How to Create a Set of Divider Elements in Adobe Illustrator

Final product image
What You’ll Be Creating

In today’s
tutorial we’re going to try something new both to me and probably some of you,
and learn how to create a set of stylized divider elements, using the Pen Tool in combination with some basic
shapes which we will adjust here and there.

So assuming you already have Illustrator running in the background,
bring it up and let’s get started!

Oh, and don’t forget you can always find more vector divider elements over on GraphicRiver.

1. How to Set Up a
New Project File

As with any other
project, we’ll have to create a New
Document
(File > New or Control-N) and tailor that according to our needs:

  • Number
    of Artboards:
    1
  • Width:
    800
    px
  • Height:
    600
    px
  • Units:
    Pixels

And from the Advanced tab:

  • Color
    Mode:
    RGB
  • Raster
    Effects:
    Screen (72ppi)
  • Preview Mode: Default
setting up a new document

2. How to Set Up a
Custom Grid

Now, I know we’re not working on icons
today, but since we’re going to be creating the dividers using a pixel-perfect
workflow, we’ll want to set up a nice little grid so that we can have full
control over our shapes.

Step 1

Go to the Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid submenu, and adjust
the following settings:

  • Gridline
    every:
    1 px
  • Subdivisions: 1
setting up a custom grid

Quick
tip:
you can learn more about grids by reading this
in-depth piece on how Illustrator’s Grid System works.

Step 2

Once we’ve set up our custom grid, all we
need to do in order to make sure our shapes look crisp is enable the Snap to Grid option found under the View menu, which will transform into Snap to Pixel each time you enter Pixel Preview mode.

Now, if you’re new to
the whole “pixel-perfect workflow”, I strongly recommend you go through my how
to create pixel-perfect artwork
tutorial, which will help you widen your
technical skills in no time.

3. How to Create the Middle Divider

We’re going to kick things off by creating
the middle divider, so that we can create and position the other two in
relation to it.

Step 1

Using the Rectangle Tool (L), create a 16 x 16 px square, which we will color
using #4adbc8 and then center align to the Artboard
using the Align panel’s Horizontal and Vertical Align Center options.

creating and positioning the main shape for the middle dividers center section

Step 2

Turn the square that
we’ve just created into a diamond, by selecting the Add Anchor Point Tool (+) and using it to add a new anchor to the
center of each of its sides, removing the corner ones (highlighted with red)
using the Delete Anchor Point Tool (-).

adjusting the main shape of the middle dividers center section

Step 3

Give the resulting shape
an outline using the Stroke method,
by creating a copy of it (Control-C > Control-F) which we will adjust by first changing its
color to #352f2f and flipping its Fill with
its Stroke (Shift-X). After that, make sure to set its Weight to 4 px and its Corner to Round Join, selecting and grouping both shapes together using the Control-G keyboard shortcut.

adding the outline to the main shape of the middle dividers center section

Step 4

Create the outer
diamond using a 40 x 28 px rectangle
(#352f2f) which we will adjust using the same process of adding the new
anchor points to the center of its sides, and then removing its corner ones.
Turn the resulting shape into an outline by flipping its Fill with its Stroke (Shift-X), making sure to set its Weight to 4 px and its Corner to Round Join, center aligning it to the
previously grouped shapes afterwards.

creating and positioning the main shape for the middle dividers second center diamond

Step 5

Add the top circular
piece using a 6 x 12 px ellipse (#4adbc8)
with a 4 px thick outline (#352f2f), which we will group (Control-G) and
then position above the smaller diamond, center aligning the two.

creating and positioning the main shapes for the middle dividers top decorative ellipse

Step 6

Create a copy (Control-C > Control-F) of the shapes
that we’ve just grouped, and position it on the opposite side of the smaller
diamond piece, selecting and grouping all the sections that we have so far
together using the Control-G keyboard
shortcut.

creating and positioning the main shapes for the middle dividers bottom decorative ellipse

Step 7

Start working on the
divider’s left arm by creating the elongated diamond using a 58 x 14 px rectangle (#4adbc8), which we
will adjust by first turning on Pixel
Preview
mode (Alt-Control-Y) and
then adding a set of anchor points to the center of its side sections. Add
another set to its top and bottom sides, only this time make sure to position
them at a distance of 18 px from its
left edge, removing all the corner ones once you’re done.

creating and positioning the main shape for the middle dividers left elongated diamond

