How to Add a Gradient on a Stroke in Adobe Illustrator
Create a new document., Change the document color (if needed)., Draw a path to define the stroke., Customize the path., Apply an outline stroke., Add a new fill., Add the gradient.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Create a new document.
Open Illustrator on your computer and click “File” → “New”.
A pop-up with options will appear.
Check the circle beside “Transparent” at the bottom of the window.
Transparent layers are the most effective for applying gradient fill to strokes.
If you want to load an image file instead of a new document, select “Open,” locate the image you want to use, and double-click it. -
Step 2: Change the document color (if needed).
The default document color is white, but if you want to use a different background color, click the “Paint” button (paint bucket icon) on the left toolbar.
In the color palette at the bottom, change the color of the first box by clicking on it and selecting the preferred color.
Click the white document and it will be filled with the color you have chosen. , Select the Pen tool (pen icon) from the left toolbar.
Use this to draw a path on the canvas.
You will be applying the stroke to this path, and it can be any shape you want. , Once you’ve created a path, click “Windows” and select “Stroke”.
A panel with different Stroke options will appear at the top.
You can increase the weight of the stroke to make the gradient look bolder.
Anything over 40pt is recommended for visual acuity.
To increase the weight, drag the Weight bar to the pt you want to use.
After increasing the weight, close the panel to apply the changes. , To do this, open the “Effect” menu and select “Path.” Select “Outline Stroke” from the list of options.
Create a new group so that you can apply the outline stroke.
To do this, you can either go to the bottom of layers palette and click the folder icon, or click the “Object” menu and select “Group”. , To open the Appearance panel, click the “Window” menu and select “Appearance.” From the panel, click the arrow beside “Fill.” From the Fill menu, select “Add New Fill” from the drop-down options. , The New Fill selection will open the Gradient panel.
Swap the selected fill by applying linear gradient.
In the panel, you can change the angle, opacity, and color of the gradient by clicking the box beside Zero, by dragging the bar, or by clicking the color swatch, respectively.
At this point, the fill will seem imperfect.
In order to fix this, go to “Effect” and select “Path Finder” from it.
From the side menu, click “Divide.” By doing this, you can edit the path by applying gradient.
You can alter the position of anchor points and corner handles.
This allows you to change the shape of the stroke or the body using the Width tool.
To do this, use Shift+W on both Windows and Mac.
To change the profile of the stroke, open the “Stroke” panel again, and customize the profile using Cap (e.g., dash lines), Corner (round cap, 10X), Arrow Heads, and different profiles.
The position of the gradient will vary according to the profile you set. -
Step 3: Draw a path to define the stroke.
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Step 4: Customize the path.
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Step 5: Apply an outline stroke.
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Step 6: Add a new fill.
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Step 7: Add the gradient.
Detailed Guide
Open Illustrator on your computer and click “File” → “New”.
A pop-up with options will appear.
Check the circle beside “Transparent” at the bottom of the window.
Transparent layers are the most effective for applying gradient fill to strokes.
If you want to load an image file instead of a new document, select “Open,” locate the image you want to use, and double-click it.
The default document color is white, but if you want to use a different background color, click the “Paint” button (paint bucket icon) on the left toolbar.
In the color palette at the bottom, change the color of the first box by clicking on it and selecting the preferred color.
Click the white document and it will be filled with the color you have chosen. , Select the Pen tool (pen icon) from the left toolbar.
Use this to draw a path on the canvas.
You will be applying the stroke to this path, and it can be any shape you want. , Once you’ve created a path, click “Windows” and select “Stroke”.
A panel with different Stroke options will appear at the top.
You can increase the weight of the stroke to make the gradient look bolder.
Anything over 40pt is recommended for visual acuity.
To increase the weight, drag the Weight bar to the pt you want to use.
After increasing the weight, close the panel to apply the changes. , To do this, open the “Effect” menu and select “Path.” Select “Outline Stroke” from the list of options.
Create a new group so that you can apply the outline stroke.
To do this, you can either go to the bottom of layers palette and click the folder icon, or click the “Object” menu and select “Group”. , To open the Appearance panel, click the “Window” menu and select “Appearance.” From the panel, click the arrow beside “Fill.” From the Fill menu, select “Add New Fill” from the drop-down options. , The New Fill selection will open the Gradient panel.
Swap the selected fill by applying linear gradient.
In the panel, you can change the angle, opacity, and color of the gradient by clicking the box beside Zero, by dragging the bar, or by clicking the color swatch, respectively.
At this point, the fill will seem imperfect.
In order to fix this, go to “Effect” and select “Path Finder” from it.
From the side menu, click “Divide.” By doing this, you can edit the path by applying gradient.
You can alter the position of anchor points and corner handles.
This allows you to change the shape of the stroke or the body using the Width tool.
To do this, use Shift+W on both Windows and Mac.
To change the profile of the stroke, open the “Stroke” panel again, and customize the profile using Cap (e.g., dash lines), Corner (round cap, 10X), Arrow Heads, and different profiles.
The position of the gradient will vary according to the profile you set.
About the Author
Jack Wood
Enthusiastic about teaching lifestyle techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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