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How to Create Chevron in Illustrator

How to Make Chevron in Illustrator 5 Simple Quick Easy Steps with Video Tutorial

In today’s tutorial, I’ll be showing you 5 easy steps to make a chevron pattern in Adobe Illustrator.

You can watch the full video below, or scroll down for written directions.

You don’t need the pen tool to create chevron in Illustrator, and this is good news, my friends! Why?  Because it is notoriously difficult to get things perfectly straight, equidistant, and symmetrical with the pen tool. In fact, the pen tool is known to induce headaches. Seriously.

So how will we make perfect chevron without it?

To create a chevron pattern, we’ll use a combination of the Line Segment Tool, the Zig Zag Effect, and the Blend Tool.

For this tutorial I’m using Illustrator Creative Cloud (which is a fancy way of saying that I’m using a cloud-based Illustrator with all the latest & greatest features), but creating chevron is a simple process that you can do in any version of Illustrator. Depending on which version you’re using, it may take you a few additional steps. Also remember that certain tools or features might be located in slightly different places.

How to Create Chevron Pattern in Illustrator

How to Create Chevron in Illustrator Step #1: Draw out two straight lines

In the toolbar, choose the Line Segment Tool. Hold down the Shift key while you drag out a line to keep it perfectly straight/level.

How to Make Chevron in Illustrator Step 1 drag out a straight line

After you have your line, make sure it’s selected and hold down Shift + Alt (Option) to drag out an identical line. Drag it to the bottom of your artboard. Now you have one at the top and one below. Next we’ll make them zig-zags.

How to Make Chevron in Illustrator Step 2 Drag an identical line to the bottom of your art board

How to Create Chevron in Illustrator Step #2: Create the zig zag shape

With both lines selected, from the top menu bar, choose Effect > Distort & Transform > Zig Zag. Make sure Preview is checked so you can see how the settings are affecting your lines.

How to Make Chevron in Illustrator Step 3 Choose Effect > Distort & Transform > Zig Zag” class=”wp-image-1255″/></figure> <figure class=How to Make Chevron in Illustrator Step 4 adjust the size and ridges per segment to create zig zag lines
  • Size affects the height of the line.
  • Ridges per Segment will give us more or fewer zig-zags.
  • Make sure Corner is selected; otherwise you’ll have wavy lines.

Play around with the settings until you like what you see, then click OK.

At this stage, if you want the lines to be heavier or thinner, you can adjust the stroke up or down until you reach the desired thickness.

How to Create Chevron in Illustrator Step #3: Create the chevron pattern

Now we’re going to fill up the space between our top and bottom line with more zig-zags to create the chevron pattern. This is simple to do using the Blend Tool.

In the top menu bar, choose Object > Blend > Blend Options.

Edit your blend options. Object > Blend > Blend Options to fill in the chevron pattern.” class=”wp-image-1257″/></figure> <figure class=Adjust your blend options.

In the Blend Options Menu, choose Specified Steps from the Spacing drop-down menu, and for Orientation: Align to Page.

The number you put into the box will be how many chevrons appear between the top and bottom line. For my chevron pattern, I entered 20, but don’t worry. You can always go back and edit this later.

Press OK. Don’t worry— your pattern will not appear yet. To fill in the pattern, go again to Object > Blend > Make

Choose Object > Blend > Make to create the chevron pattern” class=”wp-image-1259″/></figure> <figure class=Once the chevron pattern has generated you can easily make adjustments

How to Create Chevron in Illustrator Step #4: Adjust the Chevron pattern

Now you can use your Direct Selection Tool to fine-tune your chevron pattern. To change the distance between each line, click on the bottom line and hold the Shift key (to keep it straight) while you drag up and down until it looks exactly how you want it. Add to or subtract from the number of chevrons by returning to Blend Options and adjusting the number you typed in the field in Step #3.

Use your direct selection tool in illustrator to drag the bottom line up and down, and notice how the space between the lines changes.

How to Create Chevron in Illustrator Step #5: Change Colors & Make Final Adjustments

Make final adjustments by changing the color of your Chevron or changing the stroke to make the lines thicker or thinner. Any changes you make will apply the same effect to all chevrons in the pattern.

You can adjust the stroke or change the number of chevrons in your pattern. any change you make will affect the whole pattern

That’s it!

If you enjoyed this tutorial, be sure to follow my Wondernote Youtube Channel, where I create graphic design tutorials using Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop & more.

