Watch and Learn Illustrator!

1 - Introduction (Time: 0:31)

2 - The Welcome Screen (click to preview) (Time: 3:01)
The Illustrator welcome screen allows quick access to recently used documents as well as options for opening existing documents and creating new documents.

3 - The Illustrator Workspace (click to preview) (Time: 10:53)
In this video, Craig gives an overview of the Illustrator workspace and demonstrates how to customize and save workspaces.

4 - Understanding Vector Graphics (click to preview) (Time: 5:11)
Illustrator is an application for creating vector graphics, and before we move forward, it’s important to understand how vector graphics work as opposed to bitmap graphics.

5 - Drawing Simple Shapes (Time: 13:58)
In this video, you’ll learn how to draw rectangles, ovals, polygons, stars, and lens flares using Illustrator’s shape tools.

6 - Shape Attributes (Time: 8:43)
In this video, Craig discusses the basics of strokes and fills for your shapes.

7 - Drawing with the Pen Tool (Time: 7:51)
The Pen Tool allows you to draw shapes using plotted anchor points and bezier curves. Although it’s a little difficult to use at first, once it’s mastered, it allows you to have tremendous control over your artwork.

8 - Drawing with the Pencil Tool (Time: 5:01)
The Pencil Tool is a freehand drawing tool that allows you to very quickly draw with your mouse or with a pen tablet.

9 - Painting with the Brush Tool (Time: 7:20)
This is another freehand tool that draws in a fill using a number of different shaped brushes.

10 - Painting with the Blob Brush (Time: 6:46)
The Blob Brush is a freehand drawing tool that results in one single, combined shape when used.

11 - Editing Paths (Time: 8:31)
Our shapes are not always perfect when first we draw them, so in this video, Craig demonstrates how to edit the paths of your shapes.

12 - Grouping Shapes (Time: 7:10)
When working with multiple shapes, it’s often very helpful to group them together in order to keep things organized.

13 - Making Selections (Time: 15:20)
Being able to select the right elements at the right time is key to an efficient Illustrator workflow. In this video, Craig will discuss the basics of selecting objects and groups in Illustrator.

14 - Advanced Selections (Time: 13:54)
In this video, you’ll learn some advanced selection techniques, such as selecting multiple objects based on certain attributes of those objects.

15 - Stacking Order (Time: 3:17)
In this video, Craig will demonstrate how to change the visible stacking order of the graphic elements in your document.

16 - Aligning Objects (Time: 6:45)
In this lesson, Craig demonstrates how to align objects with each other on the artboard.

17 - Using Guides (Time: 7:18)
Illustrator allows you to create guides that help you in the placement and alignment of elements on the artboard.

18 - Using the Grid (Time: 2:10)
Illustrator’s grid is another way to help in the placement and alignment of graphic elements.

19 - Smart Guides (Time: 4:56)
Smart guides automatically show up as you hover your mouse cursor over graphic elements and move objects around on the artboard.

20 - Transforming Shapes with the Selection Tool (Time: 7:13)
In this video, you’ll learn how to resize and rotate shapes using the Selection Tool.

21 - Transformation Tools (Time: 13:07)
In this video, you’ll learn how to rotate, scale, reflect, and skew shapes using various transformation tools.

22 - The Reshape Tool (Time: 3:57)
The Reshape Tool allows you to morph an unclosed path by dragging around an anchor point on the path.

23 - Warp Tools (Time: 6:34)
In this video, Craig will show you how to use several different transformation tools that allow you to warp your shapes in a number of different ways.

24 - Creating Complex Shapes (Time: 18:15)
In this video, Craig will demonstrate how to use the Pathfinder tool to combine shapes to create more complex shapes.

25 - Subtractive Tools (Time: 4:57)
In this video, Craig will demonstrate the use of the Knife Tool, the Scissors Tool, and the Eraser Tool.

26 - Selecting Color (Time: 4:36)
In this video, Craig will demonstrate a few different ways to select colors and apply them to your shapes.

27 - Creating Color Swatches (Time: 5:46)
If the Swatches Panel doesn’t have the color you’re looking for, you can very easily create your own color swatches. In this video, you’ll learn how.

