Adobe Illustrator Tutorial using Shapes
Adobe Illustrator Tutorial for Beginners
In this Beginner Adobe Illustrator Tutorial, we will be going through our anchor point guide to build our cartoon character using shapes. I have been getting a lot of requests for more tutorials on building characters using shapes.
Building with Shapes
Shapes are a great way of building your characters especially as you gain experience with blend, warp, shape builder, and pathfinder to create unique shapes.
Adding Brushes
We will be adding our cartoon brushes to add line variation to our line width. These brushes are located in our resource folder and our easy to install as a new brush library.
Halftone Effects
We will be adding on an effect using the gradient tool and the color halftone pixelate effect. We will be also walking you through the live trace panel.
New Artboards: I recommend establishing a "Building Artboard" that you can use for your own artwork. A habit that I would like you to break is treating Adobe Illustrator like Photoshop. The initial Artboard Size can be changed at any point without ruining your own artwork. Pick the size you will use most frequently to establish a routine while learning. Example: 1080px by 1080px - RGB - 300 PPI. LEARNING TARGET: Establish a "Standardized Approach" that includes Artboard Size, Resource Type, and Template Layers that will relate to your own artwork.
Template Layer: Have your Resource Layer Selected. (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 working in Adobe Illustrator. It will give you an error message (no sign) if you try to draw on the Template Layer. LEARNING TARGET: Establish a Template Layer Setting so that you can see the Reference Image while not becoming too distracting when building in Adobe Illustrator.
DOWNLOAD BRUSH LIBRARIES. Our 200 Adobe Illustrator Brushes are specifically designed for Illustrators and Cartoonists to speed up their workflow. Download Brushes to follow along with our Tutorials or use them with your own artwork in Adobe Illustrator. Brush Libraries include our 70 Cartoon, 100 Comic Strip, and 50 Vintage Mascot Brushes.
SAVE BRUSH LIBRARIES. The Brushes Folder will come as a Zipped Folder on Teachable. Once you have downloaded and extracted the Folder, the Brushes are ready to be used in Adobe Illustrator. I do recommend Saving "Updated" Brush Libraries to your "User Defined" by clicking on Save Brush Library in the Brushes Menu.
OPEN BRUSH LIBRARIES. Our 200 Adobe Illustrator Brushes have been organized into Brush Libraries for easy application and to maintain consistency with your Line Variation. In the Brushes Panel Menu, select “Open Brush Library.” You can Open Brush Libraries through the “User Defined” or “Other Library” Options in the Brushes Panel.
70 Cartoon Brushes: Adobe Illustrator Cartoon Brushes are my go-to brushes 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. (includes Updated Cartoon, Cartoon 2, and Original Cartoon Brush Libraries).
100 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. (includes Updated Comic Strip, Hand-Painted, Paintbrush, and Fine Liner Brush Libraries).
50 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 more of a distressed look or ink bleed back in your own Vector Artwork. (includes updated Caffeinated Cartoonist, Rough Ink, and Jittery Hand Brush Libraries).
ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR
BRUSH LIBRARIES
DOWNLOAD 200 BRUSHES
20% OFF (SAVE $12)
70 Cartoon Brushes: Adobe Illustrator Cartoon Brushes are my go-to brushes 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. (includes Updated Cartoon, Cartoon 2, and Original Cartoon Brush Libraries).
100 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. (includes Updated Comic Strip, Hand-Painted, Paintbrush, and Fine Liner Brush Libraries).
50 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 more of a distressed look or ink bleed back in your own Vector Artwork. (includes updated Caffeinated Cartoonist, Rough Ink, and Jittery Hand Brush Libraries).
ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR
BRUSH LIBRARIES
DOWNLOAD 200 BRUSHES
20% OFF (SAVE $12)
SAVING BRUSHES: Open All of the Brushes Libraries in Adobe Illustrator. (File - Open). Have your Brushes Panel Open. Under Window - Brushes. Click on Each Illustrator Document and Open the Brushes Menu in the Brushes Panel. Scroll down to Click on Save Brush Library. Default Location = User Defined. Repeat for each (updated) Brush Library.
OPENING BRUSHES: Under Window - Select Brushes. In the Brushes Menu, drop-down to Open Brush Library. Hover over it and select "Other Library." A Normal Open Dialogue Box will appear to select any Brush Library to use in Illustrator. Almost all of our step-by-step tutorials on YouTube use this method.
STEP #1: DOWNLOAD + EXTRACT OUR ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR BMP TEXTURE FOLDER. The Texture Folders will come to you zipped. Extract All before using in Adobe Illustrator. The BMP Textures are ready to use once you have extracted the folder. There is no installation needed to use BMP Textures, simply file place over your finished design or artwork.
STEP #2: FILE + PLACE BMP TEXTURES INTO YOUR WORKING ARTBOARD. Place a BMP Texture over your finished vector artwork. Simple File-Place. I recommend scaling the texture to fit over your completed artwork before you export or save. Simply scale the texture file using the Bounding Box or the Properties Panel. You can scale the texture to fit over the asset or the entire artboard.
STEP #3: ADJUST TEXTURES USING THE TRANSPARENCY SLIDER. Adjustments to the texture file can be made in the Transparency Panel in Adobe Illustrator. If you are looking to Blend the Pattern toward your Background Color, you can simply click on a Color Swatch to Change the Color of the BMP Texture. Use the Transparency Slider to adjust the opacity for subtle texture overlays.
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