1. The way to Create a New Doc and Set Up a Grid
Hit Management-N to create a brand new doc. Choose Pixels from the Items drop-down menu, enter 1075 within the width field and 1280 within the top field, after which click on on the Superior button. Choose RGB, Display (72ppi) and guarantee that the Align New Objects to Pixel Grid field is unchecked earlier than you click on OK.
Allow the Grid (View > Present Grid) and the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). You have to a grid each 1 px, so merely go to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid, and enter 1 within the Gridline each field and 1 within the Subdivisions field. You must also open the Information panel (Window > Information) for a dwell preview with the dimensions and place of your shapes. Do not forget to set the unit of measurement to pixels from Edit > Preferences > Items. All these choices will considerably improve your work pace.
2. The way to Create the Most important Rope Illustration Piece
Step 1
Decide the Rectangle Device (M) and focus in your toolbar. Take away the colour from the stroke, after which choose the fill and set its coloration to R=239 G=203 B=124. Transfer to your artboard and easily create a 15 px sq.—the Snap to Grid function ought to ease your work.
Step 2
Concentrate on the suitable aspect of your sq. and decide the Direct Choice Device (A). Choose each anchor factors and easily drag them 25 px up. Once more, the Snap to Grid will turn out to be useful.
Step 3
Make it possible for the Direct Choice Device (A) continues to be energetic, choose the anchor level highlighted by the crimson circle within the following picture, and go to the management panel. Open the Corners fly-out window, examine the Nook: Spherical and the Rounding: Relative buttons, and enter a 1.5 px radius. Make it possible for the Direct Choice Device (A) stays chosen, choose the 2 anchor factors highlighted by the inexperienced circles, and return to the management panel.
Once more, open the Corners fly-out window, examine the Nook: Spherical and the Rounding: Absolute buttons, and enter a 17 px radius. Transfer to the anchor level highlighted by the blue circle, choose it, and get again to the management panel. Open the Corners fly-out window, examine the Nook: Spherical and the Rounding: Relative buttons, and enter a 2 px radius. In the long run, your form ought to seem like within the second picture. Transfer to the Layers panel (Window > Layers), double-click in your form, and rename it “most important“.
Step 4
Disable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid), after which go to Edit > Preferences > Normal and guarantee that the Keyboard Increment is ready to 1 px. Reselect your “most important” form and make two copies in entrance (Management-C > Management-F > Management-F). Choose the highest copy and transfer it 1 px to the left utilizing the left arrow button in your keyboard.
Reselect each copies made on this step, open the Pathfinder panel (Window > Pathfinder), and click on the Minus Entrance button. Make it possible for the ensuing form is chosen and exchange the prevailing fill coloration with R=219 G=183 B=104. This can assist us create the primary stage of shading in our rope texture drawing.
Step 5
Reselect your “most important” form and make two copies in entrance (Management-C > Management-F > Management-F). Choose the highest copy and transfer it 2 px to the left utilizing that very same left arrow button out of your keyboard. Reselect each copies made on this step and click on the Minus Entrance button from the Pathfinder panel. Make it possible for the ensuing form is chosen and exchange the prevailing fill coloration with R=189 G=153 B=74.
Step 6
Reselect your “most important” form, make a replica in entrance (Management-C > Management-F), choose it, and transfer it 1 px down and 1 px to the suitable. Make it possible for this recent copy continues to be chosen and duplicate it (Management-C > Management-F). Choose this new copy and transfer it 1 px down and 1 px to the suitable.
Reselect each copies made on this step and click on the Minus Entrance button from the Pathfinder panel. Make it possible for the ensuing form is chosen and exchange the prevailing fill coloration with white (R=255 G=255 B=255).
Step 7
Reselect your “most important” form and make a replica in entrance (Management-C > Management-F). Choose it together with the white form and click on the Intersect button from the Pathfinder panel.
Make it possible for the ensuing form stays chosen, open the Transparency panel (Window > Transparency), decrease the Opacity to 50%, and alter the Mixing Mode to Overlay.
Step 8
Reselect your “most important” form and make two copies in entrance (Management-C > Management-F > Management-F). Choose the highest copy and transfer it 1 px down and 1 px to the suitable.
Reselect each copies made on this step and click on the Minus Entrance button from the Pathfinder panel. Make it possible for the ensuing form is chosen and exchange the prevailing fill coloration with R=219 G=183 B=104. Now it is beginning to look extra like a rope texture drawing!
