Software: Adobe Illustrator
Difficulty: Beginner
Completion Time: 2 hours
Hello dear readers! It’s tutorial time=) For your benefit, we will now be segmenting our tutorials according to the software used, difficulty and completion time so if you’re an amateur, you can be a pro in no time! And if you’re already a pro, well, treat this as practice!
Today, you’ll learn how to draw beautiful flowers with your own specially created brush! Also, you’ll be creating photo frames decorated with the flowers you’ve drawn. This is what it’ll look like:
1. Creating the jar
Step 1
First, create a new document that is 600 px in height and 600 px width. Then, using a Rectangle Tool (M), draw a rectangle. Keep it selected and go to Effect > Stylize > Round Corners. From the newly popped-up window, adjust Radius to 30 px and press OK.
Step 2
Now, draw three more rectangles – one big and two small just like the image below.
Step 3
Select the whole jar and group it (right-click the mouse > Group). With the jar still selected, go to the Transparency panel and adjust Opacity to 50 %.
2. Creating the special brush
Make sure that the Opacity is 100 % and set the fill color to R=35, G=31, B=32. Pick the Ellipse Tool (L) and draw a very long and thin oval. Now grab it and move it to the Brush panel. A new window will pop up. Choose New Art Brush and press OK. In a second window (make sure that the Direction is from left to right), choose Colorization Method Tints. Width of this New Art Brush should be 100 %.
Double-click on the Brush Tool (B) and adjust the Paintbrush Tool Options to: Tolerances Fidelity 3 pixels, Smoothness 40%. Then click OK.
3. Creating the pink flowers
Step 1
Lock this layer by clicking on the empty gray button (Toggles Lock) on the Layers panel. You’ll then need to create a New Layer. Go to Layers panel and from the drop-down menu in the upper right corner, select New Layer. Simply move this layer below the existing one.
Delete the fill color and set the Stroke color to R=122, G=117, B=21. We’ll now draw stems of the flowers. Pick the newly created brush and draw stems like the image below.
Step 2
On the Stroke panel, make the Weight of the stroke 3 px, change the color to R=244, G=134, B=134. Start drawing the petals of the flower.
Step 3
Change the stroke color to R=247, G=166, B=162 and draw more petals.
Step 4
Change the stroke color to R=250, G=189, B=184 and decrease the stroke Weight to 2 px. Then draw even more petals.
Step 5
Change the stroke color to R=255, G=248, B=164 and draw the center of the flower. Now add some dots (color R=224, G=205, B=32).
Step 6
Draw the second flower by repeating steps 2 to 5.
Step 7
And now, for the third flower. This time, start with the lightest petals and finish with the darkest. Then, make the stroke color green (R=122, G=117, B=21) and draw the base of the flower. Stroke Weight should be 2 px.
Step 8
Now, draw the leaves following the lines on the image below. Then, lock this layer by clicking on the Toggles Lock button on the Layers panel.
4. Drawing forget-me-nots
Step 1
Create a New Layer over the layer with pink flowers – simply click on the Create New Layer button on the Layers panel. It’s important to have this new layer under the layer with a jar. Change the stroke color to R=103, G=123, B=40 and start drawing a stem.
Step 2
Stroke color R=133, G=209, B=215, stroke Weight 2 px. Draw 5 petals.
Step 3
Stroke color R=212, G=237, B=236, stroke Weight 0.5 px. Draw small linesjust like the image below.
Step 4
Draw yellow (stroke color R=239, G=239, B=239, stroke Weight 1 px) and gray center (stroke color R=123, G=113, B=92, stroke Weight 1 px) of the flower just like the image below.
Step 5
Draw more flowers. Repeat steps 3 to 5.
Step 6
Now, let’s draw leaves. Set the stroke color to R=135, G=171, B=66, the Weight 2 px and draw the leaves. Don’t forget to draw a stem for the leaf (color R=103, G=123, B=40, Weight 1 px).
5. Forget-me-nots 2
Step 1
Draw another stem for the new forget-me-not.
Step 2
And flowers.
6. Draw your own flower
You can add any flowers you want by changing the color and weight of the stroke. Remember to draw them on a new layer.
7. Background
Step 1
Create a New Layer and drag it under all the others. Here, you’ll draw a background. Delete the stroke color and set the fill color to R=45, G=25, B=27. Using the Rectangle Tool (M), make a square 600 px height and width. To create a square instead of rectangle, you need to hold the Shift key.
Step 2
Now, select all the flowers with the jar and expand them (Object > Expand Appearance). Make sure that the corresponding layer is opened. Make flowers and jar smaller and place them in the left corner of the background. Do not group the flowers.
After that, make the fill color R=25, G=13, B=15 and the stroke color R=197, G=193, B=157 and using the Rectangle Tool (M), draw three empty photo frames. Incline them in a way you like.
8. Decorating the photo frames
Step 1
Concentrate on the Layers panel and look for the layer where forget-me-nots are created. Click on the small circle on the right side of the name of the layer – you will select all forget-me-nots. Keep flowers selected and holding the Alt key (to duplicate them), drag the flowers to one of the photo frame.
Step 2
Go to the layer with the pink flowers, select just one flower and holding the Alt key, drag the flower to decorate another photo frame.
Step 3
Continue decorating as you like.
9. Creating the banner
Step 1
Make pink color (R=243, G=117, B=121) for the fill with no stroke. Draw a rectangle. Using the Pen Tool (P), place an anchor point on the left side of the rectangle. To put an anchor point exactly in the middle of the left side, use the Smart Guides (View > Smart Guides). Then move the new anchor point to the right (img 1). Keep the new shape selected. Right-click the mouse > Transform > Reflect. In a new pop up window, select Vertical axis of reflection, Angle 90° and press Copy. Move the copy to the right (img 2). Select two shapes together and press the Unite button on the Pathfinder panel (Window > Pathfinder).
Step 2
Place the banner on the picture. Choose your favorite font (Type > Font) and type some greetings on the banner. Or just print it out and write your own greeting.
Good job! You’ve learnt how to create a special brush and draw flowers and designed a beautiful floral card. All you need to do now is to send it out!