Illustrator Tutorials

Open a new file, and let's use "Letter" size and make it "Landscape". Click on the "Shapes" tool and select the "Star". choose your stroke color. (I left mine black.)

Put a Star in the middle of your page.

Go to Effect/Distort & Transform/Transform.

Check the preview box, set it for 14 copies and play around with your horizonta/vertical scale and angle rotation. I used horizontal Scale 100%, Vertical Scale 120%, Horizontal Move 0%, Vertical Move -.2222, Rotate Angle 298.

Click OK. If your Graphic Styles Palette is not open, Click Shift-F5. Now drag the shape on your page into the Graphic Styles pallette. (I'll show you why later.*)

Go to: Object/Expand Appearance. Then Object/Ungroup. Double Click the "Blend" tool.

I set my Spacing/Specified Steps to "8". Click OK.

(If all of your shapes are not already selected, click Ctrl-A to select all. Now clic Ctrl-Alt-B to blend.

Click anywhere outside the shape to deselect. Now click in the middle of the center star. What you see in the next screenshot is the spine.

Let's draw another path and replace the spine. Click on the pencil tool and draw a wavy line through your shape.

Click Ctrl-A to select all. go to: Object/Blend/Replace Spine

Interesting! Now let's play with some color. use your direct selection tool and select the first star shape on the left.

Let's make it a dark red. Just click a red color swatch.

Click the next star and make it a little lighter red, the next orange, yellow and so forth.

Maybe you would like a little softer look? Click Ctrl-A to select all, bring your stroke to the forefront and make it "none".

Now remember when I had you drag your "blend" to the Graphic Styles palette? just for fun, create a different shape on your page. Let's do an elipse.

Now click your style you drug to the graphic styles palette. :)

Have a Great Day!

Jane