Create a Torn Paper Collage Holiday Card in Illustrator

Final Image

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Step 1

Using the Shapes Tool Draw a rectangle the size of your canvas. Apply a Radial Gradient that goes from a light to dark blue-violet color. Use the Gradient tool to drag the starting point out of the top right corner.

Step 2

Click and hold on the shapes tool until all options appear. Select the Star Shape.

While dragging out the star shape repeatedly tap the up arrow to increase the number of points. Also hold down the Option key to lock the center size while the tips grow longer. Once you are happy with the shape of the star release clicking and then stretch out four opposite points to be longer than the rest. Make three copies of various sizes.

Step 3

Go to File > Place and navigate to the images you saved at the start of the tutorial. Choose from the file called sky_texture.jpg.

Step 4

Scale the image to cover the entire gradient rectangle.

Step 5

With the texture image selected, go to the Transparency Palette and set the Opacity to 70% and the blend mode to Overlay.

Step 6

Select the stars and change their color to blue so the overlay texture is more visible.

Step 7

Using the pen tool draw a shape for the first snowy slope. Apply a light grey radial gradient to the  shape.

Step 8

Draw a second slope coming in from the right and send it backwards by going to Object > Arrange > Send Backward. Draw a third wavy slope in the background and send it behind the second slope. Adjust the colors of the gradients on each so they become slightly lighter as they go into the background.

Step 9

Select all three slopes and go to Effects > Stylize > Drop Shadow. Apply the settings show below.

Step 10

With all three shapes still selected go to Effects > Distort and Transform > Roughen. Apple the settings pictured below. Now the slopes will have a layered, cut paper look.

Step 11

With all three slopes still selected copy them Edit > Copy and paste them in front Edit > Paste in front.

Step 12

Open the Pathfinder Palette and press the combine shapes button, then press Expand.

Step 13

Just like in Step 3 place the image snow_texture.jpg and scale it to cover all the slopes.

Step 14

Arrange the combined slopes shape on top of the snow_texture.jpg image layer and and with both selected go to: Object > Clipping path > Make.

In the transparency palette set the Opacity and blending mode as below.

Step 15

Draw three stacked, progressively smaller circle shapes and apply a light grey gradient to them. Next, just like steps 9 and 10 apply a drop shadow and roughen effect with the setting show below.

Step 16

Same as you did with the slopes, select all three circles, Copy and Paste them in Place. Combine the shapes with the Pathfinder palette and click Expand. Place the snow_texture.jpg and arrange the combined circles layer on top.

Step 17

With both selected go to: Object > Clipping Mask > Make. As before, set the Opacity to 70% and Blending mode to Overlay. In the layers palette select the 3 circles and adjust the gradient color to add a bit of Blue like the image below.

Step 18

Using shapes and pen tool draw all the items associated with snowmen.

Step 18

Select all of those shapes and apple the same Drop Shadow and Roughen effect we used for the Slopes and Snowman body.

Step 19

Using the pen or line tool draw sticks for arms with a light brown stroke. With all of those lines selected open the brushes palette and load the Artistic_charcoalBrushes.

Step 20

From that selection of brushes, apply a charcoal pencil brush by clicking on the preview. Click between then until you find one that looks right to you.

Step 21

For a shadow, draw a grey oval at the base of the snowman. Arrange the oval layer behind the snowman layers. Set the blend mode to multiply.

Step 22

With your pen tool draw a simple tree. Apply a radial gradient similar to the one show below.

Copy the shape and paste behind (Edit > Paste in Back). Use your arrows to move the new tree over and scale it down to appear farther away. Repeat this process until your image looks similar to the one below. Apply the same Drop Shadow and Roughen Effect that we have applied to all the shapes so far.

Step 23

Same as before select all the trees, copy and paste in front. Using the pathfinder palette combine the shapes and click expand. Place the image tree_texture.jpg. Arrange your combined tree shapes over the placed image.

Step 24

With both selected go to: Object > Clipping Mask > Make. As before set the Opacity to 70% and Blending Mode to Overlay

Step 25

With your pen tool draw a pond on the second slope. Apply a blue radial gradient.

Step 26

Apply our now familiar Drop Shadow and Roughen Effect. Next, Copy the shape and paste it in front. Place the texture image called ice_texture.jpg. Arrange the second pond shape above the image layer.

Step 27

Like in previous steps, create a clipping mask. This time set the blending mode to overlay but leave the Opacity at 100%.

Step 28

Using the Pen Tool draw a curve in the upper right hand corner.

Click and hold on the type tool in the tools palette. When the list appears select Type on Path Tool.

With that tool hover over the left side over the curve you just created and click. You can now type you message on that curved line and format the text with whatever font and size you like.

That’s it! Leave any questions or feedback in the comments area below.