Create an Easy, Valentine's Day Bunny in Adobe Illustrator

In this tutorial you will learn how to create a cute character, Valentine's Bunny, in Adobe Illustrator. Using just the basic shapes you can create any cartoon animal you want. Also I will show you how to create a triangle and a heart shapes, which are not on the Tools panel.

1. Create the Head and Face

Step 1

First we are going to create the head. Start with a gray circle (R=236, G=230, B=222) using the Ellipse Tool (L). Then, using the Direct Selection Tool (A) shift the left and right anchor point a little bit down.

Step 2

After that we are going to create the eyes. Use the Ellipse Tool (L) again and draw one dark gray oval (R=60, G=66, B=53) and a small white circle.

Step 3

To create two of them, we need to select the whole eye and holding the Alt key slide to the right. To slide the eye straight, you need to hold the Shift and Alt keys together.

Step 4

Now for the nose. Draw one horizontal ellipse (R=244, G=143, B=155), one smaller (R=247, G=169, B=176) over it and very small white circle.

Step 5

Onto the mouth. Draw a circle using the Ellipse Tool (L) with no fill, and the stroke color R=207, G=195, B=179. Grab the Scissors Tool (C) and simply click on the left and right anchor points of this circle. Then press Delete button twice; you will get a half circle. Keep it selected and right-click your mouse. In the pop-up menu select Transform > Rotate. A dialogue window will appear where you will need to enter -130 degrees, and press OK.

Step 6

Now right-click your mouse and select Transform > Reflect. In the window check Vertical axis of reflection, make sure that there are 90 degrees and press Copy.

Step 7

Put all parts of the face on the head. Also you can align everything. Group together two eyes (select them, right-click and select Group), whole nose and mouth. Now select these three groups together with a head and on the Align panel (Window > Align), select Horizontal Align Center.

Step 8

Let's add some volume to a head. Holding the Alt key slightly slide the head like in the image below.

Select the first copy of the head and make one more copy of it (Control-C, Control-F). Keep it selected and holding the Shift key choose the new copy which you slided before. In Pathfinder press Minus Front. Make the fill R=226, G=218, B=206 for the new shape.

You will have a result like in the image below:

2. Create the Ears

Step 1

Bunny ears are easy to create. Make two ellipses: the bigger R=236, G=230, B=222 and smaller inside the first one with the color R=226, G=218, B=206.

Step 2

Let's add volume. The same movements as we made for a head. Slide down bigger ellipse holding the Alt key. Then make one more copy of the first lighter ellipse by pressing Control-C, Control-F. Keep it selected and with the Shift key select the copy which was shifted down. In the Pathfinder panel press Minus Front. With the shape we get, set the fill color to R=226, G=218, B=206.

Step 3

Making two ears. Incline the whole ear and make a copy of it (right-click > Transform > Reflect, Vertical, Copy).

Step 4

Put ears on the head.

3. Create the Dress

Step 1

First we will create a collar. Just two ovals, that's it. Fill with the color R=250, G=207, B=217.

Step 2

Hit the button Polygon Tool, click on your work space. A new dialogue window will ask you how many corners and what radius do you want. You need to make 3 corners and any radius you want. Then OK. So, you have a triangle, which you fill with color R=244, G=144, B=175. After that take the Direct Selection Tool (A) and select the top of the triangle. Move it up.

Step 3

Create an oval on the bottom of the triangle (color R=241, G=109, B=154).

Step 4

Place the dress on our bunny.

4. Create Simple Arms

Step 1

Take off the fill, set the stroke color as R=226, G=218, B=206 and with the Arc Tool (if you can't find it, see where is the Line Segment Tool (\) is) create a curve. Make sure to check Round Cap in the Stroke panel.

Step 2

Make two of them by Vertical reflection.

Step 3

And place on the bunny.

5. Create a Leg

Step 1

Take the Ellipse Tool (L) and draw an oval (color R=236, G=230, B=222). With the Direct Selection Tool (A) select the left and right anchor points. Shift them down.

Step 2

Holding together Shift-Alt, move the created shape to the left.

6. Create a Shoe

Step 1

Create a small ellipse with the color R=244, G=144, B=175. Hit Shift-Alt and move it up. In the Pathfinder panel click Minus Front.

Step 2

Make one more copy of the created shape. Then, keep it selected and with the Alt key move it to the left (see image below). Fill the newly created shape with the color R=241, G=109, B=154. And just add a little white circle for a highlight.

Step 3

Put a leg and a shoe together.

Step 4

Incline this leg a little to the right and make two of them by vertical reflection (right-click > Transform > Reflect, Vertical, Copy).

Step 5

Simply place everything together like in the image below.

7. Create a Floral Swing

Step 1

First we will make a flower. Take the Polygon Tool and create a polygon with 6 corners and set the color to R=244, G=143, B=155.

Now go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Pucker & Bloat. Move a slider to the right to get around 60% and click OK. You will have nice petals. Put yellow circle inside (R=233, G=214, B=102).

Step 2

Copy-paste flowers and change the color of petals (R=200, G=8, B=80 and R=237, G=230, B=219).

Step 3

Let's create a leaf. Again an oval, now green (R=120, G=162, B=47). After that take the Convert Anchor Point Tool (Shift-C) and simply click on the top anchor point of the oval and on the bottom.

Step 4

Using the Rectangle Tool (M), draw a short rectangle (color R=144, G=73, B=45) and second thin long rectangle of the same color. Put them together like on this picture.

Step 5

Take off a fill color, set the stroke color to R=86, G=108, B=17 and using the Pencil Tool (N) draw a line. The Stroke Weight needs to be 1pt and check Round Cap on the Stroke panel.

Step 6

Place the flowers and leaves.

Step 7

Select the whole left part and make its vertical reflection.

Step 8

Put the bunny on the swing.

8. Create Some Hearts

Step 1

Make two identical circles (fill color R=200, G=8, B=80).

Step 2

Create a triangle of the same color (remember a polygon with three corners?). Make a vertical reflection of it (right-click > Transform > Reflect, Horizontal, OK).

Step 3

Gather all parts together and in Pathfinder panel hit Unite button. But you still will have a hole in the middle. To remove it, double-click on the created shape, then select this hole and use the Delete button on your keyboard.

Step 4

Now you have a heart.

Step 5

Make different colors of hearts: light gray R=237, G=230, B=219; light pink R=250, G=207, B=217; hot pink R=200, G=8, B=80; red R=231, G=25, B=57; pink R=244, G=143, B=155.

9. Add the Hearts

Step 1

Add different hearts around the bunny.

Step 2

You can also decorate the dress of little bunny and the swing.

10. Create the Background

Step 1

Now for convenience you can create a New layer. Go to the Layers panel (Window > Layers) and hit the button Create New Layer. Then lock the layer where you have drawn the bunny and - very important - drag (by your mouse) this new created layer under the layer where bunny is.

Draw a square with the fill color R=181, G=224, B=216 and at size 600px in the width and height.

Step 2

Change the fill color to R=53, G=189, B=178 and draw a lot of circles different sizes to have a big cloud. For a better view of what you are drawing, look at the Layers panel and hit the button Toggles Visibility near the layer with bunny.

Step 3

Now switch on the button Toggles Visibility and here it is!

Happy Valentine's!

Congratulations, your Valentine's Bunny is done! Hope it was fun creating your bunny.