How to Create a Saudi City Landmark in Adobe Illustrator

1. Sketch & Create a New Project

Step 1

First, search online for photo references of “Kingdom Centre” to understand the skyscraper’s architecture, so you can roughly put a concept sketch together.

Sketch, scan and save as JPG.

Step 2

Launch Adobe Illustrator.

File > New (Control-N) to open a New Document, and set the dimensions:

Name: “Kingdom_Centre_Saudi_Arabia”.

• Number of Artboards: 1
• Width: 600 px
• Height: 600 px
• Units: Pixels
• Color Mode: RGB
• Raster Effects: High (300 ppi)

Step 3

Place in the sketch, using the Place shortcut (Command-Shift-P), and click onto the artboard.

Open the Layers panel, Window > Layers.

Double-click the layer or click on the sub-menu of the Layers panel, and:

1. Name: Sketch
2. Select Lock
3. Dim Images to: 20%
4. OK

Create New Layer, on top of the ‘Sketch‘, and name it ‘Artwork’. File > Save (Command-S), and save your Illustrator file.

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2. Create the Line Work

Step 1

First let’s start by putting in the line work.

Open the Stroke panel: Window > Stroke. Select the Rounded Rectangle Tool, from the Tools panel (found in the Rectangle Tool drop-down menu). Click and drag to draw the outer border of our icon.

A shortcut to capture the right corner radius is to press the Up Arrow for rounder corners or Down Arrow for more edge. Release once you get the right curvature.

Step 2

Next take the Rectangle Tool (M), and draw a square over the rounded rectangle, to where the base of the icon is.

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Step 3

Open Window > Pathfinder. Select both shapes, and then from the Pathfinder panel, select Shape Modes: Intersect. 

This will use the area of the top rectangle to clip the rounded rectangle as a mask would, and create our icon border.

Step 4

Next, with the Rectangle Tool (M) and with a black Stroke of 6 pt and Fill to null, draw the skyscraper’s outline border.

Then with the Ellipse Tool (L), draw the moon ellipses, and two ellipses that will intersect the top of the skyscraper. This will allow us to trim in the Kingdom Centre’s “U-Hole”.

Step 5

Select both moon ellipses. In the Pathfinder panel, and select Shape Modes: Minus Front. Repeat the same action for the “U-hole” ellipses. Object > Compound Path > Make, to turn it into compound shapes.

Step 6

Select the tower ‘U-crescent’ and the skyscraper rectangular border, Pathfinder > Pathfinders > Divide.

Ungroup the objects: Object > Ungroup (Command-Shift-G). Then select the two excess “horn shaped” objects, with the Selection Tool (V), and Delete.

Step 7

Now let’s create the skybridge.

Take the Ellipse Tool (L), and draw an ellipse to “cut off” the bridge. Select both shapes and in Pathfinder select Shape Modes: Minus Front.

Step 8

Moving forward, we need to create an artbrush to mold the palm trees.

Choose the Ellipse Tool (L) with black Fill and Stroke to null. Draw two horizontal ellipses like the image below. Select the two, and then Intersect from the Pathfinder panel, and choose Shape Modes: Intersect.

Step 9

Open Window > Brushes, so we can load our custom artbrush. Drag and drop the artbrush shape into the Brushes panel. The Art Brush Options dialog box will pop up. Select Art Brush, and OK. The custom palm art brush is now created. 

Delete it from the artboard, since it’s saved into our Brushes panel.

Step 10

Let’s create the palm trees.

Select the Paintbrush Tool (B), and the custom brush uploaded into the Brushes panel, and start to draw strokes from one side, so we can mirror them later.

Tip: Use different stroke weights.

Step 11

Select the strokes of one of the palms: Object > Expand.

Then unite the expanded shapes into one compound shape by selecting Shape Modes: Unite, from the Pathfinder panel.

Step 12

Let us mirror our palm head. First duplicate the selected shape.

1. Copy (Command-C).
2. Paste in Front (Command-F).
3. Select the Reflect Tool (O) (hidden under the Rotate Tool (R)).
4. Set the center reference point in the middle of the palm; Option-Shift-Drag and release to mirror into position.

