From the course: Deke's Techniques (2018-2021)

808 Making your star a repeating hex pattern

From the course: Deke's Techniques (2018-2021)

808 Making your star a repeating hex pattern

I'll go ahead and switch over to the document so far where the 24 sided star is currently rendered in negative space, and then I'll go ahead and turn on my guide's layer once again, and if it bugs you that this text is kind of covered up, you can move it out of the way. and we're going to do that very simply using the pen tool, and notice that the miter limit is cranked all the way up to ten, which is why I'm getting this very sharp miter joint. To get rid of it, just go ahead, and switch to bevel joint is going to work out best for this project, and then I'll go ahead and press the escape key in order to dismiss that panel. Alright, I want the fill to match so I'll go ahead and click on this first color swatch up here in the control panel, and change it to that shame shade of blue. Alright, now we need to draw another path outline here using the pen tool, and so I'll go ahead and grab the pen which you can get by pressing the P key, and you don't want to click anywhere on this active path outline, 'cause if you do, you run the risk of either deleting or adding a point. So start over here, let's say, and click, and then click at the center of the art board right there, and click at this location up here and then go ahead and close the path outline like so. Alright, now go ahead and press the V key to switch back to the black arrow tool. Click on that path outline to select the entire thing, and change the fill to this light shade of blue that begins R equal 41. Alright, now I'll press the escape key to dismiss that panel. Alright now go ahead and partially marquee these two new shapes right here so that they're both selected, and then switch to the rotate tool which you can get by pressing the R key, and you want to alt or option click at the intersection of those two center guides right there in order to bring up the rotate dialogue box, turn on the preview checkbox so you can see what you're doing and change the angle value to 60 degrees and then press the tab key, and you'll see those shapes rotate like so, and then click copy in order to copy those shapes, and now duplicate 'em by pressing control D or command D on the Mac over and over again until you complete that star like so. Alright, now it's time to create the pattern, but before we visit the pattern editor, I want you to remember these values right here. They're going to prove essential. So we have a width of 400 points. You will be so glad you did in just a moment. Alright, one other thing I want you to note here. I'm going to turn off the drawing layer so you can see the shape of the hexagon. It's got a flat top and a flat bottom, and that will also become very important in just a moment. Alright, so I'm going to turn off the guides, I'm going to turn on the drawing layer, and with my black arrow tool, I'll go ahead marquee all of the shapes like so, and now you want to go up to the Object menu, choose Pattern, and then choose Make. Now you'll probably get this alert message that's telling you that a new pattern 400 points, and then tab to the height value and press control V or command V on the Mac in order to paste in 346.41 and then press the tab key and it fits together perfectly. After which point, you are done. That's all there is to it, and so just imagine, if you didn't know this information, you'd have to just hunt and peck along until you found something worked, and that would be no good. Anyway, we're done. So I'm going to click the done button up here at the top of the screen, and we now have a new hex pattern called simple star. Alright, let's see how it works. I'll go ahead and zoom out a little bit so that we can see the bleed, and I'm going to create a new layer by dropping down to the little page icon at the bottom of the layers pattern and alt or option clicking on it in order to force the display in order to force the display of the layer options dialogue box. of the layer options dialogue box. I'll call this guy pattern, I'll call this guy pattern, and I'll change the color to something that's not gross and I'll change the color to something that's not gross like bright green such as gold, like bright green such as gold, and then I'll click okay. and then I'll click okay. Alright, you can go ahead Alright, you can go ahead and turn off the drawing layer now, and turn off the drawing layer now, and then grab the rectangle tool from the shape tool and then grab the rectangle tool from the shape tool fly out menu and trace along fly out menu and trace along the entire bleed boundary like so. the entire bleed boundary like so. Alright, I am not looking for a stroke this time around, Alright, I am not looking for a stroke this time around, so I'll set my stroke to none, so I'll set my stroke to none, and I am looking to fill the rectangle and I am looking to fill the rectangle with the new tile pattern, and so I'll go ahead with the new tile pattern, and so I'll go ahead and click on that first swatch and click on that first swatch and select simple star like so. and select simple star like so. Alright, now I'll zoom back in. Alright, now I'll zoom back in. It's looking pretty big at this point It's looking pretty big at this point which is why I suggest you scale it which is why I suggest you scale it although virtually is the best way to work. although virtually is the best way to work. By going up to the Edit menu By going up to the Edit menu and choosing appearance to bring up the appearance panel and choosing appearance to bring up the appearance panel and then go ahead and click on this fill item right there and then go ahead and click on this fill item right there and go up to the Effect menu, and go up to the Effect menu, choose Distort and Transform, and choose Transform, choose Distort and Transform, and choose Transform, and then change both the first values to 50%, like so, and then change both the first values to 50%, like so, and turn on the preview check box and turn on the preview check box and you will see the rectangle shrink. and you will see the rectangle shrink. That's not what we want. That's not what we want. So turn off transform objects So turn off transform objects so that you're only transforming the patterns. so that you're only transforming the patterns. You also have the option of rotating the pattern You also have the option of rotating the pattern if you like. So you could change the angle value if you like. So you could change the angle value to 15 degrees for example, and then click okay. to 15 degrees for example, and then click okay. Now that rotation is going to make the pattern look choppy. Now that rotation is going to make the pattern look choppy. It's not really jagged like this. It's not really jagged like this. It's just not previewing properly. It's just not previewing properly. If you want a smoother preview, If you want a smoother preview, then go to the View menu and choose Preview on CPU, then go to the View menu and choose Preview on CPU, and you will see things get much smoother. and you will see things get much smoother. After which point, I'll press control shift A After which point, I'll press control shift A or command shift A on a Mac to deselect my artwork, or command shift A on a Mac to deselect my artwork, and that is how you turn your 24 sided star and that is how you turn your 24 sided star into a perfectly seamlessly repeating hex pattern. into a perfectly seamlessly repeating hex pattern. So far, our 24 sided star pattern features So far, our 24 sided star pattern features flat solid color fills, but wouldn't it be great flat solid color fills, but wouldn't it be great if we were to add some shading? if we were to add some shading? If you're a member of LinkedIn Learning, If you're a member of LinkedIn Learning, I have a follow up movie in which we do exactly that. I have a follow up movie in which we do exactly that. If you're looking forward to next week If you're looking forward to next week which I'm not by the way, which I'm not by the way, because I like to live in the moment, because I like to live in the moment, I'll show you how to turn your repeating tile pattern I'll show you how to turn your repeating tile pattern into a gradient. into a gradient. Deke's Techniques each and every week. Deke's Techniques each and every week. Keep watching. Keep watching.

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