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DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION > VECTOR PATTERN

How to Create Line

Patterns in Adobe
Illustrator
by Andrei Stefan Oct 14, 2019 Read Time: 11 mins Languages: English

Vector Pattern Adobe Illustrator Patterns Design Patterns Line Art Graphic Design Vector 

What You'll Be Creating

In today’s tutorial, we’re going to take a quick look at the process of creating a set
of vector line patterns in Adobe Illustrator, using nothing more than some basic
shapes that we’re going to adjust here and there.

So, assuming you already have the software up and running, let’s jump straight into
it!

Follow along with us on the Envato Tuts+ YouTube channel:

How to Create Line Patterns in Adobe Illustrator

Looking to download vector line patterns? Check out the following article for our
recommendations:

A D O B E PHOTOSHOP

40+ Best New Line Patterns (Vector & PSD)

Melody Nieves

1. How to Set Up a
New Project File
As with every new
project, we’re going to kick things off by setting up a New
Document. So head over to File > New (or use the Control-N
keyboard shortcut),
and use the following settings:

Profile: Web
Number of Artboards:
3
Spacing:
200 px
Columns:
3
Width: 400
px
Height: 400 px

2. How to Create
the First Pattern
Variation
Variation
Now that we’ve
finished setting up our project file, we can start working on our first
repeating pattern
segment, which we will later use to create the actual pattern.

Step 1 
Create the main shape for the background using a 400 x 400 px square, which we
will color using #78B9FF  and then
center align to the first Artboard
using the Align
panel’s Horizontal and Vertical Align Center options.

Step 2
Grab the Pen
Tool (P), and draw a diagonal line using a 4 px thick Stroke
( #FFFFFF )
starting from the background’s upper-left corner
and going all the way down to its
bottom-right one.
Step 3
Adjust the shape
that we’ve just created by heading over to Effect
> Distort &
Transform and applying a Zig Zag effect with the following settings:

Size:
4 px
Absolute:
checked
Ridges per segment:
15
Points: Smooth
Quick tip:
when adjusting the effect, make sure you use an odd number for the
Ridges per segment input box since
otherwise when you create the larger
pattern, your lines won’t align properly.

Step 4
With the resulting shape selected, add the bottom-left lines by right clicking and
then going to Transform > Move where we will
enter -8 px in the Horizontal
value field and 8 px in the Vertical one, making sure to press the Copy button in
order to create the first line.
Step 5
Once you have the first copy, simply use the Control-D keyboard shortcut (24
times) to duplicate the
action until you've filled in the lower empty space.
Step 6
Add the top-right lines by selecting the initial stroke again, and then
going through
the same process, making sure to reverse the direction of
the Position, by using a
value of 8 px for the Horizontal field and -8 px
for the Vertical one. 

Once you have

the first copy, add the remaining ones using the Control-D
keyboard shortcut (23 times), making sure to
select (Select > Same > Stroke
Color) and group all of them together afterwards using the Control-G keyboard
shortcut.
Step 7
Finish off the current pattern by creating a copy (Control-C) of the background,
which we will paste in front, and
then with both it and the diagonal lines selected,
simply right click > Make Clipping Mask. 

Once you’re done, make sure

you select the resulting shapes and the background,
and then group (Control-G) them together before moving
on to the next pattern.
3. How to Create
the Second Pattern
Variation
Assuming you’ve
finished working on the first pattern’s repeating segment, move
on to the neighbouring
Artboard, where we will gradually
build the next one.

Step 1
Start working on the pattern’s first column of repeating shapes by
creating a 20 x
20 px square, which
we will color using #FFE180  and then position in the bottom-left
corner of the Artboard, as seen in the reference image.
Step 2
Adjust the shape that we’ve just created by selecting its right anchor
points using
the Direct Selection Tool
(A), and then pushing them to the bottom by 16 px
using the Move tool (right click >
Transform > Move > Vertical > 16 px).
Step 3
Give the resulting shape an outline using the Stroke method, by creating a copy
(Control-C) of it, which we will then paste in front (Control-F) and adjust by first
changing
its color to #191515 , and then setting its Stroke Weight to 4 px and its
Corner to Round Join. Once you’re done, make sure
you select and group the two
shapes together using the Control-G keyboard shortcut.
Step 4
Create the right side of the column using a copy (Control-C > Control-F) of the
shapes that we’ve just grouped,
which we will vertically reflect (right
click >
Transform > Reflect > Vertical) and then position as seen
in the reference image
so that their paths overlap.
Step 5
Add the column’s second row by selecting the shapes that we have so far
and then
dragging them up while holding down the Shift key (in order to drag in a straight
line) and the Alt one (in order to create the
duplicates), making sure to flip the
colors as seen in the reference image.
Step 6
Create the remaining upper rows by using the select and drag method to
create the
first instance, and then adding the remaining duplicates using the Control-D
keyboard shortcut (nine
times), making sure to remove the last row. Take your time,
and once you’re
done, select and group all of them together using the Control-G
keyboard shortcut.
Step 7
Finish off the pattern by adding the remaining nine columns using the
select and
drag method, making sure to group (Control-G) and then mask them using a 400 x
400 px square (desired shapes selected > right click > Make Clipping Mask).
4. How to Create
the Third Pattern
Variation
We are now down to
our third and last repeating pattern segment, so assuming
you’ve already
positioned yourself on the remaining Artboard, let’s jump straight
into it.

Step 1
Start by creating the main shape for the first row using a 40 x 40 px square, which
we will color
using #FFB685 and then position in the bottom-left corner of the
Artboard, as seen
in the reference image.
Step 2
Adjust the shape that we’ve just created by adding a new anchor point
to the center
of its bottom edge using the Add
Anchor Point Tool (+) and then removing its
bottom corner ones using the Delete Anchor Point Tool (-). Give the
resulting
shape a 4 px thick outline
( #191515 ) with a Round Join, making
sure to select and
group the two together using the Control-G keyboard shortcut.
Step 3
Create a copy (Control-C >
Control-F) of the shapes that we’ve just grouped,
which we will
horizontally reflect (right click >
Transform > Reflect >
Horizontal) and then position on top of the
original shapes as shown, so that their
paths overlap.
Step 4
Add the smaller details using four 16 x 16 px circles ( #A0EFD5 ) with a 4 px thick
outline ( #191515 ), which we
will individually group (Control-G)
and then position
onto the larger shapes as shown in the reference image. Once
you’re done, make
sure you select and group all of
them together using the Control-G
keyboard
shortcut.
Step 5
Fill in the row by creating ten overlapping copies using the select and
drag method,
making sure to change the color of the inner shape on every second one to #FFE180 .