ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR

BEGINNER - ADVANCED

GETTING STARTED: Welcome to our website if you are a visitor or a new subscriber. My name is Jason and I am an Illustrator and Teacher (BFA). (Nerd Alert) My Master's Degree is in Education, specifically in Curriculum and Instruction. I have organized tutorials based on Workflow Units: Building, Editing, and Coloring. LEARNING TARGET (1): Understand the Building Tools and Options. LEARNING TARGET (2): Apply Line Variation along with Live and Expanded Editing Tools. LEARNING TARGET (3): Apply Color, Values, and Gradients using Advanced Coloring Techniques.

"BUILDING" ARTBOARD: I recommend establishing a "Standardized Approach" that you can use for your own artwork. The initial Artboard Size can be changed at any point without ruining your own artwork. LEARNING TARGET: Create a "Building Template" that includes Artboards, Resources, and Template Layers.

RESOURCE IMAGE: If you are a Beginner, I am going to recommend starting from a Resource Image. Give yourself a "Traceable Path" by using a Clean Line Drawing or Traced Photo. LEARNING TARGET: Start with the Resource you intend on using for your artwork (Sketch, Drawing, or Traced Stock Photo).

TEMPLATE LAYER: Have your Drawing, Sketch, or Traced Photo Selected. In your Layers Panel, select the Menu in the Upper-Right Hand Corner. Drop down to Template. This will create 50% Opacity and Lock the Layer. LEARNING TARGET: Create a Template Layer so you can see the Resource Image and new Paths.

RESOURCE IMAGES: If you are a Beginner, I am going to recommend starting from a Resource Image. Give yourself a "Traceable Path" by using a Clean Line Drawing or Traced Stock Photo. LEARNING TARGET: Download Resource Images to use for your artwork and designs.

COLOR SWATCHES: I highly recommend using Adobe Color for your Themes to add to your Library or download .ASE Files to Open. In most Tutorials, we will be applying Flat Colors using Live Paint. LEARNING TARGET: Download or Save Color Themes to use with your own artwork and designs.

BRUSH LIBRARIES: Many of our Tutorials will go through a process of applying and editing our Brush Libraries. Brush Libraries will come as Zipped Folders, Extract All before using in Adobe Illustrator. LEARNING TARGET: Download Brush Libraries to use with your own artwork or designs.

ILLUSTRATOR TUTORIALS: I have organized Beginner Guides and Tutorials by core areas of your Workflow: Building, Editing, and Coloring. LEARNING TARGET (1): Understand the Building Tools and Options. LEARNING TARGET (2): Apply Line Variation along with Live and Expanded Editing Tools. LEARNING TARGET (3): Apply Color, Values, and Gradients using Advanced Coloring Techniques.

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.

PRIMARY BUILDING: Understand and Apply the different Building Tools in Adobe Illustrator. VIEW BUILDING TUTORIALS

VARIATION + EDITING: Understand and Apply Live and Expanded Editing Tools in Adobe Illustrator. VIEW EDITING TUTORIALS

ADVANCED COLORING: Understand and Apply Live Paint and Advanced Coloring Techniques in Adobe Illustrator. VIEW COLOR TUTORIALS

(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.

(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.

ILLUSTRATOR TUTORIALS

beginner adobe illustrator tutorial whale

PRIMARY BUILDING: I will use Shapes, Pencil, and Pen Tools in Adobe Illustrator as my Primary Building Tools. Notice I have simplified my drawings and sketches to make this step feel like tracing.

ADVANCED: Prepare your drawings or sketches for the Initial Building Phase in Adobe Illustrator. Many of you will be using Ellipse and Pen/Pencil Tools as your Primary Building Tools.

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.

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.

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.

ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR

PRIMARY BUILDING

GO TO TUTORIALS

VARIATION + EDITING: I will apply Brush Libraries for my Line Variation. Notice I am using Expanded Editing Tools to clean up my Paths before moving on to the Coloring Step.

ADVANCED: I recommend overlapping or going long with your initial paths to speed up editing using the Shape Builder Tool and Expanded Editing.

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.

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.”

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.

ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR

EDITING + VARIATION

GO TO TUTORIALS

ADVANCED COLORING: I will use Live Paint to create my Basic Fills or Flat Color Layer. Notice the steps to select and create a Live Paint Group.

ADVANCED: Duplicate out your expanded and ungrouped Flat Color/Live Paint Layer for Shadows, Highlights, Values, and Effects.

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.

ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR

ADVANCED COLORING

GO TO TUTORIALS

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

TUTORIALS

BEGINNER - ADVANCED

ILLUSTRATOR TUTORIALS

PRIMARY BUILDING

PRIMARY BUILDING

EDITING + VARIATION

EDITING + VARIATION

ADVANCED COLORING

ADVANCED COLORING

DIGITAL DOWNLOADS

TUTORIALS + DOWNLOADS