Painting with gradients and patterns

In addition to process and spot colors, the Swatches panel can also contain pattern and gradient swatches. Adobe Illustrator CS3 provides sample swatches of each type in the default panel and lets you create your own patterns and gradients. Click on the buttons at the bottom of the panel to see all swatches or specific types of swatches.

1. Choose Window > Workspace > [Panel].
2. Choose Select > Deselect.
3. Choose Window > Gradient if your Gradient panel is not visible. Choose Show Options from the panel menu. Click once below the gradient slider at the bottom of the panel to make the color stops visible.
   
   The Gradient Ramp with a color stop at either end.
   
   
   
   You can create your own gradient by activating the color stops on the gradient slider, or by dragging existing swatches directly on top of the existing gradient color stops.
   
4. In the Swatches panel, click and hold down on the color Dark Orange, don't release. Then drag the swatch on top of the black color stop on the right side of the gradient slider. If you miss the color stop, another stop may appear below the gradient slider. Choose Edit > Undo Gradient and try again.
5. Select the CMYK Yellow swatch and drag it onto the white color stop on the left side of the gradient slider.
6. Choose Radial from the Type menu in the Gradient panel.
   
   Drag the swatch onto the color stop.
   
   
   
   Change to radial.
   
   
   
7. Click on the New Swatch button at the bottom of the Swatches panel, and name this background gradient in the New Swatch dialog box. You could also drag the swatch from the Gradient panel (in the upper left corner of the panel) directly into the Swatches panel.
8. Click the Layers panel tab to reveal the layers panel. Click in the Visibility column to the left of the Background layer to display the contents.
9. With the Selection tool, click the stroke of the large rectangle in the background (it is larger than the artboard). Click the Fill color in the Control panel and choose your new background gradient. The gradient has been applied.
10. Select one of the stars in the center of the artboard. Since these are part of a group, all become selected.
11. Click on the Fill box in the Control panel, and apply the background gradient to the stars. Change the Stroke color in the Control panel to None. Now you will reverse the colors of the gradient, swapping the orange and the yellow.
12. In the Gradient panel, Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) drag the left color stop (the yellow color) to the right until you are over the orange color stop on the right and release.
    
    The gradient ramp should reverse. If it doesn't reverse, choose Edit > Undo and try again. From the Swatches panel, try dragging a darker orange onto the orange swatch onto the orange color stop on the left of the gradient ramp.
    
13. Select the Gradient tool and position the pointer in the center of the stars. Click and drag from the center of the artboard to the outer edge of the group of stars.
    
    Notice that the Gradient is now smoothly transitioned through all stars, as though they are one object.
    
14. Choose Select > Deselect.
15. Choose File > Save.