Erstellen Sie eine einfache Stoppuhr-Illustration in Adobe Illustrator

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In the following steps, you will learn how to create a simple stopwatch illustration in Adobe Illustrator. For starters, you will learn how to prepare your document and how to set up a simple grid. Next using basic tools and effects along with the Appearance panel and the Pathfinder panel, you will learn how to create the main shapes of the stopwatch. Taking full advantage of the Appearance panel and using several Transform and Warp effects, you will learn how to make the smaller stopwatch components and how to add subtle shading and highlights. Finally, you will learn how to easily recolor your stopwatch.

Program: Adobe Illustrator CS5Difficulty: Beginner-IntermediateTopics Covered: Basic Tools and Effects, Transform techniques and the Appearance panel, Basic Blending and Vector Shape Building TechniquesEstimated Completion Time: 45 minutes

As always, this is the final image that we’ll be creating:

Hit Command + N to create a new document. Enter 600 in the width and height boxes then click on the Advanced button. Select RGB, Screen (72ppi) and make sure that the Align New Objects to Pixel Grid box is unchecked before your click OK. Enable the Grid (View > Show Grid) and the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). You’ll need a grid every 5px, so simply go to Edit > Preferences > Guides > Grid, enter 5 in the Gridline every box and 1 in the Subdivisions box. You should also open the Info panel (Window > Info) for a live preview with the size and position of your shapes. Do not forget to set the unit of measurement to pixels from Edit > Preferences > Unit > General. All these options will significantly increase your work speed.

Using the Ellipse Tool (L), create a 140px circle and fill it with the linear gradient shown in the following image. Make sure that this new shape stays selected and focus on the Appearance panel (Window > Appearance). Add a 4pt stroke and select it. Set the color at black, align it to inside, lower its Opacity to 30% and change the Blending Mode to Soft Light. Keep focusing on the Appearance panel, make sure that the stroke is still selected and simply click the Duplicate Selected Item button (pointed by the little, blue arrow in the following image). This should add a copy of the selected stroke. Select this new stroke, and simply decrease the weight from 4pt to 2pt. Select this 2pt stroke, and duplicate it using that same Duplicate Selected Item button. Select this third stroke, and simply set the weight at 1pt. The white numbers from the Gradient image stand for Location percentage.

Make sure that your 140px circle is still selected and make a copy in front (CTRL + C > CTRL + F). Using the Ellipse Tool (L), create a 190 x 110px shape, fill it with black and place it as shown in the first image. Select this new shape along with the copy made in the beginning of the step, open the Pathfinder panel (Window > Pathfinder) and click the Minus Front button. Select the resulting shape, and focus on the Appearance panel. First, select the three stroke and simply remove them. Next, select the fill. Replace the existing linear gradient with a simple black, lower its Opacity to 20% and change the Blending Mode to Soft Light.

Using the Ellipse Tool (L), create a 120px circle, fill it with the linear gradient shown below and place it as shown in the following image. Make sure that this new shape stays selected and focus on the Appearance panel. First, select the fill and go to Effect > Stylize > Inner Glow. Enter the properties shown in the following image and click OK. Return to the Appearance panel and add a 2pt stroke. Select it, set the color at R=165 G=175 B=178, align it to outside and go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow. Enter the properties shown in the following image and click OK. Get back to the Appearance panel and add a second stroke using the Add New Stroke button (pointed by the little, blue arrow in the following image). Select this new stroke, make it 1pt wide, set the color at R=135 G=145 B=148 and make sure that it’s aligned to outside.

For this step you will need a grid every 1px, so go to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid and enter 1 in the Gridline every box. Using the Pen Tool (P), create a 5px, vertical path, add a 2pt stroke and set its color at R=176 G=184 B=186. Duplicate this new shape (CTRL + C > CTRL + F). Place these tiny, new paths as shown in the first image then Group them (CTRL + G). Make sure that this new group is selected and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Enter the properties shown in the following image and click OK.

