This past August, my family and I moved to the US. We have lived in many different countries in the past already—this time, we moved to the agricultural state of Iowa. We live in a small city called Ames, where many farmers and pigs hang out together. That's why I decided to show you how to create a farmer and his pig in a countryside scene, splashed with my love for the kawaii style.
You will use basic shapes and Warp Effects, and will cut out a few shapes using the Pathfinder panel. In the end, you will have an adorable illustration which will make you consider changing your career from a graphic designer to a farmer.
If you want to go further, add more details or change the final illustration, to take it to another level, get inspiration with other character designs.
If you're wanting to skip ahead and download the final project, you can purchase it Envato Market.
1. Draw the Head
Step 1
After opening your Adobe Illustrator and creating a new document 600 x 600 px Width and Height, we will start to draw the head of the farmer. Using the Ellipse Tool (L), draw an oval. In the image below, you can see which fill color you need. To give the head an irregular shape, go to Effect > Warp > Inflate. Enter the options you see below.
Step 2
On to the eye. To create an even circle, use the Ellipse Tool (L) while holding down the Shift key. Then add a smaller, darker circle inside (Control-C, Control-F) the first circle. Add two more tiny white circles to brighten the eyes. For your convenience, group the eye elements together (right-click > Group).
Step 3
Place the eye in its place. While holding the Shift and Alt keys, move this eye to the right. You will get another copy of the eye to complete the eyes.
Step 4
Now, the mouth. You need a completely white mouth, but in the image below, I marked its boundaries with a black stroke so you can see better (you don’t need the strokes in your actual drawing).
So, let’s create a little white ellipse and using the Convert Anchor Point Tool (Shift-C), make the left and right anchor points sharp by clicking on them. After that, select those two anchor points again (with the Direct Selection Tool (A)) and move them up by pressing the Up Arrow on your keyboard.
Place the mouth almost between the eyes, but just a bit lower.
Step 5
Let’s add the eyebrows. We won't create the eyebrow from scratch—we will use the mouth that we just created! Make a copy of the mouth, change the fill color (see below) and rotate it, upside down. You can also move the handles of the anchor points using the Direct Selection Tool (A) to achieve a rounder shape. Place the eyebrow over the left eye.
While keeping the left eyebrow selected, take the Reflect Tool (O) and while holding down the Alt key, click the forehead, right in the middle of the face. In the new dialogue window, select Vertical, Angle 90 degrees and press Copy. Now we should have two eyebrows.
Step 6
A tiny ellipse under the left eye will show the blush on the left cheek. It has to be slightly rotated to the right. Using the Reflect Tool (O) again, create the right cheek under the right eye.
Step 7
Create two more circles with the fill color of the cheeks, which overlap each other as in the image below. Go to the Pathfinder panel and press the Minus Front button. Now, create a circle using the same fill color as the face. Place the cheek-colored crescent moon shape on the circle that you just created.
Step 8
This is the left ear. Create the right ear as you did for the right eye, right eyebrow and the right cheek. The ears have to be placed slightly lower than the eyes.
Step 9
Now for the hair. Select the face, make a copy in back (Control-C, Control-B), change the fill color, and make it bigger. Add an ellipse in the forehead area, and make sure it’s in the front.
Step 10
Let's create the side hair for the farmer. Start with the Ellipse Tool (L) and draw an ellipse. While keeping it selected, take the Convert Anchor Point Tool (Shift-C) and click on the bottom anchor point to make it sharp. Then take the Direct Selection Tool (A), select the right and left anchor points and slide them up.
Step 11
After slightly slanting the side hair to the right, place it on the left side of the farmer's head, over the left ear. Then using the Reflect Tool (O), make a vertical copy and move it to the right side, over the right ear.
Let's align everything that we created to make a perfectly symmetrical face. So, select two parts of the side hair, and group them together (right-click > Group), and then group the two eyebrows, two eyes, two cheeks, and the two ears. After that, select everything that we created in the previous steps and in the Align panel (Window > Align), press Horizontal Align Center.
I also recommend that you group the head (right-click > Group).
2. Create the Hat
Step 1
We will now start forming the shape of the farmer's hat. Hit the Rectangle Tool (M) and draw a rectangle similar to the shape shown below. While keeping it selected, go to Effect > Warp > Bulge. In the new dialogue window, adjust the options as you see in the image below.
After that, create another copy of it in back (Control-C, Control-B), shift down this copy down a bit and make it darker.
Step 2
Keep the same fill color and draw an ellipse on the top of the hat. Change the fill color and draw one more ellipse on the bottom of the hat and place it behind everything (Control-X, Control-B). Group the hat (right-click > Group).
Put it on the farmer’s head.
3. Form the Body Shape
Step 1
Change the fill color and create two ellipses which are overlapping each other. Notice that the top of the vertical ellipse is slightly behind the head and the horizontal ellipse covers the upper part of the vertical one.
In the Pathfinder panel, press the Intersect button. You will get the shape which looks like just the upper body without the legs—but no no no—we already have the whole body with the legs.
Step 2
Draw a small rounded rectangle using the Rounded Rectangle Tool as you see in the image below, and then press the Minus Front button in Pathfinder. Doing this will divide the two legs.
Step 3
Before doing this next step, you will need to download the Round Any Corner script. Once you’ve done that, then you'll be able to make the marked corners in the image below round. If you don't want to do this, then just leave it as it is.
4. Create the Pants
Step 1
Select the body of the farmer and make a copy in the front (Control-C, Control-F). Then take the Rounded Rectangle Tool again, to draw three rounded rectangles (of course, you just need to draw one and make two copies). Be sure to have the same distance between them. Select those three rounded rectangles and the copy of the body, and press the Minus Front button in Pathfinder. Change the fill color of the resulted shape.
