One of the best parts of working with a team is sharing information and knowledge with each other. Ryan, our Graphic Designer, recently shared a cool function he found in Illustrator while working on some mandala illustrations. This transform again function will help you create vectors that require repeating elements around a circle. Here is a quick tutorial on how to create radial patterns in Illustrator.
- Create guides so that you can see the center point you wish to use.
- Select the vector you plan to repeat around the center point of your circle.
- Click the rotate tool, hold down the option key, and click in the center of your circle.
- A dialog box will pop up. Type in the angle you want your object to repeat at and how many times you want your object repeated. Be sure to hit the copy button. The dialog box will close.
- Press Cmd+D (on a Mac) until all of your objects have appeared around the circle.
You will probably want to experiment with how many objects you need repeated. This function is a fun way to create intricately detailed designs! This function inspired me to create illustrations based around a center point. Here is the back of a design (second image is a close up) I made using this Illustrator function for my husband’s ministry.
I hope this blog not only teaches you, but inspires you to start creating. See an example of radial patterns we used on a logo we designed.
