Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
PUTNAM
Ryan Putnam
Graphic designer Ryan Putnam turned type and paths into neon tubing
using Illustrator's Appearance panel and gradients on strokes in this
professional portfolio piece. Putnam began by drawing a semi-circle and
setting the type for “CONES” on it. Then he selected the Type tool and
double-clicked the type to select its characters. He opened the Appearance
panel and changed the Fill to None. Next, Putnam clicked on the Selection
tool to select the type as an object. From the Appearance panel menu, he
chose Add New Stroke and set the new Stroke to 2 pt. To create the
gradient for the stroke, he opened the Gradient panel, then changed the
Type attribute to Radial and the Stroke attribute to “Apply gradient across
stroke.” Putnam modified the default gradient, making the left color stop
white with 10% opacity and the right color stop white with 0% opacity. He
duplicated the stroke three times and edited each duplicate, changing the
colors in the gradients. For two of the duplicates, Putnam clicked the word
Opacity (below the Stroke in the Appearance panel) and changed the
blending mode to Overlay on one and Multiply on the other. He offset the
bottom stroke slightly from the others by clicking the Add New Effect icon,
selecting Distort & Transform> Transform, and entering 5 pt in the Move>