Check out more of my Tutorials:

How to Create Ric-Rac in Illustrator

make rice rac wavy lines in adobe illustrator in 5 easy steps tutorial with written instructions photos and video In today’s tutorial, I’ll be showing you how to make ric rac, or wavy lines, in 5 easy steps using Adobe Illustrator.

You can watch the full video below, or scroll down for written directions.

The good news is creating wavy lines in Illustrator doesn’t require the pen tool at all. If you’ve ever tried to use the pen tool to create perfectly symmetrical wavy lines, you probably couldn’t achieve it. And if you did, you probably ripped out most of your hair along the way.

To achieve wavy ric rac lines, we’ll be using a combination of the Line Segment Tool and the powerful Zig Zag Effect in the Distort & Transform menu bar.

In this tutorial, I’m using Illustrator Creative Cloud (which is a fancy way of saying that I’m using a cloud-based Illustrator with all the latest & greatest features), but creating wavy lines is a basic process that you can easily recreate in older versions of Illustrator. Keep in mind that depending on which version you’re using, it may require a few additional steps. Certain tools or features might be located in slightly different places as well.

How to Create Ric Rac (Wavy Lines) in Illustrator

How to Create Ric Rac in Illustrator Step #1: Draw out a straight line

In the toolbar, choose the Line Segment Tool. Hold down the Shift key while you drag out a line. Holding shift keeps it perfectly level.

Make Ric Rac in Adobe Illustrator in 5 easy steps by using the line segment tool
Make Ric Rac in Adobe Illustrator in 5 easy steps draw out a line with the line segment tool

How to Create Ric Rac in Illustrator Step #2: Create Waves

In the top menu bar, choose Effect > Distort & Transform > Zig Zag. Make sure Preview is checked so you can adjust the waves to your liking.

Make Ric Rac in Adobe Illustrator in 5 easy steps effect distort & transform zig zag
  • Size affects the height of the line.
  • Ridges per Segment will give us more or fewer waves.
  • To round the waves, select Smooth (rather than Corner).

Play around with the settings until you like what you see, then click Ok.

Make Ric Rac in Adobe Illustrator in 5 easy steps by adjust the size and ridges per segment

 

How to Create Ric Rac in Illustrator Step #3: Adjust the Thickness of the Ric Rac

Using the Selection Tool (keyboard shortcut: V), you can adjust the stroke up or down until you reach the desired thickness.

Make Ric Rac in Adobe Illustrator in 5 easy steps by choosing rounded versus corner to make waves

How to Create Ric Rac in Illustrator Step #4: Drag out More Ric Rac

If you want more than one wavy line, with the Selection Tool, click the line while holding Shift + Alt (Option).

If you want to create more lines that are the same distance apart, a quick shortcut is to press Command (Control) + D

Make Ric Rac in Adobe Illustrator in 5 easy steps by holding down command or control and D you can drag out even more lines an equal distance apart

How to Create Ric Rac in Illustrator Step #5: Change Colors & Make Final Adjustments

Select each line individually to change the color according to your liking.

With the line (or lines) selected, you can also return to Effect > Distort & Transform > Zig Zag to make adjustments to the number of ridges or the height of your ric rac.

Make Ric Rac in Adobe Illustrator in 5 easy steps you can change the color of each line individually

That’s it!

make ric rac wavy lines in adobe illustrator in five simple steps video tutorial and written directions with pictures

If you enjoyed this tutorial, be sure to follow my Wondernote Youtube Channel, where I create graphic design tutorials using Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop & more.

Be sure to check out more of my Illustrator & Photoshop Tutorials:

How to Create a Heart in Illustrator

make a perfect heart in illustrator in 5 easy stepsIn this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to make a perfect heart in Adobe Illustrator in 5 easy steps. ♥

You can watch the full video below, or scroll down for written directions.

The best part of this how-to is we won’t be using the pen tool at all! And trust me, that’s good news, folks. Because I don’t know about you — but in my past I tried countless times to make a perfect heart using the pen tool. It isn’t impossible, but it nearly is. And by the time you achieve it, you’ll have a few more gray hairs on your head than when you started.

To achieve a perfect heart, we’ll be using a combination of the Rectangle Tool and the powerful Pathfinder Tool.

In this tutorial, I’m using Illustrator Creative Cloud (which is a fancy way of saying that I’m using a cloud-based Illustrator with all the latest & greatest features), but creating shapes like this one is a basic process that you can recreate easily in older versions of Illustrator. Keep in mind that depending on which version you’re using, it may require a few additional steps. Certain tools or features might be located in slightly different places as well.

How to Create a Perfect Heart in Adobe Illustrator

Make a Heart in Illustrator Step #1: Draw out a rounded rectangle.

