How to make a gradient mesh

A gradient mesh starts with the Gradient mesh tool in Vectornation by Zaweba, shortcut U. Use it on a shape and the shape becomes a mesh of points and patches, each point carrying a colour that blends smoothly into its neighbours. It is how vector artists paint soft, rounded shading, such as skin, fruit, fabric and glossy objects, that ordinary gradients can't reach.

A linear gradient runs in one direction and a radial one spreads from a centre. A mesh lets colour change in different directions in different parts of the same shape, which is what real light on a curved object does.

How a mesh works

Think of a mesh as a net laid over your shape. Where the lines of the net cross there are points, and each point holds a colour. Between the points the colour blends smoothly across the patch. Move a point and the blend follows it; change its colour and the area round it changes too.

That gives you control that feels close to painting, while the result is still vector artwork that scales to any size.

Building a mesh step by step

Start with a simple shape close to the outline of the object you're shading, such as an ellipse for an apple or a rounded rectangle for a phone. Simple starting shapes give tidier meshes than complicated ones.

Give the shape its main base colour. Then choose the Gradient mesh tool with U and use it on the shape to build the mesh. Add mesh lines where the light changes, not everywhere. A highlight needs a point or two; a broad shadow side needs a few more.

Select points and give them colours. Lighter colours where the light hits, darker ones where the form turns away. Work from large areas to small ones: get the overall light and shade right before adding the sharp highlight.

Keeping a mesh manageable

The commonest mistake is too many lines. Each line adds a row of points that all need colours, and a crowded mesh is slow to edit and tends to look lumpy. Use as few as you can and add more only where the shading needs it.

Build complicated objects from several meshes rather than one. A face might be one mesh for the skin, another for the nose, another for the shadow under the chin. Layers help keep them in order.

Save versions as you go. Mesh work is experimental, and it is useful to be able to step back to an earlier stage.

Mesh, freeform gradient or something else

Vectornation by Zaweba also has freeform gradients alongside linear and radial ones, set with the on-canvas Gradient tool (G). A freeform gradient gives soft multi colour blends with less setup than a mesh, and is often enough for backgrounds, simple soft shapes and colour washes. Reach for the mesh when you need the colour to follow the form closely.

Gradients in Vectornation can blend in a perceptual colour space (OKLab), which avoids the muddy middle that some colour pairs produce, and gradient dithering helps prevent banding on smooth transitions.

There is also Make with mesh under Object > Distort > Envelope distort (Ctrl+Alt+M). That uses a mesh to bend artwork, not to colour it, so don't confuse the two.

Finishing touches

Combine a mesh with ordinary shapes for crisp details. A shiny highlight is often better as a separate small shape with a soft edge on top of the mesh than as more mesh points. Effects such as Gaussian blur and feather, both live effects in Vectornation, soften those details further.

Gradient mesh rewards patience. Start simple, add lines only where the light asks for them, and Vectornation by Zaweba will give you soft, painted colour that stays sharp at any size.