theBlog @reneepearson.com
Scalloped Borders in Illustrator
In this tutorial, I teach you how to create a shape with a scalloped border, and then I show you how to save that appearance as a Graphic Style so you can apply it to other shapes in your file. All of this is made possible through using the Appearance Panel and a feature introduced in CS5 that aligns dashed strokes to the corner points in any shape you create. Follow the steps in the video to create a few scalloped borders of your own.
Once you’ve got your scalloped style applied to some shapes, you can scale the shape while leaving the scallops at the same size, by unchecking “Scale Strokes and Effects” in Preferences > General.
Take it further: play around with adding another stroke to your shape or add drop shadows to get the hang of working with the Appearance Panel. To fix the shape in the form of vectors that you can edit more readily with the Shape Builder or Pathfinder, select the shape and expand by choosing Object > Expand.
Draw Ribbons and Streamers in Illustrator
In this video tutorial, I show you how to create two custom calligraphic brush tips in Adobe illustrator. Grab your tablet and the Paintbrush tool, and you’ll have the perfect brush for drawing flowing ribbons and flourishes. Drawing with these fun brush tips is a great way to develop freehand skill with your tablet. I also demonstrate how Illustrator’s Smooth Tool allows you to iron out the bumps to make your linework look effortless. (If only it were that easy outside of Illustrator!) I’ll also show you some tips for editing and shading your linework to add to your bag of tricks.
Join Our Adobe Illustrator Community
We’re really excited about what’s going on in our illustrator community. There’s an ever-growing number of self-paced Adobe Illustrator Workshops available from our resident Illustrator Diva Laura Coyle. As an added benefit for her students, Laura conducts regularly scheduled monthly Illustrator live video chats.
These monthly hour-long chats, affectionately called “Laura Time,” are full of Adobe Illustrator demonstrations and tips. They give her students the chance to interact, ask questions, and to stay inspired and engaged in the learning process. As a registered student of any Adobe Illustrator class at ReneePearson.com, you can attend the chats live or watch the recordings later. There’s also a lively Adobe Illustrator forum at ReneePearson.com where you can suggest topics you’d like Laura to cover in the live chats.
Laura has just posted a video of her time-lapse Adobe Illustrator drawing of a Siamese Fighting Fish, condensed from March’s live chat demonstration. This video will give you a feel for her live chat demonstrations. You can watch it and other Illustrator themed videos on Laura’s YouTube channel at YouTube.com/coyleart.
We have a growing community of Adobe Illustrator enthusiasts. Sign up for an Illustrator class and join us! We’d love to have you.
Laura Coyle: Illustrator Round Corner Effect
In Adobe Illustrator, the Rounded Rectangle tool may be the first tool you reach for when you want rounded corners, but it’s not the most efficient if you want the option to adjust your rectangles later. Instead, you can apply rounded corners to a regular rectangle as a live effect. This way, you can always go back and change the corner radius without re-drawing your shape. And because it’s a live effect, you can scale your rectangle to any size while maintaining the same corner radius. This tutorial walks you through the steps. (more…)
Introducing Adobe Illustrator Essentials
Learn Adobe Illustrator with Laura Coyle!
Here at ReneePearson.com we’re delighted to offer some of the best and most affordable Illustrator training on the web, taught by our own highly rated instructor, Laura Coyle. If learning Illustrator has ever seemed like an uphill challenge, Laura is here to make it attainable and fun.
Laura Coyle has worked for over 15 years as a freelance Illustrator, lending her individual style to everything from big-name magazines to game boards and gift wrap. Throughout her career, Adobe Illustrator has been her most essential creative tool. Our students tell us time and again that Laura presents Illustrator in a thorough, logical and organized way that helps them to really understand the process of creating vector artwork in Illustrator.
Our Illustrator Essentials Bundle is a complete course in Adobe Illustrator, made up of two classes: Beginning Illustrator and Illustrator 2. The first class teaches Adobe Illustrator from the very beginning, laying the foundation that allows you to take on the more advanced tools and techniques that are taught in the second class.
Purchase them separately or save $20 when you buy the bundle!