Using the Pen Tool (P), create a 7px, vertical path, add a 2pt stroke and set its color at R=135 G=145 B=148. Duplicate this new shape (CTRL + C > CTRL + F). Place these tiny, new paths as shown in the first image then Group them (CTRL + G). Make sure that this new group is selected and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Enter the properties shown in the following image and click OK.

Using the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 4 x 52px shape, fill it with red and place it as shown in the first image. Focus on the top side of this new rectangle and pick the Direct Selection Tool (A). Select the left anchor point and drag it 1px to the right then select the right anchor point and drag it 1px to the left. Switch to the Ellipse Tool (L), create a 2px circle, fill it with the same red and place it as shown in the third image. Select both shapes made in this step and click the Unite button from the Pathfinder panel. Select the resulting shape and replace the red with R=50 G=50 B=50. Make sure that this dark shape stays selected, focus on the Appearance panel and add a second fill using the Add New Fill button (pointed by the little, blue arrow in the following image). Select this new fill, set the color at white, change the Blending Mode to Soft Light and go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -1px Offset and click OK.

Return to “gridline every 5px“, so simply go to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid and enter 5 in the Gridline every box. Using the Ellipse Tool (L), create a 10px circle, fill it with the linear gradient shown in the following image and focus on the Appearance panel. Add a second fill for this new shape, select it, set the color at R=241 G=236 B=232 and go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -3px Offset and click OK. Select this tiny circle along with the clock hand shape and Group them (CTRL + G). Make sure that this new group is selected and go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow. Enter the properties shown in the following image and click OK. Finally, you can easily rotate this group using the Rotate Tool (R). Grab this tool, select the clock hand group, place the reference point in the middle of that tiny circle then simply click & drag to rotate the clock hand.

Using the Ellipse Tool (L), create a new 120px circle, fill it wtih the linear gradient shown below and place it as shown in the following image. The yellow zero from the Gradient image stands for Opacity percentage. Make sure that this new shape stays selected and focus on the Appearance panel. First, select the fill, lower its Opacity to 65% and go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -3px Offset and click OK. Keep focusing on the Appearance panel and add a 1pt, black stroke. Align it to inside, change the Blending Mode to Soft Light and lower its Opacity to 30%. Add a second stroke for this shape, make it 3px wide, align it to inside, make sure that the color is set at black then lower its Opacity to 20% and change the Blending Mode to Soft Light.

Make sure that the shape made in the previous step is still selected and focus on the Appearance panel. Add a new fill, drag it in the top of the Appearance panel, lower its Opacity to 15% and use the linear gradient shown in the following image. Remember that the yellow zero from the Gradient image stands for Opacity percentage.

Using the Ellipse Tool (L), create a 70 x 20px shape, fill it with black, place it as shown in the first image, lower its Opacity to 3% and go to Effect > Warp > Arc. Enter the properties shown in the first image and click OK. Make sure that the Ellipse Tool (L) is still active and create a new 70 x 20px shape. Fill it with white, place it as shown in the second image, lower its Opacity to 20% and go again to Effect > Warp > Arc. Enter the properties shown in the second image and click OK.

Using the Ellipse Tool (L), create a 30px circle and place it as shown in the following image. Make sure that this new shape has no color set for the fill, add a 3pt, black stroke, align it to inside and go to Object > Path > Outline Stroke. Select the resulting shape, focus on the Appearance panel and replace the existing fill color with the linear gradient shown in the following image.

Make sure that the shape made in the previous step is still selected and focus on the Appearance panel. Add a second fill for this path and select it. Use the linear gradient shown in the first image, change the Blending Mode to Soft Light and go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -1px Offset and click OK. Return to the Appearance panel and add a third fill for this path. Select it and simply add the radial gradient shown in the second image.

Make sure that your 30px compound path is still selected and focus on the Appearance panel. Add a fourth fill for this path, select it, use the radial gradient shown in the first image and lower its Opacity to 70%. Return to the Appearance panel, select the entire path (simply click on the "Compound Path" piece of text from the top of the Appearance panel) and go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow. Enter the properties shown in the following image and click OK.

