How to Create a Funny Ice Cream Character in Affinity Designer

In today’s
tutorial, we’re going to take a look at the process of creating a cute
little ice cream character illustration in Affinity Designer, using some basic geometric shapes that
we’re going to adjust here and there.

Also, don’t forget you can always expand your library by heading over to GraphicRiver, where you can find a great selection of vector illustrations.

Now, assuming you already have the software running in the background, bring
it up and let’s jump straight into it!

1. How to Set Up a
New Project File

As we do with all
our projects, we’re going to start by setting up a New Document by heading over to File > New (or by using the Control-N
keyboard shortcut), which we will then adjust as follows:

• Type:
  Web
• Document
  Units: Pixels
• Create
  artboard: checked
• Page
  Width: 600 px
• Page
  Height: 800 px
• Portrait:
  checked
• DPI: 72

2. How to Set Up
the Layers

Once we’ve created
the document, it would be a good idea to structure
our project using a couple of layers, so that we can maintain a clear and
steady workflow throughout the entire process.

To do this, simply
open up the Layers panel, and then
create three new layers using the Add
Layer button, naming them as follows:

• first
  layer: background
• second
  layer: ice cream
• third layer: puddle

Quick tip: as you can see, I’ve made sure to lock
the Artboard itself, so that I won’t
end up moving it by accident.

3. How to Create
the Background

Now that we’ve
finished setting up our project file, we can start working on the actual
illustration, and we will do so by creating the colored background.

Step 1

Position yourself on the bottom layer, and then create a 560 x 760 px rectangle which we will
color using #FFC050 and then align to the center of the underlying Artboard
using the Arrange panel’s Align Center and Align Middle options.

Step 2

Since we’re going to be
adding the remaining background elements later on, we’ll want to lock the
current layer for the moment, moving on up to the next one once we’re done.

4. How to Create
the Ice Cream Character

Assuming you’ve
positioned yourself on the next layer (that would be the second one), let’s
start working on our little character.

Step 1

Create the main shape for the ice cream using a 224 x 280 px rectangle which we will
color using #7C5B42, and then center align to the underlying Artboard, making
sure to position it 176
px from the background’s top edge.

Step 2

Adjust the shape that we’ve just created by first unchecking the Single radius option found within the
context toolbar, and then setting the radius of its top corners (TL & TR) to 112 px and its
bottom ones (BL & BR) to 24 px.

Step 3

Add a subtle highlight to the upper section of the resulting shape using the clipping mask method, by
creating a copy (Control-C > Control-V)
which we will then push to the bottom by 4 px using the directional arrow keys. 

Once you have the shape in
place, change the color of the one from underneath to #996B4B, and then mask
the top one by simply dragging it over the lighter shape from within the Layers panel.

Step 4

Create the highlight spot using a 32
x 48 px ellipse (#996B4B) which we will rotate 45º to the left by simply clicking and
dragging the shape’s rotation handle until you get the right angle. Once you’re
done, position the resulting shape as seen in the reference image.

Step 5

Start working on the eyes by creating the main
shape for its left one using a 16 x 16
px circle, which we will color using #996B4B. Position it 52 px from the larger
shape’s left edge and 86 px from its bottom one.

Step 6

Finish off the current eye by making a copy (Control-C > Control-V) of the shape from the previous step,
which we will adjust by first changing its color to #664732 and then pushing
it to the top by 2 px. 

Add the circular highlight using a 4 x 4
px circle (#FFFFFF), which we will position as seen in the reference image,
making sure to select and group all three of them using the Control-G keyboard shortcut.

Step 7

Create the right eye using a copy (Control-C > Control-V) of the one that we’ve just finished working on, which we will position
on the opposite side of the larger shape, making sure to maintain the same 52 px gap.

Step 8

Start working on the mouth by creating a 64 x 40 px ellipse (#996B4B), which we
will adjust by removing its bottom half, positioning the resulting shape
underneath the eyes as seen in the reference image.

Step 9

Add the lower section of the mouth using a 64 x 4 px rectangle (#996B4B), which we
will adjust by setting the Radius of
its bottom corners to 4 px,
positioning the resulting shape underneath.

Step 10

Unite the two sections into a single larger shape by first selecting
them and then using the Add join
operation.

Step 11

Create a copy (Control-C >
Control-V) of the shape that we’ve just finished working on, which we will
adjust by pushing it to the top by 4 px using the directional arrow keys.