Eyedropper Color Sampling in Illustrator
A fellow artist introduced me to a blog called Design Seeds where visitors are treated to a steady stream of inspiring color palettes. Each palette is “packaged” beautifully by designer Jessica Colaluca with photography and a row of color chips.
When you find such inspiring color in your online travels, you want to bring it along with you into Adobe Illustrator and let it enliven your work. In Illustrator, though, you can hit a speed bump in the process. So, I have a simple tip for those who want to sample color from pixel based images like jpeg and png files. (more…)
New Adobe Illustrator Workshop by Laura Coyle
Are you ready to ink & paint in Illustrator?
In Ink & Paint, an instant-access self-paced workshop, Laura Coyle gives a detailed demonstration of the two primary inking and painting tools in Illustrator: the Paintbrush Tool, and the Blob Brush Tool. You’ll learn about the settings for getting the most out of these tools with a pressure sensitive Wacom tablet. Laura thoroughly discusses Calligraphic brushes and shows you the steps for creating a set of brushes to use for linework and coloring. A pen tablet is required for this workshop.
With this foundation, you’ll be ready to follow along with Laura as she guides you through a complete, fun, floral art project that includes Laura’s original tracing art and a custom color palette. In the preview video below, Laura demonstrates how to use the Eraser tool.
Register today for Ink & Paint
Sneak Peek: Ink & Paint with Laura Coyle
Our newest self-paced class for Adobe Illustrator, Ink & Paint with Laura Coyle, is nearing completion and we’re so excited!
In Ink & Paint, Laura will give thorough demonstrations of the Paintbrush, Blob Brush and their settings in Adobe Illustrator. You’ll create a set of Calligraphic Brushes, perfect for inking linework and coloring — and then she’ll guide you through a layered floral motif project that includes her original tracing art and custom color palette. In the end, you’ll have art you can use in a repeat pattern in your personal projects.
Even if drawing is not your thing, the included tracing art will give you an enjoyable opportunity to practice and develop your hand-eye coordination with the Wacom Tablet, an essential skill for anyone who works with a tablet. And if you love the idea of digital drawing, this project will give you the chance to look over Laura’s shoulder and learn her process for creating freehand art in Illustrator that you can apply to your own work.
Coming soon to ReneePearson.com so stay tuned! We’ll send you an email when it’s ready. Not on our email list? No worries, sign-up today!
Create a Mosaic Tile Background in Illustrator
While working on this illustrated spa map for US Airways magazine, I discovered a fun shortcut for creating a mosaic tile background in Adobe Illustrator. I decided to share it with you, so here it is!
1. Start by creating a rectangle large enough for the tiles, select it and choose Object > Path > Split Into Grid…
2. A dialog box appears where you can enter the number of rows and columns and the space between the tiles. Check preview, so you can see the results as you change the numbers.
3. Next, select all the tiles, and choose Object > Transform > Transform Each… In the dialog box check Preview and Random and enter low numbers to make subtle and random transformations to the position, scaling and rotation of the tiles. Hit OK.
4. Now the tiles will have a more natural look, resembling a mosaic rather than a perfect grid. You can make subtle variations to the color of the individual tiles to make the effect even more interesting. In my finished Illustration I removed a few tiles to randomize it even more.
We use the Transform Each dialog box with type in Beginning Illustrator and in Illustrator 2 for making patterns, it’s one of my favorite features and I’m always discovering new ways to use it.
Enjoy!
Chat Live Tonight with Illustrator Diva Laura Coyle
For over 15 years Laura Coyle has worked as a freelance illustrator, creating her distinctive art for major brands like Amazon.com, American Express and Disney.
Publications including Better Homes and Gardens and The Wall Street Journal have commissioned her to illustrate for them. Her lively, modern paper product designs also appear on the shelves of Target, Hallmark and Papyrus. Laura also teaches Adobe Illustrator classes and workshops here at ReneePearson.com.
Don’t miss tonight’s opportunity to chat with Laura live. She’ll talk about her holiday workshop, Holly Shop, and take your questions about all things vector and Illustrator.