Make a Torn Vector Desktop Wallpaper with Angled Text

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This tutorial is perfect for the beginning Adobe Illustrator artist that wants to take their skills to the next level. You'll learn how to work with type to make a cool desktop wallpaper and add scars to complete the design. Let's get to it!

Final Image Preview

Below is the final design we will be working towards. This desktop is designed at 1680 pixels by 1050 pixels. 

Step 1

Set your document up to whatever size you want to create your desktop at. After that, draw a rectangle using the Rectangle Tool (M) and fill it with a color of your choosing. Put this rectangle on its own layer. Whenever you are making a design that has several elements it is a good idea to put each item on their own layer too. Keep this in mind while you add more objects to the design, as I will not be pointing out when I add new layers in this tutorial.

Step 2

Add a witty and short saying that you can break up into multiple pieces to create a design. I've used ITC Franklin Gothic for my text. To quickly access the type panel press Command + T.

Step 3

Angle the type to give it a unique look. Angling the type is as simple as selecting it and hovering your mouse near one of the corners. Using the Direct Selection Tool (V) when the cursor changes to a double-sided arrow you can rotate the type. When you are rotating the type hold down the Shift key to easily rotate it to a 45 degree angle.

Step 4

When you begin laying out the text, try to arrange it so that the entire saying falls within the center area of the design. As you'll notice, I've gone ahead and placed the larger words in a pattern that I like. Once you do the same you can continue to build the other words around the existing letters.

Step 5

Continue to duplicate the words, mix them up and try different combinations so they fit well next to each other. Quickly duplicate the words by holding down the option key while you click and drag. It's OK to allow your artwork to overlap the edges of the artboard at this point.

Step 6

Observe how the layout looks full and complete (with the exception of the small area on the right that I will add my name and the VECTORTUTS logo to.)

Step 7

To make the texture in the background use a simple ellipse that we'll turn into a Scatter Brush so we can quickly make a texture. Draw an ellipse using the Ellipse Tool (L). Fill it with black.

Step 8

Open your Brushes (F5) and drag the ellipse into the Brushes palette. When you do this a dialog will open up. Select New Scatter Brush and click OK.

Step 9

The Scatter Brush Options dialog has several options to help you create random patterns. Set your Size, Spacing and Scatter to Random. Adjust the small triangles highlighted below to include negative and positive numbers on each slider. This will ensure your brush has enough variety. You of course do not need to adjust the Rotation option as the shape is a circle.

Step 10

Select the ellipse in the Brushes palette then select the Paintbrush Tool (B). Simply draw an arbitrary shape and you'll instantly have a texture similar to the one below!

If you don't like the way the brush is painting, then double-click on the ellipse in the Brushes palette and edit the options. If you make any changes after you've already painted a shape, you will be prompted with the Brush Change Alert dialog. You can Apply to Strokes or Leave Strokes as shown below.

Step 11

Continue to build up your shapes. After you have a mass of shapes built up, you will need to expand them. Select all of your shapes and go to Object > Expand Appearance. Once you expand your objects you will see that there are small lines (yellow dot) within the shapes. Use the Direct Selection Tool (V) to select these shapes and delete them. After that, select the mass of dots and use the Pathfinder and Select Add to Shape Area (left green dot), then click Expand (right green dot).

Step 12

You're now left with a mass of dots that are completely merged into one shape.

Step 13

Place the shape over the corners of the artwork. Select all four sections of dots and select Add to Shape Area and Expand as we did in Step 11.

Step 14

You can trim the dots to the edge of the artwork by drawing a rectangle shape over where you would like the dots to be cut off. After that select Subtract from Shape Area (left yellow dot) followed by Expand (right yellow dot).

Adjust the Opacity of the dots by using the Transparency palette. I've decided an Opacity of 29 is suitable for this layout.

Step 15

Make other dots that are white to add another level of interest to the design.

Step 16

We'll add a spotlight effect to the design by drawing a rectangle using the Rectangle Tool and giving it a Radial Gradient. Access the Gradient Panel by going to Window > Gradient. Click on the Gradient Slider and use the Color palette (F6) to fine-tune the colors.

Step 17

Move the entire rectangle over the artwork. In the Transparency Palette select Multiply from the drop down list. This will allow your artwork below the gradient to be seen.

Step 18

To create a torn paper effect draw an arbitrary shape with the Pencil Tool (N). The easiest way to close an open shape is to hold down the Option key when you are ready to close the shape.

Step 19

Still using the Pencil Tool, draw two other torn paper shapes that represent the edges of the paper as it curls upward.

Step 20

Give the curled up part of the paper a black to white gradient.

Step 21

Add an Inner Glow by going to Effect > Stylize > Inner Glow. Set the Mode to Screen and the Opacity to about 25. Your Blur size may not be exactly what I show in my example. Just make sure yours looks good to you, then press OK.

