MKT 202 Applications in Visual Design | Session 3 | Illustrator

Tattoo Flash

Illustrator Pen and path tools: build a three-symbol flash sheet

Tattoo shops hang flash sheets on the wall: bold, simple designs a customer can point at and say "that one." Today the whole class builds one flash sheet together for a made-up shop: a lightning bolt, a lucky star, and a flame. The starter file has a dashed outline of each design. Squares mark where to click a corner, circles mark where to click a curve. You trace the bolt with the Pen tool, build the star with the Star and Rotate tools, add tapered burst lines, and turn in a midpoint. Then you draw the flame in two halves with the Curvature tool, join them, paint the inner flame with the Blob Brush, and clean it up.

Shortcuts are written Windows / Mac. Example: Ctrl+G / Cmd+G. On a Mac, Option is the key some Windows lists call Alt.

We build together. Follow along step by step. When you finish a step early, wait at the check line or try the bonus at the bottom.

What you turn in

Midpoint (Step 5): LastName_BoltStar.jpg: a JPEG of the bolt and the faceted star with its burst lines.
Final (Step 9, or after the bonus): LastName_TattooFlash.jpg: a JPEG of the finished sheet with all three designs and the dots, plus sparkles if you did the bonus. Keep your LastName_TattooFlash.ai file for yourself. Do not upload it.

Downloads

TattooFlash_StudentFiles.zip: the two files for today: the starter file and the class swatches. Unzip it before Step 1.
TattooFlash_Starter.svg: inside the zip, in the Starter folder. A cream 1600 by 1000 artboard with dashed outlines for all three designs and a row of color chips.
MKT202_TattooFlash_Swatches.ase: inside the zip, in the Palette folder. The five class colors. Only needed if your color chips go missing.

Rule of the Day

Click only where the line changes. Squares are corners, circles are curves, and everything in between is Illustrator's job. Fewer anchors make cleaner shapes.

What we build today

Each design has its own dashed outline in the starter file: bolt on the left, star in the middle, flame on the right. You hide each outline when its design is done, so none of the dashes show in your JPEGs.

Design 1: Lightning bolt

Step 2

Pen tool: seven corner clicks on the squares, then close

Design 2: Lucky star

Steps 3 and 4

Star tool, one Pen facet copied four times with the Rotate tool, and five tapered burst lines

Design 3: Flame

Steps 6 to 8

Curvature tool halves joined with Average and Join, and a Blob Brush inner flame cleaned with Smooth and Simplify

What your files should look like

These images were drawn by a script to show the target look. They are an approximation, not an Illustrator file. Your inner flame and dots will not match exactly, and that is fine.

Midpoint example

After Step 5

Final example

After Step 9 or Step 10

The class palette

Every color comes from these five. The starter file has a chip of each color. To color a shape, select it, press I for the Eyedropper, and click the chip. Every chip has the Flash Navy 8 pt outline, so shapes get the outline too.

Name	Hex	Used on
Flash Navy	`#1F2A3C`	Every outline, the burst lines, the Blob Brush dots
Sailor Gold	`#F2B33D`	Bolt, inner flame, sparkles
Vermilion	`#EC6A3C`	Star facets, outer flame, sparkles
Clover Green	`#1F6B45`	Star, sparkles
Cream Paper	`#F6EAD3`	Background (already in the starter), shine marks

Quick refresher: Photoshop to Illustrator

You may have used the Pen tool in Photoshop. Here is how today's tools map over.

Photoshop	Illustrator
Pen tool draws a path, then you fill or stroke it	Pen tool `P` draws the shape itself and fills it as you click.
Direct Selection `A` moves one anchor	Same key, same white arrow. The black arrow `V` moves the whole object.
Convert Point tool	Anchor Point tool `Shift+C`. Click an anchor to make it a corner, drag from it to make it smooth.
Free Transform, rotate a copy	Rotate tool `R`. Option or Alt click to choose the center, then Copy.
Stroke layer style: one thickness all the way around	Width tool `Shift+W` and width profiles. Thick in the middle, thin at the ends.
Brush tool paints pixels	Blob Brush `Shift+B` paints filled vector shapes you can still clean up and recolor.
Layer eye and lock icons	Same idea in the Layers panel. Hidden art does not export.

