Follow this step by step Adobe Illustrator tutorial to make New Year's fireworks
Happy New Year from Computer Parts Greenville! To celebrate, our How To illustrator will take us through an Adobe Illustrator tutorial. In this Illustrator How To, we will see how to create cool fireworks to bring in the New Year. For Illustrator users, this is a fun way to learn or brush up on new skills while eagerly anticipating all the great things that lie ahead.
Getting started
This Adobe Illustrator how to guide begins with making sure readers have Adobe Illustrator installed on their computer. Those who don’t have it, can visit the Adobe website and download a trial copy.
Adobe Illustrator CS5.1 is downloadable by itself or as part of the Adobe CS5.5 package.
Upgrade Adobe Creative Suite Now
The new Adobe Creative Suite upgrade rules go into effect with the release of CS6, so anyone with an old version of Adobe software should consider upgrading to CS5 now, so they can qualify for the upgrade price to CS6. Adobe is running a special on the upgrade, so now is a great time to buy.
Adobe Illustrator How To: Drawing Fireworks
New Year’s Day is lots of fun, but some people are too busy to go outside and set off some real fireworks. Others need a great way to decorate their New Year’s Day specials and other promotional material.
Time is running out to get your layouts done, so this Illustrator how to tutorial shows you how to make some quick and cool fireworks. You’ll brush up on a few Illustrator CS 5 skills and keep your clients happy at the same time.
Create the Pattern
Open a new Adobe Illustrator CS5 document and then create intersecting guides as shown here.
Adobe Illustrator How To: Intersecting guides on the canvass.
For Illustrator users, grab the Pen tool from the tool box and draw some independent paths radiating from the intersection of your guides. Take your time doing this, and make sure it looks something like this.
How To Illustrator: Use the pen tool to create fireworks
Create a Fireworks Brush for Illustrator
Draw a skinny ellipse with the Ellipse tool and then click Window on the main menu and then choose Brushes. In the Brushes window, click New Art Brush.
Create a new brush for Illustrator fireworks
Apply the Fireworks Brush
The next step in this Adobe Illustrator How To guide calls for the illustrator to apply the new brush to the paths created earlier. Our How To illustrator wants to remind users to adjust the stroke as necessary.
For Illustrator users, applying the brush is easy.
Flatten the Image
The next Illustrator How To step calls for expanding the artwork. This will convert the current paths into shapes for the next step. To do this for Illustrator CS5, click on Object on the main menu and then choose the Flatten Transparency option.
How To Illustrator: Find the Flatten Transparency option under the Object menu
Apply a Gradient
To move forward in this Adobe Illustrator How To tutorial, select the fireworks shape and then apply a gradient. Open the Gradient window and create a radial gradient. Start it with white and end it with dark purple with a couple stops in between. While you’re at it, change the background to black. After all, fireworks are set off at night.
This Adobe Illustrator How To now adds a radial gradient and a black background
Now, grab the Gradient tool from the Adobe Illustrator toolbox and drag it from the center upward.
Grab the gradient tool for Illustrator to adjust the fill
Make it Glow
Select the fireworks shape and then click Effect on the main menu. Choose Stylize and then Outer Glow. Set the color to purple so it matches the fireworks.
Add Outer Glow from the Effects' Stylize menu
Make More
The CPG How To illustrator now wants you to press the Alt key and drag the fireworks to the right to make a copy. In the gradient window, change the color to blue. Also change the outer glow. For Illustrator users, adding fireworks is easy.
Adding more fireworks is easy after the first one is finished
Adding Text
What good are fireworks without a message? Here’s your chance to wish your clients a Happy New Year. Our How To illustrator rotated the text upward.
Adobe Illustrator How To: Adding some text
The last step of this Illustrator How To tutorial expands some text into a shape for Illustrator, so users can apply a gradient. Click Object on the main menu and then click Expand. Be sure to right click and select Ungroup from the context menu.
Ungroup text after expanding it.
Now add some gradient and this Illustrator How To tutorial is finished.
Happy New Year for Illustrator users everywhere
Wrapping it Up
This Adobe Illustrator How To tutorial for Illustrator CS5 has demonstrated several skills.
- Using the Pen tool
- Creating a brush
- Converting a brush path to a shape
- Using the Gradient palette
- Using the Gradient tool
- Copying with the Alt key
- Rotating text
- Expanding text
Happy New Year everyone. Thank you for visiting us at Computer Parts Greenville.
