GETTING STARTED
Welcome to our website if you are a visitor or a new subscriber. My name is Jason and I am an Illustrator and Teacher (BFA). (Nerd Alert) My Master's Degree is in Education, specifically in Curriculum and Instruction. We have (100+) Beginner Tutorials, Challenges, and Playlists for you to Learn Adobe Illustrator.
BEGINNER GUIDES: Many of our tutorials will follow an easy process for creating artwork in Adobe Illustrator. If you are new to Adobe Illustrator, start with Beginner Guides or Illustrator Tutorials. Understand how to apply the Primary Building Tools and Options in Adobe Illustrator.
ILLUSTRATOR TUTORIALS: I have organized tutorials by core areas of your Workflow: Building, Editing, and Coloring. Pay attention to the Sequence of Events and Tool Options related to building a "Routine" or "Workflow." Understand how to apply Building, Variation, Editing, and Advanced Color Techniques.
RESOURCE GUIDES: As I create my artwork, pay attention to the resources being used throughout the Workflows, Tutorials, and YouTube Playlists. Understand how to Download, Save, or Install Templates, Stock Photos, Brush Libraries, and Color Swatches for Adobe Illustrator.
BEGINNER GUIDES
I have organized Beginner Guides 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.
PEN TOOL WORKFLOW: 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.
ELLIPSE TOOL WORKFLOW: 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.
PENCIL TOOL WORKFLOW: 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.
DOWNLOAD BRUSHES
Many of you are jumping over from YouTube looking to download our Adobe Illustrator Brush Libraries. Brushes will come to you as Zipped Folders. Once you have downloaded and extracted the folders, Brush Libraries are ready to be used in Adobe Illustrator. LEARNING TARGET: Download Cartoon, Comic Strip, and Vintage Mascot Brush Libraries.
CARTOON BRUSHES: Cartoon Brushes are my go-to for Professional Logos, Cartoons, Mascots, and Branding. Use Cartoon Illustrator Brushes with the Pen, Pencil or Paint Brush Tools to Apply different Line Variation to your Vector Artwork. Download Cartoon, Cartoon 2, and Original Cartoon Brush Libraries.
COMIC STRIP BRUSHES: Hand Painted + Comic Strip Brushes to get a lived-in feel back into your Vector Art. Comic Strips and Hand Painted are painted based on some of my favorite artists and cartoonists. These brushes are designed to look ready for the Sunday Paper. Download Comic Strip, Hand-Painted, Paintbrush, and Fine Liner Brush Libraries.
MASCOT BRUSHES: Jittery Hand, Caffeinated Cartoonist + Rough Ink Brushes to Mimic Paper Bleed and Caffeine. Designed to be a little less stiff with your vector art. Use these Brush Libraries to get a distressed or ink bleed style back in your own Vector Artwork. Download Caffeinated Cartoonist, Rough Ink, and Jittery Hand Brush Libraries.
ILLUSTRATOR TUTORIALS
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.
BUILDING: I will use Shapes, Pencil, and Pen Tools in Adobe Illustrator as my Primary Building Tools. Notice I have simplified my drawings and sketches to make this step feel like tracing. Understand the Building Tools in Adobe Illustrator.
EDITING: I will apply Brush Libraries for my Line Variation. Notice I am using Expanded Editing Tools to clean up my Paths before moving on to the Coloring Step. Understand and Apply Live and Expanded Editing Tools in Adobe Illustrator.
COLORING: I will use Live Paint to create my Basic Fills or Flat Color Layer. Notice the steps to select and create a Live Paint Group. Understand Basic to Advanced Coloring Techniques in Adobe Illustrator.
DIGITAL DOWNLOADS
Many of you are jumping over from YouTube looking to download our Adobe Illustrator Resource Folders. Download and Extract the Resource Folders before using in Adobe Illustrator. LEARNING TARGET: Download our Adobe Illustrator Brushes Libraries, Comic Halftones, T-Shirt Textures, or Resource Bundle.
ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR BRUSHES. Brushes are specifically designed for Illustrators and Cartoonists to speed up their workflow. Brushes Libraries allow for Pressure Sensitivity if you are using a Tablet for Inking your Line Variation. Apply with Pen, Pencil, Shapes, or Paintbrush Tools. Download Cartoon, Comic Strip, and Vintage Mascot Brush Libraries.
ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR HALFTONES. Halftones and Patterns Fills are designed for easy application even if you are new to Adobe Illustrator. Halftone Fills behave the same as a Color Swatch so you can apply them quickly using the Blob Brush, Live Paint, or Basic Fills. Download Halftone Fills and Pattern Fills.
ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR TEXTURES. BMP Textures are extremely easy to use even if you are a beginner to Adobe Illustrator. Simply File-Place the Textures over your finished artwork to use with the Transparency Panel. Use with Opacity Masks for T-Shirt Distressing. Download Cracks, Grunge Distressing, Paper, and Paint Splatter BMP Textures.
RESOURCE GUIDES
Digital Downloads will come as Zipped Folders. Once you have downloaded and extracted the Resource Folders, they are ready to be used in Adobe Illustrator. LEARNING TARGET: Start with our Resource Guides to understand how to download, save, and apply Brush Libraries, Comic Halftones, and T-Shirt Textures.
BRUSHES GUIDE: Refer to our Brushes Resource Guide for saving brush libraries, applying brushes, and using the Shape Builder tool in Adobe Illustrator.
HALFTONES GUIDE: Refer to our Halftones Resource Guide for assistance with importing halftones, applying halftones, resizing pattern fills, and coloring halftones in Adobe Illustrator.
TEXTURES GUIDE: Refer to our Textures Resource Guide for assistance in placing textures, coloring BMP textures, using clipping masks, and applying textures with opacity masks in Adobe Illustrator.