Step 9
Reselect your “most important” form, deal with the Look panel (Window > Look), add a 1 pt stroke, and set its coloration to R=169 G=133 B=54.
Maintain specializing in the Look panel, click on on the “Stroke” piece of textual content to open the Stroke fly-out window, and examine the Align Stroke to Exterior button. In the long run, issues ought to seem like within the following picture.
Step 10
Choose all of the shapes created to this point, and hit Management-G to Group them. This straightforward rope drawing will function a constructing block for drawing our rope.
3. The way to Multiply the Rope Piece
Step 1
Make it possible for your group of shapes is chosen, and go to Impact > Distort & Rework > Rework. Enter the properties proven within the following picture, click on OK, after which go to Object > Develop Look. Transfer to the Layers panel and rename the ensuing group “ropeOne“.
Step 2
Reselect your “ropeOne” group and go to Object > Rework > Transfer. Enter 35 within the Horizontal field, and click on the Copy button. Transfer to the Layers panel and rename the newly created group “ropeTwo“.
4. The way to Create the Torn Rope Ends
Step 1
Allow the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid) and deal with the underside aspect of your “ropeOne” group. Utilizing the Pen Device (P), create a easy path roughly as proven within the first picture. Add a 1 pt stroke for this tiny path and set its coloration to R=169 G=133 B=54.
Utilizing the identical instrument, add some new paths roughly as proven within the second picture. There’s just one factor that you need to bear in mind. This set of curly paths mustn’t get wider than 17 px (which is the width of your “ropeOne” group) as a result of it might mess up your sample brush. Nonetheless, when you want to go wider, just be sure you have the identical additional width on either side (e.g. 2 px on the left aspect and 2 px on the suitable aspect).
Step 2
Utilizing the Pen Device (P), add some new paths roughly as proven within the following picture. Add a easy 1 px stroke for these new paths and set its coloration to R=149 G=113 B=40.
Step 3
Reselect all of the curly paths made within the final two steps and Group them (Management-G). Make it possible for this new group is chosen and easily hit Shift-Management-[ to send it to the back.
Step 4
Focus on the top side of your “ropeOne” group. Using the Pen Tool (P), create some new curly paths roughly as shown in the following images. Add the same Appearance attributes used for the other group of curly paths.
Step 5
Reselect all the curly paths made in the previous steps and Group them (Control-G). Make sure that this new group is selected and send it to the back (Shift-Control-[ ). This element makes for a more realistic rope drawing.
5. How to Create the Main Piece of the Brush Rope Pattern
Step 1
Focus on your “ropeTwo” group. Using the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 19 x 17px shape, set the fill color to R=39 G=170 B=225, and place it exactly as shown in the first image. Make sure that this blue rectangle is still selected and send it to the back (Shift-Control-[ ).
Step 2
Select your “ropeTwo” group along with that blue rectangle and grab the Shape Builder Tool (Shift-M). Hold the Shift button from your keyboard, and then simply drag a selection along the top side of your group as shown in the following image. You might have to repeat this technique once or twice to make sure that you get rid of the tiny shapes. Just make sure that you don’t drag that selection over the edge of your blue rectangle. This will make your Illustrator rope brush cleaner.
Step 3
Reselect your “ropeTwo” group along with the blue shapes and grab the Shape Builder Tool (Shift-M). Again, hold the Shift button from your keyboard and simply drag a new selection along the bottom side of your group as shown in the following image. Take a closer look at the edge—it’s very important to make sure that you get rid of the tiny shapes.
Step 4
Select one of your blue shapes and simply go to Select > Same > Appearance to select the rest of the shapes with similar Appearance attributes. Once you have all these shapes selected, hit the Delete button from your keyboard to remove them from your artboard. In the end, things should look like in the third image. Move to the Layers panel and rename the remaining group “ropeBody“.
6. How to Create the End Sides of Your Pattern Brush
Step 1
Focus on your “ropeOne” group. Using the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 19 x 17px shape, set the fill color to R=39 G=170 B=225, and place it exactly as shown in the first image.
Step 2
Select your “ropeOne” group along with that blue rectangle and grab the Shape Builder Tool (Shift-M). Hold the Shift button from your keyboard and simply drag a selection along your blue rectangle as shown in the following image. Make sure that you remove all the tiny shapes that intersect with your blue rectangle, and then select the remaining blue shapes and simply Delete them.
