Adobe Illustrator Tutorial using Pen Tool for Beginners Elf

Step by Step Adobe Illustrator Tutorial for Beginners

In Adobe Illustrator, for Beginners, Step by Step Adobe Illustrator Tutorials by Jason Secrest

Adobe Illustrator Tutorial for Beginners

In this Tutorial, we will be going through how to apply and edit Brushes in Adobe Illustrator. The Tutorial will be a part of our Resource Guides for our Brush Libraries. If you have not gone through our Brushes Guide, we will go through how to save Brush Libraries. I would like you to apply these concepts to your own artwork.

Adobe Illustrator Tutorial using Pen Tool for Beginners
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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. 
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VARIATION: Many of you will be applying our Brush Libraries. To Open Brushes, open the Brushes Panel. Click on Open Brush Library. Scroll down to “Other Library.” Select one of the Brush Libraries to apply. If you saved Brushes, you can Open from “User Defined.”
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LIVE PAINT: Coloring will be extremely easy using Live Paint Bucket. The goal of Live Paint is to create Shapes that we can color using Fills. Once you have completed the Live Paint Group, it is important to Expand and Upgroup. We will leverage these shapes for our Values and Gradients.
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VARIATION: Many of you will be applying our Brush Libraries. To Open Brushes, open the Brushes Panel. Click on Open Brush Library. Scroll down to “Other Library.” Select one of the Brush Libraries to apply. If you saved Brushes, you can Open from “User Defined.”
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EXPANDED EDITING: After completing the Line Variation, I will recommend keeping the “Live” Layer from future Editing. Duplicate and Lock Out. We will be Expanding this New Layer to use with Shape Builder for Fast Editing. Hold down Alt/Option while Editing.
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LIVE PAINT: Coloring will be extremely easy using Live Paint Bucket. The goal of Live Paint is to create Shapes that we can color using Fills. Once you have completed the Live Paint Group, it is important to Expand and Upgroup. We will leverage these shapes for our Values and Gradients.
Image
VARIATION: Many of you will be applying our Brush Libraries. To Open Brushes, open the Brushes Panel. Click on Open Brush Library. Scroll down to “Other Library.” Select one of the Brush Libraries to apply. If you saved Brushes, you can Open from “User Defined.”
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EXPANDED EDITING: After completing the Line Variation, I will recommend keeping the “Live” Layer from future Editing. Duplicate and Lock Out. We will be Expanding this New Layer to use with Shape Builder for Fast Editing. Hold down Alt/Option while Editing.
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STOCK PHOTOS: As I create my artwork, pay attention to the resources used throughout the workflow. Download Free Stock Photos (Unsplash) to use as Drawing, Design, or Color References. BEGINNER: For your own artwork, I recommend starting from a Drawing, Sketch, or Traced Stock Photo. ADVANCED: Gather and organize resources within the same project folder (Stock Photos / Sketches / Thumbnails / Color Swatches). 

RESOURCES: As I create my artwork, pay attention to the resources being used throughout the workflow. BEGINNER: For your own artwork, I recommend starting from a Drawing, Sketch, or Traced Stock Photo. ADVANCED: Gather and organize resources within the same project folder (Stock Photos / Sketches / Thumbnails / Color Swatches). 

RESOURCES: As I create my artwork, pay attention to the resources used throughout the workflow. BEGINNER: For your own artwork, start from a Drawing, Sketch, or Traced Stock Photo. ADVANCED: I recommend gathering and organizing resources within the same project folder (Stock Photos / Sketches / Thumbnails / Color Swatches). RESOURCE GUIDES

STOCK PHOTOS: Download Free Stock Photos (Unsplash) to use as Drawing, Design, or Color References. BEGINNER: For your own artwork, I recommend starting from a Drawing, Sketch, or Traced Stock Photo in Adobe Illustrator. ADVANCED: I recommend gathering and organizing resources within the same project folder (Stock Photos / Sketches / Thumbnails / Color Swatches). 

RESOURCES: As I create my artwork, pay attention to the resources being used throughout the workflow. BEGINNER: Download Free Stock Photos (Unsplash) to use as Drawing, Design, or Color References. BEGINNER: For your own artwork, I recommend starting from a Drawing, Sketch, or Traced Stock Photo. ADVANCED: I recommend gathering and organizing resources within the same project folder (Stock Photos / Sketches / Thumbnails / Color Swatches). 

