We currently have a wide variety of programs for artists, both professionals and amateurs of digital drawing, and graphic designers also use them. One of the most acclaimed by users and of course recommended is Adobe Illustrator. For this Today we show you how to apply texture to a drawing in Illustrator. This way you can get the most out of the different alternatives it offers.
Without a doubt, the creations in these drawing programs can be very surprising. In addition to good technique, having powerful and varied tools, has a lot of influence on a good result. Among all the elements that enrich your project, there are undoubtedly textures. In Adobe Illustrator you will be able to work a lot with this resource, since it offers you ample possibilities.
How to apply texture to a drawing in Illustrator?
There are several ways to do this within the Adobe Illustrator application. You can explore these different possibilities, and finally say which one is easier for you.
Below we provide you with some methods:
By overlaying textures
We consider that this is precisely the easiest way to add texture to the drawing you want. Actually all you need to do is place the image and change its blending mode. To achieve this just follow the steps below:
First you must create a new layer, then just place and embed the texture image on the new layer.
Then organize the colors you want to modify in the image in terms of texture. If you previously separated the colors, simply drag one layer over the image layer in the Layers panel.
Select the image layer, then go to the Properties panel, choose the Appearance option, and click Opacity. Here you must select a fusion mode.
You can try a few to see which one you like best, and which one is more in line with what you want to achieve.
By clipping mask
This way your text will have its own effect, making your drawing look much more professional. This technique is ideal for logos, and the best thing is that it is very simple:
As an initial step you must create a new document in Illustrator, with the text and image composition you want. Place the image of the texture in the document where you have your initial design.
You can do it by dragging an image from the browser to an open Illustrator file, or by choosing File and then Place.
The image must be on the same layer as the content.Now you need to send the image behind the text.
With the texture image selected, left click and select Organize, and then Send back in the drop-down menu.
As soon as you have the text and the image selected at the same time, left click on the image again, and select the Create Clipping Mask option.
With the use of a texture sample
You can find some examples of vector textures in the Swatches panel. To do this follow this guide:
Once you are in the application with your chosen image, just open the Swatches panel. You can do it from the top menu, through the Swatches window.
Then click on the Sample Libraries menu, then choose Patterns and Basic Graphics, within these Basic Graphics choose the Textures option.
To finish select the object you want to add a texture to, and determine the one you want to use from those provided by the program.
The selected texture appears in the Swatches panel. You can select a blending mode, or reduce the opacity to blend the textures better.
Through adding effects
This is another fairly easy way to add texture to an object, as there are several preset texture effects that you can use in the Adobe Illustrator application. Do it this way:
In the first step you must choose the object to which you want to add a texture.
Next access the top Effects menu and choose the Textures option.
Then what you should do is choose one of the available textures, there are several that you can choose from.
once you do this just adjust the texture settings. There are no hard and fast rules for the value of each setting.
Basically move the slider until satisfactory results are obtained.
You can also reduce opacity to better blend textures. This gives you room to achieve unique results and develop your creativity.
How can we benefit from textures in Adobe Illustrator?
We have no doubts about the great power that textures bring to your drawings. They help us transform a common design into a true work. You choose the style, and this program gives you a wide variety of these textures. In addition, there are several websites for you to download your own, in this way the catalog will be even larger.
Some of the most used textures by Illustrator users are brick, canvas, also glass, and many others. Each design is unique therefore What you want to convey will depend on the style, For them you can adapt different textures. These are tools that will add meaning to your designs.
Where can we download free textures for our drawings?
There are several websites that give you a good amount of textures for free, The best thing about this is that it is free and you will not need any subscription or payment method. The only thing you have to do is access them through their official sites, once inside explore the different resources it offers, and download the ones that are useful to you.
Some of these pages are Textuerking, StockVault, Freepik y Envato Elements. What they have in common is their free nature, each one stands out for the variety of textures they offer in addition to other very useful resources in graphic design. Using these tools will make your projects in Adobe Illustrator much more professional.
We hope that in this article You have learned how to apply texture to a drawing in Illustrator. This program continues to be one of the favorites of Internet users, the key is the large number of tools available that you should definitely use. In case we missed something important, let us know in the comments.