Afterwards, select both ends and Unite from the Shape Modes in the Pathfinder panel to create a single compound shape.

Step 13

Repeat Step 7 for the other set of palm trees, and then move on to create the tree trunks.

Take the Rectangle Tool (M) (Black Fill, and no Stroke). Freehand draw a vertical trunk for each palm. Choose Shape Modes: Unite from the Pathfinder panel, to unite the trunk with the head of the palm tree.

3. Add the Smaller Details

Step 1

Now to illustrate our tower windows.

The skyscraper has plenty, but we just need to mimic the appearance, so we will use basic rectangular forms and a lot of repetition.

Take the Rectangle Tool (M), and draw a rectangular window at the base. To copy, select the shape, and hold down the Alt key and drag across. Command-D is the shortcut to Repeat the last action.

Once you have copied the window in a row across, group the bunch together. Group (G). Then copy vertically, by again holding down the Alt key and dragging upwards. Use Command-D as the shortcut to Repeat the last action.

Step 2

Note: The top of the Kingdom Centre has a smaller set of windows. So take the Rectangle Tool (M) and draw a set of parallel windows. Duplicate across and along the top, as we did in Step 1.

Step 3

Next we need to crop the “U-hole” to cut the top window set out.

Select the top window set with the Selection Tool (V), and then choose Shape Modes: Unite from the Pathfinder panel.

Then from the Pathfinder panel drop-down menu, select Make Compound Shape, and click Expand, so our window set is a single compound shape.

Step 4

To crop out the “U-hole”, follow these steps: 

1. Select the skyscraper’s outer border lining.
2. Copy (Command-C).
3. Paste in Front (Command-F).
4. Select the top window set and the skyscraper border.
   
5. Shape Modes: Intersect from the Pathfinder panel.

Voila, your windows are cropped, and we maintain the “U-hole” appearance!

Step 5

Move on to design the cloud background.

Take the Ellipse Tool (L), and draw some spheres to form a cloud effect in the background. Then, select all the ellipses, with the Selection Tool (V). Shape Modes: Unite from the Pathfinder panel.

Step 6

Now to crop the cloud shape to fit the icon background, follow these steps: 

1. Select the icon’s thick rounded border.
2. Copy (Command-C).
3. Paste in Front (Command-F).
4. Select the cloud path and the icon border.
   
5. Shape Modes: Intersect from the Pathfinder panel.

Don’t forget to Save: File > Save (Command-S).

Step 7

Once we are done with building the main shapes, move on to layering the elements.

To move an object to the top or bottom position, select the object and choose Object > Arrange > Bring to Front (Shift-Command-]) or Object > Arrange > Send to Back (Shift-Command-[).

To move objects by just one step to the back or to the front, select the object and choose Object > Arrange > Send Backward (Command-[) or Object > Arrange > Bring Forward (Command‑]).

So move each object according to its proper layer alignment.

4. Add Color

Step 1

To give the building and the icon’s background some color, we need to duplicate their shapes: So select each, then:

1. Copy (Command-C).
2. Paste in Front (Command-F).
3. Give the building base #299CBC color and the background sky #1C3B72.
4. Object > Arrange > Send to Back (Shift-Command-[), so we can keep our icon fill layer in the background.

Step 2

For the other elements:

• Clouds: #2458A3
• Moon & ‘U-hole’: #FAD631
• Building Base: #299CBC
• Skybridge: #F99E32
• Palm Trees: #59D353 and #398C34

Step 3

Move on to coloring the windows.

To color a group, use the Selection Tool (V), and for single shape color fills, use the Direct Selection Tool (A). Vary the colors of the windows, between dark and light blue tones:

• Window 1: #294B87
• Window 2: #5AD7FF
• Window 3: #16325B

Also add some white windows (#FFFFFF).

Step 4

Move and scale the palm trees to look aesthetically correct in the scene. Color Fill one palm in a dark blue shade #10294C, to create a tree silhouette in the background.

