Editor’s note: This is a contributed post by Sebastián Bartaburu, an enthusiastic designer, illustrator, and painter from Uruguay. Together with Leo, he launched VectorOpenStock.com, a vector site with exclusive vector freebies. He loves to work on oil paintings and dances the Tango.

Hi buddies! Christmas time is coming and we all know that is a great time for designers to work hard and make some extra money. As an overload of work is a frequent issue, there is a need to accelerate the creation process. We’re here to help.

Today we bring to you a fast and easy tutorial to make a nice–looking Christmas Baubles also known as Christmas ball ornaments to some of you.

At the end of the tutorial you will be know how to create the nice, glossy effect you see on 3D illustrations of metal balls. For this tutorial, we will be using Adobe Illustrator CS5. Download the free vector file with 6 nice decoration including the one we have done.

Let’s get started.

Recommended Reading: 40 Icon Sets To Bring Christmas Into Your Design

Step 1 – Shape And Gradient

With the Elipse tool, make a circle. Use shift to keep it round.

Use the gradient tool to fill the circle. Make a radial gradient in the shape as is shown in the image.

In this case, we made a red gradient so you might use the classic red (100 magenta and 100 yellow in CMYK). In the image you can see that the center of the gradient is not in the center of the ball but a little to the top right. The darker red goes left and downwards to simulate a shadow.

Step 2 – Adding The Glow And Shadow

Copy the circle (Ctrl / Command +C) and paste it back (Ctrl / Command + B) twice, so now we have 3 circles overlapped.

Select the one which is above and bring it down and to the left as it’s shown in the image.

Now with the shift button pressed, we select both circles and we go to the pathfinder tool and select minus front.

Fill the resultant shape with white.

You’ll get an inverted moon, which we will use to add a reflected glow effect on the bauble. Resize and move the shape until it looks like the image below.

Then go to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur, and find the right Blur Radius that you are happy with.

After that add transparency to the shape, 50% should do the trick.

Now make a copy of the crescent (Ctrl / Command + C, Ctrl / Command + V) and use the reflect tool to reflect it horizontally and vertically (so that it is opposite the first crescent).

Then change the color to C=0, M=100, Y=100, K=100. As we are in a red background we won’t use only black.

Use Ctrl+2 to block both crescent shape, so we can select the bottom circle without trouble. Copy and paste back (Ctrl+C & Ctrl+B) once again and move it as it’s shown in the pic.

Again we will use the Pathfinder > Minus Front. Then fill it with white and 25% transparency. After that resize it smaller. This will give the bauble a nice glossy effect.

Step 3 – The Metal Top

Let’s create the top hanger. Use the rounded rectangle tool and fill it with a linear gradient of 3 greys and 1 white. Manage the gradient to achieve a metal style look.

After that we will inclinate that shape.

Use the Free Transform tool (E), click the corner, hold it while pressing Ctrl / Command + Shift + Alt and give it the desired shape (you can also reduce the height).

Then make a circle above, copy and paste back (Ctrl / Command + C & Ctrl / Command + B) we resize the one on the top.

Then with both selected go to pathfinder and select Exclude. This way we will crop the circle and have a "wheel" as shown in the pic.

Step 4 – The Decoration

To give the bauble the final touch, you could add stars, snowflakes, lines, circles, etc. In this case we made 3 lines but at this link you will be able to download the final artwork and other examples.

To add the three lines, use the rectangle tool and draw three rectangles, make a group (Ctrl / Command + G) with them and we make a gradient in light brown so it looks golden.

Then Copy and Paste Back the big circle again and bring it to the front. Select rectangles and the copied circle and we will make a clipping mask (Ctrl / Command + 7). This will crop the lines so they fit the circle.

Now select the circle and the rectangles and bring them back (right click > arrange bring to back).

And, that’s it. We really hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and we look forward to seeing your christmas baubles. Thanks for your time. Comments are welcomed.

Click here to download this free vector and 5 other more Christmas bauble.

Google recently discontinued the free version of Google Apps for small businesses. Previously, you can use Google Apps for your small startup business for free (up to 10 users).

However, now, there is only the premium version, Google Apps for Business, which includes:

• 24/7 phone support for any issue,
• 25GB inbox, and
• 99.9% uptime guarantee with the price of $50/user/year.

You still can sign up on a 30-day free trial if you want to test Google apps out. But if want to try out Google Apps for your business for the long term, there is a simple solution to sign up for Google Apps for yourself (1 user), and for free.

Recommended Reading: Beginners Guide To Setting Up Google Apps Email

Signing Up Google App For Free

Here’s how to sign up Google Apps for free via Google App Engine.

1. Sign up a Google account.

2. After that, sign in appengine.google.com with your Google Account. Click on "Create Application" to proceed.

   

3. Fill in the requested information with dummy data and click "Create Application" to proceed.

   

4. In “Application Registered Successfully” page, click on “dashboard” text link.

   

5. In dashboard, look for "Application Settings" on the left panel and click on it.

   

6. Under "Domain Setup" section, click on the Add Domain… button.

   

7. Now you will be able to see a link named Sign up for Google Apps Standard. Click on it to sign up Google Apps for free.

   

8. You’ll be redirected to a sign up page where you’re allowed to get started with Google Apps for free.

   

Conclusion

With the steps above, you can sign up Google Apps for free, but only for 1 user. It is a pretty useful workaround to use Gmail or other services to fit your business with your custom email address.

It is as if Christmas came early, as Apple heard the cries of people getting lost with Apple maps, the new and improved Google Maps app is now availabe in the Apple app store for selected countries. Hands down, any Google Maps alternative is better than Apple Maps, and at first glance, this new Google Maps works even better than the one prior to iOS 6.

Although the app has been released in only a few countries, here’s why you should feel impatient towards Google. We found the feature of signing in with your Google account gave the app even more value.

The search has been improved to make it feel like you’re searching on a desktop browser with its cleaner user interface that also features gestures.

What’s New

Here’s a few new awesome features we’ve found that makes this Google Maps app so much better. The app now has 3D view similar to modern GPS devices which makes understanding the map easier for some.

You can also rotate the map by using 2 fingers in a circular motion for easier navigation which doesn’t restrict you to just the birds eye view. You can also tell which way is north by looking at where the compass is pointing at.

New Powerful Search

The search function has also been improved as you can see multiple location results while you’re typing.

You can also search for point of interest (POI); "Restaurants in California" will bring up many restaurant locations represented by the red dots on the map.

You can then tap on the restaurant you want to find out more info about it. You can call the restaurant, save it into your bookmark list, share the URL by copying it to your clipboard, or via email or SMS, see pictures, view their website and menu, or book a table (depending if they support these feature).

Using Gestures

At the moment, there are a few gestures you can use within the app.

You can swipe in from the right with 2 fingers to show the more options menu. Alternatively, you can press the more options button at the bottom to the right side which we find works better.

You can also swipe from left and right to change the navigation route between you and your destination.

In the same manner, you can browse through restaurants or other suggested locations as well by swiping left and right.

Why You Should Sign In

Without a doubt, in order to navigate to a place you’re not sure about, you’ll use Google Maps on your desktop browser to look for directions before embarking on your journey.

When you’re signed in to a Google account and use Maps on a desktop browser, your desktop search history will be synced into this app as well provided you signed in with the same account. You can also add your home and office address to quickly navigate back from wherever you are.

In conclusion, we think that this new version of Google Maps is superior to the previous version with better features.