Learning Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator is graphics drawing software that lets you create logos, icons, drawings, typography, and complex illustrations.

Adobe provides a series of online Illustrator tutorials, complete with instructions, videos, and small sample projects. These are good for beginners as well as users who need their skills refreshed. During your course, lab time may be provided during class to work on these tutorials with the instructor available for questions.

Recommended links for basic Illustrator understanding are listed below with estimated time required to complete each tutorial. All together, the lessons listed here add up to more than 4.5 hours of training.

Note: if you are printing Adobe Illustrator files through WSU’s BCU, please refer to guidelines on preparing Illustrator files for the BCU.

A. Getting Started (100 minutes)

  1. Get to know Illustrator (18 minutes)
  2. Make a new document (5 minutes)
  3. Create and edit shapes (17 minutes)
  4. Transform and edit artwork (19 minutes)
  5. Change color and strokes/lines (20 minutes)
  6. How to use the Color Picker (3 minutes)
  7. Add text to your designs (17 minutes)

B. Drawing and organizing elements (90 minutes)

  1. Create with drawing tools (24 minutes)
  2. Draw smooth lines and shapes with the Pencil tool (9 minutes)
  3. Organize elements with layers (16 minutes)
  4. Working with artboards (12 minutes)
  5. Add bitmap/raster images and visual effects (16 minutes)
  6. Using Image Trace (10 minutes)

C. More Drawing Tools (90 minutes)

  1. Know the drawing tools (4 minutes)
  2. Using the Paintbrush and Pencil tools (5 minutes)
  3. Learning the Pen tool (6 minutes)
  4. Practicing the Pen tool (6 minutes)
  5. Adjusting paths you have drawn (6 minutes)
  6. Drawing behind and inside other elements (7 minutes)
  7. Adding text on a path/line (6 minutes)
  8. Drawing a geometric shape (10 minutes)
  9. Using paintbrush effects (10 minutes)
  10. Formatting Type (15 minutes)
  11. Converting a real-world drawing to Illustrator vector graphics with Adobe Capture mobile app (15 minutes)

D. Arranging and masking elements (40 minutes)

  1. Selecting artwork (5 minutes)
  2. Locking, grouping, and hiding content (5 minutes)
  3. Rotating, reflecting, and shearing (5 minutes)
  4. Combining shapes (5 minutes)
  5. Warping and distorting elements (5 minutes)
  6. Cropping/masking elements (5 minutes)
  7. Bending and twisting elements (10 minutes)