In the following tutorial you will learn how to create a paint roller illustration with a grungy, paint text effect. We’ll use proven pixel perfect vector build methods, add lighting and Opacity effects, and trace raster grunge effects into vector paths. Learn each step of how to create this paint roller text effect.
Step 1
Hit Command + N to create a new document. Enter 1350 in the width box and 1000 in the height box, then click on the Advanced button. Select RGB, Screen (72ppi) and make sure that the Align New Objects to Pixel Grid box is unchecked before you click OK. Now, turn on the Grid (View > Grid) and the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid).
Next, you’ll need a grid every 1px. Go to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid, enter 1 in the Gridline every box and 1 in the Subdivisions box. You can also open the Info panel (Window > Info) for a live preview with the size and position of your shapes. Do not forget to set the unit of measurement to pixels from Edit > Preferences > Unit > General. All these options will significantly increase your work speed.
Step 2
Pick the Rectangle Tool (M), create five, 25 by 1px shapes, place them one below the other and fill them with the colors shown below. Select all these paths and go to the Brushes panel (Window > Brushes). Open the fly-out menu, click on New Brush, check the Pattern Brush button and click OK.
The Pattern Brush Options window should open up. Enter the data shown below, click OK and you will find your new pattern brush in the Brushes panel. Reselect these seven, gray rectangles and delete them from the Layers panel. You won’t need those anymore.
Step 3
For the following step you will need a grid every 5px. So, go to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid and enter 5 in the Gridline every box. Grab with the Pen Tool (P) and draw a simple path like the black one shown in the following image.
Don’t worry, the Snap to Grid will ease your work. Switch to the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 110 by 30px shape and fill it with R=240, G=240, B=240. Now create a 20 by 60px shape and fill it with R=62 G=143 B=209. Place these two rectangles as shown below. Again, the Snap to Grid will ease your work.
Step 4
Reselect the black path created in the previous step and go to the Appearance panel. Make sure that you don’t have any color set for the fill, then select the stroke. Move to the Brushes panel, click on your pattern brush and go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Enter a 2px radius and click OK.
Step 5
Return to "gridline every 1px". So, go to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid and enter 1 in the Gridline every box. Focus on the blue shape and pick the Direct Selection Tool (A). Select the top, left anchor point and move it 2px to the right, then select the top, right anchor point and move it 2px to the left. The resulting shape should look like in the second image.
Step 6
Reselect the blue shape and go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Enter a 3px radius, click OK and go to Effect > Warp > Arc Lower. Enter the data shown below, click OK and go to Object > Expand Appearance.
Step 7
Disable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid), then go to Edit > Preferences > General, and make sure that the Keyboard Increment is set at 1px. Reselect the blue shape and go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -1.5px Offset and click OK.
Fill the resulting shape with white and make a copy in front (Command + C > Command + F). Select this copy and hit the right arrow twice. Reselect both white shapes and click on the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Select the resulting shape and lower its Opacity to 30%.
Step 8
Reselect the blue shape and go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -1.5px Offset and click OK. Again, fill the resulting shape with white and make a copy in front (Command + C > Command + F). Select this copy and hit the left arrow twice. Reselect both white shapes and click on the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Select the resulting shape and lower its Opacity to 30%.
Step 9
Re-enable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). Pick the Ellipse Tool (L), create a 4px circle and place it as shown in the first image. Select it along with the blue shape and click on the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel.
Step 10
Reselect the blue shape, focus on the Appearance panel and simply click on the Add New Fill button. It’s the little white square from the bottom of the Appearance panel. Obviously, this will add a new fill for your shape.
Select it from the Appearance panel, lower its Opacity to 30% and use the linear gradient shown in the following image. The yellow zero from the gradient image stands for Opacity percentage. Make sure that this new fill is still selected and go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -1.5px Offset and click OK.
Step 11
Reselect the blue shape and a first stroke. Make it 1.5pt wide, align it to inside, and set its color at R=153, G=200, B=220. Make sure that this shape is still selected and click on the Add New Stroke button from the bottom of the Appearance panel. Select this new stoke, make it 0.75pt wide, align it to inside, and set its color at R=32, G=93, B=153.
