How To Create a Colorful Vector Landscape Illustration

https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-colorful-vector-landscape-illustration[10/9/2019 6:30:46 PM]

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How To Createa ColorfulVectorLandscapeIllustration

In today’s Adobe Illustrator tutorial I’ll show you how to create a

colorful landscape scene, similar to the style of those trendy

illustrated travel posters I recently featured in a showcase. We’ll

make the entire illustration out of simple vector shapes, then

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How To Create a Colorful Vector Landscape Illustration

https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-colorful-vector-landscape-illustration[10/9/2019 6:30:46 PM]

bring it to life with vibrant gradients to give the scene a tranquil

sunset vibe. My example features an old wild west desert with

mountains that extend to the horizon, but these same techniques

could be used to create a landscape scene for any fictional or

non-fictional place.

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How To Create a Colorful Vector Landscape Illustration

https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-colorful-vector-landscape-illustration[10/9/2019 6:30:46 PM]

A large setting sun provides a red, orange and yellow colour

scheme in my artwork, which is applied to all the elements to

help determine the depth of the scene. The colour of the

mountains darkens as they approach the silhouettes in the

foreground, while the sky spans from warm to cool as it turns

from day to night.

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How To Create a Colorful Vector Landscape Illustration

https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-colorful-vector-landscape-illustration[10/9/2019 6:30:46 PM]

Begin by creating a new document in Adobe Illustrator. I’m

creating a long, thin portrait artboard of 1000x1500px. Change

the Color Mode to RGB to give us a full spectrum of vibrant

colours to play with, then change the Raster Effects to High

(300ppi).

How To Create a Colorful Vector Landscape Illustration

https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-colorful-vector-landscape-illustration[10/9/2019 6:30:46 PM]

Select the Rectangle tool and draw a shape that covers the

artboard. Use Smart Guides (CMD+U) to easily snap to the

artboard edges. Remove the stroke, then add a linear gradient

fill from under the Gradient panel. Add a series of handles to the

gradient bar and carefully tweak the RGB sliders to produce a

vibrant range of colours that seamlessly transition. I’m using the

colours #fdb983, #ff6655, #7b0f3b and #310045.

How To Create a Colorful Vector Landscape Illustration

https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-colorful-vector-landscape-illustration[10/9/2019 6:30:46 PM]

Select the Pen tool and randomly click and drag points across

the width of the artboard to create the outline of a series of

mountains. Start and end the path beyond the edge of the

artboard and close the path back at the starting point.

How To Create a Colorful Vector Landscape Illustration

https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-colorful-vector-landscape-illustration[10/9/2019 6:30:46 PM]

Give the shape a gradient fill and adjust the angle to 90°. Use

the Eyedropper tool to shift-click two colours from the

background gradient, I’m using #e05f4d and #bc0e40. Move the

gradient slider towards the darker end of the spectrum to allow

the darker colour to appear just at the tip of the mountains.

Use the Pen tool to draw another mountainscape outline. Copy

the gradient fill from the previous shape with the Eyedropper

tool, then double click each colour and move the RGB sliders to

darken it. I ended up with #d9263d and #7d053d.

How To Create a Colorful Vector Landscape Illustration

https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-colorful-vector-landscape-illustration[10/9/2019 6:30:46 PM]

Repeat the process of drawing a random mountain shape and

adding a darker gradient each time. I used #ad0536 to #5f001e

in my third shape, and #5f001e to #430018 in my fourth shape.

Draw one more shape near the bottom of the artboard. This time

create a smoother outline and give it a solid fill using a darker

shade of red, such as #320115.

How To Create a Colorful Vector Landscape Illustration

https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-colorful-vector-landscape-illustration[10/9/2019 6:30:46 PM]

The transition between the colour gradients can be eased by

reducing the transparency. Select the 2nd, 3rd & 4th shapes and

reduce the opacity to 70%.

