Mastering mesh
With a background in painting, sculpture and 3D imaging, Ivan Torres knew that the Gradient-mesh tool in Adobe® Illustrator® would allow him to paint in a powerfully unique way. In creating this fish illustration, he demonstrates how, unlike any other medium, the mesh allows him to move a stroke of color without changing the relationship between colors.
Illustration copyright © 2004 by Ivan Torres. May not be reproduced without permission.
1. Creating the fish’s body.
Create a solid-filled oval; while it’s selected, choose Object > Create Gradient Mesh. Set fairly high numbers for rows and columns; for his fish (shown above at about 30% actual size) Torres set 17 rows, 35 columns. Set Flat for Appearance, 100% Highlight and click OK.
The original oval
Next, to make the base for the fish’s stripes, you’ll need to create an irregular pattern within the mesh. With the Direct Selection tool, select anchor points and delete—the connected rows and columns will be deleted along with the points. Torres deleted 8 columns and 10 rows.
The mesh created; after selecting points and deleting to create a pattern in the mesh
Tip: Marquee horizontal anchor points with the Direct-selection tool. For even more selection control, try working in Outline mode, disable Use Area Select in Preferences > General, or select points using the Lasso tool.
With horizontal rows of points selected (make sure you are now in Preview mode), mix or choose new colors in the Colors palette (use View > Hide/Show Edges to hide/show selection edges). Torres horizontally selected sections of the mesh, changing colors to create a sense of volume.
Recoloring selected rows and columns using the Color palette and the Adjust Colors filter
Tip: For more subtle color transitions, select an area and choose Filter > Colors > Adjust Colors to adjust the color cast of your selection. Carefully Direct-select points and reposition them to form the fish body.
2. Making the fish’s tail and fins.
Create several colored rectangles and ovals. Again, convert each object to a gradient mesh, but assign a low value for columns. Direct-select sections of each object and use the Adjust Color Filter to create gradual changes in tone (use C-Option-E (Mac)/Ctrl-Alt-E (Win) to reopen the last-used filter). Direct-select points on the objects and adjust them to form tail and fin shapes. Move each object into a separate layer for easy editing.
Creating the fish’s tail