Class plan

Start	Minutes	What	How
0:00	2	Opening: corners and curves on purpose	Demo
0:02	6	Step 1: Open the starter and set up	Do along
0:08	7	Step 2: Trace the bolt with the Pen tool	Do along
0:15	9	Step 3: Build the faceted star	Do along
0:24	6	Step 4: Tapered burst lines	Do along
0:30	3	Step 5: Midpoint turn-in	Gate
0:33	8	Step 6: Draw the flame in two halves	Do along
0:41	6	Step 7: Join the halves	Do along
0:47	7	Step 8: Paint and clean the inner flame	Do along
0:54	4	Step 9: Dots and final export	Turn-in
0:58	Core ends. Midpoint and final turned in.
0:58	8	Step 10: Bonus sparkles with the Star tool	Bonus, ahead students only
1:06	Bonus ends. Optional steps.

Steps

Step 1

Open the starter and set up

about 6 min

Unzip TattooFlash_StudentFiles.zip. In Illustrator, choose File > Open and open TattooFlash_Starter.svg from the Starter folder.
Choose File > Save As. Set the format to Adobe Illustrator (ai), not SVG. Name the file LastName_TattooFlash.ai and click Save. Click OK in the options box.
Look at the artboard: dashed outlines of a bolt, a star, and a flame on cream. Squares mark corner clicks. Circles mark curve clicks. Five color chips sit along the bottom edge.
The starter file. Squares are corner clicks, circles are curve clicks, numbers give the order.
Check two settings. Both are usually already on. Open the View menu: Smart Guides should have a check mark (press Ctrl+U / Cmd+U if not). Open Window > Transform: the center square of the Reference Point grid, the small grid of nine squares on the left, should be filled (click it if not).
Properties panel. The orange box is the Reference Point grid. The center square should be filled.
Open Window > Layers and click the arrow next to Layer 1. You see five rows: Chips, Flame guide, Star guide, Bolt guide, and Background.
Click the empty box just left of each name for Background, Bolt guide, Star guide, and Flame guide. A padlock appears. Locked art cannot be clicked or moved. Lock these before you touch anything on the artboard.
Click the eye next to Flame guide to hide the flame outline. You turn it back on in Step 6.
Layers panel after this step: four rows locked, Flame guide hidden.
Move the chips off the artboard. Press V and click any chip. All five select together because they are one group. In the Transform section of the Properties panel, type 1080 in the Y box and press Return. The chips jump below the artboard.

Check your work: Your file is saved as an .ai, the chips sit below the artboard, four rows show a padlock, and the flame outline is hidden.

What you should see: A cream artboard with the dashed bolt and star outlines. The chips are in the gray area below. The Layers panel shows padlocks on the background and the three guides.
If not: If you clicked the eye instead of the lock, click the eye again to show the art, then click the empty box just right of it. Lock the bottom four rows.

Chips go below the artboard, not on it.
The guides stay locked all class. You only hide and show them.

Step 2

Trace the bolt with the Pen tool

about 7 min

Press P for the Pen tool. Click once on square 1. Click, do not drag. A drag pulls out handles and curves the line.
Click squares 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 in order.
Move the cursor back over square 1. A small circle appears next to the Pen cursor. Click to close the shape.
Press V and click the bolt. Press I for the Eyedropper and click the Sailor Gold chip. The bolt fills gold and gets the Flash Navy 8 pt outline.
Press A for Direct Selection. Click one corner of the bolt and drag it a few pixels. Only that anchor moves. Undo with Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z if you liked it better before.
If any corner came out curved, press Shift+C for the Anchor Point tool and click that anchor once. It snaps back to a sharp corner.
In the Layers panel, click the eye next to Bolt guide. The bolt outline hides.
At the top of the Layers panel, double-click the name <Path> for your bolt and type Bolt.

Check your work: One closed gold bolt with a navy outline and seven sharp corners, named Bolt. No dashes show.

What you should see: A single solid gold lightning bolt on the left, with no line hanging off it.
If not: If the Pen keeps drawing after square 7, press Return (Enter on Windows), click the open end with the Pen, and click square 1. If the fill looks odd, the path is not closed.

Seven clicks, seven corners. If you have more anchors, a click missed. Undo and click again.

