BlogBrapagram: Quick Tip: How To Create a Cup Of Coffee in Top View

Final Product What You'll Be Creating

In this quick tutorial you will learn how to create a cup of coffee in top view. Using the shape tools, some gradients and your imagination, creating different kinds of coffee is fun and easy.

Step 1. Creating and Coloring the Saucer

First open a new web document. Take the Ellipse Tool (L) and draw a 220 x 220 px circle. Open the Gradient Panel (Window > Gradient Panel) and set the gradient Type to radial. Give the left slider a fill of 230, 230, 230 ,location 0% ; the second – 255,255,255, location – 90% and finally the fill of the third slider: 204, 204, 204 and location 100%. We get a saucer.

Step 2. Creating and Coloring the Cup

Take the Ellipse Tool (L) and draw a 140 x 140 px circle. Fill it with the Radial gradient, use the image below as a reference.

Lets start to make a handle for the cup. Draw a 70 x 30 px ellipse using the Ellipse Tool (L). Fill it with the shown gradient.

Put the smaller ellipse in the front of bigger ellipse. Select two ellipses and align it to horizontal center. Than drag the smaller ellipse down on some pixels, use the image below as a reference (a). Select two ellipses and rotate them on -30°.

Select two ellipses and put it as shown in the image. Select a cup (smaller circle) and bring it to the front (Shift + Command + J). You can leave it or you can cut a handle. For cutting, select a cup (smaller circle), copy (Command + C) it and paste it in front (Command + F). Select a copy of cup and the handle (two ellipses) and select in Pathfinder panel Divide. Clear all unnecessary details. Check your gradients on a handle, improve it if you wish.

Step 3. Adding Shadows

Select a cup (smaller circle), copy it (Command + C), paste in front (Command + F) fill it with color:245, 245, 245. Drag it down and to the left, use the image below as a reference.

Send the circle to the back of the handle, use a layers panel.

Select the circle, that we just made and copy of (Command + C), paste in front (Command + F) fill it with color:230, 230, 230. Drag it up.

In the same way add a shadow on the handle. Select the bigger ellipse, copy it (Command + C), paste in front (Command + F) fill it with color:230, 230, 230. Drag it down. Play with your shadows, try to change the size, colors, maybe add some circles or ellipse, change a rotation angle, add a shadow to the saucer. No rules, just play with it as you wish. When you’re finish make a copy of final coffee cup.

Step 4. Would You Like a Cup of Coffee? ;)

Copy (Command + C) a cup (smaller circle) and paste it in front (Command + F). Resize it: 120 px x 120 px. Fill it with the Radial gradient from black (0,0,0) to brown (66,33,11) color.

Copy (Command + C) a coffee circle and paste it in front (Command + F). Select a new circle and the shape, after that, in the Pathfinder panel select Intersect.

Draw a circle 6 px x 6 px, fill it with 242, 201, 160 color. Draw another circle 5 px x 5 px fill it with 201, 151, 157 color. And the last circle – 3 px x 3 px fill it with 117, 76, 36 color. Put them together and group them (Command +G), use the image below as a reference.

Drag the circles to the Brushes palette and save the new brush as a Scatter Brush. Set the brush parameters as shown below.

Now take the Paintbrush Tool (B) and create a brush stroke over the coffee. Here you can change your Scatter Brush parameters as you like. Have a fun :)

Step 5. Cappuccino Lovers

Take a second coffee cup. Make a copy (Command + C) from cup (smaller circle) and paste it in front (Command + F). Resize it: 125 px x 125 px. Fill it with the Radial gradient, use the image below as a reference.

You can add some cinnamon on your cappuccino top. Draw a circle 3 px x 3 px, fill it with 76, 13, 9 color. Drag the circle to the Brushes palette and save the new brush as a Scatter Brush. Set the brush parameters as shown below.

Copy the cappuccino top, set the fill to none and choose the newly created scatter brush as a stroke. Play with the Scatter brush settings for creating your cappuccino cup. Also you can play with a shapes for getting a better result.