This quick tutorial will show you how to create a cool vector drop shadow effect with a custom pattern and some quick adjustments in the Appearances Panel.
1. First, we’ll make the pattern for the shadow. Turn on the Grid VIEW menu > SHOW GRID and then go to the VIEW menu > SNAP TO GRID.
2. Zoom in to a 4×4 smaller grid area. Using the line tool, draw three diagonal lines at 45-degree angles that extend for 3 smaller grid squares.
3. Draw a square that fills in the center grid square and change the color to no fill and no stroke.
Then go to the OBJECT menu > ARRANGE > SEND TO BACK. This will be our swatch, so the clipping frame has to be the bottom-most object.
4. Select all 4 elements (the three lines and invisible square) and double click the Scale Transformation Tool on the toolbar and scale the objects by 50%
with the objects still selected drag them to the Swatch Panel.
5. Type some text using a thick typeface at a largescale. For my demonstration, I am using Akzidenz-Grotesque Super Italic at 72pts.
6. Select the text object with the Black Arrow, open the Appearances Panel (WINDOW menu > APPEARANCES), and add a new fill from the Appearance Panel menu.
Change the fill to a color of your choosing.
7. Add a second fill by clicking on the Duplicate Selected Item icon at the bottom of the Appearances Panel.
8. Change the fill of the bottom fill to the diagonally striped swatch from step 4.
9. With the new striped fill still selected, click on the FX icon at the bottom of the Appearances Panel and click on the Distort & Transform Submenu and then Transform.
In the Move area of the Transform box, change the Horizontal Move to -5pts and Vertical to 5pts.
10. Select the uppermost fill in the Appearances Panel and click on the Duplicate Selected Item icon at the bottom of Panel.
11. Change the color of the middle fill to white.
then click on the FX icon at the bottom of the Appearances Panel and click on the Distort & Transform Submenu and then Transform. In the Move area of the Transform box, change the Horizontal Move to -1pts and Vertical to 1pts.
The finished drop shadow effect.