Step 3

Build the faceted star

about 9 min

Click and hold the Rectangle tool in the Toolbar and choose the Star tool. Click once inside the dashed star. In the Star box, type Radius 1 235 px, Radius 2 95 px, and Points 5. Click OK.
The Rectangle tool group. Click and hold the Rectangle tool, then choose Star Tool.
Press I and click the Clover Green chip. Then click the Fill square in the Toolbar and click None. The star stays an outline for now so you can see the center ring through it.
In the Transform section of the Properties panel, type 800 in the X box and 498 in the Y box. The star lands on its dashed outline.
Click empty gray space, or press Ctrl+Shift+A / Cmd+Shift+A, so nothing is selected. If the star stays selected, the Pen tool deletes its anchors instead of snapping to them.
Press P. Click the small ring at the center of the star, click the top tip, click the inner corner just right of the top tip, then click the center ring again to close. You made one thin triangle.
Press V, click the triangle, press I, and click the Vermilion chip.
Keep the triangle selected. Press R for the Rotate tool. Hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) and click the triangle's corner at the center ring. In the Rotate box, type Angle 72 and click Copy. A second facet appears on the next point.
Rotate box. Type 72 in Angle, then click Copy, not OK.
Press Ctrl+D / Cmd+D three times, one press at a time. Each press repeats the rotate and copy. Count five red halves, one on every point. If one is missing, press Ctrl+D / Cmd+D once more.
Press V and click the star's outline. Press I and click the Clover Green chip. The star fills green behind the red facets, because it was drawn first.
Drag a selection box around the whole star, then group with Ctrl+G / Cmd+G. Name the group Star in the Layers panel.

Check your work: A green five-point star on its outline with a red facet on the same side of every point, grouped as Star.

What you should see: A star that looks folded, half green and half red on every point, with navy lines all over it.
If not: If the copies landed in the wrong place, Undo back to one triangle, press R, and Option or Alt click the triangle's corner at the center. If the Pen shows a minus sign over a corner, press Return (Enter on Windows), deselect, and try again.

Option or Alt click sets the center of the rotation. A plain click rotates around the triangle's own middle.
Shapes stack in the order you draw them. The star was drawn first, so filling it last still puts it behind the facets.
Ctrl+D / Cmd+D repeats the last transform. You used it in Pin Club.

Step 4

Tapered burst lines

about 6 min

Click empty gray space, or press Ctrl+Shift+A / Cmd+Shift+A, so nothing is selected. Press P. Click the inner square of one dashed burst line, click its outer square, and press Return (Enter on Windows). The Pen stops, and you have one open line. Esc does not end a Pen path.
Press V and click the line. Press I and click the Flash Navy chip. The Eyedropper also fills it, so click the Fill square in the Toolbar and click the None button. In the Properties panel, set the stroke weight to 16 pt.
Toolbar Fill and Stroke squares. The orange box is the None button.
Stroke popup. Weight is the orange box. Type 16.
Click empty gray space, or press Ctrl+Shift+A / Cmd+Shift+A, so nothing is selected. Draw the other four burst lines the same way: P, click, click, Return. They keep the same style.
Press Shift+W for the Width tool. Hover near one end of the first line and drag inward until the tip is thin. Do the same at the other end. The middle stays full width.
Press V. Click one of the other lines and Shift-click the other three. Open Window > Stroke. If you only see Weight, open the panel menu (four lines, top right of the panel) and choose Show Options. Click the Profile menu at the bottom and choose Width Profile 1, the shape that is thick in the middle and thin at both ends.
Stroke panel. Open the Profile menu at the bottom and choose the lens shape, Width Profile 1.
Shift-click the first line too so all five are selected. Group them and name the group Bursts. In the Layers panel, click the eye next to Star guide.

Check your work: Five tapered navy lines around the star, grouped as Bursts, and no dashes showing.

What you should see: A star with five short, pointed rays in the gaps between its points.
If not: If a line has a fill, select it and set Fill to None. If the Width tool does nothing, make sure you are dragging right on the line. If there is no Profile menu, choose Show Options from the Stroke panel menu.

Two clicks and Return make an open line. If you skip Return, the next click connects to the last line.
The Width tool shapes one line by hand. The Profile menu copies a shape to many lines at once.

