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 in the latest version of Adobe Illustrator. It details new capabilities such as updates to the 'recolour artwork' skill, 'cloud documents' and 'text align to frame'.
32. 10 incredible Adobe Illustrator tips and tricks
Some of these tips and tricks can be highly effective when it comes to streamlining your processes and improving your workflow. Host Will Paterson is full of tips that are amazing for "professionals and normal people", and there really are some true gems in here, such as tips for using multiple artboards in one file and scaling strokes and effects.
33. Design a gradient logo in Illustrator
Gradients just aren't going out of fashion, especially in brand schemes. In this popular video tutorial, Dansky walks us 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 one of the top 10 Adobe instructors back in 2015. His video explores different drawing techniques in Adobe Illustrator CC. He offers advice to help you improve your skills when working with shapes. It's well worth a look.
35. Create a 3D text effect
Go 3D to give your type more impact. This 13-minute Illustrator tutorial video from Danksy shows how to master perspective and extrusion to create impressive 3D text in your designs.
36. Create sets of product icons in Illustrator
Icons are a world all on their own. Here Ben O'Brien – aka Ben The Illustrator – walks us through the process of creating simple yet effective sets of illustrated icons using Illustrator in an easy to follow tutorial.
37. Blend tool design
Another tutorial from Martin Perhiniak, this one shows you how to get more from the Blend tool. This 20-minute intermediate tutorial focuses on how to use the tool to create a neat typographic design.
38. How to design graphic figures
Learn how to turn your basic stick men into graphic figures with their own style and personality in this Illustrator CC tutorial from Ben O'Brien.
39. Creative shapes for logo design
In this Illustrator tutorial, the ever-informative Dansky explores how to take shapes to the next level. He offers a range of techniques that 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 effect looks impressive but is relatively simple to execute. You can create a lightsaber using blend objects, blending modes, and gradient fills. Follow this tutorial, and it will take you just 45 minutes to complete. The Force is within you.
41. Create a calligraphic brush in Illustrator
One of the great things about Adobe 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+ demonstrates 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 and how to then colour and organise them.
43. Create a linear spiral
This video tutorial goes step-by-step through exactly how to create a linear spiral in Illustrator. If you're Illustrator savvy, you'll already know that it has a Spiral tool, 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 well-made tutorial shows how to draw an ornate lace pattern with brushes, plus how to create calligraphic elements. It is a textbook example of exactly how a YouTube tutorial should be, with a good pace and clear instructions accompanied by a detailed walkthrough.
45. Design more efficiently with Dynamic Symbols
Illustrator CC's Dynamic Symbols tool allows you to dynamically change a symbol's attributes to streamline the creation of artwork. This tutorial explains how to use the tool 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 being used everywhere so it makes sense to know how to create one in Illustrator. This step-by-step guide talks you through how to create a simple example. It uses a timeline-based design as an example 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 this kind of 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 from Matthew Pizzi uses both methods to create a 3D gift box. He also teaches us an easy way to create a reflection.
48. Design a logo
Want to create a logo that will look just as good in print and on screen while combining imagery with text? This tutorial shows you how
49. Create a web icon
This tutorial teaches how to modify simple shapes to create a camera icon that can be used as a social media profile avatar and as a button linking to a portfolio on a digital CV.
50. Create an app icon
Another step-by-step tutorial from Matthew Pizzi, this one shows 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 looks at 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. Then 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 how to close the 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
There's been a trend of designing logos in the style of line art, featuring simplified illustrations to produce a minimalist design. 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 in Illustrator using just two simple geometric objects.
Next page: Advanced Illustrator tutorials
