How To Draw A Snake In Illustrator

Concluding Image Preview

In this Adobe Illustrator Tutorial nosotros will learn how to create a vector ophidian using the Mesh Tormentor - Free Gradient Mesh plug-in, which volition make your work with the gradient mesh uncomplicated and enjoyable. I was trying to depict the creation of a complex object in order to reveal more than features of this wonderful plugin, but believe me, information technology tin can practise much more than I managed to describe. The matter depends on your imagination.

Y'all can download Mesh Tormentor (Complimentary Gradient Mesh plug-in) for Illustrator CS6 here.

Tutorial Details

Program: Adobe Illustrator CS5, Mesh Tormentor;
Difficulty: Intermediate
Estimated Completion Time: ii Hours

Step ane

Take the Pen Tool (P) and create a broken outline as information technology is shown in the figure beneath. This outline determines the shape of the snake body and tin can be arbitrary.

Select the anchor points of the outline with the Direct Selection Tool (A) and catechumen them from corner into polish ones. By controlling the handles of the anchor points, try to bring the outline to a perfect shape.

Stride 2

For farther piece of work nosotros need to know the length of the created outline. Select the outline, open the Document Info palette, select Objects in the palette menu and write down or memorize the length value.

Step 3

Have the Rectangle Tool (M) and draw a rectangle, so that its width was equal to the length of the outline that you created earlier.

Now begin to transform a rectangle into a shape resembling a snake, stretched horizontally. With the Pen Tool (P) put a new anchor point in the heart of the right side of the rectangle and with the same tool remove its right corners. Equally a result nosotros got a triangle shown in the figure below.

Pace 4

Now add together a new anchor indicate in the heart of the left side of the triangle.

Direct Option Tool (A) select left corners of the triangle and move them slightly to the right while holding downwards the Shift cardinal.

Create a vertical guide and place information technology equally shown below. Lock the guide in the Layers palette, take the Pen Tool (P) and create two new anchor points at the intersection of the effigy with the guide.

Move the created points to the center of the shape, you tin employ the arrow keys.

Select all the points of the serpent caput and catechumen them from corner into smooth ones.

Step v

Add together 2 more points in the middle of the snake body, movement them from the axis of the shape and convert into smoothen ones.

Move the created shape into Brushes palette, choose the Art Castor and bank check the Stretch Between Guides option in the dialog box.

Of grade, you tin can inquire a reasonable question: why did we create the shape of the castor of a certain length, when anyway it will stretch along the path? Exist patient, you volition understand why I did it when information technology comes to the scale.

Step half-dozen

At present the "attempt on" the brush to the outline created at the offset of this tutorial. Select the path and click on the brush image in the Brushes palette.

Thus, our snake needs editing. We can accommodate the shape of a snake, past irresolute the stroke width in the Stroke palette.

Also as moving the guides in the Fine art Brush dialog window. You tin get the access to the parameters of the brush through the Advent palette, or double-clicking on the image of the castor in the Brushes palette.

Watch the shape of the snake in the process of editing, when information technology gains an adequate result, click on the OK button in the dialog box, Art Castor, and so Apply to Stroke.

Write down all the brush settings, we will need them in footstep x.

Pace 7

Now, when it fits perfectly, apply the basic stroke to the outline, canceling the applied brush in the Advent palette.

Copy this outline and paste it in forepart (Cmd / Ctrl + C; Cmd / Ctrl + F), locking the upper outline in the layers palette and brand it invisible, information technology volition be needed in further cosmos. Do non skip this step, it is very important!

Step 8

It'southward time to launch heavy metal. Further on we volition be working with the Mesh Tormentor, it is a plugin for work with the Gradient Mesh. Y'all can download and acquire more than well-nigh its features following these links.

Mesh Tormentor - Free Gradient Mesh plugin
Mesh Tormentor Plugin - Complete Guide
Mesh Tormentor for Mac OS

Duplicate the created shape of the brush, drag it downwardly belongings downwardly the Opt / Alt. Select the bottom of the shape and go to Object> Create Gradient Mesh .... Prepare the number of rows and columns in the dialog box and select the Appearance: To Center, to add together dissimilarity to our prototype.

Step 9

Open the Mesh Tormentor palette, it volition be bachelor from the Windows card after installing the plugin. Select the mesh object and click on Make BMG button. This operation transforms the mesh object into a set of simple vector objects with the aforementioned geometry as the original object.

Stride x

Now drag the created grouping of objects to the Brushes palette and salvage information technology as an Fine art Brush with the same parameters as the brush we created in step 6.

Apply a new brush to the contour of the serpent, and set the same stroke width every bit in footstep 6.

Step 11

Keeping the ophidian selected, get to Object> Expand Advent.

At present nosotros have to do the opposite action - turn a fix of objects into a mesh object. To do this, just click on the Convert BMG into mesh push button.

Step 12

As you can see, we got artifacts on the areas of mesh overlapping. This happens because the whole object lies in one plane. To attain the desired result mesh object should exist cut into pieces. Cutting the mesh with the Split up command from the Mesh Tormentor palette. It divides the mesh into two parts along the line passing through selected side node.