REFERENCE IMAGES: For your own artwork, download Free Stock Photos (Unsplash) to use as Drawing, Design, and Color References. I recommend gathering and organizing resources within the same project folder (Stock Photos / Sketches / Thumbnails / Color Swatches).  BEGINNER/ADVANCED: For your own artwork, I recommend starting from a Drawing, Sketch, or Traced Stock Photo.

STOCK PHOTOS: For your own artwork, I recommend downloading Free Stock Photos (Unsplash) to use as Drawing, Design, or Color References. Start from a Drawing, Sketch, or Traced Stock Photo. BEGINNER: As I create my artwork, pay attention to the resources used throughout the workflow. ADVANCED: I recommend gathering and organizing resources within the same project folder (Stock Photos / Sketches / Thumbnails / Color Swatches). 

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DRAWING OR TRACED PHOTO: The easiest starting point for Adobe Illustrator is a Clean Line Drawing or Traced Stock Photo. BEGINNER: For your own artwork, create a "Traceable Path" to align with the Building Tools in Adobe Illustrator. ADVANCED: Prepare your drawings for Specific Tools (ex. Ellipse, Pen, or Pencil) or Steps in your Workflow (ex. Building, Brushes, or Values).  
DRAWING OR TRACED PHOTO: If you are a beginner to Adobe Illustrator I would try to avoid starting from a Blank Artboard, Full-Color Photo, or Super Sketchy Drawing. BEGINNER: For your own artwork, create a "Traceable Path" to align with the Building Tools in Adobe Illustrator. ADVANCED: Prepare your drawings for Specific Tools (ex. Ellipse, Pen, or Pencil) or Steps in your Workflow (ex. Building, Brushes, or Values).  DRAWING GUIDE / GETTING STARTED GUIDE
DRAWING OR TRACED PHOTO: If you are new to Adobe Illustrator, it's best to avoid starting from a blank artboard, a full-color photo, or a super sketchy drawing. BEGINNER: For your own artwork, create a "Traceable Path" to align with the Building Tools in Adobe Illustrator. ADVANCED: Prepare your drawings for Specific Tools (ex. Ellipse, Pen, or Pencil) or Steps in your Workflow (ex. Building, Brushes, or Values).  
DRAWING OR TRACED PHOTO: The easiest starting point for Adobe Illustrator is a Clean Line Drawing or Traced Stock Photo. BEGINNER: Avoid starting from a Blank Artboard, Full-Color Photo, or Super Sketchy Rough Draft. BEGINNER: For your own artwork, create a "Traceable Path" to align with the Building Tools in Adobe Illustrator. ADVANCED: Prepare your drawings for Specific Tools (ex. Ellipse, Pen, or Pencil) or Steps in your Workflow (ex. Building, Brushes, or Values).
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PRIMARY BUILDING: As I create my artwork, notice I am aligning the Building Tools to the Shapes and Lines within my Sketch or Drawing. Many of you will be using Shape, Pencil, and Pen Tools as your Primary Building Tools. BEGINNER: Understand the Building Tools and Options in Adobe Illustrator. ADVANCED: Align the Building Tools (Ellipse, Pen, and Curvature Tools) to the Design Elements (Shapes, Lines, and Curves) in your own drawing or sketch. 
PRIMARY BUILDING: As I create my artwork, notice I am aligning the Building Tools to the Shapes and Lines within my Sketch or Drawing. Many of you will be using Shape, Pencil, and Pen Tools as your Primary Building Tools. BEGINNER: Understand the Building Tools and Options in Adobe Illustrator. ADVANCED: Align the Building Tools (Ellipse, Pen, and Curvature Tools) to the Design Elements (Shapes, Lines, and Curves) in your own drawing or sketch.
PRIMARY BUILDING: As I create my artwork, notice I am aligning the Building Tools to the Shapes and Lines within my Sketch or Drawing. Many of you will be using Shape, Pencil, and Pen Tools as your Primary Building Tools. BEGINNER: Understand the Building Tools and Options in Adobe Illustrator. ADVANCED: Align the Building Tools (Ellipse, Pen, and Curvature Tools) to the Design Elements (Shapes, Lines, and Curves) in your own drawing or sketch. BEGINNER GUIDES / ILLUSTRATOR TUTORIALS / RESOURCE GUIDES
DOWNLOAD BRUSHES: Many of you are jumping over from YouTube looking to download our 200 Adobe Illustrator Brushes. Digital Downloads will come to you through our friends at Teachable. Brush Libraries: 70 Cartoon, 100 Comic Strip, and 50 Vintage Mascot Brushes.