Step 12
Pick the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 5 by 6px shape and a 6 by 3px shape, then place them as shown below. Select the top shape and go to Effect > Warp > Arc Lower. Enter the data shown below, click OK and go to Object > Expand Appearance. Select the bottom shape and go to Effect > Warp > Arc Upper. Enter the data shown below, click OK and go to Object > Expand Appearance.
Step 13
Reselect the path with the pattern brush and make a copy in front (Command + C > Command + F). Select this copy and go to Object > Expand Appearance. Select the resulting group of shapes and click on the Unite button from the Pathfinder panel. Duplicate the resulting path (Command + C > Command + F).
Step 14
Select the top shape created in the twelfth step, along with one of the shapes created in the previous step, and click on the Intersect button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with black and lower its Opacity to 15%. Select the bottom shape created in the twelfth step, along with the remaining shape created in the previous step, and click on the Intersect button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with black and lower its Opacity to 20%.
Step 15
Move up to the gray rectangle. Select it and go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Enter a 2px radius, click OK and go to Effect > Warp > Bulge. Enter the data shown below, click OK and go to Object > Expand Appearance.
Step 16
Reselect the shape edited in the previous step and focus on the Appearance panel. Select the fill and replace the flat color with the linear gradient shown below. Make sure that this fill is still selected and go to Effect > Stylize > Inner Glow. Enter the data shown below and click OK.
Step 17
Reselect the shape edited in the previous step, add a new fill and select it from the Appearance panel. Set its color at R=240, G=240, B=240. Now lower its Opacity to 10%, change the blending mode to Multiply, and go to Effect > Artistic > Sponge. Enter the data shown below and click OK.
Step 18
Reselect the shape edited in the previous step and add the first stroke. Make it 1.5pt wide, align it to inside and set its color at R=240, G=240, B=240. Select it from the Appearance panel and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Roughen. Enter the data shown below and click OK.
Make sure that this stroke is still selected and click on the Duplicate Selected Item button. It’s the little file icon from the bottom of the Appearance panel. Obviously, this will add a copy of the selected stoke. Select it, decrease the size to 0.75pt and set the color at R=209, G=211, B=212.
Step 19
Pick the Rectangle Tool (M), create two, 3 by 8px shapes and place them as shown in the following image. Select both shapes and go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Enter a 1px radius and click OK.
Select only the left shape and go to Effect > Warp > Arc Upper. Enter the data shown below, click OK and go to Object > Expand Appearance. Select the right rectangle and go to Effect > Warp > Arc Lower. Again, enter the data shown below, click OK and apply Object > Expand Appearance.
Step 20
Reselect the two shapes created in the previous step, fill them with R=230, G=231, B=232, and add a 0.75pt stoke. Align it to inside and set its color at R=147, G=149, B=152. Move to the Layers panel and drag these two shapes below the large, rounded shape. In the end it should look like the second image shown.
Step 21
Pick the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 12 by 3px shape, and place it as shown in the following image. Fill it with R=230, G=231, B=232, and go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Enter a 1px radius, click OK and go to Effect > Warp > Arc Upper. Enter the data shown below, click OK and apply Object > Expand Appearance.
Step 22
Reselect the shape created in the previous step and add a 0.75pt stroke. Set its color at R=147, G=149, B=152, and align it to inside.
Step 23
Select all the shapes created so far and group them (Command + G). Select this fresh group and go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow. Enter the data shown below and click OK.
Step 24
Reselect the group created in the previous step and make a copy in front (Command + C > Command + F). Focus on this new group and change the color of the handle. Replace the existing properties with the ones shown in the following image.
Step 25
Let’s continue with the background. Pick the Rectangle Tool (M), create a shape the size of your artboard, and fill it with the radial gradient shown below. The white number from the gradient image stands for Location percentage. This means that you need to select the little diamond icon and drag it to Location: 65%.
