we created a few steps ago. To correct this, simply select the left and right smaller shapes using the Direct Selection Tool (A) and copy (Control-C) and paste them (Control-F) on top of the originals. Then use the Eye Dropper Tool (I) to apply the same color styling used on the top rectangles. Once you’ve done that, unite the shadow and highlight with their bottom respective parts using Pathfinder’s Unite function.

uniting the pencil shadow

Since we've started adding highlights and shadows, let’s do the same for the pencil’s tip itself. Double-click on the pinkish section to enter Isolation Mode and then create two duplicates of the shape, moving the one on top 2 px to the left. With both of them selected, use Minus Front to get rid of the unwanted part.

creating a highlight for the pencils tip

Select the resulting shape and change its Blending Mode to Overlay, lowering its Opacity to 24%.

pencil tip with highlight

Repeat the same process in Isolation Mode but this time move the upper duplicate 2 px to the right, changing the resulting shape’s color to black (#000000), its Blending Mode to Multiply and its Opacity level to 24%.

pencil tip with highlight and shadow

Don’t worry about the overlaying effect created by the intersection of the shadow and highlight, as we will create a dark grey section that will cover it up.

Grab the Rectangle Tool (M) and create an 8 x 6 px object (#545454), which we will horizontally align to the pencil and position at about 4 px from the bottom of the pencil’s outline.

creating a mask for the pencils tip shadow and highlight

We could leave the last object as it is, but as I’m really detail-driven I feel we should mask it using the pinkish section of the pencil. So select the pencil’s tip, copy and paste it on top, and then with both it and the grey rectangle selected, right-click > Make Clipping Mask.

masking the pencils tip highlight and shadow
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To add a finishing touch to our design, make sure you’re on the background layer, and create a 600 x 600 px square (the same size as our Artboard). Color it using #999999 and then simply align it both vertically and horizontally to our Artboard.

adding and aligning a background to the illustration

I hope you managed to follow the steps provided in the tutorial and most importantly learned some cool stuff along the way.

Sorry for the length, but I wanted to create something that even early Illustrator adopters could understand.

 

SOURCE: http://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-create-the-definitive-designers-essential-pack-in-adobe-illustrator--cms-22931


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