Using the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 10 x 20px shape, fill it with the linear gradient show below, place it as shown in the first image and go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Enter a 1px radius, click OK and go to Object > Expand Appearance. Make sure that this new shape stays selected, focus on the Appearance panel and add a second fill. Select it, use the radial gradient shown in the following image and lower its Opacity to 70%.

Switch to "gridline every 1px", so go to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid and enter 1 in the Gridline every box. Using the Ellipse Tool (L), create an 8 x 2px shape, fill it with white and change the Blending Mode to Soft Light. Pick the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 10 x 4px shape, fill it with black, place it as shown in the second image, lower its Opacity to 15% and change the Blending Mode to Soft Light. Continue with the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 10 x 2px shape, fill it with black, place it as shown in the third image, lower its Opacity to 30% and change the Blending Mode to Soft Light.

Select all the shapes made in the last five steps and Group them (CTRL + G). Select this new group and send it to back (Shift + CTRL + [ ). Using the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 10 x 1px shape, fill it with R=195 G=200 B=205 and place it as shown in the third image.

Return to “gridline every 5px“, so simply go to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid and enter 5 in the Gridline every box. Using the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 10px square, fill it with the linear gradient shown below and go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Enter a 1px radius, click OK and go to Effect > Warp > Arc Lower. Enter the properties shown in the following image, click OK and go to Object > Expand Appearance.

Disable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid) then go to Edit > Preferences > General and make sure that the Keyboard Increment is set at 1px. Select the shape made in the previous step and make two copies in front (CTRL + C > CTRL + F > CTRL + F). Select the top copy and move it 1px up using the up arrow from your keyboard. Reselect both copies and click the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with black, lower its Opacity to 30% and change the Blending Mode to Soft Light. Reselect the shape made in the previous step and make another two copies in front (CTRL + C > CTRL + F > CTRL + F). Select the top copy and move it 3px up using the up arrow from your keyboard. Reselect both copies and click the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with black, lower its Opacity to 15% and change the Blending Mode to Soft Light.

Enable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). Using the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 20 x 10px shape, fill it with the linear gradient shown below, place it as shown in the following image and go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Enter a 3px radius, click OK and go to Object > Expand Appearance. Disable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid) then select the resulting shape and make two copies in front (CTRL + C > CTRL + F > CTRL + F). Select the top copy and move it 1px up. Reselect both copies and click the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with black, lower its Opacity top 30% and change the Blending Mode to Soft Light.

Reselect the rounded rectangle made in the previous step and go to Object > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -1px Offset and click OK. Select the resulting shape and make a copy in front (CTRL + C > CTRL + F). Select this copy and move it 1px down. Reselect both copies and click the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with the linear gradient shown below and change its Blending Mode to Soft Light. Reselect the rounded rectangle made in the previous step and make two copies in front (CTRL + C > CTRL + F > CTRL + F). Select the top copy and move it 1px down using the down arrow from your keyboard. Reselect both copies and click the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with black, lower its Opacity to 30% and change the Blending Mode to Soft Light.

Enable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). Reselect all the shapes made in the last four steps and Group them (CTRL +G). Select this new group and go to Object > Transform > Rotate. Enter a -45 degrees angle and click the OK button. Select this rotated group and place it as shown in the third image. Focus on the Layers panel (Window > Layers), open this fresh group, select the bottom shape and go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow. Enter the properties shown in the following image and click OK. In the end things, should look like in the third image.

Make sure that your button group is still selected and go to Object > Transform > Reflect. Check the Vertical box and click the Copy button. This will create a horizontally, flipped group copy. Focus on the Layers panel, open this new group, select the bottom shape and move to the Appearance panel. Open the existing Drop Shadow effect and edit it as shown in the following image. Select this entire new group, drag it to the left and place it as shown in the third image.

Using the Rectangle Tool (M), create a shape of your Artboard, fill it with R=56 G=147 B=160 and send it to back (Shift + CTRL + [ ). Move to the Layers panel and lock this rectangle to make sure that you won’t accidentally select/move it. Select all the shapes that make up your stopwatch and Group them (CTRL + G). Select this new group and make a copy in front (CTRL + C > CTRL + F). Select this group copy, go to Object > Expand Appearance and Object > Path > Outline Stroke then click the Unite button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with R=125 G=135 B=138. Move to the Layers panel, double click on this new shape and simply name it "recolor".

