Adobe Illustrator is a powerful tool for creating great artwork, but it can be hard to get started. This beginner’s guide teaches you what you need to achieve great results.
Overview
Syllabus
Introduction
- A bright and confident beginning
- Welcome to the Home screen
- Creating a new document
- Welcome to the interface
- Resizing and adding artboards
- Getting around your document
- Creating snapping guidelines
- Creating custom margin guides
- Drawing geometric shapes
- Drawing straight lines
- Creating a borderless background
- Drawing with the Pencil tool
- Editing a path with the Pencil tool
- Painting with the Blob Brush
- Using the Eraser tool
- Simplifying path outlines
- Installing fonts with Adobe Fonts
- Creating and formatting text
- Working with point type
- Creating type on a path
- Converting type to outlines
- Creating color swatches
- Introducing the Appearance panel
- Filling and stroking type
- Applying variable-width strokes
- Using the Gradient tool
- Creating a radial gradient
- Creating a freeform gradient
- Using the Eyedropper tool
- Using the Shape Builder tool
- Copy, Flip, and Join
- Offsetting a path outline
- Groups vs. compound paths
- Select and isolate
- Creating a clipping mask
- Introducing the Layers panel
- Using the Rotate tool
- Using the Reflect tool
- Using a Pathfinder operation
- Rotating by the numbers
- Duplicating a transformation
- Using the Scale tool
- Drawing a quick and easy penguin face
- Reshaping any path outline
- Copy, Paste, Join, Offset
- Using the Blend tool
- Dynamic round corners
- Adjusting control handles
- Dragging curved segments
- Using the Anchor Point tool
- Using the Curvature tool
- Introducing the Pen tool
- Drawing curves with the Pen
- Smooth points and cusps
- Drawing real-world paths
- Applying drop shadows
- Editing a dynamic effect
- Creating a perfect dotted outline
- Using the Transform effect
- Automatically tracing a photograph
- Expanding a traced image
- Introducing Live Paint
- Editing a Live Paint object
- Creating interwoven path outlines
- Live Paint and gradients
- Next steps
Taught by
Deke McClelland