28 - Creating Global Swatches (Time: 4:42)
Global swatches are color swatches that are linked to the shapes that they’re applied to. In other words, if you apply a global swatch to numerous shapes, you can easily change the color that’s applied to those shapes simply by editing the swatch itself.

29 - Working with Gradients (Time: 9:38)
In this video, Craig demonstrates how to apply linear and radial gradients to your shapes.

30 - Creating Gradient Swatches (Time: 1:10)
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to add custom gradient swatches to your Swatches Panel.

31 - Using Pattern Fills (Time: 1:58)
In this video, you’ll learn how to fill your shapes with a premade pattern.

32 - Creating a Pattern (Time: 5:19)
Now that we know how to use patterns, Craig will demonstrate how to make a pattern of your own for use as a fill.

33 - The Appearance Panel (Time: 8:15)
The Appearance Panel is crucial to understand in order to effectively work with shapes in Illustrator. In this video, Craig will demonstrate how to use this panel to create multiple strokes for a single shape.

34 - Creating Multiple Fills (Time: 3:03)
In this video, Craig opens up the Appearance Panel again in order to demonstrate how to create multiple fills for a single shape.

35 - Working with Type (Time: 7:28)
In this video, Craig will demonstrate the basics of using the text tools in Illustrator.

36 - Typing on a Path (Time: 5:15)
In this video, you’ll learn how to create text that follows a path.

37 - Converting Type to Paths (Time: 4:40)
Sometimes you might want to reshape your text in ways that the transformation tools can’t handle. In order to do this, you’ll first need to convert your text into outlines.

38 - Warping Text (Time: 5:39)
This video covers some basic warps and transformations that can be applied to text fields.

39 - Adding Effects (Time: 10:45)
In this video, you’ll learn the basics of adding effects such as drop shadows, blurs, and glows to your shapes.

40 - Placing Bitmaps (Time: 5:07)
In this video, you’ll learn how to import a bitmap image onto your artboard.

41 - Masking Bitmaps (Time: 4:38)
This video demonstrates the use of masks to hide and reveal certain areas of your imported bitmaps.

42 - Live Trace (Time: 10:41)
Live Trace is an amazing tool that allows you to automatically “convert” a bitmap into a stylized vector drawing.

43 - Drawing a Tennis Ball (Time: 13:28)
In this video, Craig will demonstrate how to use many of the topics discussed so far to create your own tennis ball graphic in Illustrator.

44 - Working with Symbols (Time: 10:25)
Symbols are graphic elements that can be used over and over. In this video, Craig will show you where you can find premade symbols, and then he’ll demonstrate how you can make your own.

45 - The Symbol Sprayer (Time: 9:50)
The symbol sprayer is a powerful tool that allows you to spray an array of symbols onto the stage with the option of randomizing the attributes of the symbols.

46 - Working with Layers (Time: 9:08)
Once your Illustrator files start to get larger, it might be helpful to organize your graphics into layers.

47 - Using Template Layers (Time: 5:01)
In this video, Craig will demonstrate how to create some stylized artwork by creating a template layer with an image in it and tracing over the basic outlines of the image using the Brush tool.

48 - Tracing with the Pen Tool (Time: 16:03)
In this video, you’ll learn how to use the Pen tool to do some very accurate tracing as we begin to trace over the image of a lioness.

49 - Tracing the Details (Time: 18:41)
In this video, we’ll focus in on one of the lion’s legs to demonstrate how to block out areas of detail for future coloring.

50 - Coloring the Trace (Time: 19:20)
With our detailed trace of the leg complete, we’ll now pay more attention to color as we make the leg come to life.

51 - The Finished Trace (Time: 3:29)
In this video, Craig shows you the final colorized trace of the lion image and discusses how it was finished up.

52 - 3D Extrusion (Time: 5:49)
This tool allows you to make a flat, 2-dimensional pop by giving it some thickness and rotating it in 3D space.

53 - Outline Mode (Time: 4:42)
Outline mode and preview mode provide two different ways of viewing your artwork, and they can both be very helpful, depending on what you’re trying to do.

54 - 3D Rotate and Revolve (Time: 5:32)
This tool allows you to rotate flat objects around in 3D space.

55 - Mapping Artwork (Time: 12:37)
In this video, you’ll learn how to map 2-dimensional artwork onto a 3-dimensional element.

56 - Conclusion (Time: 0:40)

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