Article : Understanding Your Illustrator Better - Gradient Tool (part 1)

Chapter 1

Today lets talk about gradient tool for Illustrator. This tool is most commonly use to any kind of design. From a simple and a sophisticated one. Gradient tool is able to create a beautiful effects than make your design have 3D look and give more depth to your design. 

To make this article not to long, I'll divide it in two post. so it will be not boring to read it. So lets start shall we :).

For a moment take a look this tutorial about How To Create Character Eyes. In this tutorial, you can see how to use gradient tool in a simple way to create that depth of the design. And we also can see that 3D look that we look for. 

There is so many nice look we can create with gradient tool. Like this simple picture. With gradient tool we can make such a nice shading that can create a nice 3D realistic look to our 2D drawing.

With your imagination, we can create a lot more cool design with this gradient tool. 

I'll show you some application of Gradient Tool with logos I create later.

After looking previous brief, now lets talk about Gradient Tool it self and how to use it, so hopefully you'll understand better how to use it and apply it in your design work.

If you notice, I've mention all the tools in previous Article. So here's I repeat again in more detail.


So how we apply this gradient to our image?

Create an object, any basic object. Let say a circle (Ellipse Tool, Shift+Drag to get a perfect circle) or select an object you wish to apply gradient to.

Select Gradient Tool on tool bar. Then on floating tool select gradient like picture on the left.

Remember to click Fill NOT Stroke. In the latest Illustrator, we can give gradient color to both FILL and STROKE

Click on the Gradient icon on the Top Left, Done!

There is two type of gradient, Linear and Radial, I'll show you a picture that hopefully can help you understand both.


As shown on the picture, we can see the difference between Linear and Radial Gradient.



By adding some attribute like Angle and aspect ratio, you'll be get effect like pictures on the left. Now its up too your creativity to get all kind of effect you with to have 


Here's some example of design with Gradient on it. 

  

Its the end of the first step for Gradient Tool. We'll talked about it more in next post.