Next, create a border around the other three palms. Select the three, and Object > Path > Offset path:

• Offset: 4 px
• Joins: Miter
• Miter Limit: 4
• Have Preview checked so you can see the offset correctly.
• OK.

You will not notice that the offset is underneath our original shape. Give the offset a black Fill to see the border more clearly.

Step 5

Now let’s create the skybridge strip.

Draw an ellipse with the Ellipse Tool (L), with a 10 pt Stroke and no Fill. 

Object > Expand the stroke. The Expand dialog box will open. Make sure Stroke is selected so the ellipse stroke is expanded.

Step 6

Next, cut out the arc inside the sky-bridge:

1. Select the ellipse shape and the sky-bridge fill shape.
2. Copy (Command-C).
3. Paste in Front (Command-F).
4. Shape Modes: Intersect from the Pathfinder panel.
5. Delete the excess shape of the ellipse.

Step 7

Now let’s create the base of the icon by drawing a rectangle along the bottom, with the Rectangle Tool (M). That’s easy.

Step 8

The moon border looks too sharp, so from the Stroke panel, select Cap: Round Cap and Corner: Round Join, to round it off.

Step 9

Next, expand all the strokes in the illustration, to give them a single color. So select all objects with a black stroke, and then Object > Expand, and select Fill and Stroke from the Expand dialog box, and OK.

Object > Ungroup, so we can separate the fills from the expanded strokes. With all expanded strokes selected, give them a dark blue color: #10294C.

5. Add Some Effects

Let’s add some effects to our icon, to make it more vibrant.

Step 1

Create a light horizon on the bottom of the icon to make the colors pop.

Take the Ellipse Tool (L) and draw a horizontal ellipse at the base, and give it a light blue Fill color: #3891E8.

1. Select the ellipse and the cloud shape.
2. Copy (Command-C).
3. Paste in Front (Command-F).

Step 2

1. Shape Modes: Intersect from the Pathfinder panel
2. Delete the excess shape of the ellipse.
3. Object > Arrange > Send to Back (Shift-Command-[), until the horizon shape is in the right layer.

Step 3

Next let’s add some effects of cast shadow and light.

With a black Stroke and no Fill, use the Ellipse Tool (L) to draw a vertical ellipse, so we can create the building’s shaded area.

1. Select the ellipse and the building color fill.
2. Copy (Command-C).
3. Paste in Front (Command-F).
4. Minus Front from the Pathfinder panel.
5. Delete the ellipse.

Step 4

Let’s give our new shape a Blending Mode.

Open Window > Transparency. In the Transparency panel, choose Multiply Blending Mode from the pop‑up menu. This will create our cast shadow.

Object > Arrange > Send To Back (Shift-Command-[), until it’s layered properly.

Step 5

Follow the same steps with the “U-hole” of the building.

Take the Ellipse Tool (L) and draw a vertical ellipse along the side of the “U-hole”:

1. Select the ellipse and the “U” yellow color fill.
2. Copy (Command-C).
3. Paste in Front (Command-F).
4. Intersect from the Pathfinder panel
5. Give it an orange color: #F99E32

Delete the ellipse.

Step 6

Next, highlight the left edge of the building, as if the moonlight is hitting it. Select the Rectangle Tool (M) and draw a thin vertical rectangle along the edge of the skyscraper. Object > Arrange > Send To Back (Shift-Command-[), until it’s in the proper layer.

Step 7

The moon’s border is hitting the edge of the building, so to adjust it, select the moon fill and border shape, hold Shift down to constrain proportions, and scale down slightly so it’s away from the white border edge.

Step 8

For the final touches, let’s add some stars to the night sky and sparkles to the building.

To mimic the stars, take the Ellipse Tool (L), with a white Fill and Stroke null, and draw tiny circles around the background sky.

Repeat the same technique but with a lighter blue fill.

Step 9

Finally let’s add some sparkle.

Select the Star tool from the Tools panel. Click once on the artboard to open the Star dialog box and make the settings:

• Radius 1: 14px
• Radius 2: 2px
• Points: 4

Draw a few white and light yellow stars. Delete the “Sketch” layer.

Congratulations! You Have Built a Skyscraper!