In your toolbar, click and hold down on the little corner of your rectangle tool to select the rounded rectangle tool and draw out a shape that is longer/wider than it is tall.

Make a Heart: Draw out a Rounded Rectangle in Illustrator

 

Make a Heart in Adobe Illustrator Step #2: Round out the Corners of your rectangle.

With your shape still selected, In the top toolbar, bump the corner radius all the way up until your corners are as round as they can be.

Make a Heart: Adjust the Corner Radius of the Rectangle in Illustrator

Make a Heart in Adobe Illustrator Step #3: Rotate your shape 45 degrees.

Press “V” on your keyboard as a shortcut, or click on the Selection Tool in your tool bar.

Click on your shape and hold down Shift as you drag down with the mouse to rotate the shape 45 degrees. You can rotate it more or less depending on your preferences.

Make a Heart: Rotate the Shape 45 degrees in Illustrator

 

Make a Heart in Adobe Illustrator Step #4: Rotate & Copy The Shape, adjust depth of the “V”

In the top menu bar, choose Object > Transform > Reflect. Make sure that Vertical is selected and click Copy.

Make a Heart: Transform and Copy the Shape in Illustrator

You can probably  see the heart shape already. Depending on how shallow or deep you want that dip or “V” for your heart, you can hold shift (which will keep everything at the same height) and drag the shapes closer together or further apart, like so:

Make a Heart: Adjust the Placement of overlapping V in Illustrator

 

Make a Heart in Adobe Illustrator Step #5: Divide & Unite with the Pathfinder Tool to Shape our Heart.

If you don’t see your Pathfinder Toolbar on the screen, in the top menu bar,  choose Window > Pathfinder. The pathfinder tool will appear.

Make a Heart: Select the Pathfinder Tool in Illustrator

Using your Selection Tool (keyboard shortcut: V), click down & drag your mouse over both shapes to select them.

First, from your Pathfinder tool, choose Divide. This literally divides our overlapping shapes into 5 separate pieces.

Make a Heart: Divide with the Pathfinder Tool in Illustrator

Using the Direct Selection Tool (keyboard shortcut: A), delete the two bottom pieces you don’t want, like so:

Make a Heart: Delete Extra Pieces from Heart Shape in Illustrator

Select the three remaining shapes. In the pathfinder tool, choose Unite.

Make a Heart: Unite the 3 Remaining Shapes into a Heart with the Pathfinder Tool in Illustrator

Voila! You have a perfect heart every time.

Make a Heart in Illustrator: Change the Color of the Heart

 

If you enjoyed this tutorial, be sure to follow my Wondernote Youtube Channel, where I create graphic design tutorials using Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop & more.

Be sure to check out more of my Illustrator & Photoshop Tutorials:

6 Ways to Boost Creativity Fast

easy ways to boost creativity fast

Feeling uninspired?

About as creative as a straight line?

Feeling as if nothing is new? Like it’s all been done before..

You’re not alone. In a world of perfectly curated social media accounts, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. With the stroke of a key we can be staring into the eyes of the Mona Lisa. In a mouse-click, we’re overlooking the Grand Canyon. The internet has given us instant access to all the creative beauty in this world, and yet, we’ve never felt so uninspired!

And if you’re a blogger, designer, or content creator, you know that’s a problem. Content doesn’t create itself. Clients won’t wait around for your next stroke of genius. So what can you do when you’re feeling stuck?

Here are 6 easy ways you can boost your creativity, and fast!

Easy Way to Boost Creativity #1: Unplug.

The internet is amazing. A simple mouse click can transport you to almost anywhere in the world. Maybe you’ve never been to Paris in real life, but you’ve visited the Eiffel Tower from your cubicle a dozen times. Google Maps is cool like that.

But did you hear the violinist as you strolled through Champ de Mars? Were your tastebuds delighted as you bit into a buttery pain au chocolat? Did a loving arm wrap around your shoulder as you stood staring at the twinkling tower on a warm summer evening? ..Are you catching my drift?

The internet offers cheap thrills. Experiences that leave us wanting more and never truly satisfied. Sometimes the best thing we can do is unplug from it all.

Peel yourself away from the never ending stream of pristine homes and white-washed flat lays; they’ll be there when you get back, I promise. Instead, spend some time admiring the beauty of something tangible. Something that can give back. Feel its weight in your hands. Close your eyes and breathe it in. Ignite your senses!

Easy Way to Boost Creativity #2: Clean Your Desk or Work Area.