Select the body (brown shape) and the pants (blue shape) and put them in the back (Control-X, Control-B).
Step 2
Now we need to divide the pants from the boots of the farmer. Draw an oval which marks where the shoes will be. You can draw this oval in any fill color, because you will delete it later.
Keep it selected and then select the pants. In Pathfinder, press Divide. Ungroup the resulting shape (right-click > Ungroup) and delete the unnecessary parts. Set the appropriate fill colors.
Step 3
Let's create one more thing for the pants—the cuff. Start with blue rectangle. Then go to Effect > Warp > Arc and enter the following options:
Expand this shape (Object > Expand Appearance). Make two copies of it and place them on the bottom of the pants. You might want to rotate this cuff slightly—just find the position that fits well.
Step 4
Let’s add a pocket to the outfit. Draw a circle with the same fill color as the pants (use the Eyedropper Tool (I) to take this color). Then copy the shape we just created in the previous step (the cuff of the pants) and place it on the blue circle. Select this circle again and make a copy in back. Shift down the copy and make it darker. Group the whole pocket.
Step 5
Place the pocket on the pants. You can also add two little buttons.
5. Create the Shirt and the Arms
Step 1
Now for the collar. To draw a triangle, you will use the Polygon Tool. After you click on the art board, a new dialogue window will pop up. Enter 3 Sides and any Radius. Using the Direct Selection Tool (A), move the anchor points to achieve the result you see below. Then create a vertical copy of it using the Reflect Tool (O).
Place the collar under the head.
Step 2
With the help of the Eyedropper Tool (I), take the same fill color as the face. Now we will create arms. Draw an oval behind the body and warp it (go to Effect > Warp > Arc).
Don’t forget to expand the newly created shape.
Step 3
Now we want to show the shirt. You already have a part of it (the green shape). Using the same green color, draw an oval. This oval has to divide the sleeves and the hand. Select the arms (you expanded the shape, right?), make a copy in the front and then select this green oval. Press Intersect in Pathfinder. Put everything behind the arms and sleeves.
Step 4
You can roll up the sleeves as you did for the pants. Just take a copy of the cuff from the pants, change the fill color and place it between the hand and the sleeve. Then repeat for the other hand.
6. Create the Rake
Step 1
First, with the help of the Rounded Rectangle Tool, draw the handle of the rake. Add a regular rectangle on top of it. Then again, take the Rounded Rectangle Tool and create a long, horizontal rectangle at the top of the handle.
Step 2
Add a small rounded rectangle on top, from the left side. Move it to the right, while holding the Shift and Alt buttons together. Then keep pressing Control-D to repeat your last movement. Those are the prongs of the rake. Select all the prongs and group them, because we want to align everything. Select the whole rake (with the prongs) and press Horizontal Align Center on the Align panel (Window > Align).
Give the rake to the farmer.
7. Create the Pig
Step 1
Let’s begin the pig with the pink ellipse. Warp it (you already know how to do it, right?)
Step 2
Look at the Appearance panel (Window > Appearance). You should see the text, Warp: Arc. You just need to grab it and move it to the trash icon. Then draw another ellipse and place it as shown.
Step 3
For the eyes, use a dark brown circle and a tiny white circle for the highlight. Select the whole eye and while holding down the Alt and Shift keys, move it to the side. Now you've got a copy of the eye.
Make her see!
Step 4
In this step, we are going to create the snout. Draw a pink ellipse and set up the warp options for it. After that, make a copy in back and make this copy lighter. Add two tiny, dark circles to complete the snout. Group the elements together.
And give it to the pig.
Step 5
The ear will be in the shape of a heart. Let’s create a small pink ellipse again. Then make a sharp bottom anchor point, and move up the left and right anchor points. Can you see the heart shape?
Create another copy of the ear and place the two on the pig's head.
Step 6
I decided to make the legs not very hard—just a simple pink ellipse where you need to move anchor points. First, the left and right move down, and then the bottom anchor point moves to the right. That's it.
Step 7
Give it to the pig. Then make a copy and give her another leg. Then create two copies—these should be darker and placed behind the whole body. Notice that the legs in the back are slightly higher.
Step 8
For the tail, use almost the same method as you did for the first leg. Move the anchor points that are marked in the image and you will get the tail.
Put the tail where it should be.
8. Create the Hay
Step 1
This is also very easy—in the newly created yellow ellipse, move down the left and right anchor points.
Step 2
Delete the fill color, and set the stroke color to the color you can see in the image below. Take the Line Segment Tool (\) and draw the lines. If you need a thicker stroke, you can increase it in the Stroke panel. After you finish, group the whole pile.
9. Create the Apple
Step 1
Delete the stroke color and set the fill color to the color you see below. We will add just a little cute detail to the scene—an apple. As usual, start from ellipse. Rotate it to the left. Then make a vertical copy using the Reflect Tool (O).
Step 2
Make the right and left anchor points of the green ellipse sharp. The leaf is ready.
Step 3
With the same fill color, create a rounded rectangle as the stem. Place the stem on top of the apple and add the leaf. You can also make one shape from the ellipses which we used for the apple. Select the two red ellipses and press Unite in Pathfinder. The apple is now ready.
10. Place All the Elements Together
Combine all the elements together.
11. Create the Background
Step 1
Let's add some dimensions to the scene. Add a yellow ellipse behind everything.
Step 2
Then add a square. Hit the Rectangle Tool (M) and click on your art board. Enter the Height and Width 600 px. You just completed the entire scene!
Conclusion
My big congratulations to you as you finished such a long tutorial and came up with such an adorable result! I hope you liked it and that you’ve enjoyed creating this scene. If you don't understand something, please tell me in the comments below.
You can also check out my final version over on Envato Market.
