ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR
RESOURCE GUIDES
DIGITAL DOWNLOADS. Many of you are jumping over from YouTube looking to download our Adobe Illustrator Brushes and Resource Folders. Digital Downloads will come through our friends at Teachable. Download our Brush Libraries, Comic Halftones, BMP Textures, or Resource Bundle.
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. Start with our Resource Guides to learn how to Apply Brush Libraries, Comic Halftones, and T-shirt Textures.
ILLUSTRATOR TUTORIALS. If you are new to Adobe Illustrator, I recommend watching our Beginner Guides, Illustrator Tutorials, or YouTube Playlists. Tutorials will focus on Building Tools, Applying Brushes, Editing Options, and Basic to Advanced Coloring Techniques in Adobe Illustrator.
DRAWING TEMPLATE: File - New. Create a Adobe Photoshop Document 2160px by 1080px. You can adjust the size to match your Export Size (1080px by 1080px). Select the Frame Tool. Create a Frame half of the size of the Document. File - Place Embedded to insert Photo. VIEW BEGINNER GUIDE
ADJUSTMENT LAYERS: Once you have placed in your Photo Reference, you can add Adjustment Layers. This will assist you in looking at the Photo Reference. This is not required. I recommend adding Brightness/Contrast, Levels, Curves, and Black & White. VIEW BEGINNER GUIDE
EXPORTING FROM LAYERS: When you are all done with your Sketches, Drawings, or Traced Stock Photos, I recommend Exporting from the Layers Panel. Select All of your Drawing Layers. Click on Export As from the Layers Panel Menu. This will Export All of your Drawing Layers. VIEW BEGINNER GUIDE
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. VIEW GETTING STARTED GUIDE
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. VIEW GETTING STARTED 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". VIEW GETTING STARTED GUIDE
SAVING SWATCHES: Color Swatches are free on the internet. Go to Adobe Color. Select the Color Theme you would like to save. If you have CC, you can Add to your Library. If you have an older version, download as an ASE File. VIEW COLORING GUIDE
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. VIEW COLORING GUIDE
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. VIEW COLORING 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. VIEW BRUSHES GUIDE
OPENING BRUSHES: Opening your Brushes in Adobe Illustrator will be through the Brushes Panel. Click on "Open Brush Library." Select "Other Library" or "User Defined." VIEW BRUSHES GUIDE
EDITING BRUSHES: There are some different options for editing your Brushes in Adobe Illustrator. I will recommend using the Shape Builder Tool for Quick Editing of Expanded Brushes and Objects. VIEW BRUSHES GUIDE
OPENING HALFTONES: Opening Halftones in Adobe Illustrator is as easy as Copying + Pasting them into your Working Artboard. Halftones will automatically populate into the Swatches Panel. VIEW HALFTONES GUIDE
RESIZING PATTERNS: Depending on your artboard size, you might need to Resize Pattern Fills the Halftones in Adobe Illustrator. Simply use the Scale Tool to "Transform Patterns." VIEW HALFTONES GUIDE
APPLYING HALFTONES: Halftones will behave just like any Color Swatch in Adobe Illustrator. If you are new to Adobe Illustrator, use the Blob Brush to paint in Comic Halftone Patterns. VIEW HALFTONES GUIDE
PLACING TEXTURES: To use BMP in Adobe Illustrator, go to File- Place. Select any of the BMP Textures to bring in to your working artboard. Most adjustments will be in the Transparency Panel. VIEW TEXTURES GUIDE
OPACITY MASKS: Using Opacity Masks in Adobe Illustrator is extremely fun. Click on "Make Mask" in the Transparency Panel. This will be for your own original artwork for T-shirt Distressing. VIEW TEXTURES GUIDE
CLIPPING MASKS: Using the "Draw Inside" feature is an easy way to use Clipping Masks in Adobe Illustrator. Simply File - Place in the BMP Texture into the selected "Draw Inside" Shape. VIEW TEXTURES GUIDE
ILLUSTRATOR