Select your "recolor" shape, make a copy in front (CTRL + C > CTRL + F) and send it to back (Shift + CTRL + [ ). Focus on the Layers panel, double click on this copy and rename it "shadow". Make sure that your "shadow" shape stays selected and focus on the Appearance panel. Add a 1pt, black stroke, align it to outside, change the Blending Mode to Soft Light and lower its Opacity to 25%. Add a second stroke for this shape, make it 3pt wide, set the color at black, align it to outside, change the Blending Mode to Soft Light and lower its Opacity to 15%. Keep focusing on the Appearance panel, select the existing fill and add the four Drop Shadow effects shown in the following image (start with the left one).

Now, here’s a simple blending technique that you can use to easily recolor the stopwatch. Select your "recolor" shape, replace the existing fill color with R=148 G=163 B=187, lower its Opacity to 40% and (most importantly) change the Blending Mode to Color. Here’s what you have to do if you don’t want to recolor the stopwatch screen. Using the Ellipse Tool (L), create a 120px circle, fill it with a random color and place it as shown in the second image. Select this new circle along with the "recolor" shape and click the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Move to the Layers panel, double click on the resulting shape and name it "recolorFrame". In the end things should look like in the fourth image.

Finally, here are two other colors that you can use to recolor your stopwatch. Feel free to try a different color or even a gradient.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial and can apply these techniques in your future projects.

Andrei Marius is a self taught vector artist who is trying to make a living doing something that he likes. He spends most of his time working in Adobe Illustrator, trying to avoid the Pen Tool. You can find most of his vector experiments at this little website dedicate to Illustrator VforVectors.

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Create glass cartoons vector elements

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In this tutorial, we will learn how to create vector glass objects that can be used as elements of infographics. Here we will use Gradient Tool, Transparency panel, Shape Builder Tool and Transform effect that will save us some time. Have fun learning our new Adobe Illustrator tutorial!

Program: Adobe Illustrator CS5Difficulty: Beginner-IntermediateTopics Covered: Basic Tools and Effects, Transform & Masking techniques and the Appearance panelEstimated Completion Time: 45 minutes

As always, this is the final image that we’ll be creating:

Go to File > New… or use Command/Ctrl + N shortcuts to create a new document. Select Pixels from the Units drop-down menu, enter 750 in the width and height boxes then click on the Advanced button. Select RGB color mode and then click OK.

Draw a 750×750 pixel rectangle using the Rectangle Tool (M). Fill Rectangle with radial gradient from blue (R = 148; G = 231; B = 255) to a dark blue color (R = 0; G = 56; B = 71). Of course, you can use colors other than those.

Take the Gradient Tool (G) and click on the top, outside the artboard, transforming the radial gradient into the eccentric one.

Now let’s proceed to the creation of the glass elements. Draw a 450 x 100 pixel rectangle with a fill of any color.

Now, round two of its opposite corners. I use the Dynamic Corners Tool for this purpose (VectorScribe plug-in). You can also do selective rounding of the corners of the object, using the standard tools of Adobe Illustrator. How you do this is described in detail in my article How to Apply Different Rounding Radiuses to the Corners.

Fill the object with radial gradient from black to white as it is shown in the picture below.

Take the Gradient Tool (G) and move the black handle of the Gradient Annotator down. This action leads to the transformation of a radial gradient into an elliptical one.

If after you choose a Gradient Tool (G), you cannot see the Gradient Annotator, you must disable it. To do this, go to View > Show > Gradient Annotator or use the Option/Alt + Command/Ctrl + G shortcuts. I would not recommend you move the center of an elliptical gradient. This may lead to issues when saving it as EPS format. If you want to know more about this, read my article How to avoid elliptical gradient problem when saving in 8 EPS and 10 EPS format.

Apply the Color Dodge blending mode to our object in the Transparency panel. It already looks like glass, isn’t it? We only need to add some details.

