Making a gradient follow a shape or curve?

[Brett_Ghost]

Hello. I'm new to Illustrator and have been coloring a comic in the software. I'm trying to make gradients but have been running into a lot of problems with it. I've attached an example picture where I'd like to get the current grey gradient to look like it's following the curve of the shape. The gradient that is on there now was made with the linear gradient tool. This is close to how I'd like it to look. It would be great if I could get the gradient to look like it's blending in with the light grey instead of just a line showing where it ends. However, the linear gradient is only making the gradient as the straight line. Is there a way to get a similar look but have the gradient form around the curve instead of as a line? I've tried all the other gradient tools and they haven't done what I'd like. I've tried making seperate colors and blending them to form a gradient. I tried bluring the seperate colors and that didn't work either. I also tried the mesh tool but that seemed complicated and for some reason was not showing the gradient at all. 

[Ton Frederiks]

You could try an Envelope Distort.

Here made with the Top Object and the option to distort Linear Gradients.

[Tina_Irvine]

Hi @Brett_Ghost,

If you sample the colour you'd like it to blend with, using the eyedropper tool, and then add it to the end of your gradient, it should blend, rather than create a line.

The gradient mesh tool is very useful. It takes a little practice, but you'll have more control with it. Here's a quick YouTube video. Basically, you'll start with a solid colour, and then just click where you want highlights/shadows/other colours. You can click on each node that you add, and adjust the colour and direction.

[Brett_Ghost]

Hello. I tried the Envelope Distort just now and it does not appear to change the gradient at all. I've tried the mesh tool on this curve as well and it just doesn't seem to do what I'd like.  

[Ton Frederiks]

Did you set the option to distort a linear gradient?

[Brett_Ghost]

In the Envelope Options? Yes, I had checked the distort linear gradient box. There was no change that appeared.

[Jacob Bugge]

Brett,

As I (mis)understand it, you may consider a blend between two paths, one strecthing from the boundary of the black path to the opposite curve where you wish the colour transition to start, and the other being a narrow path following the opposite curve on top of the former.

A safe way to make a consistent transition could be to add Anchor Points to the the opposite curve corresponding to those of the black path, and then use a(n adapted) copy as the opposite side of the narrow path.

You can make the transition smooth or in distinct steps with the Blend Options, and especially since you mention a comic, a suitable number of distinct steps can be more suitable, corresponding to the stepwise transitions elsewhere in the screenshot.

[Brett_Ghost]

I'm finding what you're explaining confusing. I'm fairly new to Illustrator. Can you provide a video or photos of what you're meaning?

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Go to YouTube and search for Adobe Illustrator Blends or Blend Tool. You will get LOTS of tutorials. 

[Brett_Ghost]

Unfortunately, none of the videos I have checked out and tried based off the instructions has helped achieve the gradient look I'm wanting. That's why I posted on the Adobe community; I thought I may have more luck here. 

[Monika Gause]

2 lines with different color and opacity:

Object > Blend > Make

Caution: Blends between differently shapes lines can get really tricky. This one worked on first try, but you never know.

[Brett_Ghost]

This is kind of close to the gradient look I'd like. How exactly do you go about doing this?

[Monika Gause]

I described the steps in the post. Exactly what is not clear?

[Bobby Henderson]

You could try applying a gradient to a line stroke and then experimenting with the stroke thickness using the Width tool. Gradients on line strokes can have varying levels of transparency for things like neon line effects. The combination of clipping masks and varying stroke widths can help with certain shape modeling effects.

[Brett_Ghost]

I'd like my comic to look similiar to these animation backgrounds. Notice how all of them use gradients. I know this look can be achieved more so in Photoshop, but can this type of thing be done in Illustrator? I'm fairly new to Illustrator and have been having a lot of difficulty figuring out how to apply effective gradients. 

[Bobby Henderson]

All of the images you posted have a very pixel-based feel to them. If I was to use Illustrator to re-create those images I would use Illustrator to draw all the various shapes in the image. But I would then paste the vector paths into Photoshop and then use the paths to turn into selections and use pixel-based brushes and other operations to paint in the colors.

[Brett_Ghost]

Hmm, okay. So if I want that specific look it would basically only exist within the Photoshop program? 

I had been working with my artwork in Illustrator because I read that vectorizing is good for smoothing out drawn pen lines (which it somewhat has) as well as being able to resize without losing image quality. My plan is to print the comic, so I may or may not need to resize the image. 

[Bobby Henderson]

Illustrator can be used as part of the process to create the specific looks in those images. What I'm suggesting is using a combination of Illustrator and Photoshop together. You can create a lot of the shapes in those images within Illustrator; starting out with vector objects will give you a lot more precise control -far more than anyone could manage by manually painting pixels. The idea is that you build the canvas and all the objects in it within Adobe Illustrator, then you paste the vector paths into Adobe Photoshop where all the shapes can be painted in with the natural looking textures, subtle gradients and other stuff that is better represented in pixel form. You use the strengths of both apps together. The vector shapes you paste into Photoshop can be used like a mask when airbrushing. Select a path, turn it into a selection and then paint inside of the selection or outside of it.

I got hooked on using Illustrator paths inside Photoshop a long time ago, back when Photoshop didn't even have layers. We had to use channels or selections made from paths to carefully build up complex artwork in Photoshop.

[Jacob Bugge]

I agree completely with Bobby.

Luckily I was delayed in writing an (inferior) answer based on your new animation background screenshots, so here are just a few reflexions.

Your newness and the newnew animation background screenshots made it obvious to me that the hitherto suggestions based on Gradients or Blends were irrelevant to your purpose. In general there is often an unfortunate use of tool/application specific terms instead of broader terms.

There is nothing wrong in using Photoshop for parts of the artwork (or for all of it in other cases), even if you may need "to resize without losing image quality. to resize without losing image quality. My plan is to print the comic, so I may or may not need to resize the image.", because the solution is simple: just choose a sufficiently large possible/final size and create the artwork at that size or set the resolution (of the Photoshop part(s)) so that it is sufficient when scaled up to the chosen/final size, which will reduce the resolution by the scaling factor (if you wish to be able to scale up to double size (a factor 2), the resolution needs to be doubled at the original size).

[Brett_Ghost]

Do you have example pictures or a video showing what you're meaning?

[Monika Gause]

Did you read the complete thread? There are already 2 methods in here.

In your images you could also use a gradient mesh or freeform gradients. Maybe try them both out and then check out if they could work for you?

[Brett_Ghost]

You don't have to be rude.
Yes, I have read the complete thread Monika. But if you had also read my messages you'd see that I'm new to the software and have difficulty in understanding how to apply the gradients effectively to my artwork. 

Is that how you usually respond to someone who has trouble learning something? You just say, "Well didn't you read this?" "Didn't you follow that?" I'd hate to see how you interact with others on a daily basis. 

Not everyone is a clone of you. Not everyone learns the same way you do. Not everyone has the same knowledge on these Adobe products like you do. 

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

@Brett_Ghost Can you post the results of your attempts so far? Step-by-step screen shots of what you did would help too. 

[Monika Gause]

You don't have to be rude.

By @Brett_Ghost

I was just asking if you have read it, because some people have trouble doing that - caused by technical limitations.

In your question you did not mention what you have tried or specified the trouble you had with any of the methods. Exactly what in those descriptions in this thread does not work for you? Of specifically what do you think does not work in your designs?