Vector Bike

Vector Bike
http://www.vectordiary.com
By: Xin Kun
This tutorial will take you through the process of making a super bike illustration step by step.
I’m going to show you my techniques and tricks to analyze your image, create your layers and
make complicated objects with realistic shading without using Live Paint. After this tutorial, you
will gain experience on making a complicated project and you can apply it to many other
projects.
Draw the Super Bike

1. First, make a sketch of the bike. You can check out reference photos on the internet to do
this.
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2. In the picture below you can see our bike parts in different colors. Each part (or each colors)
will be assigned to different layers. And the order of the layers is shown below. You should
create your layers exactly like this. Because the order of the layers will make some parts
below other parts and we don’t want to mess all this up.
3. Here is the order of the layers. I named the layers as the name of the bike parts. There’s
some parts that I don’t know how it’s called. So I just named it “steel parts” or “black parts”
for simplicity.
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4. Now, I will show you how to make these parts one by one.
I will start with the parts with yellow color. Those parts have similar material, so it’s faster
to make them together. Let’s work on COVER BODY layer. It’s the orange one in the
image below.
5. Select the COVER BODY layer. This is our base shape.
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6. We use pen tool again to add some curves. These curves will help you coloring the shape
easily and effectively. You don’t need to care about the color or the outline of your paths
now. Just pick any color that helps you see clearly. We will adjust the colors later.
Please remember that the curves have to be within the shape’s outline, or other curves. So
that after you divide them, it will break into separate areas that you can color. Just like the
image below.
7. Now select all the paths and Alt+click Divide in Pathfinder.
8. Now all your paths will become one. If there are some parts that you don’t need it anymore,
just select and delete it.
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9. Next, we move on to coloring. You should have your color samples first to make the
gradients. The colors I used in those parts are shown below.
10. Next, we make the gradients with those colors and drag them to your figure like this.
After coloring them, select your layers and change its outline to none.
11. Next, we will make some extra highlights to make your parts more impressive. Use your
pen tool to make some shapes as shown in the image below.
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12. Then change the color to R: 255, G: 246, B: 174. This is our highlight color for most of the
yellow parts. Here’s the finished look.
13. Next, we will work on the gas tank. Choose the TANK layer.
14. Just follow the same steps as before. Make a shape, add curves and divide.
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15. And here’s the coloring guide for the tank.
16. Please remember to make your light source from above.
17. Next, we will work on the back seat. Please select your BACK SEAT layer.
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18. Draw the shape, add curves and Divide, as usual. In this part, I also drew the back seat’s
mattress.
19. Here is the coloring guide on how the gradients are done.
20. Next, let’s draw the front wheel cover. Choose your FRONT WHEEL COVER layer.
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21. Just follow the following color guide.
22. Now let’s work on the front shock absorbers. We will make one and duplicate it to make a
pair. Choose FRONT SHOCK ABSORBER 1 layer.
23. After you have completed the shock absorber, Alt+drag it to make a copy, then cut and
paste it to FRONT SHOCK ABSORBER 2 layer.
After making all those parts, we will have something like this:
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24. Next, we will make the parts that have reflection. These are the headlights and the
windshield. The process of making these parts is just the same as above, but there is an
additional step of making the reflection.
25. Let’s draw the headlight first. Choose your HEAD LIGHT layer. Then use pen tool to make
the shape and the curves.
26. Make a duplicate of this little part, scale it smaller. Then choose two of them and choose
Object > Blend > Make. Then choose Object > Blend > Blend Options and select 5
for Specified Steps.
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27. Do it again but with Specified Steps as 2.
28. Now we divide the pink ones. We will leave the parts we’ve just created there.
29. Color the main part with the color table as shown below.
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30. Now drag these little parts to their position, and color them like this.
31. Use Pen Tool to make some more extra highlights. Fill them with white color and opacity
76%.
32. Next, create more shapes (or you can duplicate from the main part), fill them with
gradients and settings as shown. Put them on each other as this order and you will have a
nice final result. After that, choose all of them and right-click and Group.
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33. Next, let’s work on the windshield. Choose the WIND COVER layer.
34. Coloring it like this.
35. Then we use the same trick as above, make 2 more shapes and with the same settings. Put
them on each other to have a nice effect.
36. Next, we will make the wheels, which is the most complicated part.
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37. We will make the front tyre first. But at first, I want you to understand what we will make.
The image below will show the structure of the front wheel. There are 2 sprockets, a rim
and a tyre.
38. We will make the front sprocket first. Choose FRONT SPROCKET 1 layer. The front
sprocket will have 3 parts like this.
39. Making this part is not so difficult. Just make 5 ellipses like this and use pen tool to draw
several lines below.
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40. Select all of it and Alt+click Divide in Pathfinders. Then delete unused part.
41. After that, select all your paths and Alt+click on Add to shape area in Shape modes
panel. And then all your paths will become one figure like this.
42. Then color it as below. Then Alt+drag it to make a duplicate, and change its color to
darker to make a depth for our part.
43. Now work on another part of the sprocket. You just do the same thing as above. Create
paths> divide > delete unused parts > add to shape area > duplicate to make a
depth.
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44. Go on with the last part. And then put them on together, we will have the front sprocket.
45. Next, choose your FRONT RIM layer, we will make a rim. Just as we did previously, make
a shape, add curves and then divide it.
46. Color it with a radial gradient. We also use a radial gradient in this part.
47. Here’s a quick trick. We will make the highlights quickly with the artbrush.
Create an ellipse with the Ellipse Tool, fill it with any color you want, Alt+drag to
duplicate it, then scale one of them bigger, like below. Then decrease the opacity of the
big one down (about 10%)
Next, select 2 of them, choose Object > Blend > Make.