Step 8

Give the resulting
shape a 4 px thick outline (#352f2f)
with a Round Join, grouping (Control-G) and then positioning the two
shapes on the left side of the divider’s center section, at a distance of 8 px from its smaller diamond.

adding the outline to the middle dividers elongated diamond

Step 9

Using the Pen Tool (P), connect the elongated diamond to the smaller center one by drawing
an 8 px wide 4 px thick Stroke line
(#352f2f).

connecting the middle dividers elongated diamond to the smaller center one

Step 10

Continue working on
the arm by creating a 10 x 10 px square
(#352f2f) which we will adjust by turning it into a diamond with a 4 px thick outline and a Round Join. Once you’re done, position
the resulting shape on the left side of the elongated diamond, Vertically Center Aligning the two
using the Align panel.

adding the outline diamond to the middle dividers left arm

Step 11

Add the little
circular piece using a 12 x 6 px ellipse
(#4adbc8) with a 4 px thick outline
(#352f2f), which we will group (Control-G)
and then position on the left side of the previously created shape.

adding the decorative ellipse to the middle dividers left arm

Step 12

Using the Pen Tool (P), draw a 64 px wide 4 px thick Stroke line
(#352f2f), which we will position on the left side of the circular piece that
we’ve just created.

creating and positioning the horizontal stroke line onto the middle dividers left arm

Step 13

Create a 12 x 8 px ellipse, which we will color
using #352f2f and then position on the left end of the stroke line, center
aligning it to the anchor itself.

adding the ellipse onto the left side of the middle dividers left arm

Step 14

Create a 12 x 12 px circle with a 4 px thick Stroke (#352f2f) and a Round
Join
, which we will position on the left side of the previously created ellipse.

creating and positioning the larger circle onto the middle dividers left arm

Step 15

Adjust the shape that
we’ve just created by pinching its left anchor point using the Anchor Point Tool (Shift-C), and then selecting and pushing it to the left by a
distance of 10 px using the Move Tool (right click > Transform > Move > Horizontal > -10 px).

adjusting the shape of the middle dividers larger circle

Step 16

Make a copy (Control-C > Control-F) of the arm’s
elliptical piece, and position it on the left side of the circle that we’ve
just finished adjusting.

adding the second decorative ellipse to the middle dividers left arm

Step 17

Using the Rectangle Tool (M), create an 18 x 8 px shape (#4adbc8) which we will
turn into a diamond, selecting and then pushing its top and bottom anchors to
the right side by a distance of 4 px
(right click > Transform > Move
> Horizontal > 4 px
). Give the resulting shape a 4 px thick outline (#352f2f) with a Round Join, grouping (Control-G) and then positioning the two shapes
on the left side of the smaller ellipse.

adding the pointed decorative piece to the middle dividers left arm

Step 18

Finish off the left
arm by creating a 4 x 4 px circle,
which we will color using #352f2f and then position on the left side of the
pointed diamond, at a distance of 4 px.
Once you’re done, select and group all of the arm’s composing sections together
using the Control-G keyboard
shortcut.

finishing off the middle dividers left arm

Step 19

Finish off the
current divider by creating a copy (Control-C
> Control-F
) of its left arm, which we will vertically reflect (right click > Transform > Reflect
> Vertical
) and then position on the opposite side of the center diamond.

finishing off the middle divider

4. How to Create the Top Divider

Assuming you’ve managed to finish off the
middle divider, move a few pixels towards the top, and let’s start working on
the top one.

Step 1

Create the flower’s
center element using a 6 x 6 px circle,
which we will color using #352f2f and then center align to the Artboard, positioning it at a distance
of 44 px from the middle divider.

creating and positioning the main shape for the top dividers center section

Step 2

Start working on the
flower’s petals by creating
a 12 x 12 px circle, which we will
color using #4adbc8 and then position on top of the previously created shape,
at a distance of 2 px from it.

creating and positioning the main shape for the top dividers top petal

Step 3

Adjust the shape that
we’ve just created, by pinching its top anchor point using the Anchor Point Tool (Shift-C), and then selecting and pushing it to the top by a
distance of 2 px using the Move Tool (right click > Transform > Move > Vertical > -2 px).

adjusting the shape of the top dividers top petal

Step 4

Finish off the petal
by giving the shape a 4 px thick
outline (#352f2f) with a Round Join
followed by a 6 x 6 px circle (#352f2f)
which we will center align to its bottom edge, positioning it at a distance of
just 1 px. Once you’re done, select
and group all three shapes together using the Control-G keyboard shortcut.

