One of the most amazing and confounding tools in Adobe Illustrator is
probably the Gradient Mesh tool. Working with this feature allows the
user to divide almost any shape into a mesh. Each intersection of two
lines (horizontal/vertical) can be colored with a solid color. Practice with the mesh tool so that you can use the Mesh tool better. In this tutorial, we'll show you some tips that will improve your
Mesh work.
1. Introduction
I would like to thank Itai Lustgarten and
"Design Tuts" for writing this tutorial.
Itai is a fellow graphic artist, designer and lecturer. We have both
been in the industry since 1990. We both teach Illustrator, Photoshop
and pre-press procedure in Mentor academy and several academies in
Israel.
2. Creating a Basic Mesh
After selecting a shape (non compound shape, choose Create Gradient
Mesh from the object menu. At the command window you can define the
structure of the mesh - the number of rows and columns. Notice the mesh
lines defined by the original outline of the shape.
3. Adding Points to a Mesh
Another way to add a point to a mesh is by using the Mesh tool and clicking anywhere in the shape's area.
4. Colorize The Mesh
After converting a shape into a mesh, you can select points with
three tools: Mesh tool, Direct selection tool, and the Lasso tool. All
you have to do now to add color to the mesh is select a color from the
swatches palette, or use the eye dropper tool to select a color from an
image.
5. Moving Points
If you need to move a point on the mesh shape, choose the Mesh tool
or the Direct Selection tool, then click on a point and drag it (holding
the Shift key will drag the point in a horizontal/vertical line only).
6. Meshing With Shapes
In order to achieve the best result with a mesh, one has to use a
symmetrical shape since the mesh uses an equal number of anchor points
on each side of the shape. The problem is what happens when we want to
make a complex shape. Look below at the result of the non-symmetrical
shape versus a symmetrical shape.
The solution could be split into two parts. The first one is to start
with a rectangle or an ellipse, convert them into a mesh and then
distort them to the shape we want. The second solution is to work with
multi-parts, which are symmetrical shapes - one on top of the other.
Gradient Mesh Assignment: Select one of the images saved to the share folder. Beginners select either the apple, yellow pepper, or the pumpkin. More advanced students select more complex images to mesh- Old telephone, sports car, army boot. Make sure to File> Place the image onto Illustrator and turn the image into a Template and then add a layer to draw onto. Envision each separate area as different shapes.