Then Object > Blend > Blend Options > Give 80 for Specified Steps.
We will make an artbrush with this blend object.
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48. Now scale “the brush” a little narrower. Then while selecting it, press New Brush icon in
brush panel. Then choose New Art Brush at below.
49. At Art Brush Options window. Follow the settings below. Please note the Direction, and
Method Colorization is Tints. It means that your art brush will have the color of the
outline of the path, no matter what’s the color you gave to the blend object. Then just
press OK.
50. Now we have a new art brush at our Brush Panel.

Now pick your pen tool, draw 2 curves like below to make a highlight. Set the outline color
of the right one to white, the left one to black. Then while selecting your highlight curves,
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choose the art brush you’ve just made in the Brush Panel and we will have nice highlight
for our rim.
The size of the highlights will not be right at the first time, then just be patient and try a few
times.
51. We’ve completed 2 parts of the wheel.
52. The last thing we have to work on is the tyre. Select the FRONT TYRE layer. Then make a
path like this.
53. Then color it with a dark tone like this.
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54. Put all the parts together. Then duplicate the FRONT SPROCKET 1 layer and move the
duplicate to FRONT SPROCKET 2 layer. This will create the sprocket behind. Then
change its color a little darker to give a feeling of depth.
55. We have completed the front wheel. Making of the rear wheel is the same. And we can also
duplicate the sprocket to save time. Let’s see how it is done. Copy FRONT SPROCKET 1
layer to REAR SPROCKET layer. Then we just have to make a rear rim and a rear tyre to
complete it.
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56. Select REAR RIM layer. Make a shape and path like this.
57. Color it like this.
58. Use the same trick to make a highlight add some curves and also our nice art brush we
have created earlier on.
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59. Select REAR TYRE layer. Then make a tyre like this. Just apply a gradient in the front tyre.
60. Now let’s take a look at our bike. We have completed the main parts. Now let’s move on to
create the smaller parts of the body.
61. We will work on how to create the shiny metal first.
62. Select your STEEL PARTS_FRONT layer. Make a shape and curves like this.
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63. Then color it.
64. Next, we will make the below steel parts with more matte texture.
65. Select STEEL PARTS_BACK layer. Make paths like this.
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66. Then add gradient to them like this.
67. Next, let’s create the black steel parts. The skeleton of our bike.
68. Select BLACK FRAME layer. Make paths like this.
69. Then color it.
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70. Next, we will make some little parts that have dark material. These include the number
plates, the seat and the handle.
71. Select SEAT layer. Make paths like this.
72. Have it colored.
73. Select HANDLE layer. Make paths like this.
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74. Add gradient like this.
75. Select TAIL PART 1 layer then TAIL PART 2 layer to make 2 of this.
76. Select MIRROR layer to make a simple mirror like this.
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77. Now we are going to make the brake system.
78. Select REAR BRAKE layer and REAR BRAKE HOSES layer to make these 2.
79. Here are the gradients.
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80. Select FRONT BRAKE layer and make paths like this.
81. Here is how the gradients look.
82. Next, we are going to make the engine.
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83. Select ENGINE layer. And do as below.
84. Now, put all the parts together. We’ve now closer to completing bike. But like the image
shown below, we can see that there’re some hollow areas in our bike. And those areas are
dark. So the solution here is just give them a black color.
85. We will add black color parts in BLACK PARTS_FRONT layer and BLACK PARTS_BACK
layer as below. We don’t care much about the shape of the black parts. They’re just needed
to fill the hollow areas.
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86. Nearly done! Now is the time to add some screws and bolts to make our bike more real.
Select SCREW layer. We will make a screw with 4 ellipses like below, then group all of
them.
87. Then Alt+drag to make several duplicates of a screw. Add them on the bike like this. And
finally we are done.
If this tutorial has helped you, a comment on this tutorial would be highly appreciated.
Thanks for your support!
Visit www.vectordiary.com for more illustrator premium tutorials!
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Draw the Super Bike

5. Select the COVER BODY layer. This is our base shape.

7. Now select all the paths and Alt+click Divide in Pathfinder.

16. Please remember to make your light source from above.

34. Coloring it like this.

Next, select 2 of them, choose Object > Blend > Make.

50. Now we have a new art brush at our Brush Panel.

51. We’ve completed 2 parts of the wheel.

53. Then color it with a dark tone like this.

57. Color it like this.

61. We will work on how to create the shiny metal first.

65. Select STEEL PARTS_BACK layer. Make paths like this.

68. Select BLACK FRAME layer. Make paths like this.

69. Then color it.

71. Select SEAT layer. Make paths like this.

72. Have it colored.

73. Select HANDLE layer. Make paths like this.

76. Select MIRROR layer to make a simple mirror like this.

79. Here are the gradients.

81. Here is how the gradients look.

82. Next, we are going to make the engine.

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