Icon-A-Day, Icon # 11, CD Drive

Sometimes you dont need the Mesh Fill.

from WinCustomize Forums
Icon 11 (CD Drive)

    Once more I am pushing the end of the day, but I have just finished icon #11, and uploaded all of the tutorial images. The hardest part of today's icon is the step by step. As I did this icon I keep saying to myself, "how the hell am I going to explain this?" Well let's see if I can pull it off.
 
Step 1:

First I use some rectangles and a circle, and tweak them into a general outline of my CD icon. I wanted to show you can do cool stuff in Corel without the Mesh tool, so I am going to do this one with mostly Gradients, and Transparences.



 Step 2:

First things first; I copy my fill from the other CD icons I have done, and apply it to my Circle. Then I Draw up a few extra shapes, all rectangles, and form up the back of out CD Tray.
Then I copy the back of the tray, and Trim it with the CD.
Then I give that a grey fill and using the Interactive Transparency tool apply a Cement Texture to it giving us some grit in the back. of the tray.
 Step 3:

Using white and black circles that have been set to 50% Transparency, I make some grooves in the plastic in the disk.


 



 
Step 4:

Once I am happy with the back of the tray, I give it a Shadow and a Reflection using the same techniques as in the prior icons.




 

 Step 5

Now for the front of the tray. The main body of the tray is just a rectangle that I have trimmed down a bit, and given a white fill, and an Interactive Transparency.

 		 Step 6:

Now I give the front of the tray some detail with White & Black, transparent rectangles.



Step 7:

To finish it off, so that the face of the tray is visible, I make a copy of the main face again. Make it a bit less transparent and send it to the back.


 
Finished Icon Image.


Download Finished Icon Here

I know that this tutorial may seem to need more explanations, but the truth is that it all boils down to a lot of Gradient filled boxes and Transparent boxes. I will try and do a video on this technique as soon as possible.

Read the other Icon-A-Day Articles: Icon # 1, Icon # 2, Icon #3, Icon # 4, Icon #5, Icon # 6, Icon # 7, Icon # 8, Icon # 9, Icon #10.

CorelDRAW for Skinners videos: Mesh Fill 101, Gloss 101.

And don't forget to check for all the Icon-A-Day icons as they get made, in the Miscellaneous Icons Gallery at Wincustomize.com
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12,961 views 10 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
"Once more I am pushing the end of the day, but I have just finished icon #11"

Even God took a break on the 7th day =D
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
again very nice....are you going to do a video about the rules
of shadows, reflections and that sort of things, to make objects
look more realistic ??
Sins of a Solar Empire II
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Wow, I hope one day with the help from your videos that I can do something like this.I have really been trying, but am having trouble with having the bottom shadow and dropshadow come out transparent after taking it through Icon Developer.
Don't know if my little pic will show up on the side of this but if it does it's of an icon I've been working on .
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Yes, I have the shadow video already made, and will be doing the Reflection on next. And should have them up this week.
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
very cool......i hope you inspired other artists to do some tutorial video
Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top
Thanks Paul, I can't wait to see them. Ozzy, I hope the same thing. I've learned more than I expected with Paul's videos as I have lived in Corel Draw since he posted the mesh tools video. Now hopefully someone will be kind enough to do a windowblinds video tutorial .
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
You male it seem so simple... I am still trying though.
Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top
The gradent on the CD is a Conical Fill, with several colors in it.