Playing with illustrator - blend tool

[serial]

I've been playing around, trying to make an arm's muscle's. I used the blend tool in iilustrator for it, kindda fun.

5045

[CkretAjint]

Looks like a psychedelic sperm! :p

[serial]

Haha, and my girlfrind thought it look like a fish ... there is a resemblence to what you thought it was ... they do both swim.

I hope this doesn't looks like muscles, then I quit using the blend tool :D

5046

[Jriddim]

lol that really reminds me of this project i had to do for an intro sculpture class... We had to define "system"

made from steel rod, bent, grinded, sanded, and arc welded...

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/7265/systemwq4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[calebm12]

quick lesson: how did you do that?

[longboy]

The welding, or the Illustrator stuff? ;)

[longboy]

In Illustrator, draw a simple path with the pen tool. Now, draw a 2nd simple path that isn't connected to the first.

Grab the Blend Tool (W on the keyboard) and select an endpoint on path one, then select an endpoint on the 2nd path. You now have a 'blend' from one path to the other.

With both selected and still in the Blend Tool, hit RETURN on your keyboard. Change the Spacing to Specified Steps, and enter a number like 15 or 20. Now hit OK.

There's a ton you can do with the blend tool, this just gets ya started. You can also tweak and bend the blending spine for cool effects.

[calebm12]

haha....surprisingly i can weld better than blend..hahah.
so for the muscle your two paths were the outermost lines...the paths inside were a result of the blend?

[longboy]

Yes on the muscle blend. It does appear that there are about 4 or 5 different blends in that Illustration, however.

[cjdevlin]

Looks like a psychedelic sperm! :p

http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33019

[Typically]

http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33019

???

[serial]

Looks like a psychedelic sperm! :p

I didn't think it was anything wrong with that comment, it was funny and gave me inspiration to the next one I did. If you thought there was something wrong with that comment "cjdevlin"?

[Craig B]

Glad you saw it that way Serial. I don't think Ckret was giving you a hard time.

Cj, thanks for the concern but I think that Ckret's comments were lighthearted and not at all attacking Serial.

[CkretAjint]

I meant it in a nice way, not bashing the work. In fact I like it. I have done a few designs with the blend tool like that. Only problem is if you get too large with it, it becomes a memory hog and bogs the piss out of your machine...

Sorry if my comment offended someone, it wasn't meant to! :)

[calebm12]

been playing with blend tool. first time. so when i draw the 2 paths and blend them it looks fine...however how did you get it so it looking like it was round at top. since the two lines dont connect how do you make it look as one piece?

[serial]

Hello there,

I just put the points very close, so they only looks connected but are separate.

[calebm12]

gotcha.....cool.