As Christmas is getting closer, you might want to start making Christmas crafts.
Digital crafting allows you to enjoy the season without the expense or waste of paper crafts.
Adobe Illustrator enables you to draw or create whatever Christmas scene takes your fancy.
after you grab your Christmas tree texture in place, its easy to add decorations or presents.
The texture youre about to create provides realistic spindles that youd find on a real Christmas tree.
Step 1: Make a Green Gradient
Start with an empty artboard in Adobe Illustrator.
you might paste your finished tree onto another background later.
you’re free to even use it tocreate a Christmas card in Photoshop.
On the toolbar, set theFillcolor swatch toGradientand theStrokecolor swatch toNone.
On theGradientpanel, double-tap the left circular swatch on the Gradient slider and choose a light green.
Then double-smack the right-hand circular swatch on the slider and select a dark green hue.
You also could choose black.
You need enough contrast between the two shades to give your tree some shadows.
Step 2: Create and Paste Ellipses to Fill the Tree Shape
Select theEllipsetool (L).
With the ellipse shape still selected, copy it by hittingCmd+C(Mac) orCtrl+C(Windows).
Go to the Layers panel and selectCreate New Layer.
Then select thePenciltool (N) orPaintbrushtool (B) and draw your rough tree shape.
Reselect the layer with the ellipse on it.
Youre going to paste the circle multiple times into your drawn Christmas tree shape.
The rough linework will remain on the top so you’re free to see ityoull remove it later.
It doesnt have to be neat.
Then with theSelectiontool (V), click and drag over your tree to select all the circles.
Go back to the original tree and select it again by clicking and dragging your cursor over it.
Now you’re able to add the Christmas tree texture.
Go toEffect>Distort & Transform>Roughen.
Set theSizebetween40%-80%, but experiment with the result you want.
Then set theDetailto around80.
When youre happy with the result, selectOK.
This is the basis of your Christmas tree.
This gives it a personal touch and a more realistic result.
Use your own Christmas tree as inspiration for the decorations.
Add the Star
Select theStartool and holdShiftwhile drawing a star.
Size it and place your star at the top of the tree.
opt for star and select theGradientswatch on the toolbar.
Change the gradient jot down toRadial.
You could use your tree animation to send an eCard to loved ones.
No Christmas tree floats willy-nilly on the floor.
Use theRectangletool (M) and draw a rectangle at the base of the tree.
Then select theDirect Selectiontool (A) and opt for bottom left corner anchor and drag it inwards slightly.
Do the same with the bottom right corner anchor.
This results in a flowerpot shape.
Then select your pot and choose theGradient Filloption.
If youre happy with the color, right-opt for pot and chooseArrange>Send to Back.
Now your tree stands inside the plant pot.
If you gotta scale your tree up or down, ensure youscale your strokes proportionally in Illustrator.
Using its Roughen tool allows you to create a realistic fir tree texture for your Christmas tree illustration.
Its easy to add extra tree decorations like baubles or tinsel using similar techniques to customize your tree.
