Illustrator® CS4 Bible

Chapter 10. Using Creative Strokes and Fills with Patterns

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Using the default patterns

• Creating your own patterns

• Understanding how transparency works with patterns

• Modifying existing patterns

• Putting patterns and gradients into patterns

• Transforming patterns

No Illustrator book would be complete without discussing the how-tos of creating creative strokes, patterns, and textures with the Scribble effect. Sure, you can create these by simply drawing them, but Illustrator makes their creation a breeze. Illustrator allows you to create a pattern as well as save it for future use.

We all have the desire to add some texture to make flat images pop up. The Scribble effect lets you add some sketchy or computery effects to an otherwise boring illustration, giving the drawing a loose, free, quality look.

Using Creative Strokes

In Chapter 4, I discuss how to apply strokes to paths, and in Chapter 5, I discuss all the attributes of a stroke and how to apply them to objects. In this chapter, you learn how to use strokes to create something spectacular.

The ability to stroke a path in Illustrator is greatly underrated. Strokes can do more than just outline shapes and vary thickness and patterns. You can enhance illustrations with a combination of strokes, including easily creating a filmstrip or a railroad track with some stroke attribute changes.

The first part of this section explains some of the greatest mysteries and unlocks some of the deepest secrets that surround strokes. If that sounds ...