How to Create Wood Texture Using Adobe Illustrator

This Illustrator tutorial will show you how, if you wish to create wood texture/grain patterns in Adobe Illustrator.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Adobe Illustrator, any version
• PC MS Windows O.S., preferably any version of XP or Vista

1. Start with a new file. Use the Rectangle Tool on your tool bar and draw a thin rectangle.

2. 
    
   Row of stripes

   Using the Selection Tool drag it to create a line at the bottom. Repeat this step by pressing Ctrl + D to create a row of stripes.

3. Right click mouse and choose Select All. Go to Object > Transform > Transform Each. Enter the values or use the slider to adjust the stripes to your liking. Enable the Random option to give stripes a random height.

4. 
    
   Warp Tool settings

   Choose the Warp Tool on your tool box. You can use the image settings as guide. To distort the stripes giving it a more natural look, take your Warp Tool and brush through the lines in one and horizontal direction.

5. 
    
   Random lines

   Image after applying the Warp Tool settings and painting over with the Warp Tool brush.

6. 
    
   Twirl Tool

   Choose the Twirl Tool on your tool box. Double click to change the settings to your preference. Use medium to medium-small sized brush(es) to apply twirl on the grain. To do this, just click on different areas on the stripes. Remember not to press and rest the brush for too long on any area as it will over-distort the stripes.
   
   You can change the brush size in the middle of your work for the Twirl Tool by holding down together the Alt + Shift keys.

7. 
    
   Plucker Tool

   Click on the Plucker Tool. Make your settings in the Plucker Tool. We pucker different sections of the stripes to make the irregular contract stripes.

8. If you wish to make the stripes thinner, select all the stripes and squeeze the spaces between the strips by using the Transform Tool.

9. Select all the stripes and fill it with brown color. Draw a lighter brown shade rectangle with your Pen tool and send it to the back (a layer behind).

10. Copy the light brown colored rectangle by pressing Ctrl + C, and then press paste Ctrl + F to paste it to the front.
    
    To crop away the uneven and unaligned edges, right click and choose "Select All" on the drop-down list. Right click again to choose "Make Clipping Path". This will crop away the edges.
    
    Your wood texture is ready.