Tutorial: Creating Perfect Patterns in Illustrator CS4

On 12.04.08, In Illustration, by Joseph

This is how you do it in illustrator without buying software. You don’t have to buy a plug-in that’s expensive! do it yourself! Its very easy so for those of you interested take a second and try it:
1. First off, load up illustrator search illustrator in the top left and click on the drop down [...]

1. First off, load up illustrator search illustrator in the top left and click on the drop down menu for ‘preferences’ —> guides and grids

2. In that menu fill in Gridline every: 10px, and 1 for subdivisions.

3. go to view turn on grid, and snap to grid.

4. create a box that is 120 x 120 px make sure it is exact and is lined up with the grid.

5. Create an object or load one up. when its completed make sure you mathmatically purportion it to 120. so 20×20 / 40×40 / 60×60 all work. For the sake of exercise make the object 40×40.

6. put the object in the center of the box by lining it up vertically and horizontally with the box behind it.

7. duplicate the object and place it in the top left hand corner. make sure that the object is centered at the top left point. repeat this for all 4 corners.

8. take the objects all 5 of them now and go to the path finder tool and mesh them together as one piece hit expand and then….

9. create a 400×400 box it doesnt matter what color and then duplicate the orignal 120×120 box and put it ontop of the 400×400 box and center it.

10. use the path finder tool to cut the 120×120 box out of the 400×400 box and then take that 400×400 box and place it over your stars. crop them.

11. take the newly cropped pattern box and place select it with the black arrow and drag it into your swatch book.

12. create any kind of sized object and click on the fill swatch and your done.

Extra
13. Also if you want to rotate that middle image 30 degrees or something. you will have to resize the image to 40×40 pixels because when you rotate the axis width will grow or shrink.