Step 22

Give the shape a drop shadow by going to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow. Set your mode to Multiply, your Opacity to about 75, your X and Y Offset to 0 and Blur. Press OK.

Step 23

Repeat these steps for the other side of the paper edge, or while you are applying the effect you can select both curled paper edges so the effect will be applied to both at the same time!

You now have an effective torn paper effect. Place the torn paper over the edge of your artwork to complete the design.

Final Image

Here is what the final desktop looks like. The last step is saving the artwork for use on your desktop. Go to Object > Slice > Clip to Artboard. Finally, go to File > Save for Web and Devices, then save your artwork using your desired settings. All there is left to do is set the image as your desktop!

You should now be well on your way to exploring all of the powerful features that Adobe Illustrator has to offer.

Bonus

As an added bonus, I've included a variety of alternate sizes of the desktop that was designed in this tutorial for you to download:

• 1920x1200px
• 1680x1050px
• 1440x900px
• 1280x1024px
• 1280x800px
• 1024x768px
• iPhone 320x480px

Jonathan

I specialize in design, branding and illustration. I have extensive hands-on experience developing concepts and projects from inception through implementation. I'm available for freelance work so please visit my website at jonathanpatterson.com and contact me if you have a project you'd like me to work on! You can also find me on Twitter: @jon_patterson.

Design a Vintage Nintendo-style Controller and Cartridge

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Vintage meets modern with this unique video game tutorial. This tutorial is perfect for the beginning Illustrator artist who wants to take their skills to the to the next level. Step your game up and get started now!

Final Image Preview

Below is the final design we will be working towards. 

Step 1

Start by using the Rounded Rectangle Tool. Make a rectangle that looks similar to this.

TIP: You can adjust the radius of the corners by holding the up or down arrow while you draw the shape.

Step 2

Inside the rectangle draw three smaller shapes.

Step 3

Use the Pathfinder to trim off one edge of the rectangle so only the top two corners have rounded edges. Layer the shapes on top of each other and click the Subtract from Shape Area option followed by Expand, as shown below.

Step 4

Place the shape at the bottom, then duplicate and place a rotated version of the shape at the top.

Step 5

Continue to use simple shapes to compose the main portions of the controller. To make the directional pad, layer two rectangles on top of each other and merge them using the Pathfinder.

Step 6

Depending on what kind of shape you are working with, making a smaller or larger version of the shape may not be as simple as reducing the size. This is the case with the dpad below. If you were to simply copy, paste and scale it smaller there would not be an equal amount of space between each side. Using the following technique it's easy to create a slightly smaller version of a complex shape.

Select the object and go to Object > Path > Offset Path… Enter the amount of Offset you would like and press OK.

Step 7

Give offset to the rectangle, around the two middle buttons and the circles on the right.

Step 8

Give the main rectangle that makes up the controller an offset too.

Step 9

Small details go a long way. Using a red to white gradient, fill the circles as shown. Notice that my gradient has three points: white, red and darker red. The darker red color is a minor detail that helps give the button more of a dynamic range. Upon first glance it may not be noticeable but it makes a difference.

Step 10

Give the background of the controller a grey to black gradient. Be sure to use a rich black and not a grayscale black. Rich black is the color black that is comprised of "R," G," and "B" values. To take it one step further, use a zero value for "R," G," and "B."

Note: If this illustration were going to be printed at a printing facility you would use a CMYK model. Rich black for that model would be C=40, M=30, Y=20 and K=100. The chart below shows a rich black color model for RGB artwork.

Step 11

Make the arrows that go on the dpad by using simple shapes. Use the Star Tool to make the triangle.

TIP: Adjust the number of points on the Star Tool by pressing the up or down arrow while you draw the star.

Step 12

Align your shapes vertically and click Add to Shape Area, as indicated below, followed by clicking Expand.

Step 13

Place the arrows over the dpad. Use the Align Palette to ensure everything is perfectly lined up.

Step 14

Give the inner-most rectangle and two buttons an inner glow by going to Effect > Stylize > Inner Glow…

Make sure the fill color of the two buttons is light enough so the inner glow is visible. Also, ensure you select Multiply for Mode.

Step 15

Do the same thing for the inner-most circle on the other buttons.

Step 16

And again on the arrows, alter the Opacity and Blur to fit each element you are adding an Inner Glow to.

Step 17

To quickly create highlights on the edge of the arrows, first select all four arrows and merge them in the Pathfinder using the Add to Shape Area option. After that, duplicate the arrows and stagger them as shown below. Select both sets of arrows and again click Subtract from Shape Area followed by Expand.

Step 18

To add to the overall realism of the controller, we'll add a reflection to the dpad. Draw a rectangle and rotate it slightly. Layer the rectangle over the dpad, select both shapes and click Divide in the Pathfinder. Go to Object > Ungroup. Delete the leftover shapes around the outside of the dpad.

Step 19

Give both halves of the dpad a subtle gradient. Remember to use a rich black instead of a grayscale black.