Step 3
Reselect your “ropeBody” group, drag it to the left, and place it as shown in the second image.
7. How to Create Your Pattern Brush
Step 1
Reselect all the shapes made so far, and go to Object > Transform > Rotate. Enter -90 Degrees and click OK.
Step 2
Focus on the Layers panel and simply turn off the visibility for your “ropeBody” group. Pick the Direct Selection Tool (A), focus on your artboard, select all the shapes highlighted in the second image, and simply drag them into the Swatches panel (Window > Swatches) to save them as a pattern.
Keep focusing on the Swatches panel, double-click on your new pattern, and rename it “endTile“. Make sure that the Direct Selection Tool (A) is still active, select all the shapes highlighted in the third image, and save them as a new pattern. Return to the Swatches panel and rename this second pattern “startTile“.
Step 3
Focus on the Layers panel and turn on the visibility for your “ropeBody” group. Select it, open the Brushes panel (Window > Brushes), and click the New Brush button (indicated by the little blue arrow in the following image). Check the Pattern Brush box and click OK to open the Pattern Brush Options window. Enter “rope” in the Name box, drag the Scale slider to 70%, and then move down to the Tile boxes.
Open the Start Tile drop-down window and add the “startTile” pattern from that list, and then open the End Tile drop-down window and add the “endTile” pattern. Finally, click OK and you should find your new pattern brush in the Brushes panel.
8. How to Create the Rope Font Text Effect
Step 1
Pick the Type Tool (T), click on your artboard, and add your black text. Make sure that it stays selected and open the Character panel (Window > Type > Character). Select the “Edwardian Script ITC” font, and then set the size to 350 pt. Lower the Opacity of your text to 30%, and then move to the Layers panel and lock it to make sure that you won’t accidentally select/move it.
Step 2
Using the Pen Tool (P) or the Paintbrush Tool (B) (if you happen to own a tablet), draw a smooth path along your text as shown in the following image. Try to use the text in the back as a rough reference. For starters, use a simple, black stroke for your path.
Step 3
Once you feel that your path looks good enough, replace the black stroke with your “rope” pattern brush. Also, move to the Layers panel and simply remove the locked piece of text.
Step 4
Make sure that your text path is still selected, focus on the Appearance panel, and add a second stroke using the Add New Stroke button (indicated by the little blue arrow in the following image). Select this new stroke, set the color to black, make it 10 pt wide, and open the Stroke panel (Window > Stroke). Focus on the Profile section, open the drop-down menu, and select the Width Profile 1.
Step 5
Make sure that your text path is still selected, focus on the Appearance panel, and reselect that black stroke. Lower its Opacity to 10%, change the Blending Mode to Color Burn, and go to Effect > Artistic > Film Grain. Enter the properties shown in the following image and click OK.
Step 6
Reselect your text path and focus on the Appearance panel. Make sure that the entire path is selected (simply click on the “Path” piece of text from the top of the Appearance panel), and go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow. Enter the properties shown in the top left window (in the following image), click OK, and then add the other four Drop Shadow effects shown in the following image. This shadow will make for a realistic rope drawing for the word.
Step 7
Make sure that your text path is still selected, open the Graphic Styles panel (Window > Graphic Styles), and simply click the New Graphic Style button (indicated by the little blue arrow in the following image) to save a new graphic style.
Step 8
Reselect the Pen Tool (P) and add some new text paths roughly as shown in the first image. Once you feel that things look good enough, select all your new paths and simply click on your saved graphic style from the Graphic Styles panel.
Step 9
Using the Rectangle Tool (M), create a shape the size of your artboard, set the fill color to R=230 G=230 B=230, and send it to the back (Shift-Control-[ ). Make sure that this new rectangle stays selected, focus on the Appearance panel, and add a second fill using the Add New Fill button (indicated by the little blue arrow in the following image). Select this new fill, set the color to black, lower its Opacity to 3%, change the Blending Mode to Multiply, and go to Effect > Artistic > Film Grain. Enter the properties shown in the following image and click OK.
Congratulations! You’re Done!
Now you’re an expert in how to draw a rope text using an easy rope drawing brush. Here is how it should look. I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial and can apply these techniques in your projects.
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