ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR

PEN TOOL TUTORIALS

PEN TOOL TUTORIALS. How to use the Pen Tool in Adobe Illustrator. The Pen Tool can be frustrating for beginners and there are faster ways of getting down your paths. The Pen Tool is for those of you want more control over your Anchor Points or if you do not have a drawing tablet.
PLACING ANCHOR POINTS. Your new favorite thing in the entire world will be corners. You know exactly where to place your anchors. While you are going through the Tutorials and Playlists,  start training your eyes on where and why we place Anchors Points. Tip: Less is More.
TROUBLESHOOTING. A tip if you are frustrated with the Pen Tool is to break down the process into 2 Steps. The first step is to just Apply Achor 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.

Step by Step Pen Tool Tutorial

Beginner Top Tips

Zoom In

All of our initial preferences are designed to gain more control over what you are clicking on. The more you can zoom in and see your anchors and handles the better.

Smart Guides

Under VIEW make sure you have your smart guides turned on. Under your PREFERENCES (smart guides) you should definitely have your anchor/ path labels selected.

Anchor and Handle Size

In your (general) PREFERENCES there is a setting which can enlarge your anchor points and handles to make them easier for you to see before clicking.

Direct Selection Tool

The white arrow can grab and adjust the anchors, handles, and paths. All of the other settings are designed to let you know what you are selecting before you click and drag.

Adding Line Variation with Brushes

Adding on Line Variation using Cartoon Brushes

You will have more control over the placement and width of each of your lines using the Cartoon Brushes. The process will be a combination of using the Brushes to get down the initial thickness and stroke width. The second step will be modifying the placement of the variation using the so we can edit later. This 2-Step Process allows for more control over your Line Variation compared to using your Tablet with Pressure.

STEP #1:  DOWNLOAD RESOURCES. Many of you are jumping over from YouTube looking to download our Illustrator Resource Folders. Download our Brush Libraries or add on Halftones and Textures to save on our Adobe Illustrator Resource Bundle. Download our Brush Libraries, Comic Halftones, and BMP Textures to follow along or use with Your Own Artwork in Adobe Illustrator.
STEP #2: RESOURCE GUIDES. The first step will be to download and extract the Resource Folders. The Folders will come as a Zipped Folder on Teachable. Once you have Downloaded and Extracted the Folders, they are ready to be used in Adobe Illustrator. Follow Along with our Resource Guides, Tutorials, and Challenges to apply and edit Brushes + Halftones + Textures.
STEP #3: FOLLOW ALONG. Tutorials are designed to build up time within the program to apply the Tools and Settings. Tutorials will go through how to apply Resources within a Workflow. Follow along with our 100 Tutorials Playlist on YouTube and 50 Step by Steps on the Website. Tutorials will focus on Building Tools, Applying Brushes, Editing Options, and Basic Coloring Techniques.
STEP #1: DOWNLOAD BRUSHES. Many of you are jumping over from YouTube looking to download our Updated Brush Libraries. You can download our 200 Adobe Illustrator Brushes to follow along with our Tutorials and Playlists or use them with your own artwork. Updated Brush Libraries include our 70 Cartoon, 100 Comic Strip, and 50 Vintage Mascot Brushes.  
STEP #2: RESOURCE GUIDES. The first step is to download the Brushes Folder. They will come to you as a Zipped Folder on Teachable. Once you have Downloaded and Extracted the Folders, the Brush Libraries are Ready to Use in Adobe Illustrator. Follow along with our Brushes Resource Guide to Save Brush Libraries for fast access in your "User Defined."
STEP #3: FOLLOW ALONG. Tutorials are designed to build up time within the program to apply the Tools and Settings. Tutorials will focus on Building Tools, Applying Brushes, Editing Options, and Basic Coloring Techniques. I have included (as a free bonus) Resources to follow along with our 100 Tutorials Playlist on YouTube and Step by Steps on the Website.
ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR BRUSHES. Our (Updated) 200 Adobe Illustrator Brushes are specifically designed for Illustrators and Cartoonists to speed up their workflow. I have recently added more brushes and updated the Brush Libraries to allow for Pressure Sensitivity. Follow Along with the Tutorials or Use them with Your Own Artwork. Brush Libraries include our 70 Cartoon, 100 Comic Strip, and 50 Vintage Mascot Brushes.
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70 CARTOON BRUSHES:  (libraries include Updated Cartoon, Cartoon 2, and Original Cartoon Brush Libraries). 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.
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100 COMIC STRIP BRUSHES: (libraries include Updated Comic Strip, Hand-Painted, Paintbrush, and Fine Liner Brush Libraries). 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.
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50 MASCOT BRUSHES: (libraries include updated Caffeinated Cartoonist, Rough Ink, and Jittery Hand Brush Libraries). 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. 
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200 ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR BRUSHES. Our (Updated) 200 Adobe Illustrator Brushes are specifically designed for Illustrators and Cartoonists to speed up their workflow. I have recently added more brushes and updated the Brush Libraries to allow for Pressure Sensitivity. Follow Along with the Tutorials or Use them with Your Own Artwork. Brush Libraries include our 70 Cartoon, 100 Comic Strip, and 50 Vintage Mascot Brushes.
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70 ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR HALFTONES. Our 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. Simply Paint in Halftones into your own Illustrations and Comics. Halftones include our 70 Comic Strip Halftone Fills, Pattern Fills, and Halftone Value Scales.
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400 ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR BMP TEXTURES. Our 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 for soft overlays. Use BMP Textures along with Opacity Masks for T-Shirt Distressing. BMP Textures include our 145 Cracks, 120 Grunge Distressing, 75 Paper, and 77 Paint Splatter Textures.
ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR

BRUSH LIBRARIES

DOWNLOAD 200 BRUSHES
20% OFF (SAVE $12)
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SAVE LIBRARIES. Once you have downloaded and extracted the Folder, the 200 Adobe Illustrator Brushes are ready to be used. I recommend Saving "Updated" Brush Libraries to your "User Defined" by clicking Save Brush Library in the Brushes Menu. Follow along with our Resource Guides to save, apply, and edit Brushes in Adobe Illustrator.
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OPEN 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.
ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR

BRUSH LIBRARIES

DOWNLOAD 200 BRUSHES
20% OFF (SAVE $12)

DOWNLOAD 200 BRUSHES

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Our 200 Adobe Illustrator Brushes will come to you as a Zipped Folder on Teachable.  Once you have downloaded and extracted the Brush Folders they are ready to be used in Adobe Illustrator. Follow along with our Tutorials, Challenges and YouTube Playlists to practice applying Brushes. *I have included (as a free bonus) Tutorial Resources to follow along with our 50 Step by Steps and the 100 Tutorials Playlist on YouTube.

DIGITAL DOWNLOADS

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200 ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR BRUSHES. Our (Updated) Adobe Illustrator Brush Libraries are specifically designed for Illustrators and Cartoonists to speed up their workflow. I have recently added more brushes and updated the Brush Libraries to allow for Pressure Sensitivity. Follow Along with the Tutorials or Use them with Your Own Artwork. Brush Libraries include our 70 Cartoon, 100 Comic Strip, and 50 Vintage Mascot Brushes.
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial pug
70 ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR HALFTONES. Our 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. Simply Paint in Halftones into your own Illustrations and Comics. Halftones include our Comic Strip Halftone Fills, Pattern Fills, and Halftone Value Scales.
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400 ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR BMP TEXTURES. Our 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 for soft overlays. Use BMP Textures along with Opacity Masks for T-Shirt Distressing. BMP Textures include our 145 Cracks, 120 Grunge Distressing, 75 Paper, and 77 Paint Splatter Textures.
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200 ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR BRUSHES: Our 200 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. Adobe Illustrator Brush Libraries include our 70 Cartoon, 100 Comic Strip, and 50 Vintage Mascot Brushes. DIGITAL DOWNLOAD: BRUSHES BUNDLE
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial pug
400 ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR TEXTURES: Our 415 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 for soft overlays. Use BMP Textures along with Opacity Masks for T-Shirt Distressing. BMP Textures include our 145 Cracks, 120 Grunge Distressing, 75 Paper, and 77 Paint Splatter Textures. DIGITAL DOWNLOAD: TEXTURES BUNDLE
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600 ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR RESOURCES: Our Adobe Illustrator Resource Bundle includes our Brush Libraries, Comic Halftones. and BMP Textures. Brush Libraries: 70 Cartoon, 100 Comic Strip, or 50 Vintage Mascot Brushes.. Halftones include our 70 Comic Strip Halftone Fills and Halftone Value Scales. Texture Folders: 145 Cracks, 120 Grunge Distressing, 75 Paper, and 77 Paint Splatter Textures. Follow along or use with your own artwork. DIGITAL DOWNLOAD: RESOURCE BUNDLE
ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR

RESOURCE BUNDLE

DOWNLOAD RESOURCE BUNDLE
SPRING SALE 30% OFF

Adding Color with Live Paint

Coloring in Adobe Illustrator

Open the Swatch Window. On the bottom left-hand corner, you will see the Open Swatch Libraries icon. At the bottom of the drop-down menu, you will see Open Other Library. Go to our resource folder in the Color Palettes folder to Open ASE files. The ASE files have been created to make your life easier while going through the Challenge Series. Once you open the Library- click on the folder icon next to the swatches to move them from the library to the swatches. To use Live Paint and the Live Paint Bucket Tool, Select All. Go under Object - Live Paint - Make. You can now use the Live Paint Bucket Tool to dump color just like the Paint Bucket Tool in Adobe Photoshop.

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ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR

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Top notch video as usual man. Cheers!Made by Mighty
I really love your channel, thanx for your tutorial really helpful 🙂 Sara Abdalla • 1 year ago
First time dive into Illustrator. This was great, learned a ton! ThanksPhilippe Lachenal
Such a cool drawing ! My favorite in this series !!!! Espermaschine • 1 year ago
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
Great job Jason, you make it look so easy. And it actually was. Thumbs up!Little Richard • 5 months ago
That was a fun tutorial. I really enjoyed it. Thanks for such a detailed, easy to follow tutorial! Daniel Huckabay • 1 year ago
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 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
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