And now that you’ve unplugged, how many of us creative types are guilty of living and working in organized chaos? Sure, we know the important paper we need for Monday’s meeting is in that basket. It’s buried under a month’s worth of take-out receipts. And the tax document is in the “important papers pile”, aka papers we have no clue what to do with. Oh, don’t mind the leaning tower of file folders. If it’s in a file, that means it’s organized, right? Hah!

In fact, a cluttered space is a constant reminder of all the unfinished business. And unfinished business is stressful. And stress is a creativity killer.

You’ll sleep better when there’s not a pile of dishes in the sink. Your mind can relax knowing there isn’t unfinished work waiting tomorrow morning. And you’ll create better when you come into a clean workspace each day.

Don’t close the door on a pile of disorganized papers, random receipts & unlabeled folders for another day. If you don’t know where to start, a simple rule is this: a place for everything and everything in its place. When you find an organizational system that works for you, the creative juices are guaranteed to flow better.

 

Easy Way to Boost Creativity #3: Get Moving!

One of my favorite ways to boost creativity — and for me, the fastest — is to take a quick walk! If you can’t get to stepping, then do some quick stretching in your seat. Or have a mini dance party in your cubicle. Heck, stand up and then sit back down in your chair for 10 reps. Whatever it takes to get the blood pumping.

There’s something about taking my eyes off the screen and getting my body moving that gets my best ideas flowing. And when you head out, even if it’s only for five minutes, never forget your phone. Why? Because the next tip for boosting creativity is..


Easy Way to Boost Creativity #4: Write everything down!

You never know when a good idea is going to strike. So get used to carrying a journal or phone where you can jot them down before you forget. The Notes App on an iPhone works well for this. However, if you’re like me– your most creative ideas seem to come while you’re on the-go. You’re walking or you’re driving when suddenly you’ve thought up the whole first paragraph for a blog post. And when this happens, I recommend using a Voice Recording App on your smartphone. iPhones have one built in.

Don’t forget to keep a regular journal on top of this. Sometimes you need to explore a topic over time and in-depth the way only honest journaling can. Good ideas build on one another, so the more time you spend exploring a topic on paper, the closer you get to your greatest creative epiphany yet.


Easy Way to Boost Creativity #5: Stop Comparing.

You’ve heard the saying Comparison is the thief of joy. But have you heard Comparison is the thief of creativity? If your first instinct upon beginning a new project  is to see how everyone else is doing it, well.. STOP. RIGHT. THERE.

Don’t you dare type anything into Google. Remove the temptation to mimic what someone else is doing. Log out of Instagram. Turn off your iPhone. Be present with yourself and your own creativity.

Ask yourself deep, intentional questions about your new project. What do you hope to achieve? Who will this benefit? What tools do you need? How long will it take? Etc. After you’ve reflected on these questions, don’t immediately open Google or Instagram for research purposes, either. Get a pen and paper. Make an outline. Write some more until you have a full-blown plan. Take your creativity into your own hands!

 

Easy Way to Boost Creativity #6: Do Literally Anything Else.

If you’ve been trying to solve a problem but haven’t made any progress in hours or even days, it’s probably time to take a break. Note: this does not mean throw in the towel. You may be too close to the situation to see the problem, and if you can’t see the problem, you certainly won’t see a solution. It’s okay if you need to take a whole day (or two week) hiatus. But if you have no time to lose…

A twenty minute break might be all you need to get your creative groove back. During your break, don’t allow yourself to think of the problem at all. Do the dishes. Call a friend. Try a meditation app. You’ll return to the project refreshed, re-inspired, and able to look at things from a whole new perspective.


While these tips should boost creativity instantly, don’t forget to be consistent. Let me know if these tips work for you or how you feel after you’ve given them a try.

Do you know strategies that work better? Feel free to share them with me in a comment or email.

 

Want more?

Read my Best Tips for Choosing a Blog Topic and Download my FREE Worksheet: Find Your Niche.

Want to learn Graphic Design using Adobe Illustrator & Photoshop? Check out my Tutorials:

How To Decide What to Blog About

How to Decide What to Blog About

Want to know a secret?

It took me 10 years to figure out what to blog about.

That’s right. 10 years! 10 years spent launching numerous different blogs, and all of them failed until Wondernote — the blog you’re reading right now. So what changed?

 

Why all my old blogs failed

 

Prior to Wondernote, I wanted to blog about sooo many different things. Every time I tried to pick just one topic, I would immediately think of an idea for something in a different topic to write about. Having only one topic felt limiting! After all, I had so many interests and ideas I wanted to share. Maybe you have a lot of interests or passions also. Some of mine include:

  • Fitness
  • Healthy eating
  • Weight loss
  • Shopping
  • Beauty
  • Design
  • Home decor
  • Travel
  • Photography

 

And I still love all those things, but I don’t blog about all of them on Wondernote. This blog is dedicated to the Graphic Design category, and all my articles fit as closely into my niche as possible.