Step 12

Add the tongue using a 36 x 48 px
ellipse (#E89258), which we will position in the center of the darker
section, masking it afterwards from within the Layers panel. Once you’re done, don’t forget to select and group
all three shapes together using the Control-G
keyboard shortcut.

Step 13

Create the main shape for the wooden stick using
a 48 x 64 px rectangle (#EAA068),
which we will adjust by setting the Radius
of its bottom corners (BL & BR) to 24 px, positioning the resulting shape underneath the ice cream’s larger shape.

Step 14

Add the vertical detail lines using a couple of 4 px wide rounded rectangles (#BC794B) with 2 px corner radius, which we will position 4 px from one another both horizontally and vertically. Once you’re done, select and group (Control-G) all of them together, making sure to mask them afterwards
using the stick’s larger shape.

Step 15

Finish off the current section by adding the
subtle shadow using a 48 x 12 px rectangle
(#664732), which we will adjust by setting its Opacity to 60%. Once you have the shape in place, select and group all of the wooden stick’s
composing sections using the Control-G
keyboard shortcut.

Step 16

Position yourself at the bottom left corner of the ice cream, and create
the main shape for its thinner drip using an 8 x 16 px rectangle (#7C5B42), which we will adjust by setting the
radius of its bottom corners (BL &
BR) to 4 px. Position the resulting shape as seen in the reference
image.

Step 17

Add the side sections using two 8
x 8 px circles (#7C5B42), which we will adjust by removing their outer
nodes, and then uniting their remaining ones. Once you’re
done, make sure you select and group (Control-G)
all of the drip’s composing shapes before moving on to the next step.

Step 18

Create the thicker drip using a slightly larger 12 x 32 px rectangle (#7C5B42) with a 6 px bottom corner radius, followed by the side sections using two 16 x 16 px circles (#7C5B42), which we
will adjust as we did with the smaller ones. 

Once you’re done, select and group
(Control-G) all three shapes
together, positioning them as seen in the reference image, doing the same for
the entire ice cream afterwards.

5. How to Create
the Chocolate Puddle

As soon as we’ve
finished working on the ice cream, we can move on up to the next layer (that
would be the third one), where we will create the chocolate puddle.

Step 1

Start by creating a 160 x 40 px ellipse, which we will color using #996B4B and then center align to the underlying
Artboard, positioning it at a distance of 24
px from the ice cream’s wooden stick.

Step 2

Make a copy (Control-C >
Control-V) of the shape that we’ve just created, and then adjust it by
first changing its color to #7C5B42 and then pushing it to the bottom by 4 px. Mask it afterwards using the original shape, which will add a subtle highlight
to the upper section of the puddle.

Step 3

Add the vertical splash using a 12
x 28 px rectangle (#7C5B42) with a 6
px top corner radius, which we will position on the upper half of the
puddle, at a distance of 32 px from
its right edge.

Step 4

Finish off the puddle by adding the spot
highlight using a 16 x 8 px ellipse
(#996B4B), which we will position 40 px from its left edge and 8
px from its bottom one. Once you’re done, make sure
you select and group all of its composing shapes together using the Control-G keyboard shortcut.

6. How to Create the Decorative Elements

At this point, we’re pretty much done working on our cute illustration. All
we need to do is add the little decorative elements and we’re good
to go.

Step 1

Make sure you position yourself back on the
background layer (that would be the first one), and create the halo using a 128 x 28 px ellipse with an 8 pt Stroke (#FFFFFF), which we will center align to the underlying
Artboard, positioning it at a distance of 16
px from the ice cream’s top edge.

Step 2

Add the ‘o’s using a 36 x 36 px circle with an 8
pt thick Stroke (#FFFFFF),
followed by a slightly larger 48 x 48 px
one, which we will position onto the sides of the ice cream as seen in the
reference image.

Step 3

Finish off the background, and with it the
project itself, by adding the two ‘x’s using two sets of 8 pt thick 20 x 20 px
diagonal Stroke lines (#FFFFFF) with
a Butt Cap, which we will
individually group (Control-G) and
then position next to the previous shapes. Once you’re done, select and group (Control-G) all of the background’s
composing shapes, before hitting that save button.

Great Work!

As always, I hope you had fun working on this little project and most
importantly learned a new trick or two along the way.

If you have any questions, feel
free to post them in the comments section and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!

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