One of my favorite things about Deke is his focus, and by that I mean he gets an idea in his brain and won't let go until he's figured it out. I have a feeling that's what happened the first time he started doing Op Art experiments with Adobe Creative Suite. He focused in on each style, using Photoshop (as in Deke's Techniques 189, known temporarily as Deke's Techniques 105: "Op Art Experiment 1a: Inflated Checkers in Photoshop) or Illustrator as needed. Eventually, he ended up with today's Illustrator technique: an Op Art inspired pattern of undulating lines and hypnotic diamonds. Ironically, as much as it represents the manifestation of Deke's mental focus, it could actually mess with your literal ability to focus your eyes.

But the visual effect is only temporary (I hope). The increase in your powers with Illustrator, however, will be permanent (I also hope). Starting with two sets of curly lines, plus an itinerant diamond shape, Deke duplicates, reflects, joins, blends, and eventually creates a pattern that yields this result. You can then fill an entire shape with your pattern and wow your friends and colleagues with your ability to create perfectly aligned visual mayhem. (You can probably use it to bend them to your will, as well.) 

Along the way, you'll become familiar with these key Illustrator tools, commands, and idiosyncrasies:  Read more » 

Hello, fellow gangsters. This week is remarkable is three regards: First, I'm actually writing my own Deke's Techniques post. (Colleen wrote the last two. But in all fairness, I helped out.) Second, I just today finished recording the last movie in the final course of my four-part Photoshop video opus for lynda.com, which will be titled Photoshop CS6 One-on-One: Mastery. (Lynda doesn't like us making promises, so I can't assure you that it's coming out any time soon. But it is.) And third, in this week's episode of Deke's Techniques, we're back in Illustrator, which I've really been grooving on lately.

I know, you photographers hate it when I visit Illustrator. But in case you haven't received the memo, I'm a graphic artist and I really like to draw. (Did I mention that photographers are sissies because all they do is point and shoot a camera? No I didn't. Which is a good thing because that would've seriously pissed off a lot of people.)

Oh, man, no wonder I don't write more of these things. I'm a liability to myself.

Anywhom, this week, I show you how to create a free-form pattern of size- and color-changing circles inside Illustrator. Which I do by blending between groups, and then grouping those blends, and then blending between those blended groups. Yes, you have to reformat your brain to follow along.

Fortunately, the only thing you have to "draw" is a circle, create a file that measures 612 by 420 points, then make a 43.5-point circle centered at a coordinate location of X: 44, Y: 42. Yowsa, I love this full-on nerd shit.

After that, well, it's all in the video. Spoiler alert: Here's the final size- and color-changing circle pattern, as created in Adobe Illustrator:

And it's all from a single circle! You can draw a circle, right? Well then quit screwing off with your cameras and join in. After all, when you're done, you'll have a piece of art that's worthy of printing on a shower curtain. Try doing that with your high-resolution Ansel Adams homage. Read more »