Deke’s Techniques

Your weekly quick-fix of Deke, with ideas you may inspire or inform your own projects.

Making One Object Blend Effect Cut through Another

Deke shows you how to take letters extruded with Illustrator's object blend effect and make one blend "pass through"another

Creating Letters with Accordion Extrusions in Adobe Illustrator

Deke uses Illustrator's Blend tool to extrude letters accordion-style (think snakes-in-a-can or classic Electric Company graphics).

Making Dead Cells Spring to Life

Deke uses the power of smart objects (in Illustrator) to bring half his Photoshop file back to life.

Creating a Pattern of Shimmering Cells in Adobe Illustrator

Deke grows some colorful cellular matter in Adobe Illustrator, using gradients and a hex pattern.

Exploring Regular Molecule Patterns in Photoshop

Deke dutifly lines up his fake molecules in Photoshop and creates an then blends them into something wild.

Creating Gradient Molecules in Photoshop

Deke uses an old school Photoshop gradient technique to create simulated molecules.

Using Stylistic Sets in Photoshop CC

Deke shows you how to exploit the many colorful stylistic sets in the Trajan Color Concept font.

Introducing Trajan Color Concept

Deke introduces you to Adobe's concept font, Trajan Color, with some tips on how to use it in both Photoshop and Illustrator.

Drawing a Wi-Fi symbol in Adobe Illustrator

Deke demonstrates how to meticulously craft familiar symbols in Adobe Illustrator

Reversing the Direction of Your Optical Illusion

Deke plays with the "direction" of the illusory bent lines of his cafe wall optical illusion project.

Creating a “Magical Checkers” Illusion

Deke takes a crack at dekeConstructing another optical illusion in Adobe Illustrator

Drawing a classic “Cafe Wall” Illusion in Illustrator

Deke recreates a classic optical illusion in Adobe Illustrator, proving these lines are, in fact, straight and parallel.