If the existing lines of the mesh are non in those areas, create new ones using the Gradient Mesh Tool (U) and divide the mesh along these lines.

Pace 13

Now that mesh objects accept achieved the right shape of a serpent, nosotros can proceed to light and shadow on the snake. Let's start with the head, coloring the nodes of the mesh with the shades of gray, equally shown below.

Nodes coloring at the junctions of the mesh should not be dissimilar, otherwise the seams will be visible. Lock all the mesh objects in the layers palette except for the object beingness edited. Now select 1 node at a time at the junction with the assist of the Direct Option Tool (A) and with the Eyedropper Tool (I) color the nodes in the colors of the neighboring areas.

Stride fourteen

In my case, the light source is located to left of the serpent. Therefore, the inner parts of the snake which are closer to the light source must exist painted in lighter shades than the remote objects. To create a more realistic light and shadow, you tin create new grid lines, using the Slope Mesh Tool (U) in this work.

Footstep 15

Get to the creation of the scale. Have the Polygon Tool and create a hexagon of any size and color. With the Selection Tool (Five) and property down Opt / Alt slightly increase its width.

Keep the scale selected, go to Outcome> Stylize> Round Corners ... and set the radius of the rounding.

At present go to Object> Expand Appearance.

Stride xvi

With the Selection Tool (Five) reduce the scale to the desired size, balancing its size with the size of the snake's head.

Select the jail cell and go to Effect> Transform & Misconstrue> Transform, now setting the parameters of the scale displacement in the dialog window (I have non done whatever calculations, but merely moved the sliders of the horizontal and vertical displacement, watching the effect).

Click OK in the dialog box, now apply the effect again (Outcome> Transform & Distort> Transform), merely with new parameters.

And the last time Effect> Transform & Misconstrue> Transform, select the number of copies in the dialog box so that the length of the scale was approximately equal to the length of the brush shape (length of the snake outline).

Keeping the calibration selected, go to Object> Expand Advent.

Step 17

Keeping the calibration selected, go to Object> Transform> Rotate ... and set the rotation bending of xc degrees in the dialog box.

Fill the cells with blood-red color, now create a set of horizontal track, conventionally dividing the scale into equal parts, you do not need to be very accurate hither.

Lock the guides in the Layers palette.

Footstep 18

With the Lasso Tool (Q) select the scales in the expanse of the horizontal guide, and replace the colour of the fill with xanthous.

Using the aforementioned tool select areas above and below the yellowish scales and fill up them with black.

Using this technique, recolor the pieces of the scale along its entire length.

Step 19

Select the shape of the brush and get to Object> Transform> Rotate ... and set the rotation bending of 90 degrees in the dialog box. Make sure to include this shape in the underlayer higher up the scale.

Select scale and shape of the brush and go to Object> Envelope Distort> Make with Meridian Object. As a outcome the calibration got the shape of the brush.

Step 20

Keeping the shape selected, become to Object> Transform> Rotate ... and rotate it at -ninety degrees in order to return it to horizontal view. Now drag the scale to the Brushes palette and save information technology as an Art Brush with the same parameters as in footstep 6.

Now unlock and make visible the contour of the serpent that we saved in step seven. Select this path and apply the brush of scales.

If we applied the Fine art Brush, excluding the length of the path, we would accept got stretched or compressed scales, which would not resemble the scales of snakes.

Step 21

Keeping the upper outline selected set the Multiply Blending Mode for it in the Transparency palette.

Stride 22

In area of the snake body intersection we can meet the scales overlapping each other. This defect must exist stock-still. Select the upper outline with scale and go to Object> Aggrandize Advent, at present with the help of the Direction Tool (A) select the scales, which should not be visible, and delete them by pressing the Delete button.

Scales, which lie at the boundaries in the intersection of the snake body do not accept to be removed. Select and grouping them up for convenience. Movement the group of these scales in the layers palette so that it was located nether the mesh object, which is supposed to lie above them.

After moving these scales gear up the Multiply Blending Mode for them again in the Transparency palette, every bit they were moved from the group that has these backdrop.

Step 23

Create glare on some scales. Select scales and fill them with linear gradient from the basic colour to white one.

Step 24

Create snake centre. Take the Ellipse Tool (L) and create a circle. Fill the circle with radial gradient from black to black with 0% opacity. It will be a deepening of the centre in caput of the serpent.

At present create another circle – information technology will be the eye of the serpent. Make full this circle with radial gradient from low-cal brownish to dark brown. Locate the center of the gradient co-ordinate to the location of the light source will help of the Slope Tool (One thousand).

Create another circle filled with a solid light brown colour - it'south the glare of light in the eye of the snake.

Step 25

Create shadows under the serpent, using the aforementioned technique when creating ophidian body, described in 9-12 steps with the help of Mesh Tormentor.

Determination

I hope you lot enjoyed this tutorial. I retrieve I however write a few more tutorials revealing other functions of the Mesh Tormentor.

Last Image

You can also read my other Illustrator Tutorial: New Properties of the Art Brush in Illustrator CS5. There I created a vector snake using art brush.

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