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How to create irregular wavy line pattern (reference attached)

Community Beginner ,
Mar 19, 2018 Mar 19, 2018

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Can anyone help me figure out the best way to do an effect like this in Illustrator? Zig Zag and Warp effects all only seem to do a very regular/repeated pattern. Screenshot 2018-03-19 11.14.27.png

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correct answers 1 Correct answer

Community Beginner , Mar 19, 2018 Mar 19, 2018

Figured out a pretty good method. Following up in case it helps anyone.

Start in photoshop with a straight rectangle. Apply the "liquify" tool and make it a smart object. Then use the liquify tool to draw stretch the line with straight horizontal strokes (hold shift to make sure they're straight). Vary the brush width for some variety.

Screenshot 2018-03-19 12.53.36.png

Save the image as a PNG, and import into Illustrator. Use the Live Trace tool to expand and make it a vector object (be sure to check "ignore white"). Duplicate th

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Community Expert ,
Mar 19, 2018 Mar 19, 2018

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Draw it with the pen or whatever other tool you're comfortable with.

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Community Beginner ,
Mar 19, 2018 Mar 19, 2018

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That would only product the stroke itself, but wouldn't account for the thicker and thinner weights of the line to give it the stretched/warped look.

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Community Expert ,
Mar 19, 2018 Mar 19, 2018

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those are just the result of setting the same path side by side:

waves.png

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Community Beginner ,
Mar 19, 2018 Mar 19, 2018

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Thanks, but drawing by hand won't create a perfect warp look, and it'd be pretty meticulous to make. I've got to think there's a way to warp a long straight rectangle to produce a distorted line that can be repeated.

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Community Expert ,
Mar 19, 2018 Mar 19, 2018

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Please do just try it.

Working with the pen tool needs practice. A lot of practice.

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Community Expert ,
Mar 19, 2018 Mar 19, 2018

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I'd say it's entirely possible the waves in your posted example were applied in a raster editing environment. Stuff like that can be done with relative ease using Photoshop's Liquify tool, for instance.

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Community Expert ,
Mar 19, 2018 Mar 19, 2018

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You can try the Transform Effect to duplicate a line with variable width and distort it with Object > Envelope Distort > Make with Mesh.

Screen Shot 2018-03-19 at 18.26.04.png

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Community Beginner ,
Mar 19, 2018 Mar 19, 2018

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Figured out a pretty good method. Following up in case it helps anyone.

Start in photoshop with a straight rectangle. Apply the "liquify" tool and make it a smart object. Then use the liquify tool to draw stretch the line with straight horizontal strokes (hold shift to make sure they're straight). Vary the brush width for some variety.

Screenshot 2018-03-19 12.53.36.png

Save the image as a PNG, and import into Illustrator. Use the Live Trace tool to expand and make it a vector object (be sure to check "ignore white"). Duplicate the line horizontally. Voila.

Screenshot 2018-03-19 12.54.00.png

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Community Expert ,
Mar 19, 2018 Mar 19, 2018

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it's much simpler than that. i can replicate your initial image by drawing one line duplicating it.

waves.png

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LEGEND ,
Mar 19, 2018 Mar 19, 2018

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Doug, are you using a flattened calligraphic brush to get "thin-thick" effect? I hope the thread author will re-evaluate the "correct" answer.

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Community Expert ,
Mar 19, 2018 Mar 19, 2018

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no, i just paired up two lines, joined them at each end, filled the resulting shape, then duplicated that.

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Community Expert ,
Mar 19, 2018 Mar 19, 2018

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but that's actually a neater way i guess. good thinking.

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Community Expert ,
Mar 19, 2018 Mar 19, 2018

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Or draw a long, thin rectangle, click along its length with the mesh tool, then select and slide left and right pairs of points horizontally. Duplicate that.

Screen Shot 2018-03-19 at 9.12.22 PM.png

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