GETTING STARTED
WORKFLOW UNITS
WORKFLOW UNITS: I have organized tutorials by core areas of your Workflow: Building, Editing, and Coloring. LEARNING TARGET (1): Understand the Building Tools and Options. LEARNING TARGET (2): Understand Line Variation along with Live and Expanded Editing Tools. LEARNING TARGET (3): Understand Color, Values, and Gradients using Advanced Coloring Techniques.
(PENCIL TOOL): Many of you are looking to use your Tablet with Adobe Illustrator. I am going to recommend breaking down your current tablet workflow into multiple steps. I do see a lot of mistakes when people try to combine too many steps all at once with their new tablets.
(ELLIPSE TOOL): A good place to start if you are new to Adobe Illustrator is our Beginner Guide (Shapes). We will be going through Building with Shapes, Align Panel, Pathfinder, and Basic Color Fills. There are Beginner Guides for the Pen Tool and Tablet if you are new to the website or Adobe Illustrator.
(PEN TOOL): If you are frustrated with the Pen Tool, a simple tip is to break down the process into 2 Steps. The first step is to just apply Anchor Points to the start-curve-end of a line or path. The second step is to adjust the Curves with the Anchor Point Tool or Smooth Curve Button in the Control Panel.
BEGINNER GUIDES
BEGINNER GUIDE: If you are frustrated with the Pen Tool, a simple tip is to break down the process into 2 Steps for Anchor Points and Curves. The first step is to apply Anchor Points to the start-curve-end of a line. TUTORIAL 1 / TUTORIAL 2 / TUTORIAL 3
BEGINNER GUIDE: Many of you are looking to use your Tablet with Adobe Illustrator and are potentially on our Pug Challenge. I am going to highly recommend using the Pencil Tool as your Primary Building Tool using a Tablet. TUTORIAL 1 / TUTORIAL 2
BEGINNER GUIDE: A good place to start if you are new to Adobe Illustrator is our Beginner Guide (Shapes). We will be going through Building with Shapes, Align Panel, Pathfinder, and Basic Color Fills. TUTORIAL 1 / TUTORIAL 2 / TUTORIAL 3
FREE RESOURCES
TEMPLATE LAYER: Have your Drawing, Sketch, or Traced Photo Selected. In your Layers Panel, select the Menu in the Upper-Right Hand Corner. Drop down to Template. This will create 50% Opacity and Lock the Layer. LEARNING TARGET: Create a Template Layer so you can see the Resource Image and new Paths.
TEMPLATE LAYER: Have your Drawing, Sketch, or Traced Photo Selected. In your Layers Panel, select the Menu in the Upper-Right Hand Corner. Drop down to Template. This will create 50% Opacity and Lock the Layer. LEARNING TARGET: Create a Template Layer so you can see the Resource and new Paths.
BRUSH LIBRARIES: Many of our Tutorials will go through a process of applying and editing our Brush Libraries. Brush Libraries will come as Zipped Folders, Extract All before using in Adobe Illustrator. LEARNING TARGET: Download Brush Libraries to use with your own artwork or designs.
COLOR SWATCHES: I highly recommend using Adobe Color for your Themes to add to your Library or download ASE Files. In most tutorials, we will be applying Flat Colors using Live Paint. LEARNING TARGET: Download or Save Color Themes to use with your own artwork and designs.
FONT FAMILIES: I recommend using Adobe Fonts for Commercial Use. If you are New, look for Font Families to use for your Primary Business or Marketing (Headers + Sub Headers). LEARNING TARGET: Download or Save Fonts to use with your own artwork and designs.
DIGITAL DOWNLOADS
RESOURCE GUIDES
RESOURCE GUIDES. Digital Downloads will come as a Zipped Folder. Once you have Downloaded and Extracted the Resource Folders, they are ready to be used in Adobe Illustrator. LEARNING TARGET: Follow along with our Resource Guides and Tutorials to learn how to Apply Brushes + Halftones + Textures.
BEGINNER GUIDES
BEGINNER GUIDES. Tutorials will focus on Building Tools, Applying Brushes, Editing Options, and Basic Coloring Techniques in Adobe Illustrator. LEARNING TARGET (1): Understand the Primary Building Tools and Options. LEARNING TARGET (2): Apply Building, Editing, and Advanced Color Techniques to your own Artwork.
TUTORIALS + GUIDES
TUTORIALS + GUIDES
ILLUSTRATOR BRUSHES
BRUSH LIBRARIES
BRUSH LIBRARIES
RESOURCE GUIDES
DIGITAL DOWNLOADS: Digital Downloads will come as Zipped Folders through our friends at Teachable. Once you have Downloaded and Extracted the Folders, they are ready to be used in Adobe Illustrator. After downloading, start with our Beginner Guides, Resource Guides, Illustrator Tutorials, or YouTube Playlists.