Step 20

Add some text of your choosing. In order to give text a gradient you will first need to select the text and go to Type > Create Outlines. Now, fill the text with a gradient of your choosing.

Step 21

Create the highlight over the buttons in the same manner that we did for the highlight on the dpad arrows. Start by overlapping two circles.

Step 22

Place the highlight over the buttons and adjust their Opacity to about 50%.

Step 23

To make an intense highlight on the bottom of the button we'll start by drawing an Ellipse using the Ellipse Tool (L.)

Step 24

Go to Object > Envelope Distort > Make with Warp… Select Arc from the Style drop down and enter a negative value for the Bend. Click OK.

Step 25

Use the Direct Selection Tool (A) to fine-tune the handles and points of the shape.

Step 26

We can create a realistic drop shadow for the objects by blurring a shape that is similar to the object that we'd like to create a shadow for. Make a shadow for the two buttons in the middle by blurring a rounded rectangle by going to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur.

TIP: Make sure your artwork is at the scale you'd like it to be at before you apply any blur effects as blur effects do not scale regardless of any options you select in Illustrator's Preferences.

Step 27

Place the shadow behind the buttons, set the mode to Multiply and adjust the Opacity to about 50% (in the Transparency Palette).

Step 28

Create highlights and lowlights for the top and bottom of the controller by using the basic controller shape as a starting point.

Layer two shapes on top of each other and in the Pathfinder Palette select Exclude Overlapping Shape Areas followed by Expand. If you need to break the shapes up after that, Select Divide then go to Object > Ungroup.

Step 29

Place the highlight at the top and the lowlight at the bottom. Give each shape a tenuous gradient.

Step 30

To create the impression of a recessed area, give the shape highlighted below a slight gradient that is darker on the top.

Step 31

To make the video game cartridge use rectangles that have been merged together as a starting point.

Step 32

Use the rounded corner rectangle as we did in several previous steps to create the more detailed areas.

Step 33

To easily create a pattern of multiple rectangles simply draw two rectangles and place them the desired distance apart.

Step 34

Select both rectangles and go to Object > Blend > Blend Options… Select Specified Steps and enter a number of around 20. Click OK.

Step 35

Go to Object > Blend > Make and the result will produce something similar to the image below. In order to continue to edit the shapes you will need to go to Object > Expand.

Step 36

Give the cartridge a radial gradient.

Step 37

The label will also need a simple grey to white gradient.

Step 38

Give the triangle an inner glow by going to Effect > Stylize > Inner Glow…

Step 39

Add a hairline (thin) stroke to the triangle by using the Stroke Palette.

Step 40

Select the pattern of rectangles and apply a slight gradient to them too.

Step 41

Give the impression of depth by duplicating the rectangle pattern and filling it with a darker gray color. Since we're not going for an intense black, you do not have to worry about using rich black.

Step 42

Select the rectangle that's near the top edge of the cartridge and give it an Opacity of about 85%.

Step 43

Add small highlights to the edge of the cartridge by giving the rectangle a faint gradient.

Step 44

Give the side a gradient too.

Step 45

Creating the feather is easier than you may think. Use the Pencil Tool (N) and draw an organic feather shapes as shown.

Step 46

Draw the areas that cut into the feather using the Pencil tool as well. It may be easier to draw a couple of these shapes at a time, instead of all of them at once.

Step 47

Use the Subtract from Shape Area option to remove the shapes from the main part of the feather.

Step 48

Use the Pen Tool (P) to draw the middle part of the feather and give the feather a brilliant red gradient.

Step 49

It's virtually effortless to give the impression of the feather as being an illustration on the cartridge label by using the following technique. Copy the cartridge label and remove both the stroke and fill. Make sure this shape is in front of the feather, select both the feather and the cartridge shape and go to Object > Clipping Mask > Make. Now, everything outside of the cartridge area will be masked out!

Step 50

Create the background by using the Rounded Rectangle Tool. Fill it with an intense blue gradient.

Step 51

Select the main shapes that comprise the controller and the cartridge. Go to Effect > Stylize > Outer Glow… Be sure to set the Mode to Screen, so your outer glow is visible.

Step 52

Create one shadow for both the controller and cartridge by blurring a rectangle whose fill is a gradient with white on both edges. In the Transparency Palette, set the mode to Multiply and adjust the Opacity to about 90%.

Step 53

Finish the illustration by blurring a rectangle and placing it behind the controller. This will give the illusion of the controller floating in front of the cartridge.

Final Image Preview

Here is the final illustration! Since the surfaces and overall style of the controller and cartridge are flat and square, this style of vector illustration works perfect. Are you ready to step up your vector game?

Jonathan

I specialize in design, branding and illustration. I have extensive hands-on experience developing concepts and projects from inception through implementation. I'm available for freelance work so please visit my website at jonathanpatterson.com and contact me if you have a project you'd like me to work on! You can also find me on Twitter: @jon_patterson.