Rectangle Tool

• Trying out any paper textures from Illustrator's Effects menu requires an image of a piece of a paper. Illustrator's Rectangle tool yields a shape you can quickly turn into such an image. Click the rectangle icon from the tool palette to run the tool for drawing rectangles.
  
  

Convert Tool

• A plain rectangle needs a shadow and some indication of the flexibility of a piece of paper before you'll recognize it as a page of paper. Illustrator's Convert tool helps to make the paper appear flexible. Click the toolbar icon shaped like a ">" symbol to run the "Convert" tool, which changes straight vector segments to curve ones and vice versa Click the lower left corner of the rectangle, then drag up and left a short distance. This curves the corner, which enables you to simulate a paper-like curl. Click the upper handle emerging from the corner node you just dragged, then drag the cursor in a clockwise fashion a slight distance. This action arcs the rectangle's left edge inward while leaving the lower edge bowed outward. The next effect is of a piece of curled paper.
  
  

Shadow

• After shaping the paper to make it look three dimensional, increase the illusion of three dimensions by adding a shadow to the paper. Press "Control" and "C" simultaneously after selecting the rectangle you modified to look like paper, then press "Control" and "V" simultaneously to duplicate the paper shape. You will form a shadow from the duplicate. Click the black color from the leftmost drop-down gallery above the drawing canvas. This action fills the duplicate paper shape with black. Right click the duplicate and click "Arrange," then "Send behind" to place the duplicate under the paper shape. This action completes the paper's shadow.
  
  

Apply Texture

• After making the paper look three dimensional, you're ready to apply a texture to it. Click the "Effects" menu, then click the "Effect gallery" command to open a gallery of effects you can apply to the paper shape. Click the "Texture" heading to display a gallery of textures. Click each icon in the gallery to see a preview of the texture on the paper shape. Click "OK" to finalize application of the texture.