In fact, once I identified a niche to write about, I didn’t feel limited. I actually felt the opposite: BLOG FREEDOM. Sounds crazy, right?

What is a niche, anyway?

A niche relates to products, services, or interests that appeal to a small, specialized section of the population, which actually means my blog is targeted at less people rather than more.

Maybe that sounds like the opposite of what you think you should do when it comes to blogging. But let me explain why identifying your niche can actually lead to more blogging success (read: a money-making blog).

 

Why You Need A Niche

 

Trends come and go in blogging, and one you may have noticed is the “Lifestyle Blog.” Although, it seems to be going by a different name now.. self-identified “Content Creators,” as seen in Instagram bio’s everywhere. First of all, there’s nothing wrong with have a lifestyle blog, and being a content creator is a great thing.

But lifestyle blog doesn’t mean a lot to search engines. And it doesn’t mean a lot to searchers themselves. Think about it. Imagine a 23 year old girl searching Google for “how to french braid your own hair.”

Imagine you have written a great tutorial on your blog about how to do this, but you also write about personal style, family-friendly recipes, and your vacation to Mexico. Imagine your competition with a nearly identical article.. a blog entirely dedicated to hair care. Who do you think will rank first in Google’s search results? Your lifestyle blog with one article about hair, or the blog with two hundred optimized articles about hair?

See what I mean? A niche of hair care blog vs lifestyle blog gives you the competitive edge when it comes to SEO, and search engine optimization is vital to increasing traffic, which in turn increases the chance of earning money from your blog.

Ok, ok.. I get it. I need a niche. But how do I figure out my blog niche?

 

How to Find Your Blog Niche

 

I knew my need of a niche long before I actually figured out what it was.  All those interests, remember? It was really hard to narrow it down to just one thing to blog about. But I finally did it.

I had an Aha! Moment when an Instagram influencer I follow shared her blog post titled “Top 10 Tips for Beginner Bloggers.” The very last tip was this: LOVE TO BLOG OR GET OUT.

My first thought after reading that statement was, “Ouch!” I mean, it was a bit harsh, especially coming from someone making hundreds of thousands of dollars per year and basically living my dream life in NYC. Talk about blunt force trauma to my blogging ego.

But as I dwelt on that phrase for the next few days, something clicked for me.

I realized that if I didn’t choose a topic to blog about that I genuinely LOVED, then I wasn’t going to enjoy it..ever. And if I didn’t enjoy, I would never do it. I already do plenty of things I don’t enjoy, like my day job, so why would I add another thing I dread to the mix?

For me that meant I didn’t want to blog about fashion or share my makeup looks. I wear the same makeup everyday. It works great for me, but that’s not very interesting to others! And blogging successfully, afterall, is about OTHERS. Not about us. It’s about the value we can add to the lives of others by sharing what we do best.

For me, it was graphic design.

But it took days for me to arrive at that conclusion. I had to really sit in silence with some questions and my journal.

 

If you’re ready to identify what you should blog about, ask yourself these questions:

  • What do I truly enjoy doing?

  • What don’t I get tired of learning about?

  • What do I want to learn more about?

  • What skills do I have that I could teach others?

  • What do my friends say I’m good at?

  • What do my friends ask me for advice about?

  • What topic do I want to shout about from the rooftops?

  • What would I be happy doing for the rest of my life?

  • If I could have any career EVER– regardless of my current credentials– what would it be?

  • Is my passion something I can make money with?

  • How can I make money from my passion?

 

As you reflect on these questions & more, make lists. Lists of Pros & Cons.

Think. Think Harder.

For hours! Take your time. Don’t rush.

Resist the temptation to copy someone else’s formula for success. By all means, take good advice. But make your own path to success.

 

If you want to dig deeper, you can download my FREE Worksheet Find Your Niche here. And if you’re stuck in Lifestyle Blog limbo, you may be interested in reading my article Why Lifestyle Blogs Don’t Make Money.

& Tell Me. Have you identified your blogging niche? If so, how did you pick your niche?

If you don’t know what to blog about, read my Best Tips for Choosing a Blog Topic and Download my FREE Worksheet: Find Your Niche.

Want to learn Graphic Design using Adobe Illustrator & Photoshop? Check out my Tutorials:

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