Step 5

Midpoint turn-in

about 3 minturn-in

In the Layers panel, check that the eyes for Bolt guide, Star guide, and Flame guide are all off.
Save with Ctrl+S / Cmd+S.
Choose File > Export > Export As. Name the file LastName_BoltStar.jpg. Set the format to JPEG and check Use Artboards. Click Export.
In the JPEG Options box, set Quality near the high end, Color Model to RGB, and Resolution to Screen (72 ppi). The slider scale differs between dialogs, so go by what your slider shows. Click OK.
Upload LastName_BoltStar.jpg to Canvas as your midpoint.

Check your work: Your JPEG shows the gold bolt and the faceted star with five burst lines on cream. No dashes, no chips.

What you should see: A cream image with two finished designs on the left two thirds. The right third is empty on purpose.
If not: If dashes show, hide that guide's eye and export again with the same name. If chips show, drag them below the artboard.

You keep building in the same .ai file. The JPEG is only a snapshot, and the JPEG is the only thing you upload.

Step 6

Draw the flame in two halves

about 8 min

In the Layers panel, click the eye next to Flame guide. The flame outline comes back with numbers 1 to 14.
Click empty gray space, or press Ctrl+Shift+A / Cmd+Shift+A, so nothing is selected. Click the Curvature tool, the button right beside the Pen tool in the Toolbar (a pen with a curved line), or press Shift+~.
The Curvature tool is the button beside the Pen tool.
Left half. Click circle 1 at the bottom. Click circles 2 and 3. Double-click square 4. Click circle 5. Double-click square 6. Click circle 7. Click square 8 at the top tip. Press Esc. A click makes a curve, a double-click makes a corner.
Your line may look like a burst line or a thin black line. That is fine. You style the flame in Step 7.
Click empty gray space, or press Ctrl+Shift+A / Cmd+Shift+A, so nothing is selected. Right half. Press Shift+~. Click just to the right of square 8, not on it. Click circle 9. Double-click square 10. Click circle 11. Double-click square 12. Click circles 13 and 14. Click just to the right of circle 1, not on it. Press Esc.
Press A. Click circle 2's anchor on the left half. Drag the round end of one of its handles until the curve sits on the dashes.

Check your work: Two open lines that trace the flame, with a tiny gap at the top tip and another at the bottom.

What you should see: The whole flame outline traced in two pieces. Tips and notches are sharp, the sides are curved.
If not: If a tip came out round, press Shift+~ and double-click that anchor to switch it to a corner. If the tool keeps drawing, press Esc.

Start and end the right half next to the left half's ends, not on them. You join them in Step 7.
With the Curvature tool, Esc ends the path. The Pen tool is different: it needs Return.

Step 7

Join the halves

about 6 min

Zoom in on the top tip with Ctrl++ / Cmd++. Press A. Drag a small selection box around the tip so it catches both endpoints and nothing else.
Left: the two halves, with the two spots to select. Right: after Average and Join, one closed navy outline.
Choose Object > Path > Average. Click Both and click OK. The two endpoints move to the same spot. Then choose Object > Path > Join or press Ctrl+J / Cmd+J. If the selection disappeared after Average, drag the small box around the same spot again first.
Average box. Choose Both, then click OK.
Zoom to the bottom of the flame. Drag a small box around both bottom endpoints. Average Both, then Join again.
Press V and click the flame. It selects as one closed shape. Press I and click the Flash Navy chip, then click the Fill square in the Toolbar and click None. The flame is a navy outline for now so you can still see the inner dashes.
The bottom point is now a sharp corner. Press Shift+C for the Anchor Point tool. Drag a short way to the left from the bottom anchor. Handles appear and the bottom rounds off. If it twists into a small loop, Undo and drag to the right instead.
Name the path Outer flame in the Layers panel. Save with Ctrl+S / Cmd+S.

Check your work: One closed navy flame outline named Outer flame, with a sharp top tip and a round bottom. You can still see the inner dashes.

What you should see: A navy flame outline, sharp at every tip and notch, round at the bottom, with the small dashed flame inside.
If not: If Join drew a straight line across the flame, Undo and select only the pair at one spot. If clicking the flame selects only half, one of the two joins did not happen. Check the top and bottom again.

Average moves points. Join connects them. You need both, twice.

