Adobe Illustrator tutorials: 71 lessons to boost your skills

Adobe Illustrator tutorials for intermediates

31. Adobe Illustrator 2021 New Features in 5 Minutes!

This short but sweet five minute video takes you through the newest features that will hit Illustrator in 2021, as revealed at the recent Adobe MAX conference. With a run through of new capabilities such as updates to the 'recolour artwork' skill, 'cloud documents' and 'text align to frame', there's some useful information here.

32. 10 INCREDIBLE Adobe Illustrator tips and tricks 2020 

These mind-blowing tips and tricks are sure to improve your workflow and streamline your process. Full of tips that are amazing for "professionals and normal people" (as host Wil Paterson informs us), there are some real gems in here such as using multiple artboards in one file and scaling strokes and effects. 

33. Design a gradient logo in Illustrator

Gradients are still super-hot – especially in brand schemes. In this popular video tutorial, Dansky walks though how to create a simple gradient logo in Adobe Illustrator.

34. Learn how to draw anything in Illustrator CC

This Illustrator tutorial is taught by certified Adobe Design Master Martin Perhiniak, who was voted as one of the top 10 Adobe instructors according to student feedback in 2015. The video explores different drawing techniques in Adobe Illustrator CC, to help you improve your skills when working with shapes. Take a look at this tutorial to learn some new tricks.

35. Create a 3D text effect

Give your type some impact by making it 3D. In this 13-minute Illustrator tutorial video, Danksy shows you how to master perspective and extrusion to create impressive 3D text to use in your designs. 

36. Create sets of product icons in Illustrator

Ben O'Brien – aka Ben The Illustrator – walks you through the process of creating simple yet effective sets of illustrated icons using Illustrator in this easy to follow tutorial.

37. Blend tool design

Martin Perhiniak shows you how to get more from the Blend tool in this intermediate Illustrator tutorial. In the 20-minute tutorial you'll learn how to use the tool to create a cool typographic design.

38. How to design graphic figures

Ben O'Brien explains how to turn your basic stick men into graphic figures with style and personality in this Illustrator CC tutorial.

39. Creative shapes for logo design

In this Illustrator tutorial, Dansky explores how to take your shapes to the next level. He offers a range of techniques you can use to transform basic shapes into more complex shapes, by working with elements such as gradients, opacity and the Shape Builder tool.

40. Create Lightsaber Vector in Adobe Illustrator

This impressive-looking but relatively simple to execute tutorial creates a lightsaber using the blend objects, blending modes, and gradient fills. It'll take you 45 minutes to complete and leaves you with a lightsaber as seen in the above image.

41. Create a calligraphic brush in Illustrator

One of the best things about Illustrator is the ability to create your own brushes. Here, Chris Rathbone explains how to create your own vector Illustrator brush in three simple steps.

42. Create an isometric text effect

This walkthrough from Envato Tuts+ shows you how to create a simple isometric text effect in Adobe Illustrator. It covers how to make your original text 3D using the 3D Extrude & Bevel effect, how to turn the various shapes into compound paths, then how to colour and organise them.

43. Create a linear spiral

This video tutorial walks through exactly how to create a linear spiral in Illustrator. If you're Illustrator savvy, you'll know there's already a Spiral tool included, which is pretty simple to use. However, those spirals are tighter in the centre, getting looser towards the outside. This video shows you how to create a spiral that's spaced uniformly throughout. 

44. How to draw a lace pattern

This tutorial demonstrates how to draw an ornate lace pattern with brushes, plus how to draw calligraphic elements. It is a textbook example of exactly how a YouTube tutorial should be – good pace, and clear instructions accompanied by a detailed walkthrough.

45. Design more efficiently with Dynamic Symbols

The Dynamic Symbols tool in Illustrator CC enables you to dynamically change a symbol's attributes and streamline your artwork creation. This tutorial explains how to use it to create multiple instances of a master symbol, which then retain their link to the master symbol even when their shape and visual attributes are altered. 

46. Create a timeline infographic

Infographics are still big news. Learn how to create a basic one in Illustrator by following this step-by-step guide. The example used here is a timeline-based design to mark Black History Month. If you're happy to venture out of Illustrator, there are a number of infographic maker tools designed specifically for the job.

47. Use the Perspective Grid

With Illustrator CC’s Perspective Grid, you can either place existing artwork in a perspective plane or draw directly on to the grid. This tutorial by Matthew Pizzi uses both methods to create a 3D gift box, plus you’ll learn an easy way to create a reflection.

48. Design a logo

This tutorial shows you how to use vector shapes to create a logo that will look good on screen as it does in print, and which combines imagery with text.

49. Create a web icon

In this tutorial you’ll learn how to modify simple shapes to create a camera icon to use as a social media profile image, and as a button linking to a portfolio on a digital CV. 

50. Create an app icon

This step-by-step tutorial by Matthew Pizzi outlines how to create a calculator app icon in Illustrator. You’ll use a variety of shape tools, the Pen tool, and the 3D features of Illustrator CC.

51. Create a geometric logo design

This tutorial walks you through how to create a perfectly geometric logo design. Begin by creating an initial pattern using smart guides, then remove areas from shapes using the Shape Builder tool or Pathfinder tool, and add gradients.

52. Quickly join and trim paths

Learning to join paths is a great way to clean up your line work in Illustrator CC. This tutorial explains how to trim excess line segments from intersecting paths and close gaps between two open paths.

53. How to create a shaded type effect

One way artists emphasise the curvature of their type is to apply shading, which adds an illusion of depth to the lettering piece. In this tutorial Chris Spooner shows you how to produce a shaded type effect in Adobe Illustrator.

54. Vector avatar characters with Illustrator

Cartoon-style avatars are a halfway house between formal representation and stylised illustration, allowing a degree of anonymity for the person pictured. In this tutorial, Chris Spooner uses the vector tools in Adobe Illustrator to produce a simple avatar character with a line art style and flat colours.

55. Create a line art badge logo in Illustrator

Logo designs made in the style of line art, featuring simplified illustrations to produce a minimalist design, are a popular trend at the moment. In this tutorial Chris Spooner takes you through the process of creating your own line art badge logo design.

56. How to create a rainbow text effect

In this tutorial, you’ll learn to create a simple square and multiply it using the Transform effect. You’ll then progress to turning a set of squares into a pattern brush. By combining this with the Width Tool, you’ll learn how to create a rainbow text effect. 

57. Create seamless patterns

In this step-by-step tutorial by Berlin-based artist Amrei Hofstätter, you’ll learn how to create a complex, colourful Mexican-inspired pattern using just two simple geometric objects in Illustrator.

Next page: Advanced Illustrator tutorials