Illustrator Mesh Tool

While creating photorealistic illustrations can be complicated, the Illustrator Mesh Tool helps considerably. Experimentation and practice with the Mesh tool is key.

Introduction: Draw a circle, holding down Shift (to produce an even shape). Add a fill color and hit “U” to select the Mesh tool. Now select within the circle and choose another color. This creates an even gradient at the point selected, giving a very basic 3-D effect. To create more complicated works, experiment by selecting, repositioning and recoloring the nodes. Check out Vector Tuts for advanced tutorials to help enhance vector realism.