Step 8

Paint and clean the inner flame

about 7 min

Click empty gray space, or press Ctrl+Shift+A / Cmd+Shift+A, so nothing is selected. Double-click the Fill square in the Toolbar, type F2B33D, and click OK. Double-click the Stroke square, type F2B33D, and click OK.
Press Shift+B for the Blob Brush. Press the ] key 10 or more times, until the brush circle is about a third as wide as the small flame. Paint inside the small dashed flame until it is filled. Overlapping strokes merge into one shape. Stay inside the dashes.
Press V and click the gold shape. Its edge is lumpy, with many anchors.
Click and hold the Shaper tool in the Toolbar and choose the Smooth tool, or press Shift+A. Drag along the lumpiest edge, close to the line. Repeat once or twice. If it gets worse, Undo.
The Smooth tool is in the Shaper tool group.
Press V and click the shape again. Choose Object > Path > Simplify. A slider bar appears under the shape and simplifies it right away. Drag the slider to the left for fewer points, or to the right if the flame lost its shape. Click empty space to finish. There is no OK button.
The Simplify slider bar. Left is fewer points, right is more.
Press I and click the Sailor Gold chip. The shape gets the navy outline. Name it Inner flame.
Press V and click the outer flame's outline. Press I and click the Vermilion chip. The outer flame fills red behind the gold, because it was drawn first.
Shift-click the inner flame, group them, and name the group Flame.

Check your work: A gold inner flame with a smooth edge and a navy outline sits inside the red flame. Both are grouped as Flame.

What you should see: A two-color flame: red outside, gold inside, every edge outlined in navy.
If not: If the gold shape covers the red flame's edge, select it with A and drag the stray anchors in, or Undo and paint smaller. If Simplify changed the shape too much, Undo and move the slider less.

Blob Brush paints filled shapes. That is why Smooth and Simplify have something to clean.
Keep the better version. Undo is allowed.

Step 9

Dots and final export

about 4 minturn-in

Click empty gray space, or press Ctrl+Shift+A / Cmd+Shift+A, so nothing is selected. Set the Fill and Stroke squares to 1F2A3C. Press Shift+B and press [ to make the brush smaller. Click to paint four or more dots of different sizes in the open space around the designs.
In the Layers panel, click the eye next to Flame guide. Check that all three guide eyes are off.
Save with Ctrl+S / Cmd+S. Choose File > Export > Export As. Name the file LastName_TattooFlash.jpg, set the format to JPEG, check Use Artboards, and click Export. Use the same JPEG Options as the midpoint.
Open the JPEG and check it. Upload LastName_TattooFlash.jpg to Canvas.

Check your work: Your JPEG shows the bolt, the faceted star with burst lines, the two-color flame, and at least four dots. No dashes, no chips.

What you should see: A finished flash sheet: three bold designs on cream, with small navy dots filling the gaps.
If not: If something is missing in the JPEG, fix it in Illustrator and export again with the same name.

If you do the bonus, export and upload again with the same name.

Step 10

Bonus: sparkles with the Star tool

about 8 minbonus

Only after your final JPEG is uploaded.

Click empty gray space, or press Ctrl+Shift+A / Cmd+Shift+A, so nothing is selected. Choose the Star tool. Click once in an open space. Type Radius 1 34 px, Radius 2 10 px, and Points 4. Click OK.
Press I and click the Sailor Gold chip. Then click the Stroke square and click None. Sparkles have no outline.
Press V. Hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) and drag the sparkle to copy it. Make four or five copies around the sheet.
Recolor two of them: select one, press I, click the Vermilion or Clover Green chip, and set Stroke to None again.
Select all the sparkles, group them, and name the group Sparkles. Save, export LastName_TattooFlash.jpg again with the same name, and upload it again.

Check your work: Four or more small four-point sparkles in three colors, with no outlines, grouped as Sparkles.

What you should see: Small sparkles in the gaps around the three designs, like the sample sheet.
If not: If a sparkle has a navy outline, set its Stroke to None.

Same Star tool, four points instead of five.

Final checklist

My bolt is one closed gold path with seven sharp corners, named Bolt
My green star has a red facet on every point, made with one Pen triangle and the Rotate tool, grouped as Star
Five burst lines are tapered with the Width tool and Width Profile 1, grouped as Bursts
LastName_BoltStar.jpg was uploaded at the midpoint
I drew the flame in two halves with the Curvature tool, double-clicking for corners
I joined the halves at the top and bottom with Average and Join, and rounded the bottom with the Anchor Point tool
I painted the inner flame with the Blob Brush and cleaned it with Smooth and Simplify
At least four Blob Brush dots, and all three guide eyes are off
LastName_TattooFlash.jpg uploaded to Canvas
LastName_TattooFlash.ai saved for yourself (not uploaded)
If you did the bonus or the optional step, you saved, exported again, and uploaded again

Optional steps

Finished early? Do these in any order.