Step 26
Reselect the rectangle created in the previous step, add a new fill, and make it black. Select it from the Appearance panel, lower its Opacity to 20%, change the blending mode to Multiply, and go to Effect > Sketch > Note Paper. Enter the data shown below and click OK.
Step 27
Once again, select the shape created in the previous step and add a third fill. Select if from the Appearance panel, lower its Opacity to 10%, change the blending mode to Multiply, and use the radial gradient shown below.
Step 28
Pick the Pen Tool (P) and draw some simple lines that will make up your text. Select these paths, remove the color from the fill, add a 110px, white stroke, then go to Object > Path > Outline Stroke. This will expand the stroke. Move to the Layers panel, focus on these new shapes and give them a name. It will be easier for you to find them in the later steps.
Step 29
Rotate the paint roller groups and place them as shown in the following image.
Step 30
Let’s focus on one of the white shapes. I’ll start with the "T2". Select it, move to the Appearance panel and remove the color from the fill. Make a copy of this path, select it, and fill it with black.
Step 31
Reselect the black shape created in the previous step and go to Effect > Brush Stroke > Sprayed Stroke. Enter the data shown below, click OK, and go to Object > Expand Appearance.
Step 32
Reselect the path created in the previous step. First, go to Object > Live > Trace > Make, then go to Object > Live Trace > Tracing Options. Enter the numbers shown below, make sure the Ignore White box is checked and click Trace.
Step 33
Reselect the shape edited in the previous step and go to Object > Live Trace > Expand. Select the resulting group of shapes and go to Object > Compound Path > Make.
Step 34
Reselect "T2" and make a new copy in front (Command + C > Command + F). Fill this copy with white then select the compound path created in the previous step and fill it with R=35, G=31, B=32.
Step 35
Reselect the two paths edited in the previous step and go to the Transparency panel (Window > Transparency). Open the fly-out menu, click on Make Opacity Mask, then uncheck the Clip box. Reselect this masked shape and go to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Enter a 1px radius and click OK.
Step 36
Reselect "T2", make a new copy in front (Command + C > Command + F), and bring it to front (Shift + Command + ] ). Fill it with black and go to Effect > Sketch > Note Paper. Enter the data shown below and click OK.
Step 37
Reselect the path created in the previous step. First, go to Object > Live > Trace > Make, then go to Object > Live Trace > Tracing Options. Enter the numbers shown below, make sure the Ignore White box is checked, and click Trace.
Step 38
Reselect the shape edited in the previous step and go to Object > Live Trace > Expand. Select the resulting group of shapes and apply Object > Compound Path > Make.
Step 39
Reselect "T2" and make a new copy in front (Command + C > Command + F). Fill this copy with white, then select the compound path created in the previous step, and fill it with R=35, G=31, B=32.
Step 40
Reselect the two paths edited in the previous step and go to the Transparency panel (Window > Transparency). Open the fly-out menu, click on Make Opacity Mask, then uncheck the Clip box. Reselect this masked shape and go to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Enter a 1px radius and click OK.
Step 41
Reselect "T2", bring it to front (Shift + Command + Right Bracket key), and fill it with the linear gradient shown below. Lower its Opacity to 30% and go to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Enter a 1px radius and click OK.
Step 42
Reselect the two masked shapes, lower their Opacity to 60%, then select them (along with the shape edited in the previous step), and group them (Command + G).
Step 43
Focus on the "V2" shape and repeat the techniques used in the last thirteen steps.
Step 44
Use the same techniques for the "T1" shape. The only difference is that you will need to mask the final group. Make a copy of "T1" and drag it above the group (in the Layers panel). Fill it with the linear gradient shown below and go to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Enter a 1px radius and click OK.
Step 45
Select the shape created in the previous step, along with the "T1" group, and go to the Transparency panel. Open the fly-out menu and click on Make Opacity Mask. In the end your group should look like the second image shown.
Step 46
Move to the "V1" shape, repeat the techniques mentioned in the previous steps, and you’re done.
Conclusion
Now your work is done. Here is how it should look.
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