finishing off the top dividers first petal

Step 5

Create the bottom
petal using a copy (Control-C >
Control-F
) of the one that we’ve just finished working on, which we will
horizontally reflect (right click >
Transform > Reflect > Horizontal
) and then position on the opposite
side of the smaller circle.

creating and positioning the main shapes for the top dividers bottom petal

Step 6

Add the remaining petals
using a copy (Control-C > Control-F) of the two that we
already have, which we will then rotate at a 90º angle using the Rotate
tool (right click > Transform >
Rotate > 90
).

creating and positioning the main shapes for the top dividers remaining petals

Step 7

Finish off the divider’s
center section by creating four 10 x 10
px
circles with a 4 px thick Stroke (#352f2f), which we will use to
form a square by positioning them at a distance of 8 px from one another, both horizontally and vertically. Once
you’re done, send all four shapes to the back of the flower (right click > Arrange > Send to Back),
grouping them and the remaining shapes together using the Control-G keyboard shortcut.

adding the decorative circles to the top dividers flower

Step 8

Start working on the
divider’s left arm by creating two 6 x 6
px
circles (#352f2f) which we will vertically stack 12 px from one another, grouping (Control-G) and then positioning them at a distance of 2 px from the flower’s decorative
circles.

creating and positioning the two decorative circle onto the top dividers left arm

Step 9

Continue working on the
arm by creating a 12 x 6 px ellipse
(#4adbc8) with a 4 px thick outline
(#352f2f), which we will group (Control-G)
and then center align to the larger flower, positioning them at a distance of 6 px from it.

adding the first decorative ellipse to the top dividers left arm

Step 10

Create another 6 x 6 px circle (#352f2f) and position
it on the left side of the decorative ellipse, at a distance of just 4 px.

adding the third decorative circle to the top dividers left arm

Step 11

Using the Pen Tool (P), draw a 116 px wide 4 px thick Stroke line
(#352f2f) with a Round Cap, and then
center align it to the decorative circle that we’ve just created, positioning
it at a distance of 4 px from it.

creating and positioning the horizontal stroke line onto the top dividers left arm

Step 12

Add the little right-facing arrows by drawing them using a 4
px
thick Stroke (#352f2f) with a
Round Cap. Once you’re done, select
and group (Control-G) all three
shapes together, aligning them to the right side of the horizontal divider line
afterwards.

adding the three right facing arrows onto the top dividers left arm

Step 13

Create a fourth 6 x 6 px decorative circle (#352f2f)
and position it on the left side of the horizontal stroke line, at a distance
of just 4 px.

creating and positioning the fourth decorative circle onto the top dividers left arm

Step 14

Move a few pixels
towards the left and create a 12 x 8 px ellipse
(#4adbc8) with a 4 px thick outline
(#352f2f) which we will group (Control-G),
and then position on the left side of the previously created circle, at a
distance of 4 px.

adding the second decorative ellipse onto the top dividers left arm

Step 15

Next, create two 6 x 6 px circles with a 4 px thick Stroke (#352f2f) which we will vertically stack, group (Control-G) and then position on the
left side of the decorative ellipse.

adding the vertically stacked circles onto the top dividers left arm

Step 16

Create another set of
10 x 10 px circles with a 4 px thick Stroke (#352f2f) and a 2 x 2
px
circle (#352f2f) in the center of each one, which we will group (Control-G) and then center align to the
previous set.

adding the second set of vertically stacked circles onto the top dividers left arm

Step 17

Start working on the
left-facing petal by creating its main body using a 14 x 14 px circle (#4adbc8) (1) which we will adjust by pinching
its left anchor point using the Anchor
Point Tool
(Shift-C) and then
pushing it to the left by a distance of 2
px
(right click > Transform >
Move > Horizontal > -2 px
) (2). 

Give the resulting shape a 4 px thick outline (#352f2f) with a Round Join followed by a 6 x 6 px circle with a 4 px thick Stroke (#352f2f) (3), grouping (Control-G) and positioning all three shapes on the left side of
the previously created shapes (4). Once you’re done, select all of the left
arm’s composing sections and group (Control-G)
those together as well.

finishing off the top dividers left arm

Step 18

Finish off the divider by creating its
right arm using a copy (Control-C >
Control-F
) of the one that we’ve just finished working on, which we will
vertically reflect (right click >
Transform > Reflect > Vertical
) and then position on the opposite
side of the center flower.

