How to Make Motifs in Illustrator

Use Illustrator to create a motif by drawing a simple pattern with one of the program's drawing tools, then duplicating that pattern in different ways. Motifs can take on an infinite variety of shapes. Take the time to explore many of these to discover those that resonate with your design instincts. To develop greater proficiency in using Illustrator for motif design, thoroughly learn the commands under the program's "Transform" tool category. These commands let you move, scale and perform other transformations on your original pattern.

Instructions

1. Click the paintbrush icon from the tool palette, then drag on the canvas to make a short, easily recognizable shape like a zigzag. Or, make a shape that resembles a common typographic symbol, such as a letter of the alphabet or a number. A backward "S" is an example of such a graphic.

2. Press "Control" and "C" simultaneously, then press "Control" and "V" simultaneously to make a duplicate of the graphic, then click the black arrow icon from the tool palette to run the "Selection" tool.

3. Drag the duplicate so it connects to the original graphic. It's often more visually pleasing to connect the duplicate so that its lines flow smoothly with the lines from the original. For example, if you're connecting a duplicated "S" to another "S," join the top point of one of the shapes with the bottom of the other shape. Make the arcs of each shape flow smoothly from one to another.

4. Repeat step three's instruction to create a linear chain whose elements are the original graphic.

5. Use step two's instructions to duplicate the chain and paste it above or below the first chain. However, use the "Selection" tool as described in step two to position the duplicate so its elements do not align vertically or horizontally with the first chain. This action prevents the motif from becoming too static and mechanical.

6. Make several more rows of the original chain using the instructions in step five. You can make every other chain align with each other, or continue staggering the chains as just described.

7. Create a duplicate of the original chain, then run the "Selection" tool. Drag outside the bounding box to rotate the chain slightly, then drag the box's center to make the duplicate's top point overlap the top point of the first chain. This creates the beginning of a radial motif, such as a flower's blossoming petals.

8. Repeat step seven to create additional chains, each rotated more than the previous one. This will produce a circulate disk with the original chain as the motif.

9. Run the "Selection" tool, then click a chain to select it. Right click the chain, and click "Transform," followed by "Reflect." Click "OK" on the dialog box that appears to create a mirror image of the original chain. Position the mirror using the instructions from step five.

References

• "Illustrator CS5 Bible"; Ted Alspach; 2010
• "Design Basics"; David Lauer; 2007