Follow
this step by step tutorial to create a cool abstract lines design with
awesome vibrant lighting effects. We'll use Illustrator's easy tools to
create the vector linework then add a range of glows, colours and
effects in Photoshop to finish the design with a cool grainy but
luminous style.
It's difficult to describe this style of artwork without referencing Andy Gilmore's awesome work.
The overall design mixes geometric shapes from the vector linework with
vibrant colours and grainy textures to create an intricate design
perfect for use as a printed poster or maybe even a band's album art.
Open
up Adobe Illustrator and use the Pen tool to draw a wavy line on the
artboard. Keep the bezier handles long to allow for a smooth curve.
Copy
(CMD+C) and Paste in Front (CMD+F) a duplicate of the line, then go to
Object > Transform > Reflect. Choose the Vertical option then
position the copy next to the original.
Select both items and go to Object > Blend > Make.
Head
back to Object > Blend then select the Blend Options menu item.
Change the Spacing to Specified Steps and enter a figure of around 80.
Copy and Paste in Front a duplicate of the blend, then hold the Shift key and rotate the copy by 180.
Paste in two more duplicates of the shape and rotate them so that they overlap equally to form an intricate pattern.
Switch
over to Adobe Photoshop and create a new document. Fill the background
with black but add a few subtle spots of grey with a large soft brush.
Add a Noise filter to produce a grainy effect.
Copy
one of the blend shapes from Illustrator and paste it into the
Photoshop document. Scale the shape to size before rasterizing it by
hitting Enter.
Drag
the blend shape layer into the New icon in the layers palette to
duplicate the layer, then press CMD+T and rotate each layer to match the
pattern originally created in Illustrator.
Select
a nice bright blue colour and dab a large soft spot on a new layer.
Change the blending mode to Dissolve, then blend this layer with a blank
layer to render a cool grainy light spot.
Hold
the CMD key and click the thumbnail of the top blend lines shape to
load its selection. Press CMD+Shift+I to inverse the selection then
delete the excess from the blue spot layer.
Repeat this process with a pink, yellow and a green spot on each quarter of the design.
Load
the selection of the nearest blend lines shape and delete out the
excess to leave a vibrant copy of the lines that gradually fades out.
Dab
a large spot of white on a new layer in the centre of the design then
change the blending mode to Dissolve. Merge this layer with another
blank layer to render out the dissolve effect.
Add
a Layer Mask and use soft brushes to erase away the white grain leaving
subtle scatterings around the edge of the main geometric shapes.
Create a new layer and use a large soft brush to add various colours around the design, blending in order of the spectrum.
Change the blending mode of this layer to Overlay to allow the colours to interact with the rest of the design.
Set
up your brush with a small soft tip, then use the Pen tool to carefully
trace the curvature of one edge of the the geometric shape. Right click
and select Stroke Path.
Change
this Stroke Path option to Brush and select the Simulate Pressure
option. Delete the path then change this layer to Overlay.
Repeat
this process of stroking paths to add highlights to the other edges of
the design. The Overlay mode does a great job of intensifying the
colours.
Use
a soft brush to fill in areas of black around the inner portions of the
design, then change this layer mode to Soft Light to add more variety
in tone.
Press
CMD+A to select all and CMD+Shift=C to Copy Merged, then paste the copy
at the top of the layer stack. Change the blending mode to Color Dodge
and reduce the opacity to tweak the overall vibrancy of the final
design.
