Cartoon clouds are fun to make and use! Sure, you can use the Freehand Path or Bezier Curve tools to draw clouds, and here we show how to use Artboard’s shape tools to get some really awesome (and super easy!) results.
Final Image
Below is the final image we will be working towards.
HINT: When working with shapes, I like to add some of the combine and align commands to the toolbar. Click onto the “Customize” icon and drag icons on and off the toolbar as desired.
Tutorial Details
Program : Artboard 1.0+ for Mac OSX
Difficulty: Beginner
Topics Covered: Drawing Tools; Combining Shapes
Estimated Completion Time: 10-15 minutes
Step 1
Choose File > New from the main menu. Open the Styles & Clip Art palette and type in “sky” in the search bar. Choose the blue “Sky” fill. Draw a rectangle with the Rectangle tool that is large enough to fill in most of your drawing canvas. Having a background will make it easier to see the shapes, particularly since we’ll be drawing white clouds!
Step 2
Add a new layer by clicking the “+” at the lower left of the layers list. Make sure the new layer is above the first drawing layer in the layer list (click and drag the layer names to re-order as needed). Drawing on a new layer helps prevent accidentally selecting your background object. In the Styles & Clip Art palette, type in “snow” in the search bar. Choose the white “Snow” fill. Use the Oval [o] tool while holding the SHIFT-key to draw a series of circles. Make them different sizes and random around what will be the top of your cloud. Return to the Select [s] tool and reposition the circles as needed so their edges are touching.
Step 3
Choose the Round-ended Rectangle tool and draw a long shape for the bottom of your cloud.
Step 4
Choose the Irregular Polygon tool and draw a shape that fills in the center of the cloud.
Step 5
Choose File > Select All [CMND-A] from the main menu. Choose Graphic > Combine > Append from the main menu to merge the objects into a single shape. That’s about it!
Final Image
Now you can draw more clouds, jazz up some of the styles, and add a some other graphics to make your image shine.