Using the Pen Tool (P) create a shape like the one shown in the picture below. Usually I reduce the opacity of the object being created in order to properly evaluate its shape on the background of an already existing object.

Select both shapes, take the Shape Builder Tool, then click on the part of the upper shape, which is located outside of the lower shape while holding down Option/Alt key. This action will lead to the removal of this part.

Restore the opacity of the upper shape up to 100 % in the Transparency panel. Fill the upper object with radial gradient from black to white, then apply the Color Dodge blending mode.


Now using the Gradient Tool (G), shift the center of the radial gradient by clicking and dragging off center. If you want to get the desired result quickly, when working with blending modes, always follow these steps: first, apply blending mode, then adjust gradient or solid fill.

Create a circle with the help of the Ellipse Tool (L) and fill it with a radial gradient from white to black.

Apply the Color Dodge blending mode to the circle.

Now, with the help of the Selection Tool (V) transform the circle into an ellipse; at the same time the radial gradient will also be transformed into an elliptical one. Thus, we have created a highlight in the lower part of the glass shape.

Using this technique, create a highlight in the upper part of the shape.

Select and group up all the created objects (Command/Ctrl + G), except the background, of course.

Keeping the group selected, go to Effect > Transform > Transform & Distort, and in the opened dialog box set the parameters shown in the picture below. Of course, the horizontal and vertical offset values depend on the size of your shape and should be chosen by eye, in order to reproduce my result.

Now go to Object > Expand Appearance.

As you can see, the usage of Transform effect saved us some time.

Let’s create highlights on the curved area of the glass shapes. Unfortunately, the radial gradient cannot be linearly deformed comparing to the linear gradient. So we have to create a custom brush. Create a white and a black circle. Select both objects, then go to Object > Blend > Make. Set the required number of steps; to do this, go to Object > Blend > Blend Options …. I think twenty steps will be enough in our case.

Blend object has to be sufficiently small. The picture below shows the ratio of the illustration elements.

Set the Color Dodge blending mode for the blend object.

Drag the blend object to the Brushes panel, and without changing the default settings, save the new brush as an Art Brush.

Create a curved segment on the edge of one of the glass shapes and then apply the created brush to the path.

You can always adjust the width of the highlight by changing the Weight parameter in the Stroke panel.

Create similar reflections on other glass shapes.

If you paint for microstock agencies like Shutterstock that require vector files be submitted without open paths, then you need to select all the curved segments and go to Object > Expand Appearance to close the paths. Otherwise, you may skip this step. Next, group up the created elements, and then turn to the group at an angle of 45 degrees using the Selection Tool (V) and holding down the Shift key.

We have created the elements of infographics, so let’s put some conditional lettering on it. Take the Type Tool (T) and type the numbers from 1 to 4, and then place them on glass elements as I did.

Transform text objects into regular paths. To do this, select them and go to Type > Create Outlines.

Copy all the numbers and paste them in front (Command/Ctrl + C; Command/Ctrl + F) (for clarity purposes, I will select a different color fill for the new objects).

Select all the green numbers, then go to Object > Compound Path > Make or use Command / Ctrl + 8 shortcuts.

Copy the Compound Path and paste it in front. Shift the new compound path a few pixels up and to the right by using the arrow keys.

Select both compound paths, then click on the Minus Front button in the Pathfinder panel.

Fill it with black numbers with gray color, then apply the Multiply blending mode to them in the Transparency panel.

Fill all the green objects with a linear gradient from white to black, which is located at an angle of 45 degrees, and then apply the Color Dodge blending mode to them.


I have also added Lorem Ipsum text on the glass objects, which you can be obtained through on-line generator.

Finally, create a highlight on the surface of which the glass elements of the infographics are located. Create a circle and fill it with a radial gradient which consists of four colors (numerical designation of each color can be found in the picture below). Deform the circle into an ellipse, using the Selection Tool (V), then apply the Screen blending mode to the object in the Transparency panel.

At the same time our tutorial on creating elements of infographics is over. There is still going to be a lot of interesting things.

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