Sunset Mountain Scenery in Vector: Main Steps
This video shows the main steps behind a sunset vector scene in Adobe Illustrator rather than a slow beginner walkthrough. A step-by-step beginner series is on the channel if you need the fundamentals. The scene has a figure watching a sunset over layered mountains and a lake.
Step 1: Three layers
The artwork is split into three layers: the far sky and mountains, the middle mountains, and the front mountain with the figure.
Step 2: Sky and sun
The sky is a rectangle filling about three quarters of the artwork, with an evening gradient (use a sunset photo for reference colours). The sun is an ellipse with a simple orange gradient. These are working colours; later layers tune them.
Step 3: Layered mountains with glow
Each mountain is drawn with the Pen Tool. Over each one, place a rectangle with a gradient that is transparent at the top and lighter at the bottom, so it reads as haze and later catches the light. Apply the Roughen effect for detail, using a larger amount on nearer mountains and none on the furthest. Then add Gaussian Blur, most on the far mountains and least on the near ones, so they sit back in the scene.
Step 4: The figure
Draw the figure as a simple silhouette with the Pen Tool, filled with a colour from the mountain gradient. Add a stroke copy carrying the sun’s shine and a Gaussian Blur so the rim glows.
Step 5: Free-form gradient light layer
On the top layer, place a rectangle with a Free-form Gradient. Add darker points at the edges and warm yellow near the sun with redder tones further out, set the layer to Soft Light and adjust opacity, considering the clouds and reflections. This unifies the colour of the whole scene.
Step 6: Clouds, rays and touch-ups
Draw long clouds with the Pen Tool, blur them and set them to Multiply. For sun rays, use a radial gradient centred on the sun set to Screen, plus dark ray shapes at varying opacity and blur, masked into the gradient. Add faint mountain glows behind the ridges. Finish by adding more colour points to the free-form gradient for a convincing blend of rays, sun and haze.
Conclusion
Depth comes from layering: lighten and blur each plane as it recedes, and let a single Soft Light gradient tie the colours together. The Screen-mode rays and free-form gradient are what turn a flat scene into a glowing sunset.
Links from the video
- Join the members-only content: https://bit.ly/3fEEvD4
- Members-only videos: https://bit.ly/3fJieDV
- Step-by-step tutorials playlist: http://bit.ly/31EXG6G
