40 Fresh Best Illustrator Tutorials From 2013
- July 8th, 2013
- Tutorials
The key to becoming a great designer is to keep developing your skill set as a designer. it’s important to constantly evolve and further develop your design skills in order for your skill set to not become outdated. This article we have compiled a wide range of the best illustrator tutorials, which were all produced at some point in 2013. This roundup is a great collection of fresh illustrator tutorial best suited for novices as well as illustrator wizards.
Please share in the comments your favorite tutorials from this awesome roundup.
1. Create a Colorful Logo Design in Adobe Illustrator
Today we will be learning how to create a nice simple colorful logo with Adobe Illustrator. To complete our logo design we will be combine a few simple shapes. With some very simple linear gradients we will try to increase the depth and to create an eye catching design.
2. How to Create a Detailed Goldfish Couple with Adobe Illustrator
In this tutorial I’m going to show you how to create a couple of detailed goldfish using Adobe Illustrator. I’ll be showing your how to create a simple scale effect and then how to create a bulging effect around the abdomen. Finishing off with a quick way to create some stylized bubbles.
3. How to create a landscape scene
You don’t need to be a master illustrator to create cool artwork, just using simple shapes and limiting yourself with a small colour palette can result in some great designs and artworks. In this tutorial we’ll use Illustrator’s basic shapes and tools to create a stylized landscape scene illustration then finish it off in Photoshop with the addition of some texturing.
4. Create a retro vector look
Miss Swanne explains how she balanced vector techniques with retro themes to create the poolside-based The Sound of Silence.
5. Iron Man in Illustrator
It will show you how to create the Iron Man mask using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. It’s not too detailed because I wanted to share a simple overview/walkthrough so you could play and explore by yourself. In the end that’s the best way to learn.
6. How to Create a Detailed Lighter in Adobe Illustrator
In the following tutorial you will learn how to create a detailed lighter illustration in Adobe Illustrator. First, you’ll learn how to create pixel perfect shapes using the Rectangle or the Ellipse Tools along with the grid and the snap to grid option. Next, you’ll see how you can add depth and shading for your shapes using complex gradients, the Pathfinder options and some basic blending techniques. For the final touches you will learn how to create your own pattern and how to make it a part of your final piece.
7. Create a Semi-Realistic MacBook Pro Illustration in Adobe Illustrator
In the following tutorial you will learn how to create a semi-realistic MacBook Pro illustration in Adobe Illustrator.
8. How to Create a Stylized Shoes and Clutch Fashion Illustration in Illustrator
In this tutorial I’d like to show you the main principles of my style of drawing which I apply in my fashion illustration. I’ll be using Clipping Masks and Blending Modes to produce a styled illustration of shoes and a clutch bag in Adobe Illustrator.
9. How to create an 8 bit pixel character
If you’re a regular reader of my blog you’ll know I love creating artwork in Illustrator using simple or basic shapes. This tutorial takes that idea to the extreme by using nothing by the rectangle tool to create a simple 8-bit style pixel character. Pixels are usually associated with Photoshop, but the great thing about Illustrator is your artwork is 100% vector, so unlike Photoshop you can scale your design to any size while retaining those blocky 8-bit characteristics.
10. Create a textured vector cityscape
Phil explains how he combined traditional compositional, colour and layout skills, utilising a background in painting to create a bold, clear yet atmospheric digital work.
11. Create a Detailed Coffee Beans Text Effect in Adobe Illustrator
In the following steps you will learn how to create a detailed coffee beans text effect in Adobe Illustrator. For starters you will learn how to create a scatter brush and a simple art brush. Using these brushes along with some basic tools, effects and blending techniques plus the Round Any Corner script you will learn how to create a detailed coffee bean illustration and how to easily turn them into symbols.
12. Bold pattern design
In this masterclass, London-based David Popov will take you through the process he used when creating his ‘Round the World’ series of graphic artworks.