SAVE LIBRARIES: Once you have downloaded and extracted the Brushes Folders, I recommend Saving 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.
OPEN BRUSHES: Our 200 Adobe Illustrator Brushes have been organized into Brush Libraries for easy application and to maintain consistency with your Line Variation. You can Open Brush Libraries through the “User Defined” or “Other Library” Options in the Brushes Panel in Adobe Illustrator.
LIVE EDITING: While you are building in Adobe Illustrator, you can use the “Live” Editing Tools to Cut and Edit Paths. Some of the basic tools will be the Scissor Tool, Path Eraser, or Shape Builder. I do recommend going long with your initial Paths using Pencil and Pen Tools.
APPLYING BRUSHES: Many of you will be applying our Brush Libraries. To Open Brushes, open the Brushes Panel. Click on Open Brush Library. Scroll down to “Other Library.” Select one of the Brush Libraries to apply. If you saved Brushes, you can Open from “User Defined.”
EXPANDED EDITING: After completing the Line Variation, I will recommend keeping the “Live” Layer from future Editing. Duplicate and Lock Out. We will be Expanding this New Layer to use with Shape Builder for Fast Editing. Hold down Alt/Option while Editing.
APPLY: Many of you will be adding our Brush Libraries for Line Variation. Notice that I am finding the ends to see if it will be floating or hitting another line. If it hits another line that signals a darker value to the end should reflect the change in value. (Thicker End).
EXPAND: For your own artwork, duplicate your Live Brushes Layer before Expanding. Expand All. Object - Expand Appearance + Expand. Path Simplify Option: Once the Brushes have been Expanded hit the selection with a Simplify Path (Object - Path - Simplify) to clean up extra Anchor Points.
EDIT: Select All. Select your Shape Builder Tool. Hold down Alt/Option to Delete. Hit all of the overlapping lines to clean up any of the extra lines. You can Turn Off the Highlighting feature in Shape Builder. I recommend zooming in to delete smaller areas.
DIGITAL DOWNLOADS. Many of you are jumping over from YouTube looking to download our Adobe Illustrator Brushes and Resource Folders. Start with our Resource Guides, Illustrator Tutorials, or YouTube Playlists to understand how to apply resources in Adobe Illustrator. Digital Downloads will come through our friends at Teachable. Download our Adobe Illustrator Brush Libraries, Comic Halftones, T-Shirt Textures, or Resource Bundle.
DIGITAL DOWNLOADS: Many of you are jumping over from YouTube looking to download our Adobe Illustrator Brushes and Resource Folders. Once you have downloaded and extracted the folders, Digital Downloads are ready to use in Adobe Illustrator. Start with our Resource Guides, Illustrator Tutorials, or YouTube Playlists to understand how to apply resources in Adobe Illustrator. BRUSH LIBRARIES / COMIC HALFTONES / T-SHIRT TEXTURES / RESOURCE BUNDLE
DIGITAL DOWNLOADS: Many of you are jumping over from YouTube looking to download our Adobe Illustrator Brushes and Resource Folders. Once you have downloaded and extracted the folders, Digital Downloads are ready to use in Adobe Illustrator. Start with our Resource Guides, Illustrator Tutorials, or YouTube Playlists to understand how to apply resources in Adobe Illustrator. BRUSH LIBRARIES / COMIC HALFTONES / T-SHIRT TEXTURES / RESOURCE BUNDLE
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200 ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR BRUSHES. Brush Libraries are specifically designed for Illustrators and Cartoonists to speed up their workflow. Brush Libraries are compatible with Adobe Illustrator CC through CS. Mac or PC. Brush Libraries include 70 Cartoon, 100 Comic Strip, and 50 Vintage Mascot Brushes.
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70 ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR HALFTONES. Halftone 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. Halftones include 70 Comic Strip Halftone Pattern Fills.
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400 ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR BMP TEXTURES. BMP Textures are extremely easy to use even if you are a beginner to Adobe Illustrator. Use BMP Textures along with Opacity Masks in the Transparency Panel for T-Shirt Distressing. BMP Textures include 145 Cracks, 120 Grunge, 75 Paper, and 77 Paint Textures.
