In the following steps, you will learn how to create an easy rangoli design for Diwali in Adobe Illustrator.
For starters, you will learn how to set up a simple grid and how to easily create the starting shape. Taking full advantage of the Appearance panel, you will learn how to decorate the edges of the first shape. Using basic vector shape building techniques, the Appearance panel and a bunch of Transform effects, you will learn how to stylize the interior of your circle.
Finally, you will learn how to create a flat background and how to add a subtle shadow below your final rangoli design.
For more inspiration on how to adjust or improve your final design, you can find plenty of resources at GraphicRiver.
What You Will Need
You will need the following resource in order to complete this project:
- Baker Street Inline font
1. How to Create a New Document and Set Up a Grid
Hit Control-N to create a new document. Select Pixels from the Units drop-down menu, enter 850 in the width and height boxes, and then click that More Settings button. Select RGB for the Color Mode, set the Raster Effects to Screen (72 ppi), and then click Create Document.
Enable the Grid (View > Show Grid) and the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). You will need a grid every 10 px, so simply go to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid, and enter 10 in the Gridline every box and 1 in the Subdivisions box. Try not to get discouraged by all that grid—it will make your work easier, and keep in mind that you can easily enable or disable it using the Control-" keyboard shortcut.
You can learn more about Illustrator's grid system in this short tutorial from Andrei Stefan: Understanding Adobe Illustrator's Grid System.
You should also open the Info panel (Window > Info) for a live preview with the size and position of your shapes. Don't forget to set the unit of measurement to pixels from Edit > Preferences > Units. All these options will significantly increase your work speed.
2. How to Create the First Circle
Step 1
Pick the Ellipse Tool (L) and focus on your Toolbar. Remove the color from the stroke and then select the fill and set its color to R=23 G=50 B=127. Move to your artboard and simply create a 490 px circle—the grid and the Snap to Grid will make things easier.
Open the Align panel (Window > Align). Set the aligning to Artboard (open the fly-out menu and go to Show Options if you can't see the Align To section as shown in the following image) and then simply click the Horizontal Align Center and Vertical Align Center buttons. This will move your shape to the center of the canvas.
Step 2
Make sure that your shape is still selected, and open the Appearance panel (Window > Appearance).
Select the stroke, set its color to R=255 G=213 B=6, and then open that Stroke fly-out panel. Set the Weight to 10 px and check the Align Stroke to Outside button.
Step 3
Make sure that your shape stays selected, and keep focusing on the Appearance panel.
Select the entire path (simply click that Path piece of text from the top of the panel) and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Zig Zag. Enter the attributes shown in the following image, and click OK.
3. How to Decorate the Edges of the First Circle
Step 1
Pick the Ellipse Tool (L) and create two 30 px circles. Fill both shapes with R=250 G=0 B=8 and place them as shown in the following image.
Select both shapes and turn them into a simple compound path (Object > Compound Path > Make or Control-8).
Step 2
Make sure that your compound path stays selected and focus on the Appearance panel.
Select the stroke and set its color to R=255 G=213 B=6. Change the Weight to 10 px and don't forget to align it to outside.
Step 3
Make sure that your compound path stays selected and focus on the Appearance panel. Use the Add New Fill button to add a second fill and select it.
Set the color to white (R=255 G=255 B=255) and go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -10 px Offset and click OK.
Step 4
Make sure that your compound path stays selected and focus on the Appearance panel.
Select the entire path and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Enter the attributes shown below and click OK.
Step 5
Pick the Ellipse Tool (L) and create two 10 px circles. Fill both shapes with R=30 G=148 B=255 and place them as shown in the following image.
Select both shapes and turn them into a new compound path (Object > Compound Path > Make or Control-8).
Step 6
Make sure that your new compound path stays selected and focus on the Appearance panel.
Select the stroke and set its color to R=255 G=214 B=6. Change the Weight to 10 px and don't forget to align it to outside.
Step 7
Make sure that your newer compound path stays selected and focus on the Appearance panel.
Select the entire path and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Enter the attributes shown below and click OK.
Step 8
Make sure that your newer compound path is still selected, and go again to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Enter the attributes shown below and click OK.
4. How to Decorate the First Circle
Step 1
Switch to a gridline every 5 px. Just go to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid and enter 5 in the Gridline every box.
Pick the Ellipse Tool (L) and create an 80 x 145 px shape. Fill this new shape with white, place it as shown in the first image, and make sure that it stays selected.
Pick the Anchor Point Tool (Shift-C) and click the bottom anchor point. Move to the top anchor point, click on it, and then drag the handle 10 px to the right. Keep focusing on the handles of this anchor point and drag them as shown in the third image. The grid and the Snap to Grid feature will once again come in handy.
Step 2
Make sure that your white shape stays selected, and focus on the Appearance panel.
Select the stroke and set its color to R=255 G=213 B=6. Change the Weight to 10 px and don't forget to check the Round Join button.
Step 3
Make sure that your white shape stays selected and focus on the Appearance panel.
Select the entire path and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Enter the attributes shown below and click OK.
Step 4
Make sure that your white shape is still selected, and go again to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Enter the attributes shown below and click OK.
Step 5
Make sure that your white shape is still selected, and go one more time to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Enter the attributes shown below and click OK.
Step 6
Pick the Ellipse Tool (L) and create an 80 x 145 px shape. Fill this new shape with R=30 G=148 B=255, place it as shown in the first image, and make sure that it stays selected.
Pick the Anchor Point Tool (Shift-C) and click the bottom anchor point. Move to the top anchor point, click on it, and then drag the handle 5 px to the right, as shown in the second image.