13. Create a Coffee Cup Mock Up in Adobe Illustrator Using the 3D Revolve Effect
Adobe Illustrator’s 3D effects can be a used to create quick, yet realistic product mock-ups. While not a full ray-tracing 3D application, Illustrator’s 3D feature is quite sophisticated, and it has some advantages over its more expensive counterparts. For starters, vector objects and effects can be scaled to any size without loss of quality. It’s easy to re-purpose vector art you’ve already created, plus you don’t have to leave the friendly confines of Illustrator. And as you’ll see in the following steps, the learning curve is not nearly as steep.
14. Create a Vector Illustration of Red Pin in Adobe Illustrator CS5
In this tutorial you will be learning how to create a nice red pin in Adobe Illustrator CS5. Don’t worry, if you have lower version of Illustrator, you’ll be able to complete this tutorial as well. We will learn how we can make an eye catchy illustration with just few simple shapes and some nice color gradients.
15. How to Create a Simple Google Chrome Icon in Adobe Illustrator
In the following tutorial you will learn how to create the simple Google Chrome icon in Adobe Illustrator.
16. How to Create a Semi-Transparent, 3D Text Effect in Adobe Illustrator
In the following steps you will learn how to create a colorful, semi-transparent, three-dimensional text effect in Adobe Illustrator. We’ll start with some basic text and several Compound Paths and a built-in Calligraphic brush. Once we get our starting vector shapes we’ll add the three-dimensional look using the Extrude & Bevel effect. We’ll use some simple vector shape building techniques and masking tricks along with some basic effects and blending techniques to give our three-dimensional shapes a semi-transparent look.
17. How to Create a Cute Corn Illustration with Basic Shapes in Illustrator
In this tutorial, you are going to draw a cute corn illustration with the use of Pathfinder panel, basic shape tools and some blends for the color palette.
18. Create On-Trend Flat Type with a Nautical Theme in Adobe Illustrator
Nothing beats the beauty of painstakingly crafted hand lettered type but not all of us have the patience or ability to create such lovely letterings. With this tutorial I hope to show you a few techniques you can use to adjust pre-made fonts and break them apart to create your own masterpiece in Adobe Illustrator.
19. Easy Bomb-Omb in Illustrator
This is a really basic tutorial for beginners but, of course, you can learn a few tricks here and there. So please stay with us till the end of the post, hope you enjoy it.
20. Easy Tutorial On How Create Cartoon Dexter Character Illustration
Dexter is probably one of those cartoon characters that don’t need an introduction, but anyway, for those who never heard about him, Dexter is boy genius that has a giant secret laboratory filled with his great inventions. In this simple tutorial I will show you how to draw this character inside Adobe Illustrator.
21. Create the Padlock Icon in Adobe Illustrator
This time we will make sure to create the icon with just a little help from 3D effects and a big help from color gradients.
22. Create X-ray vector art
This time we will make sure to create the icon with just a little help from 3D effects and a big help from color gradients.
23. Create a Mosaic, BBC Inspired, Text Art Effect in Adobe Illustrator
Inspiration can come from many sources. The inspiration for this effect is from a recent BBC One animation for their spring season programming. In the following steps you will learn how to create a colorful text effect in Adobe Illustrator. For starters you will learn how to setup a simple grid and how to create a set of graphic styles using the Appearance panel and some basic effects. Next, using the Ellipse Tool and the Transform effect you will learn how to create the pieces that will help you build the text. For the final touches you will learn how to create a scatter brush and how to use a built-in pattern or a pucker and bloat effect.
24. Create a Resting Owl Scene With Brushes and Pattern in Adobe Illustrator
In this tutorial, you will be creating a resting owl scene using basic shapes and brushes in Adobe Illustrator. We will also be utilizing the Paintbrush Tool to create different Stroke Weights for the tree and we will be discussing various techniques for shading and designing with patterns.
25. Daft Punk Poster in Illustrator
So in this post It will show you how to create a simple and minimalistic poster for the Daft Punk. We will use Illustrator and then Photoshop for some mockups.
26. How To Draw A Delicious Burger
A burger, the king of fast foods! Who doesn’t like burgers? Everyone does! For those designers that are hungry a new tutorial, how to draw a burger in Adobe Illustrator.
