Things You'll Need:
- Adobe Illustrator CS3
- A desire to try new things
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Step 1
Create New DocumentLaunch Adobe Illustrator and create a new document (⌘-N).
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Step 2
Create and fill a shapeCreate a simple shape. For this example, a rectangle will suffice. Fill the rectangle with the color of your choice. In this example, it will be black.
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Step 3
Add the Scribble effectTo give the rectangle an interesting texture and look, select it and use the "Scribble" tool found in the "Effects" section of the Illustrator menu bar.
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Step 4
Adjust your Scribble settingsIn the settings window that appears, tweak the Scribble effect parameter to your liking. Check the "Preview" box to see your adjustments as they are made. I find the "Moire" effect to be very interesting effect to use as a starting point.
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Step 5
Once you've adjusted the scribble effect to your satisfaction, click on the "Type" tool in the Illustrator toolbar and create some text. In this example, the word "MASK" was entered using a bold font and the word was sized to cover a large portion of the scribbled rectangle. The text should be on top of the rectangle, not below. Use the "Bring to Front" feature found in the "Arrange" section of the "Object" menu to make certain.
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Step 6
Your first mask!With the rectangle and the text both selected, go to the "Object" menu bar option and choose "Make" in the "Clipping Mask" option.
Enjoy your first mask!














Comments
Cherrie said
on 1/8/2009 I wished you could tell the same for Windows. Beutiful article
maestro83 said
on 1/8/2009 I remember learning about this in college...I hated illustrator. lol good article!
chava812 said
on 12/28/2008 What IS a clipping mask (maybe the article was too advanced for me, but I want to learn, I do I do!!)?
StacyP said
on 12/7/2008 It's been awhile since I used Illustrator on a regular basis and my skills are so rusty. Thanks for the info!
JoyNmyHeart said
on 10/29/2008 Great video! Thanks for the useful article!