Step 7
Make sure that your blue shape stays selected and focus on the Appearance panel.
Select the stroke and set its color to R=1 G=1 B=71. Change the Weight to 10 px and don't forget to align it to inside.
Step 8
Make sure that your blue shape stays selected and focus on the Appearance panel.
Use the Add New Stroke button to add a second stroke and select it. Set its color to R=1 G=1 B=71, change the Weight to 10 px, align it to outside, and don't forget to check that Round Join button.
Step 9
Make sure that your blue shape stays selected and focus on the Appearance panel.
Select the entire path and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Enter the attributes shown below and click OK.
Step 10
Make sure that your blue shape is still selected and go again to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Enter the attributes shown below and click OK.
5. How to Create the Second Circle
Step 1
Pick the Ellipse Tool (L), create a 300 px circle, and center it using the same commands from the Align panel.
Fill this new shape with R=250 G=0 B=8 and then select the stroke. Set its color to R=255 G=214 B=6, change the Weight to 10 px, and don't forget to align it to outside.
Step 2
Make sure that your red circle stays selected and focus on the Appearance panel.
Select the entire path and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Zig Zag. Enter the attributes shown below and click OK.
6. How to Decorate the Second Circle
Step 1
Pick the Rectangle Tool (M) and create a 60 x 100 px shape. Fill this shape with white and place it as shown in the first image.
Make sure that your rectangle stays selected and go to Object > Path > Add Anchor Points. Pick the Delete Anchor Point Tool (-) and simply click the corner anchor points to remove them. This will basically turn your rectangle into a rhombus.
Keep focusing on this shape and switch to the Direct Selection Tool (A). Select the left and right anchor points (highlighted in the third image) and simply drag them 10 px down as shown in the fourth image.
Step 2
Make sure that your white shape stays selected and focus on the Appearance panel.
Select the stroke and set its color to R=255 G=214 B=6. Change the Weight to 10 px, align it to outside, and don't forget to check the Round Join button.
Step 3
Make sure that your white shape stays selected and focus on the Appearance panel.
Select the entire path and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Enter the attributes shown below and click OK.
Step 4
Make sure that your white shape is still selected and go again to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Enter the attributes shown below and click OK.
Step 5
Make sure that your white shape is still selected and go one more time to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Enter the attributes shown below and click OK.
Step 6
Pick the Ellipse Tool (L) and create a 50 x 125 px shape. Fill this squeezed circle with a random green, place it as shown in the first image, and make sure that it stays selected.
Pick the Anchor Point Tool (Shift-C) and click the bottom anchor point. Move to the top anchor point, click on it, and then drag the handle 5 px to the right, as shown in the second image.
Step 7
Make sure that your squeezed shape stays selected and focus on the Appearance panel. Change the fill color to R=250 G=0 B=8.
Select the stroke and set its color to R=1 G=1 B=71. Change the Weight to 10 px and don't forget to align it to inside.
Step 8
Make sure that your squeezed shape stays selected and focus on the Appearance panel.
Use the Add New Stroke button to add a second stroke and select it. Set its color to R=255 G=214 B=6, change the Weight to 10 px, align it to outside, and don't forget to check that Round Join button.
Step 9
Make sure that your squeezed shape stays selected and focus on the Appearance panel.
Select the entire path and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Enter the attributes shown below and click OK.
Step 10
Make sure that your squeezed shape is still selected and go again to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Enter the attributes shown below and click OK.
7. How to Create the Third Circle
Step 1
Pick the Ellipse Tool (L), create a 100 px circle, and center it using the same commands from the Align panel.
Fill this new shape with R=1 G=1 B=71 and then select the stroke. Set its color to R=255 G=214 B=6, change the Weight to 10 px, and don't forget to align it to outside.
Step 2
Make sure that your dark circle stays selected, and focus on the Appearance panel.
Select the entire path and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Zig Zag. Enter the attributes shown below and click OK.
8. How to Create a Speech Bubble and the Background
Step 1
Pick the Rectangle Tool (M) and create a 290 x 55 px shape. Fill this new shape with white and place it as shown in the following image.
Step 2
Pick the Rectangle Tool (M) and create a 60 px square. Fill this new shape with R=30 G=148 B=255 and place it as shown in the following image. Switch to the Delete Anchor Point Tool (-) and click the bottom-left anchor point to remove it.
Step 3
Pick the Type Tool (T) and open the Character panel (Window > Type > Character). Select the Baker Street Inline font and set the size to 270 px.
Move to your artboard and simply click on it. Type your text and set the color to R=30 G=148 B=255.
Step 4
Pick the Rectangle Tool (M) and create an 870 px square. Fill this new shape with R=5 G=26 B=115, make sure that it covers your entire artboard, and then send it to the back (Object > Arrange > Send to Back or Shift-Control-[).
Step 5
Pick the Ellipse Tool (L) and create a 490 px circle. Fill this new shape with R=1 G=1 B=71 and place it as shown in the following image.
Step 6
Make sure that your dark circle is still selected, change its Blending Mode to Soft Light and go to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Enter a 50 px Radius and click OK.
Send this shape to the back (Object > Arrange > Send to Back or Shift-Control-[) and then bring it one step forward (Control-]).
Congratulations! You're Done!
Here is how your easy rangoli design for Diwali should look. I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial and can apply these techniques in your future projects. Don't hesitate to share your final result in the comments section.
Feel free to adjust the final design and make it your own. You can find some great sources of inspiration at GraphicRiver, with interesting solutions to improve your design.
Looking for more awesome vector tutorials to try? I recommend these following tutorials as your next step:
