In this tutorial, we'll explain how to create a pair of cherries solely with the Gradient Mesh tool. If you're not familiar with the Gradient Mesh tool, then this is a great tutorial to learn how to start using it. You can create artwork with a semi-realistic to very realistic look with that tool. It can take effort to master, but it's worth your time.
Final Image Preview
To begin with let's have a look at the image we'll be creating.
Step 1
I went and picked a nice image of some cherries that I thought would be good to recreate. You can get the picture of the cherries at Stock.xchng. Place the image in a new document on its own layer and lock it.
Step 2
We will need to set up some base colors for our cherries. With the Eyedropper Tool (I), I picked five base red colors with one highlight color. I have illustrated below which ones I chose. You can of course choose more, if you decide to go into more detail.
Step 3
Select the Pen Tool(P) and start tracing the outline of the left cherry. Then fill it with a medium red color that we picked in Step 2 (I chose number 5). Then select the Mesh Tool (U) and add a mesh line by clicking on the shape.
Step 4
Start adding more mesh lines from the bottom up by close to the middle of the shape.
Step 5
Add more mesh lines. Make it uneven. Some can be closer, other can be further apart.
Step 6
Continue to add mesh lines towards the top of the shape.
Step 7
In case you clicked somewhere, where you don't want a mesh line, you can easily undo this by holding down the Alt key and clicking on the mesh line. (Instead of a plus sign, you will see a minus sign).
Step 8
The trick with mesh lines is that if you add too much it can get quite intimidating. Also, if a color is added it can look unnatural. Try to keep the lines to a small amount.
Step 9
Another thing with mesh is to start with a simple object, such as an oval.
Step 10
Irregular shapes will look funny first, when a mesh line is applied. I will show this later on. Just keep adding some mesh lines horizontally.
Step 11
Make sure you add mesh line close to the cherry outline. This will help setting up contrast areas.
Step 12
Now add mesh lines on the vertical. Below you can see the mesh object with its parts. We will soon select either mesh points or mesh fields, drag mesh lines, or pull some control handles.
Step 13
Drag your shape below the cherry image. This will make it easier for you to apply the colors, like highlights and shadows. Let's add our first highlight. Select the mesh point shown in the image with the Direct Selection Tool (A) and click on the lightest color (number 1). This will set our first highlight. Our cherry is starting to come to life!
Step 14
Select another mesh point to add another highlight point, then fill it with the light red.
Step 15
Select the mesh point below the first highlight point and fill it with a darker red. Have a look at the cherry image and compare.
Step 16
Selected the mesh point below the previous one and fill it with a lighter red.
Step 17
Have a look at the cherry image. On the top right, you can see that it has a shadow part (Most likely from the stem). Select a mesh point near the top right and fill it with the darkest red.
Step 18
If you want to spread the color out a little, you can do this by adjusting the control handles. Pull them with the Direct Selection Tool (A) and drag them around to see how it affects the color.
Step 19
To define edges, we want to set the mesh points to the darkest red we have picked in the beginning. Select the outer mesh point to do that and fill them with the dark red.
Step 20
Sometimes, we need to add some highlights to the outline. So in between the darker points, select some mesh points and fill them with the lightest red.
Step 21
As you can see in the image below, if you select several outer mesh points and fill them with the light red, it will give the cherry a beveled look.
Step 22
Repeat this all around. Don't forget to have a look at the cherry photograph. Nobody expects you to have a super genius photographic memory!
Step 23
Select the mesh points close to the most outer points and fill them with the darkest red. Add some dark points to the middle of the shape.
Step 24
Let's have a look. Not bad, but a little dull, don't you think? Let's make the cherry more round looking.
Step 25
Now instead of selecting mesh points, we will select mesh fields. This will spread out the color more like a gradient. Select the mesh fields with the Direct Selection Tool (A), as illustrated in the image below, then fill them with the darkest red. You can compare the mesh cherry with the photograph and add more highlights and shadows, mid-tones and details.
Step 26
Now you have created a cherry as a gradient mesh object!
Step 27
Lets move on to the stem. Create a shape with the Pen Tool (P) and fill it with a green. You can pick the colors from the cherry photograph. Create the left half first.
Step 28
Now create the right half of the stem and fill it with the same color. Make sure that both shapes are closed and individual.