27. Create an Infinity Sign in Adobe Illustrator CS5
You will be learning how to create a shiny Infinity sign in Adobe Illustrator. Our tool of choice will be the Pen Tool. We will be also using a Reflection feature in order to create symmetrical shapes. Nice linear gradients will give our infinity sign an amazing look.
28. How to Create a Witch’s House Scene with Gradients in Illustrator
In this tutorial you will learn how to illustrate a cute quirky landscape with a witch’s house. Starting with line art the tutorial moves onto coloring using Gradients and a variety of Blend Modes.
29. GTA V Logo in Illustrator and Photoshop
This tutorial you will show you how to create a nice money style effect using Illustrator and Photoshop. The process is a little bit long and we will just give you a high level explanation. It’s important that you try to not only follow but modify the process so you can come up with your own effect.
30. Be bold with Photoshop effects
How to create a psychedelic artwork using a mix of adjustment layers, effects and vector elements.
31. Create an Adventure Time Scene in Illustrator
This is an intermediary tutorial, so some people may find themselves a bit lost in some parts. I also advise you to use a tablet to make things easier.
32. How to Draw Little Red Riding Hood with Basic Shapes in Adobe Illustrator
In this tutorial you will learn how to create an adorable cartoon Little Red Riding Hood with her basket and bunch of flowers. You will use the Pen Tool (P) and basic shapes such as the Rectangle Tool (M), the Ellipse Tool (L) and the Polygon Tool. This is a great tutorial for those who are getting the hang of Adobe Illustrator’s basic tools.
33. How to Create a Fancy Top Hat in Adobe Illustrator
In this tutorial you will have the opportunity to create a fancy icon of a top hat in Adobe Illustrator. As always, we are going to show how a few simple shapes can be turned into a great looking icon. So, lets get started.
34. How to Create a Roulette Wheel in Adobe Illustrator
You will start with the Ellipse Tool (L). Select it in the Tool Panel and make sure to draw a proper circle. Just hold the Shift key on the keyboard during circle drawing. It will allow you to draw a proportional circle
35. How to Draw a Colorful, Tasty, Ice Cream, Sundae in Adobe Illustrator
Satisfy your sweet tooth with this tutorial on making a decadent ice cream sundae illustration. Working in Adobe Illustrator with heavy use of the Pen Tool (P), Gradient Tool (G), and a focus on building each element from the ground up, I’ll combine a tasty treat and our favorite scalable medium.
36. Create a Trendy Vintage Style Barber Logo in Illustrator
Satisfy your sweet tooth with this tutorial on making a decadent ice cream sundae illustration. Working in Adobe Illustrator with heavy use of the Pen Tool (P), Gradient Tool (G), and a focus on building each element from the ground up, I’ll combine a tasty treat and our favorite scalable medium.
37. Draw an angry little samurai in Illustrator
Hello, today I’ll show you how to draw a samurai in Illustrator using shapes, free time and desire … keep your force and soul balanced and let’s start!
38. Create a Funny Bee Swarm Illustration in Adobe Illustrator
In the following tutorial you will learn how to create a funny bee swarm illustration in Adobe Illustrator. For starters you will learn how to prepare a new document and how to set up a simple grid.
39. Using the Blend Tool to Create a Halftone Effect Portrait in Adobe Illustrator
The Blend Tool has been part of Adobe Illustrator for a long time and it’s very simple to work with. The tool creates objects that fill the space between two key objects. Let’s say we have a square as object A and a circle as object B; the Blend Tool will create intermediate figure shapes between these two objects. You can add how many steps you want and it remains editable until you expand it.
40. How to create miltary style emblem logo design
If you’ve been a reader of my blog you’ll know I love a good badge or emblem style logo design. I’ve done a couple of tutorials before and featured plenty of great examples in showcases. Today I fancied creating another logo of my own, so I used the IGN Alliance network my @spoonergaming alter-ego is a part of to create a military style emblem. Follow this step by step Illustrator to see how the whole thing was put together, using various tools to create the range of vector shapes.