Grab the Ellipse tool and hold Shift to draw a perfect circle to

represent the sun. Give the shape a gradient fill with warm

orangey reds like #ff814d and #d92940. Change the gradient

How To Create a Colorful Vector Landscape Illustration

https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-colorful-vector-landscape-illustration[10/9/2019 6:30:46 PM]

type to Radial and move the gradient slider towards the darker

end of the spectrum.

Move the sun into place over the mountains, then repeatedly

press the shortcut CMD+[ until the sun sits behind the mountain

shapes.

How To Create a Colorful Vector Landscape Illustration

https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-colorful-vector-landscape-illustration[10/9/2019 6:30:46 PM]

Go to Effect > Stylize > Outer Glow and set the options to

#ff9100, Color Dodge, 100% Opacity and 100px Blur. This will

add a vibrant yellow glow to the setting sun.

Draw a smaller white circle near the top of the artboard, then

hold the ALT key and drag a duplicate towards the upper right,

How To Create a Colorful Vector Landscape Illustration

https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-colorful-vector-landscape-illustration[10/9/2019 6:30:46 PM]

overlapping the two. With both shapes selected, click the Minus

Front option from the Pathfinder panel to trim the circles into a

crescent shape.

Go to the Effect menu and select Outer Glow from the top of the

list to bring up the previously used settings. Reduce the Blur to

20px then click OK.

How To Create a Colorful Vector Landscape Illustration

https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-colorful-vector-landscape-illustration[10/9/2019 6:30:46 PM]

Draw a much smaller circle elsewhere in the sky area, then go to

Effect > Distort & Transform > Pucker & Bloat. Move the slider to

-60% to make a simple star shape.

Dramatically reduce the star in size then click the ‘New’ icon

from the Symbols panel to convert this shape into a Symbol,

then delete the original shape.

Select the Symbol Sprayer tool then click and drag the spray can

How To Create a Colorful Vector Landscape Illustration

https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-colorful-vector-landscape-illustration[10/9/2019 6:30:46 PM]

across the sky to fill it with loads of stars.

Switch the tool to the Symbol Sizer from under the same menu,

then randomly paint over the stars to alter their size. Clicking

and dragging normally will enlarge the shapes, whereas holding

ALT will decrease the size of the shapes.

How To Create a Colorful Vector Landscape Illustration

https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-colorful-vector-landscape-illustration[10/9/2019 6:30:46 PM]

Next, select the Symbol Screener tool and randomly click across

the sky to reduce the opacity of some of the star shapes. Alter

the size of the tool if necessary using the [ key, so large groups

of stars aren’t all targeted at the same time.

Reduce the opacity of the entire group of symbols to around

40% to reduce their impact to leave a subtle starry night sky

effect.

How To Create a Colorful Vector Landscape Illustration

https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-colorful-vector-landscape-illustration[10/9/2019 6:30:46 PM]

Click the foreground shape to loads its fill colour, then select the

Blob Brush. Enlarge the brush size with the ] key, then draw a

simple cactus shape somewhere beyond the edge of the

artboard.

How To Create a Colorful Vector Landscape Illustration

https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-colorful-vector-landscape-illustration[10/9/2019 6:30:46 PM]

Move the cactus shape into place within the foreground area.

The solid colour used for all these shapes produces a cool

silhouette effect.

Currently some elements extend beyond the edge of the

artboard. Draw a temporary rectangle that matches exactly with

the artboard dimensions, then with everything selected, choose

Make Clipping Mask from the right click menu.

How To Create a Colorful Vector Landscape Illustration

https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-colorful-vector-landscape-illustration[10/9/2019 6:30:46 PM]

The result is an illustrated landscape scene that is brought to life

with vibrant gradients and colours. Being vector elements means

the shapes could be moved around to tweak the composition or

the colours easily changed. The same scene could even be

duplicated to create a series of artworks depicting different times

of day from dawn ’til dusk!