Optional A

Shine marks

about 7 min

Click empty gray space, or press Ctrl+Shift+A / Cmd+Shift+A, so nothing is selected. Press P. On the bolt, click near the top left inside edge, click a little lower, and press Return (Enter on Windows).
Press V, click the line, press I, and click the Cream Paper chip. Set Fill to None, stroke weight 10 pt, and in Window > Stroke choose Profile Width Profile 1.
Make one more shine mark inside the flame on its left side. Group them as Shine. Save and export the final JPEG again with the same name.

Check your work: Two thin cream shine marks, one on the bolt and one on the flame, tapered at both ends.

The reference sheet shows the finished look with the bonus sparkles and the optional shine marks. It is an approximation drawn by a script.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
The Pen keeps drawing a line that follows my cursor.	Press Return (Enter on Windows). To close a shape, click its open end with the Pen tool, then click its first point.
My bolt has a curved corner.	Press `Shift+C` and click that anchor.
The Pen shows a minus sign over a star corner.	The star is selected. Press Return, click empty space, then pick up the Pen again.
My burst lines joined into one zigzag.	Undo until one line is left. Press Return (Enter on Windows) after every two clicks. Esc does not end a Pen path.
I cannot see the star's center ring.	The star is filled. Select it, click the Fill square, and click None. Fill it green after the facets.
My facet copies are in the wrong place.	Undo back to one triangle. Press `R` and Option or Alt click the triangle's corner at the center.
Dashes show up in my JPEG.	In the Layers panel, click the eye next to that guide to hide it, then export again.
The color chips show up in my JPEG.	Select them with `V` and drag them below the artboard. Export again.
My color chips are gone.	Open Window > Swatches, click the Swatch Libraries menu at the bottom left, choose Other Library, and pick `MKT202_TattooFlash_Swatches.ase` from the Palette folder. Or type the hex codes from the palette table.
I moved the background or a guide.	Undo. Then lock it with the padlock column in the Layers panel.
A flame tip came out round.	Press `Shift+~` for the Curvature tool and double-click that anchor.
The right half of the flame joined the left half while I was drawing.	Undo. Deselect, then start just beside the left half's end, not on it.
Join made a straight line across the flame.	Undo. Zoom in and select only the two endpoints at one spot. Average Both, then Join.
I cannot see the inner flame's dashes.	The outer flame is filled. Select it, click the Fill square, and click None. Fill it red at the end of Step 8.
The flame will not fill.	One join is missing. Check the top tip and the bottom with `A`.
My Blob Brush paints the wrong color or is invisible.	Set both the Fill and Stroke squares to the hex code from the step, and make the brush bigger with `]`.
The Width tool does nothing.	Select one burst line, not a group, then press `Shift+W`.
I saved an SVG instead of an .ai.	Choose File > Save As and set the format to Adobe Illustrator (ai).
I cannot find a tool.	Tools hide in groups. Click and hold a tool that has a small triangle in its corner.

What this project was actually about

In Sessions 1 and 2 you built and combined shapes. Today you placed anchors yourself: corners with the Pen tool, curves and corners with the Curvature tool, and single points moved with the white arrow. You copied a shape around a center with the Rotate tool, shaped strokes with the Width tool, joined two open paths into one shape, and cleaned up a painted shape with Smooth and Simplify. Those are the tools you will use whenever a shape cannot be built from circles and rectangles, including the mascot in Session 7.

Tools used

Selection tool V, Direct Selection tool A
Layers panel: lock, hide, and name
Pen tool P: corner clicks, closing a path, open lines
Anchor Point tool Shift+C: click for a corner, drag for a curve
Star tool and the X and Y boxes in the Properties panel
Rotate tool R with Option or Alt click, Copy, and Ctrl+D / Cmd+D
Width tool Shift+W and Width Profile 1 in the Stroke panel
Curvature tool Shift+~: click for curves, double-click for corners
Object > Path > Average and Object > Path > Join
Blob Brush Shift+B
Smooth tool and Object > Path > Simplify
Eyedropper tool I and a row of color chips
File > Export > Export As (JPEG, Use Artboards)