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200 ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR BRUSHES. Brush Libraries are specifically designed for Illustrators and Cartoonists to speed up their workflow. Brush Libraries are compatible with Adobe Illustrator CC through CS. Mac or PC. Brush Libraries include 70 Cartoon, 100 Comic Strip, and 50 Vintage Mascot Brushes.
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70 ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR HALFTONES. Halftone 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. Halftones include 70 Comic Strip Halftone Pattern Fills.
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400 ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR BMP TEXTURES. BMP Textures are extremely easy to use even if you are a beginner to Adobe Illustrator. Use BMP Textures along with Opacity Masks in the Transparency Panel for T-Shirt Distressing. BMP Textures include 145 Cracks, 120 Grunge, 75 Paper, and 77 Paint Textures.
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200 ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR BRUSHES. Brush Libraries are specifically designed for Illustrators and Cartoonists to speed up their workflow. Brush Libraries are compatible with Adobe Illustrator CC through CS. Mac or PC. Brush Libraries include 70 Cartoon, 100 Comic Strip, and 50 Vintage Mascot Brushes.
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70 ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR HALFTONES. Halftone 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. Halftones include 70 Comic Strip Halftone Pattern Fills.
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400 ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR BMP TEXTURES. BMP Textures are extremely easy to use even if you are a beginner to Adobe Illustrator. Use BMP Textures along with Opacity Masks in the Transparency Panel for T-Shirt Distressing. BMP Textures include 145 Cracks, 120 Grunge, 75 Paper, and 77 Paint Textures.
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200 ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR BRUSHES. Brush Libraries are specifically designed for Illustrators and Cartoonists to speed up their workflow. Brush Libraries are compatible with Adobe Illustrator CC through CS. Mac or PC. Brush Libraries include 70 Cartoon, 100 Comic Strip, and 50 Vintage Mascot Brushes.
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70 ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR HALFTONES. Halftone 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. Halftones include 70 Comic Strip Halftone Pattern Fills.
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400 ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR BMP TEXTURES. BMP Textures are extremely easy to use even if you are a beginner to Adobe Illustrator. Use BMP Textures along with Opacity Masks in the Transparency Panel for T-Shirt Distressing. BMP Textures include 145 Cracks, 120 Grunge, 75 Paper, and 77 Paint Textures.
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200 ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR BRUSHES. Brush Libraries are specifically designed for Illustrators and Cartoonists to speed up their workflow. Brush Libraries are compatible with Adobe Illustrator CC through CS. Mac or PC. Brush Libraries include 70 Cartoon, 100 Comic Strip, and 50 Vintage Mascot Brushes.
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70 ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR HALFTONES. Halftone 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. Halftones include 70 Comic Strip Halftone Pattern Fills.
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400 ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR BMP TEXTURES. BMP Textures are extremely easy to use even if you are a beginner to Adobe Illustrator. Use BMP Textures along with Opacity Masks in the Transparency Panel for T-Shirt Distressing. BMP Textures include 145 Cracks, 120 Grunge, 75 Paper, and 77 Paint Textures.
ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR

RESOURCE BUNDLE

RESOURCE BUNDLE

DOWNLOAD BRUSHES: Adobe Illustrator Brushes are specifically designed for Illustrators and Cartoonists to speed up their workflow. (Updated) Libraries are pressure-sensitive for those of you looking for the option to use your Tablets. Brush Libraries are compatible with Adobe Illustrator CC through CS. Mac or PC. Brush Libraries: Updated Cartoon, Comic Strip, and Vintage Mascot Brushes.

DOWNLOAD BRUSHES: Many of you are jumping over from YouTube looking to download our Adobe Illustrator Brushes.  Once you have downloaded and extracted the folders, Brush Libraries will be ready to use in Adobe Illustrator. Start with our Resource Guides, Illustrator Tutorials, or YouTube Playlists to understand how to apply Brush Libraries in Adobe Illustrator. (Updated) Brushes include Cartoon, Comic Strip, and Vintage Mascot Libraries.

BRUSH LIBRARIES: Our Brushes are specifically designed for Illustrators and Cartoonists to speed up their workflow. (Updated) Libraries are pressure-sensitive for those of you looking to use your Tablets. Apply Brushes with Pen, Pencil, Shapes, or Paintbrush Tools. Brush Libraries are compatible with Adobe Illustrator CC through CS. Mac or PC. Adobe Illustrator Brush Libraries: Updated Cartoon, Comic Strip, and Vintage Mascot Brushes.

beginner adobe illustrator tutorial whale
CARTOON BRUSHES: 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. (Updated) Cartoon, Cartoon 2, and Original Cartoon Brush Libraries. 
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial pug
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. (Updated) Comic Strip, Hand-Painted, Paintbrush, and Fine Liner Brush Libraries. 
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial coyote
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. (Updated) Caffeinated Cartoonist, Rough Ink, and Jittery Hand Brush Libraries. 
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial whale
CARTOON BRUSHES: 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. (Updated) Cartoon, Cartoon 2, and Original Cartoon Brush Libraries. 
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial pug
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. (Updated) Comic Strip, Hand-Painted, Paintbrush, and Fine Liner Brush Libraries. 
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial coyote
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. (Updated) Caffeinated Cartoonist, Rough Ink, and Jittery Hand Brush Libraries. 
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial whale
70 CARTOON BRUSHES: 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. (Updated) Cartoon, Cartoon 2, and Original Cartoon Brush Libraries. 
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial pug
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. (Updated) Comic Strip, Hand-Painted, Paintbrush, and Fine Liner Brush Libraries. 
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial coyote
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. (Updated) Caffeinated Cartoonist, Rough Ink, and Jittery Hand Brush Libraries. 
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial whale
CARTOON BRUSHES: 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. (Updated) Cartoon, Cartoon 2, and Original Cartoon Brush Libraries. 
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial pug
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. (Updated) Comic Strip, Hand-Painted, Paintbrush, and Fine Liner Brush Libraries. 
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial coyote
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. (Updated) Caffeinated Cartoonist, Rough Ink, and Jittery Hand Brush Libraries. 

DOWNLOAD BRUSHES. 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. Once you have downloaded and extracted the Folders, Brush Libraries are ready to be used in Adobe Illustrator. Start with our Resource Guides, Illustrator Tutorials, or YouTube Playlists to understand how to apply Brush Libraries in Adobe Illustrator.

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 Adobe Illustrator Brush Libraries, T-Shirt Textures, and Comic Halftones. BRUSH LIBRARIES / COMIC HALFTONES / T-SHIRT TEXTURES

beginner adobe illustrator tutorial pug
SAVE BRUSHES: Open All of the Brushes Libraries in Adobe Illustrator. (File - Open). Have your Brushes Panel Open. Under Window - Brushes. In the Brushes Menu, select "Save Brush Library." The Default Save Location is "User Defined." Repeat this step for each Brush Library.
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial whale
OPEN 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 Tutorials use this method. 
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial pug
DOWNLOAD BRUSHES: Many of you are jumping over from YouTube looking to download our Adobe Illustrator Brushes. Once you have downloaded and extracted the folders, Brushes are ready to be used in Adobe Illustrator. Brushes include our Cartoon, Comic Strip, and Vintage Mascot Libraries.
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial pug
SAVE BRUSHES: Open All of the Brushes Libraries in Adobe Illustrator. (File - Open). Have your Brushes Panel Open. Under Window - Brushes. In the Brushes Menu, select "Save Brush Library." The Default Save Location is "User Defined." Repeat this step for each Brush Library.
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial whale
OPEN 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 Tutorials use this method. 
ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR

BRUSH LIBRARIES

BRUSH LIBRARIES

DOWNLOAD BRUSHES: Our Adobe Illustrator Brushes will come to you as Zipped Folders. Once you have Downloaded and Extracted the Folders, the Brush Libraries are ready to be used in Adobe Illustrator. I recommend Saving Brush Libraries to your "User Defined" by clicking Save Brush Library in the Brushes Menu.  Brush Libraries: 70 Cartoon, 100 Comic Strip, and 50 Vintage Mascot Brushes.
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial whale
70 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. (includes Updated Cartoon, Cartoon 2, and Original Cartoon Brush Libraries).
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial pug
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).
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial coyote
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).
DOWNLOAD BRUSHES: Our 200 Adobe Illustrator Brushes will come to you as a Zipped Folder on Teachable. Once you have Downloaded and Extracted the Folders, the Brush Libraries are ready to be used in Adobe Illustrator. I do recommend Saving "Updated" Brush Libraries to your "User Defined" by clicking Save Brush Library in the Brushes Menu.  Brush Libraries include our 70 Cartoon, 100 Comic Strip, and 50 Vintage Mascot Brushes.
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial whale
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).
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial pug
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).
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial coyote
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 BRUSHES
20% OFF (SAVE $15)

BRUSH LIBRARIES

DOWNLOAD BRUSHES
20% OFF (SAVE $15)
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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.
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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.
COLOR SWATCHES: Use Color Swatches from your Library or save them from Adobe Color as an .ASE File. Open Swatch Library from the “Other Library” Option. Most Color Themes will use Hues as the Base Color. We will be using Live Paint to create our Basic Fills or Flat Color Layer.
LIVE PAINT: Coloring will be extremely easy using Live Paint Bucket. The goal of Live Paint is to create Shapes that we can color using Fills. Once you have completed the Live Paint Group, it is important to Expand and Upgroup. We will leverage these shapes for our Values and Gradients.
KNIFE TOOL: After using Live Paint, Expand and Ungroup. Use a Duplicated Flat Color Layer for your Value Layers. The Knife Tool will cut Shapes. I recommend cutting out all of the shapes first before deleting them. You can use this technique for Highlights, Shadows, or Cast Shadows.
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ADOBE COLOR. Adobe Color has a beautiful website for you to download your own Color Swatches and Themes for Free. Think about your own artwork, design, or character. Do you have a starting point? If you have a subject matter, you can Type the Subject directly into Adobe Color to find Color Themes. Another fun place to start is the Trends Tab.
DOWNLOAD SWATCHES.  You can save Color Themes for your own artwork and designs. If you have CC, click add to Library. If you don't have CC, look to download the .ASE file to Open Swatch Library in the Color Swatches Menu. If you have a Photo Reference, you can upload your photo to Extract Theme under the Create Tab.

How to Color in Adobe Illustrator

One of the easiest and fastest ways of filling in your color is through Live Paint. Live Paint Bucket is a part of the Shape Builder Tools which builds the shapes in the exact shape you need it. Select All. Go up to Object - Live Paint - Make. If you have a grayed out Make it simply means you didn't have anything selected. I do recommend Deselecting by clicking on your artboard before clicking on a Color Swatch. *Remember Everything is still Selected so it will Color the Full Selection if you click on a Color Swatch with everything selected. Click on the Live Paint Bucket (K) and Click to Dump Color. It will feel like the Paint Bucket in Adobe Photoshop. 

BEGINNER GUIDES

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beginner adobe illustrator tutorial ice cream
BEGINNER: Understand the Building, Variation, and Basic Coloring Methods. VIEW BEGINNER GUIDE 
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial ice cream
BEGINNER: Understand the Building, Variation, and Basic Coloring Methods. VIEW BEGINNER GUIDE
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial posicle
BEGINNER: Understand the Building, Variation, and Basic Coloring Methods. VIEW BEGINNER GUIDE
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial duck
BEGINNER: Understand the Building, Variation, and Basic Coloring Methods. VIEW BEGINNER GUIDE
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial duck
BEGINNER: Understand the Building, Variation, and Basic Coloring Methods. VIEW BEGINNER GUIDE
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial ice cream
BEGINNER: Understand the Building, Variation, and Basic Coloring Methods. VIEW BEGINNER GUIDE
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial whale
BEGINNER: Understand the Building, Variation, and Advanced Coloring Methods. VIEW BEGINNER GUIDE
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial ice cream
BEGINNER: Understand Building, Variation, Editing, and Basic Coloring Methods. VIEW BEGINNER GUIDE
beginner adobe illustrator tutorial pug
BEGINNER: Understand the Building, Variation, and Advanced Coloring Methods. VIEW BEGINNER GUIDE

*Older Content (<2018) was originally recorded for my in-class students (children). You are all adults, it has gotten weird.