Add Perspective to Candle Jar Graphic - Digital Art and Design

In the previous tutorial, we began a candle jar graphic in Illustrator. In this tutorial, we will work on the top opening of the jar. We will create this opening with several ellipse shapes and determine the point of view or perspective for our graphic.

If you do not have your candle jar open in Illustrator, do so now. If you still have the image open from the last tutorial, save the image now before we begin to work on it again.

We are still working on the same first layer. Let's rename it from "Layer 1" to "Jar". Now, we will work on the top opening. Our first step is to draw a new ellipse at the top with the Ellipse tool. Set the Fill to white and Stroke to black. The ellipse should be as wide as the opening of the jar. As you draw the ellipse, think about your point of view. If the vertical height of the ellipse is tall, the point of view is from the top of the jar. When the height is less, the point of view is more from the front of the jar. In the example, I have chosen the second.
We are ready to add the Inner Glow effect to the ellipse. With the ellipse still selected, click Effect – Stylize – Inner Glow. In the dialog box, set the following values.

Color Square: 4d4d4d
Mode: Normal
Opacity: 70%
Blur: 10 px
Edge
Let's add a little more detail to the opening with a second ellipse. Draw a second ellipse on top of the first and scale it slightly smaller. With the Selection tool, center this ellipse inside the first. Then, drag the second ellipse down slightly to make the front edge of the jar opening a little thinner.
It's time for another Inner Glow effect. Select the smaller ellipse and click Effect – Stylize – Inner Glow. Set the following values in the dialog box.

Color Square: 4d4d4d
Mode: Normal
Opacity: 30%
Blur: 20 px
Edge

So far we have been working with the Stoke set to black. This was done to make it easier when we were drawing the jar. Now, we can add a little more realism to the jar by removing the outline created by the Stoke.
Click on outline of the jar. Now, click on the Stroke icon in the Toolbar and change the color from black to white. This will give the edges of the jar a softer feel. Repeat this for the two ellipse shapes that we just made.
We still need to adjust the bottom edge of the jar. Right now, it is too straight. We need to add a curve that will give the jar more perspective. Drag on the handles of the Direction Lines for the bottom anchor points. When you create this curve, keep in mind the point of view again and try to match this curve to the perspective of the jar.

In the next tutorial, we will add the wax inside the jar using Illustrator and then go to Photoshop to add the flame.