CREATIVE TIP OF THE WEEK – 5 ways to use the Gradient tool in Adobe Illustrator

5 ways to use the Gradient tool in Adobe Illustrator. A quick and easy tutorial on useful and innovative ways to create digital gradients.

 

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

SHAPES

  1. Open the Gradient panel by going to Window > Gradient or click on your shape and select the Gradient tool from the toolbar
  2. Select your gradient type
  3. Click on the circle to the left of the gradient slider and use the eyedropper or swatches to pick your colour
  4. Do the same for the circle on the right of the slider
  5. Follow the same steps for additional shapes
  6. To change the amount of one colour use the drag the diamond on the slider to the left or right

MULTI-COLOURED

  1. Open the Gradient panel by going to Window > Gradient or click on your shape and select the Gradient tool from the toolbar
  2. Select your gradient type
  3. Click on the circle to the left of the gradient slider and hold the alt key to make duplications. You can eyeball the measurements or use the location percentage
  4. Click on the circles along the slider and use the eyedropper or swatches to pick your colours

RADIAL

  1. Open the Gradient panel by going to Window > Gradient or click on your shape and select the Gradient tool from the toolbar
  2. Select the Radial gradient type
  3. Click on the circle to the left of the gradient slider and use the eyedropper or swatches to pick your colour
  4. Do the same for the circle on the right of the slider
  5. To change the amount of one colour use the drag the diamond on the slider to the left or right

FREEDOM 

  1. Open the Gradient panel by going to Window > Gradient or click on your shape and select the Gradient tool from the toolbar
  2. Select the Freedom gradient type
  3. On the shape itself select the inner circle points and use the eyedropper or swatches to pick your colours
  4. Click on each circle point and drag it around your shape to make a less uniform gradient

BRUSH

  1. Use the Brush tool to draw your lines or paths
  2. Open the Gradient panel by going to Window > Gradient or click on your shape and select the Gradient tool from the toolbar
  3. Select your gradient type
  4. Follow previous instructions to add colour

TIPS

  • Be patient, it can be a bit fiddly sometimes
  • Make sure to have your colours already in your Swatch panel or on your document
  • Do note that gradients don’t work on all brush types
  • We encourage you to play around and experiment with what is possible

 

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