Once you’re done,
don’t forget to select and group all of the divider’s composing sections using
the Control-G keyboard shortcut.

finishing off the top divider

5. How to Create the Bottom Divider

We are now down to our third and last
divider, so without wasting any more time, let’s wrap things up!

Step 1

Start working on the
center section by creating a 14 x 32 px rectangle,
which we will color using #4adbc8 and then center align to the middle divider,
positioning it at a distance of 28 px from
it.

creating and positioning the main shape for the bottom dividers center section

Step 2

Turn the rectangle
into a diamond by adding a new anchor point to the center of each of its edges
with the help of the Add Anchor Point
Tool (+)
, removing the corner ones afterwards using the Delete Anchor Point Tool (-). Give the
resulting shape a 4 px thick outline
(#352f2f) with a Round Join, and
then group the two together using the Control-G
keyboard shortcut.

adding the outline to the main shape of the bottom dividers center section

Step 3

Create a 36 x 24 px ellipse with a 4 px thick outline (#352f2f) and a Round Join, which we will adjust by
pinching its side anchor points using the Anchor
Point Tool
(Shift-C), center
aligning the resulting shape to the previously created diamond, making sure to
position it underneath it (right click
> Arrange > Send to Back
). Once you’re done, select and group both it
and the diamond together using the Control-G
keyboard shortcut.

finishing off the bottom dividers center section

Step 4

Start working on the
divider’s left arm by creating a 10 x
10 px
ellipse (#4adbc8) which we will adjust by pinching its side anchors
using the Anchor Point Tool (Shift-C). Give the resulting shape a 4 px outline (#352f2f) with a Round Join, followed by an 8 x 8 px circle with a 4 px thick Stroke (#352f2f) towards its right side, grouping (Control-G) and then positioning all
three shapes on the left side of the center section.

creating and positioning the main shapes for the bottom dividers left petal

Step 5

Add two 8 x 8 px circles with a 4 px thick Stroke (352f2f) which we will vertically stack at a distance of 6 px from one another, grouping (Control-G) and then positioning them between the center section and the petal that we’ve just created.

adding the two vertically stacked circles to the bottom dividers left arm

Step 6

Create a 6 x 6 px circle, which we will color
using #352f2f and then position on the left side of the divider’s petal, at a
distance of 5 px.

adding the first decorative circle to the bottom dividers left arm

Step 7

Add the decorative bean
by creating a 12 x 8 px ellipse (#4adbc8)
with a 4 px thick outline (#352f2f),
which we will group (Control-G) and
then position on the left side of the previously created shape, at a distance
of just 4 px.

creating and positioning the main shapes for the bottom dividers first decorative bean

Step 8

Add the second
decorative circle using a 6 x 6 px shape
(#352f2f), which we will position on the left side of the bean, at a distance
of 4 px.

adding the second decorative circle to the bottom dividers left arm

Step 9

Using the Pen Tool (P), draw a 102 px wide 4 px thick Stroke line
(#352f2f) with a Round Cap, and then
center align it to the decorative circle that we’ve just created, positioning
it at a distance of 4 px from it.

creating and positioning the horizontal stroke line onto the bottom dividers left arm

Step 10

Add the little right-facing arrows by drawing them using a 4
px
thick Stroke (#352f2f) with a
Round Cap. Once you’re done, select
and group (Control-G) all three
shapes together, positioning them on the left side of the horizontal divider
line.

adding the three little right facing arrows to the bottom dividers left arm

Step 11

Create a 16 x 10 px rectangle (#4adbc8), which we
will turn into an elongated diamond by adding a set of new anchor points to
its sides, removing all the corner ones. 

Then, adjust the new shape by
selecting its top and bottom anchors and pushing them to the right by a
distance of 2 px (right click > Transform > Move >
Horizontal > 2 px
). Give the resulting shape a 4 px thick outline (#352f2f) with a Round Join, grouping (Control-G)
and then positioning the two shapes on the left side of the arrows, at a
distance of 5 px.

finishing off the bottom dividers left arm

Step 12

Finish off the divider by selecting and
grouping (Control-G) all of its left
arm’s composing sections together, and then creating a copy of them which we
will vertically reflect (right click
Transform > Reflect > Vertical
) and then position on the opposite
side of its center section.

Once you’re done,
don’t forget to group (Control-G)
all of the divider’s composing sections as well, so that they won’t get
separated if you move them.

finishing off the bottom divider

It’s a Wrap!

There you have it: a sweet-looking divider set created using some basic shapes and tools. I
hope that you’ve managed to keep up with each and every step, and learned
something new and helpful along the way.

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