Step 2
Make sure that your “eye” shape stays selected, focus on the Appearance panel, add a 1px stroke and set the color at R=255 G=197 B=145.
Keep focusing on the Appearance panel, simply click on the “Stroke” piece of text to open the Stroke fly-out panel and check the Align Stroke to Outside button (pointed by the red circle in the following image).
Return to the Appearance panel and add a second stroke for your shape using the Add New Stroke button (pointed by the blue circle in the following image). Select the new stroke, set the color at black and the Weight at 2px, align it to inside and lower the Opacity to 5%.
Make sure that your black stroke is still selected and simply duplicate it using the Duplicate Selected Item button (pointed by the green circle in the following image). Select the newly added stroke and simply decrease the weight to 1px.
Keep focusing on the Appearance panel, select the entire path (simply click on the “Path” piece of text from the top of the Appearance panel) and go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow. Enter the properties shown in the following image and click OK.
Step 3
Switch to gridline every 1px, so go to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid and enter 1 in the Gridline every box. Using the Ellipse Tool (L), create a 1px circle and a 2px circle. Fill both shapes with white and place them as shown in the following image.
Step 4
Return to gridline every 5px, so simply go to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid and enter 5 in the Gridline every box. Reselect the three circles that make up the eye and Group them (Control-G).
Move to the Layers panel and rename this new group “Eye“. Make sure that your “Eye” group is selected and go to Object > Transform > Reflect. Check the Vertical box then simply click the Copy button to create a horizontally flipped group copy. Select the newly created group, drag it to the left and place it as shown in the following image.
Step 5
Disable the Grid (View > Hide Grid) and the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). Using the Paintbrush Tool (B) and the “Thin Brush” art brush, draw two simple paths roughly as shown in the following image.
Step 6
Make sure that the two paths that make up the eyebrows are selected and simply add the four Drop Shadow effects (Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow) shown in the following image.
9. Create the Bow Tie
Step 1
Enable the Grid (View > Show Grid) and the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). Using the Ellipse Tool (L), create a 35px circle, set the fill color at R=247 G=148 B=30 and place it as shown in the first image.
Make sure that your orange shape stays selected and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Pucker & Bloat. Drag the slider at 42%, click OK and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Zig Zag. Enter the properties shown in the following image, click OK and go to Object > Expand Appearance.
Move to the Layers panel and simply rename the shape made in this step “bow Tie“.
Step 2
Disable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). Make sure that your “bow Tie” shape is selected and make two copies in front (Control-C > Control-F > Control-F). Select the top copy and move it 1px up.
Reselect both copies made in this step and click the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Turn the resulting group of shapes into a simple compound path (Control-8), set the fill color at black, lower its Opacity to 15% and change the Blending Mode to Soft Light.
Step 3
Make sure that your “bow Tie” shape is selected and make two copies in front (Control-C > Control-F > Control-F). Select the top copy and move it 2px up.
Reselect both copies made in this step and click the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Turn the resulting group of shapes into a simple compound path (Control-8), set the fill color at black, lower its Opacity to 15% and change the Blending Mode to Soft Light.
Step 4
Make sure that your “bow Tie” shape is selected and make two copies in front (Control-C > Control-F > Control-F). Select the top copy and move it 3px up.
Reselect both copies made in this step and click the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Turn the resulting group of shapes into a simple compound path (Control-8), set the fill color at black, lower its Opacity to 15% and change the Blending Mode to Soft Light.
Step 5
Make sure that your “bow Tie” shape is selected and make two copies in front (Control-C > Control-F > Control-F). Select the top copy and move it 1px down.
Reselect both copies made in this step and click the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Turn the resulting group of shapes into a simple compound path (Control-8), set the fill color at black, lower its Opacity to 10% and change the Blending Mode to Overlay.
Step 6
Make sure that your “bow Tie” shape is selected and go to Object > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -1px offset and click OK. Select the resulting shape and make a copy in front (Control-C > Control-F). Select your new copy and simply move it 1px down.
Reselect both shapes made in this step and click the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Turn the resulting group of shapes into a simple compound path (Control-8), set the fill color at white, lower its Opacity to 20% and change the Blending Mode to Overlay.
Step 7
Make sure that your “bow Tie” shape is selected and go again to Object > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -1px offset and click OK. Select the resulting shape and make a copy in front (Control-C > Control-F). Select your new copy and simply move it 2px down.
Reselect both shapes made in this step and click the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Turn the resulting group of shapes into a simple compound path (Control-8), set the fill color at white, lower its Opacity to 20% and change the Blending Mode to Overlay.
Step 8
Make sure that your “bow Tie” shape is selected and go to Effect > Stylize > Inner Glow. Enter the properties shown in the following image and click OK.
Step 9
Enable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid) and switch to gridline every 1px. Using the Pen Tool (P), draw six paths as shown in the following image. Add a 1pt, black stroke for these new paths and focus on the Appearance panel. Lower the Opacity to 80%, change the Blending Mode to Soft Light and open the Stroke fly-out panel. Focus on the Profile section and simply select the Width Profile 1. In the end things should look like in the second image.
Step 10
Return to gridline every 5px. Using the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 5 x 15px shape, set the fill color at R=247 G=148 B=30, place it as shown in the first image and go to Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Enter a 2.5px Radius, click OK and go to Object > Expand Appearance.
Make sure that the resulting shape stays selected and focus on the Appearance panel. Select the existing fill and go to Effect > Stylize > Inner Glow. Enter the properties shown in the following image, click OK and return to the Appearance panel.
Add a second fill for your shape, set the color at white, lower its Opacity to 30%, change the Blending Mode to Overlay and go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Enter a -2px Offset and click OK. Get back to the Appearance panel and add a 1px, black stroke for your shape. Align it to inside, change the Blending Mode to Soft Light and lower its Opacity to 25%.
Step 11
Reselect all the shapes that make up your bow Tie and Group them (Control-G). Move to the Layers panel and simply rename this new group “Bow Tie“.
10. Add Subtle Shading and the Background
Step 1
Select all the shapes made so far and Group them (Control-G). Move the Layers panel and rename your new group “Face“. Make sure that your “Face” group is selected and make a copy in front (Control-C > Control-F). Return to the Layers panel and simply lock the bottom “Face” group.
Step 2
Now, you need to clean the front “Face” group. First, simply delete the shapes and the paths that make up the nose, the mouth, the eyes and the eyebrows.
Next, delete all the shapes used to highlight the head, the ears, the hair and the bow Tie Keep only the main shapes. Select the blends used for the head and the ear and simply hit Alt-Shift-Control-B to disable them. Get rid of the small shapes that were used to create those blend. Select the “Ear” group and go to Object > Expand Appearance then select the “hair” and the “bow Tie” shapes and remove the existing Inner Glow effects. In the end things should look like in the following image.
Step 3
Reselect the front “Face” group and click the Unite button from the Pathfinder panel. Make sure that the resulting shape is selected and set its fill color at R=243 G=157 B=105. Move to the Layers panel and simply rename the shape made in this step “shadow“.
