Create a Mysterious Halloween Scene in Adobe Illustrator

Duplicate the dark shape and select its upper anchor point with the Direct Selection Tool (A). Drag the anchor point down to put the shape flat on the ground.

Step 18

Adjust the gradients, creating a sense of light pouring on the ground out of the open window (or it is more likely to be a front door).

Use the Reflect Tool (O) to mirror the created element over the Vertical Axis. Make several copies of the reflected window and place them on the opposite wall, decreasing their size.

Step 19

Create multiple copies of the windows and put them in the appropriate places.

Step 20

Move on and form the left side wall by adding a curved rectangle shape. Fill the shape with a gentle lilac-white linear gradient and switch it to Multiply Blending Mode, thus creating a shadow and making the house dimensional.

Render the roof of the house in the same way as the wall.

Add a sharp, zigzagged shape above the roof. Select both objects and use the Minus Front function in Pathfinderto form some cracks.

Work over the other parts of the house in the same way, rendering shadows and creating a realistic look.

4. Add a Touch of Magic

Step 1

To create a mysterious, Halloween atmosphere in our image, we're going to add some minor details. Individually, they'll barely be noticeable at first glance, but they'll all come together to create the effect we're looking for. Let’s add some of these tiny elements here and there to make our artwork more intricate.
First of all, add more light to the windows, by adding a conelike shape and filling it with a bright gradient in Screen Blending Mode.

Step 2

Now let’s make a small but very important element, which produces a subtle, magical effect—the sparkle! Sparkles always create a feeling of something mysterious and supernatural.
Making a sparkle is quite simple: create two even circles and fill them with radial gradients as shown on the screenshot below. Use yellow-black gradient with a small center for one circle and orange-black gradient with a larger center for the other.
Put one circle above the other and switch them to Screen Blending Mode. The black color will become transparent, creating a warm glow. Magic indeed!

Step 3

Spread the sparkles in front of a doorway as if they are flying out of the house.

Decorate several more windows using the same technique. However, avoid adding sparkles to all of the windows so as not to overload the picture with small details, because they create “noise” which can be very distracting for the viewers.

Step 4

Our picture is almost complete! Let’s add some interesting elements, which will attract more attention and enliven the composition. We need some characters suitable for a Halloween theme. As you remember, we already have a naked tree in the foreground, so let’s add a bat hanging upside-down on one of the branches.
Draw a whimsy curved shape using the Pencil Tool (N) to depict the left part of a bat's silhouette. Reflect the shape over the Vertical Axis and combine the halves, forming a single silhouette. Add a darker shape above, forming a wing, wrapped around our bat. Add two red eyes, making them sharp-pointed to create an evil look.

Step 5

Let’s fit our bat on the tree. Make it darker, if needed, to emphasize the contrast between the character and the background.

Use one of the sparkles that we created a few steps ago and put it over the bat’s eye, making it glow bright red.

Step 6

Draw out a scribbled shape, imitating the tree bark. Use the same filling gradient as we have on the walls of the house, switching to Multiply Blending Mode.

Step 7

We have the last move left! Let’s add brightness to our image, making it more vivid and saturated. Make a big rectangle, covering the whole Artboard, and fill it with radial gradient, consisting of orange, pink and dark-purple colors, as shown on the screenshot.
Switch the Blending Mode to Overlay and decrease the Opacity to 30%. This simple method gives our image a bright, candy-like look! Now the colors look much better.

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Step 8

Create another rectangle the same size as our Artboard and put it above all other elements by clicking Shift-Control-]. Select everything (Control-A) and right‑click to call a pop-up menu. Make Clipping Mask to hide the pieces outside the Artboard.

Yay! Our Creepy House on the Hill is Finished!

Congratulations! You’ve just finished building a mysterious Halloween scene and should be proud of yourself. I hope you’ve enjoyed following these guidelines and found some useful tips and tricks for your future work. Happy Halloween, folks!