STUDENT DASHBOARD: I have organized Beginner Guides and Tutorials by core areas of your Workflow: Building, Editing, and Coloring. LEARNING TARGET (1): Understand how to apply the Primary Building Tools and Options in Adobe Illustrator. LEARNING TARGET (2): Understand how to apply Building, Variation, Editing, and Advanced Color Techniques. LEARNING TARGET (3): Understand how to Download, Save, or Install Brush Libraries, Comic Halftones, and T-shirt Textures for Adobe Illustrator.
BEGINNER: In our Beginner Guides and Tutorials, you will see me give Prompts and Learning Targets. These directions will simplify the process of learning Adobe Illustrator. LEARNING TARGET: Understand the Primary Building Tools and Options in Adobe Illustrator.
ADVANCED: As I am creating my artwork, pay attention to the Sequence of Events, Resources, and Tool Options as it relates to building a "Workflow." LEARNING TARGET: Apply Building, Variation, Editing, and Advanced Color Techniques to your own Artwork.
BEGINNER: If you are a Beginner to Adobe Illustrator, I will recommend creating clean Contour Line Drawing. This can be accomplished by tracing a stock photo or simplifying your own Sketches.
INTERMEDIATE: The next phase will be to prepare your drawings for the Initial Building Phase in Adobe Illustrator. Many of you will be using Ellipse, Pen, and Pencil Tools as your Primary Building Tools.
ADVANCED: As you become more aware of the Tools and Options in Adobe Illustrator, you can save time in your workflow by using quick sketches. Use either Paper or Digital Methods.
CREATING 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.
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.
TEMPLATE LAYERS: 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".
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.
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.
PRIMARY BUILDING: As I create my artwork, I will use an easy process for creating in Adobe Illustrator. If you are new to Adobe Illustrator, understand the Basic Building, Editing, and Coloring Tools. Understand the Primary Building Tools and Options in Adobe Illustrator before applying to your own artwork.
EDITING + VARIATION: As I create my artwork, I would like you to focus in on how I have broken down the coloring steps into Flat Color, Values, and Gradients. Understand how to apply Flat Color Layer by using the Live Paint Bucket. Understand how to duplicate layers to use the Knife Tool create Values before applying to your own artwork.
ADVANCED COLORING: As I create my artwork, pay attention to the Sequence of Events and Tool Options. I have organized tutorials by core areas of your Workflow: Building, Editing, and Coloring. Understand Building, Variation, Editing, and Advanced Color Techniques before applying to your own artwork.
DOWNLOAD BRUSHES: Adobe Illustrator Brushes will come to you as Zipped Folders on Teachable. Once you have downloaded and extracted the folders, Brushes are ready to be used in Adobe Illustrator. Download our Cartoon, Comic Strip, and Vintage Mascot Brush Libraries.
SAVE LIBRARIES: Once you have downloaded and extracted the Brush Folders, I recommend Saving Brush Libraries to your "User Defined" by clicking Save Brush Library in the Brushes Menu. Start with our Resource Guides to save, apply, and edit Brushes in Adobe Illustrator.
OPEN BRUSHES: Adobe Illustrator Brushes have been organized into Brush Libraries for easy application and to maintain consistency with your Line Variation. Open Brush Libraries through the “User Defined” or “Other Library” Options in the Brushes Panel in Adobe Illustrator.
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 Comic Strip 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 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.