How To Create a Colorful Vector Landscape Illustration

https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-colorful-vector-landscape-illustration[10/9/2019 6:30:46 PM]

2 1 C O M M E N T S

Great tutorial..

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Zaher NOVEMBER 23, 2015 AT 1:49 PM

How To Create a Colorful Vector Landscape Illustration

https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-colorful-vector-landscape-illustration[10/9/2019 6:30:46 PM]

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I like it.

Fun! I’m going to try this later today.

I actually just started a school project that’ll entail drawing a mountain

landscape – perfect timing! I will definitely be referencing this as I go! :)

No way same here :D Thank you learning while I gooo !

This is superb! I was looking for a tutorial on vector illustration. Thanks a lot

for sharing. I learned pretty new stuff while creating the illustration :)

Barb NOVEMBER 23, 2015 AT 3:05 PM

Samantha NOVEMBER 23, 2015 AT 6:58 PM

Udam NOVEMBER 24, 2015 AT 12:47 AM

Rahma NOVEMBER 24, 2015 AT 12:43 AM

How To Create a Colorful Vector Landscape Illustration

https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-colorful-vector-landscape-illustration[10/9/2019 6:30:46 PM]

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hy please provide us the video tutorial. thanks

Longtime fan, first time commenting. Just a two part astronomical nitpick: 1)

The lit side of the moon would be pointing towards the sun, and 2) stars

wouldn’t be visible through the dark of the moon.

Very interesting tutorial! I did my first really cool work in AI! Thanks!))

Interesting, Again, Chris! Color, Star, Moon and outer glow everything are

perfect to make another copy.

Wow what a great share

Thanks Chris

sohail NOVEMBER 24, 2015 AT 3:27 AM

Spike Spiegel NOVEMBER 25, 2015 AT 6:05 AM

Konvinsky NOVEMBER 25, 2015 AT 1:43 PM

Biju NOVEMBER 26, 2015 AT 5:28 AM

Kelley Woodell NOVEMBER 26, 2015 AT 7:29 AM

How To Create a Colorful Vector Landscape Illustration

https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-colorful-vector-landscape-illustration[10/9/2019 6:30:46 PM]

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agood funcction

Enjoyed this tutorial very much, thanks for sharing!

I want to learn AI, this article very helpful.

Nice tutorial brother

Very interesting tutorial! I did my first really cool work in AI! Thanks!

minaj NOVEMBER 26, 2015 AT 9:10 AM

Lana NOVEMBER 26, 2015 AT 6:47 PM

Ren NOVEMBER 27, 2015 AT 12:19 PM

Mohamed Ouyizme NOVEMBER 29, 2015 AT 11:58 AM

may ao gio DECEMBER 1, 2015 AT 4:17 AM

How To Create a Colorful Vector Landscape Illustration

https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-colorful-vector-landscape-illustration[10/9/2019 6:30:46 PM]

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amazing online tutorial ..thanks for sharing

The tutorial is great. I show the tutorial to my company employee. They are

very impress to seen it. Thanks for sharing a great tutorial.

NIce and very useful article. I would definitely like to try it. Thanks

exactly what I was looking for. :)

lovely and helpful illustrator tutorial … thanks for sharing with us >>

Pankaj Designer DECEMBER 7, 2015 AT 1:01 PM

Mr Karim DECEMBER 8, 2015 AT 5:39 PM

Ranganath DECEMBER 13, 2015 AT 11:22 AM

Vicky Guo DECEMBER 15, 2015 AT 8:20 AM

Jahid Hassan DECEMBER 18, 2015 AT 8:00 PM

How To Create a Colorful Vector Landscape Illustration

https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-colorful-vector-landscape-illustration[10/9/2019 6:30:46 PM]

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Thanks for sharing this tutorial, I must say your tutorials are great source.

C O M M E N T S A R E N O W C L O S E D

Karan DECEMBER 22, 2015 AT 9:43 AM

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