SAVING LIBRARIES: After downloading and extracting the Brushes Folder, I will recommend saving Brush Libraries to your 'User Defined." This will be for Quick Access to the Brush Libraries in New Documents. VIEW BRUSHES GUIDE
SAVING LIBRARIES: After downloading and extracting the Brushes Folder, I will recommend saving Brush Libraries to your 'User Defined." This will be for Quick Access to the Brush Libraries in New Documents. BEGINNER GUIDE
SAVING LIBRARIES: After downloading and extracting the Brushes Folder, I will recommend saving Brush Libraries to your 'User Defined." This will be for Quick Access to the Brush Libraries in New Documents. BEGINNER GUIDE / BRUSHES GUIDE
TEMPLATES: File -Place in your own Drawing, Sketch, or Traced Stock Photo. Select your Resource Layer. (It will usually be your only layer) In your Layers Panel, select the Menu in the Upper-Right Hand Corner. Drop down to Template. This will create a 50% Opacity and Lockout the Layer. Create a New Layer above to start "Building". BEGINNER GUIDE / BEGINNER GUIDE 1 / BEGINNER GUIDE 9
ARTBOARDS: File-New. Use a size or ratio that you can use for all of your own artwork. I recommend a 1080px by 1080px artboard for websites and social postings. Many of you will be looking to export your own artwork to Instagram. You can modify the size of the artwork or artboard with the Artboard Tool or Properties Panel. BEGINNER GUIDE / BEGINNER GUIDE 1 / BEGINNER GUIDE 9
SKETCH OR TRACED PHOTO: I recommend starting from a Clean Line Drawing or a simple Traced Stock Photo for your artwork and designs. Create a "Traceable Path" to align with the Building Tools in Adobe Illustrator. You can speed up your workflow by using a Quick Sketch when you become more advanced. BEGINNER GUIDE / BEGINNER GUIDE 1 / BEGINNER GUIDE 9
SAVING LIBRARIES: After downloading and extracting the Brushes Folder, I will recommend saving Brush Libraries to your 'User Defined." This will be for Quick Access to the Brush Libraries in New Documents. BEGINNER GUIDE 8 / BEGINNER GUIDE 2 / BEGINNER GUIDE 6
OPENING SWATCHES: Open your Swatches Panel. In the Swatches Menu, drop down to Open Swatch Library. Select "Other Library" to open an ASE File saved on your computer. BEGINNER GUIDE 10 / BEGINNER GUIDE 7 / BEGINNER GUIDE 4
OPENING LIBRARIES: Open your Library Panel. Select the Color Theme you would like to use. Right Click on the Color Theme to Add Theme to your Swatches Panel. BEGINNER GUIDE 10 / BEGINNER GUIDE 7 / BEGINNER GUIDE 4
I appreciate your videos. I have been an illustrator user for years and have my own ways of doing things. It's great to see other ways of using tools and learning tricks I didn't know were available! It's also good to see you doing the same thing as me in other instances, confirming I'm on the right track!Andy Zenz
Awesome tutorial! I don't think I've picked up something so easily from someone who knows what they are doing. I managed to draw my first vector art and it was a joy! Great work keep it up!blitz145
Thank you loads! Compared to other tutorials, yours are just really well-explained and easy-to-follow. Can totally see that you've got a passion for what you're doing and that's just wonderful! 🙂 Keep it up, you're doing an amazing job. Yulia Kachurova
Love your video thanks so much. you blow Lynda.com out of the water!!!!Steve Yensel
Brilliant video. So much great info packed in here. I'm just getting started drawing cartoons with my Wacom tablet, and this was a huge help. Thumbs up and thanks!Dorian Staten
Wow Thanks Jason...was really struggling with making images with basic shapes. Your tutorial is helping me out!!Kishor Rajani
thanks a lot you are really one of my favorites, I like the steps you give us, and I'm so thankful for that effort you do for helping us :)Wessam Lotfi
Keep up the good work Jason. I’ve been doing Lynda.com tutorials for a few months now and I got more out of your videos than what I’ve received at Lynda. Keep it up and Thank You!!bobby jacobs • 1 year ago
These tutorials are amazing. Just started using illustrator and really glad I found your channel. The only videos that explain everything step by stepAida Stan
You are definitely one of the best teachers I've found dealing with start to finish creative process. Great work!!!Jasen Fisher
Thank you so much man, I loved the way you explain this, I spent days looking for a good tutorial vid, thanks a lot, gonna keep watching your videos!!!Karel Marccenaro
Awesome tutorial! I don't think I've picked up something so easily from someone who knows what they are doing. I managed to draw my first vector art and it was a joy! Great work keep it up!blitz145
Thank you loads! Compared to other tutorials, yours are just really well-explained and easy-to-follow. Can totally see that you've got a passion for what you're doing and that's just wonderful! 🙂 Keep it up, you're doing an amazing job. Yulia Kachurova
Love your video thanks so much. you blow Lynda.com out of the water!!!!Steve Yensel
Brilliant video. So much great info packed in here. I'm just getting started drawing cartoons with my Wacom tablet, and this was a huge help. Thumbs up and thanks!Dorian Staten
Keep up the good work Jason. I’ve been doing Lynda.com tutorials for a few months now and I got more out of your videos than what I’ve received at Lynda. Keep it up and Thank You!!bobby jacobs • 1 year ago
These tutorials are amazing. Just started using illustrator and really glad I found your channel. The only videos that explain everything step by stepAida Stan
You are definitely one of the best teachers I've found dealing with start to finish creative process. Great work!!!Jasen Fisher