Step 29
Add mesh lines with the Gradient Mesh Tool (U) just as we did before. Sometimes, when you come close to the outline of the shape, you will see mesh lines overlapping and being outside of the shape. Don't worry about these. They will not affect the colors for now.
Step 30
Add lighter and darker colors, as we did before.
Step 31
Repeat the same with the right part of the stem. In order to make them look like one stem, select the top-left most mesh point with the Direct Selection Tool (A).
Step 32
Drag it slightly to the left. As you can see, the colors are spreading with it.
Step 33
There you go. Our stem is almost ready.
Step 34
One last thing. Create a small shape with the Pen Tool (P) for the tip of the stem. Add mesh lines with the Gradient Mesh Tool (U) and select mesh points, then fill them with brown colors.
Conclusion
Now we have all our parts and the cherry pair is ready. Of course I made a copy of the cherry, reflected it, and moved all parts together. I also added some shadows (I applied the Gaussian Blur). I hope you enjoyed this Gradient Mesh tutorial.
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User Comments
( ADD YOURS )Don September 4th
Nice! A mesh tool tutorial. Thanks!
K3v September 4th
Interesting tutorial, especially for me because I’m not very good with gradient mesh
Max September 4th
Cool TUT!
More Mesh Tuts pls I´m not so fit in it^^!
pica September 4th
looks great!
good techniques and tips
Brad September 4th
This was a great tutorial. Very realistic looking.
curtis allen September 4th
Nice tutorial, keep up the good work.
accessoire September 4th
A little tip which helps a lot for color picking. Use preview mode for only the gradient mesh layer. Klick at the layers eye icon in the layer palette while holding the alt/shift/strg key (Don’t know exactly which key it was). Then u see your gradient mesh + the points and u can pick the colors at the exact position of your gradient mesh points.
Grafiko September 4th
The Mesh tool is on of my favorite tools and Accessoire, thanks for that tip. I will have to check it out.
Sarah September 4th
Looks good enough to eat!!!
Alvaro Guzmán September 4th
tasty!
robby September 4th
woah, looks so realistic! must give this a try! thanxs VT!
richard kuklinski September 4th
you are a master!!!!it is amazzzzinggggggggg!!!
wOWWOOW
xD
Erika September 4th
To piggyback off of accessoire’s tip… when you place your original picture in your document to get started, if you double click the layer’s name and click “lock” and “template” and deselect “dim images to 50%”, you have a picture that will never go to outline. This means that you can just use keyboard shortcuts (in this case, I believe ctrl+y) to go from outline to preview mode. Saves you excess clicking, which is a LIFESAVER when you get into the unwieldy meshes. LOL.
Shane September 4th
Wow! Another fantastic tutorial with the gradient mesh tool - I like Step 2
Thanks for posting.
Grant Friedman September 4th
This is a great mesh tutorial! Everything was well explained!
Vector Graphics September 4th
Another good explained tutorial. Thanks a lot
andare September 4th
very good.
BUT
the second cherry is simply mirrored from the first, resulting in inaccurate lighting. for the sake of a tutorial’s speed this is ok but in real life i’m afraid you have to move the gradient mesh around so the highlight will be consistent with the light direction
RIjalul Fikri September 5th
Looks realistic
andare September 5th
well i see you delete posts that present constructive observations. how sad!
anyway anybody can see that the mirrored cherries have inconsistent lighting, i was just pointing that out.
you just lost a visitor.
bye
Mike September 9th
Dude, you NEVER start with an irregular shape. Start with a basic square or a circle and use the original control points as mesh points also. This keeps the shape as regular as possible to begin with.
Svetainiu kurimas October 12th
thanks for tut
Anup Padmanabha Moolya October 19th
Nice tut
Linda November 8th
Thanks for this awesome tutorial!
Suresh Abraham December 23rd
Thanks for your tutorial, Really is wonderful !!!
Hacı badem December 27th
Thanks for this item, I liked your writing method
Milly December 28th
Great tutorial!
i have used the mesh tool before - its brill!
But I am having a problem and I think it is the result of some setting in illustrator.
Basically, the mesh tool isn’t working at all! When I select a colour from the image, nothing happens.
I never had this problem before and need a solution soon as I am working on my FYP for college.
If anyone knows why this might be happening, i’d be grateful for any advice!
Once again, thank you for such a great tutorial!
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