Dan Fergus Design > Student
Resources > Syllabus > Class
Schedule >Exercise: Gradients & Blends
Exercise: Gradients & Blends
Procedure
- Download a copy of gradientEx_Student.ai. Open it, then save it as gradientEx_YourName.ai.
- When you open the document you will see a column of objects that have been made to look "3-D" be the addition of gradients, blends, and mesh gradients. On the right side of the page is a column of the same objects without their various fills. Your task is to create gradients & blends and fill the empty shapes on the right so that they match the objects on the left. Note that I indicate which item uses a linear gradient, radial gradient, blend, and/or mesh.
- Cylinder: Use a linear gradient for the exterior.The gradient should consist of 5 "paint cans"—red, pale red, red, dark red, and red again. The interior gradient follows the same pattern with blue-grays, but it is in reverse (running from right to left). The can's lip is a flat blue-gray.
- Disk with a raised rim: The outer rim consists of linear gradients (not radial). The gradients consist of just two colors—light blue/gray and dark blue/gray. The trick is to use the gradient tool to run them diagonally, and in opposite directions so they look as if they're catching the light. The inner disk is filled with a radial gradient that is slightly offset, so the dark outer part of the gradient is only visible on one side, creating the illusion of a cast shadow.
- Sphere: The sphere uses a radial gradient with four colors—pale red, red, dark red, medium red. The trick here is to use the gradient tool to center the gradient on the upper-left part of the circle, and then drag the gradient to the lower-right edge. The cast shadow is a blend—the outer circle should be white, the inner dark blue-black. By blending them, a soft edge is created for the shadow.
- Donut: The donut uses a blend, but before you can make the blend you must first create two compound paths. Select the two rings that make up the main donut and go to Object > Compound Path > Make. Do the same for the two rings that make up the inner highlight circle. Now color the outer (bigger) ring dark blue, and the smaller inner ring white. Select both rings and blend them.
- Kidney Bean: The bean consists of three shapes. Color the smallest light red, the middle medium red, and the biggest dark red. Then select all three and choose Blend.
- Bottle: The bottle is the trickiest one, for it uses a mesh. Look at the mesh pattern I provide and try to create a similar mesh within the bottle (it may help to fill it with medium blue first). Once the mesh is created, try to determine which points need to be colored with a lighter blue, and which need a darker blue. It's a trial and error process.