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TECHNIQUE TECHNIQUE
01_ We begin by opening up the file and then
turning on the Perspective Grids. Simply clicking
on the Perspective Grid Tool can turn on the grid.
This will automatically bring up a default, twopoint
perspective grid on the page (there can only
be one grid per document).
04_ Now we’re ready to put the walls of the
candy shop into proper perspective. This is
accomplished using the Perspective Selection
Tool, located as a pop-out under the Perspective
Grid Tool.
05_ With the Perspective Grid Tool active,
choose which of the three planes you want my
art to pop into. You can use the Perspective Grid
Widget, which shows up in the top left corner of
the document when the Perspective Grid is in
use. Note that double-clicking on the Perspective
Selection Tool and changing its position from the
dialog box that comes up can move the widget.
Here, I clicked on the right panel in the widget so
that the front side of my store snapped into that
plane’s perspective. Note that the panels on the
widget are color-coded to match the planes of the
perspective grid.
06_ Next, select the artwork with the Perspective
Selection Tool and drag it into place along the
right side of the grid. Note that Illustrator will only
show you a wireframe box for the graphic while
you are dragging, then will render out the artwork
in perspective once you drop it in place.
02_ To adjust the settings or change the
perspective from two-point to one or three-point,
go to View>Perspective Grid. From there you have
access to all of the Perspective Grid settings, and
can even save a customized grid as a preset.
03_ You can also adjust the settings of the grid
manually by using the access points on the grid
itself. These include the ground level line (A), eye
level line (B), as well as the points to adjust
the three planes of the grid (C). There is also the
access point to control the size of the grid cells
(D), the length of the grid (E) and the height (F).
Here, you should take a moment to set the grid the
way you want it using these control points.
07_ After that is completed, click on the left
plane of the Perspective Widget, and then use the
Perspective Selection Tool to move the side of the
artwork into place.
10_ To finish the sign, click on the bottom plane
of the widget and then draw a rectangle along the
top to give it depth.
08_ Next we’ll put the sign into perspective in front
of the store. Here, we choose the right panel on the
widget and use the Perspective Selection Tool to
place the sign in front of the store. Notice that the
sign does not have to be on the visible grid itself.
When you have the Perspective Grid on, the entire
document lives in perspective. In fact, you have to
go to View>Perspective Grid>Hide Grid to draw
anything basic shape that is NOT in perspective.
11_ Now that the candy shop is done, I added in
a few other buildings. Again, use the different
panels on the widget to snap pre-drawn, flat
elements into the proper perspective planes. Use
the Perspective Selection Tool to both place and
scale the additional buildings sides in perspective.
09_ In order to give the sign depth, click on
the left panel of the perspective widget and
then draw rectangles for the side of the sign
and the post. When drawing basic shapes with
the perspective grid on, everything is put in the
perspective of whatever plane you have chosen
on the widget.
12_ The final perspective work is to draw two shapes
for the street using both the left and right planes
of the grid. Here, I overlapped them slightly, then
using the Pathfinder Palette (Window>Pathfinder),
choose “Unite” to merge them into one shape. I send
that shape to the back (Object>Arrange>Send to
Back) and now I have my road.
13_ Lastly, I choose View>Perspective Grid>Hide
Grid to turn off the grid and do some simple
background illustrations of sky, clouds, and grass
to complete the illustration.
CONCLUSION_ All in all, the new Perspective
Grid feature in Adobe CS5 will be a wonderful tool
for environmental graphic design work, isometric
illustrations and architectural renderings, and for
those, like myself, for whom perspective is not a
strong suit. It takes a bit of practice, but creates
some really impressive results.
76 artistikmagazine.com | WINTER 2011
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