Introduction to Adobe Illustrator for Beginners and Advanced Illustration

From 30 C$ /h

An illustrator is an artist who creates two-dimensional images for various companies and industries, such as fashion design, children's books, magazines, medical manuals, web sites, technical designs and advertising. The illustrator will use various techniques to create effects, like the simplicity of black and white, the richness of colour, or the use of light and shadows.

Typically, an illustrator will choose to specialize in a certain industry according to their talents and work as a freelancer. If he or she excels in sketching clothing, becoming a fashion illustrator is a natural fit. If animals, foliage or earth formations are a strength, becoming a scientific illustrator would be a fit. Being a medical illustrator would require a talent in drawing human organs or the schematics of the human body or surgical procedures. An illustrator can also work for an advertising company, drawing images for labels, advertising materials or packaging. New illustrations are always needed for wrapping paper, greeting cards, books, magazine covers and advertising.

Extra information

bring your own laptop

Location

Online from Netherlands

About Me

Graphic Designer and Illustrator
I'm designer, illustrator, and typography and art direction enthusiast. Born in Yemen ,i has a degree in Design and a postgraduate degree in Branding. He’s been in the industry for about fifteen years, currently focusing on branding and packaging.

His creative process explores designs that express strong and special meanings. i used my skills in illustration and typography, always looking for a unique and impressive result.

Throughout my career, I has worked for large companies, advertising agencies, and design studios. Among my main clients are O Boticário, Sebrae, Grupo Zaffari, Enjoei, and Wordbank. Currently, I works as a freelance professional and is part of the hadia studio, where i develop projects for clients all over the world.

Education

i have a degree in Design and a postgraduate degree in Branding and other .i have been in the industry for about 19 years, currently focusing on branding and packaging.

Experience / Qualifications

Throughout my career, I has worked for large companies, advertising agencies, and design studios. Among my main clients are O Boticário, Sebrae, Grupo Zaffari, Enjoei, and Wordbank. Currently, I works as a freelance professional and is part of the hadia studio, where i develop projects for clients all over the world

Age

Children (7-12 years old)

Teenagers (13-17 years old)

Adults (18-64 years old)

Seniors (65+ years old)

Student level

Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced

Duration

45 minutes

60 minutes

90 minutes

The class is taught in

English

Arabic

Skills

Adobe illustrator

Availability of a typical week

(GMT -04:00)

New York

Online via webcam

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

00-04

04-08

08-12

12-16

16-20

20-24

Michael

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COURSES à LA CARTE, according to your exact needs, your availability and financial possibilities.
Lessons adapted to your level: beginner, advanced or professional.
PhotoShop from A to Z: Editing, image correction, photo editing, pre-press, image for the web, fusion mask, adjustment layers, advanced techniques, dynamic objects, non-destructive image work...

Illustrator: Vector drawing techniques, logo making, complex digital illustration, cartography, object design, watch design, filters and special effects...

inDesign: Layout of brochures, management reports, books and comics. Using Advanced Templates, Adjusting paragraph and character styles, automation, pre-press...

I have been a graphic designer since 1988, a professional trainer on this software for 18 years.

See you soon for more information...

Michael

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If you work on a marketing department and just want to learn basics or you are a graphic designer and want to learn more tips/tricks or you're just interested and want to refresh your knowledge. All is possible, drop me a line and I'm sure we'll find the right approach for you!

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I have designs this simple course for beginners and improvers based on my own experience as a Graphic designer and Teacher of Design.
You will learn to use masks, layers, pen tools, and blending options available in the powerful app.
If you don't currently own Adobe Photoshop, no problem! As a student. You can get a 30 day free trial from Adobe!

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Learn graphic design with Photoshop, Illustrator,
, InDesign to better illustrate your design process and digitalise your sketches and ideas.

What you'll learn:

You will have beginner to expert level knowledge of graphic design and Adobe applications that you will immediately be able to apply to your career, job, hobby, or company.
You will be given a major overview of the most common graphic design programs and how you can use them to your advantage.
You will be given real-world, applicable projects that you can follow along with and practice.
You will achieve the experience and knowledge to take graphic design fundamentals and apply them in your everyday life.
You will learn Adobe Photoshop, the industry-leading program for photo editing and manipulation.
You will learn Adobe Illustrator, the number one software for creating graphics, icons, symbols, branding, and more.
You will learn Adobe InDesign, the best software on the market for publishing and marketing materials.

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From idea to graphic – Learn Adobe Illustrator practically (with or without your own project)

In this individually tailored course, you'll learn Adobe Illustrator step by step—practical, understandable, and immediately applicable. Whether you bring your own projects or prefer to work with predefined exercises, the course adapts to your needs.

You'll design your graphics under professional guidance – from the initial sketch to the print-ready file. We'll guide you through all the relevant functions and tools of Illustrator, with the goal of implementing your creative ideas confidently and with flawless technical results.

What's waiting for you:

Individual project work: Work on your own designs – with tailored support.

Structured learning structure: Step-by-step instructions through all important tools and techniques.

Practical relevance: Design of real graphics, logos, illustrations or print products.

Print preparation: You will learn how to professionally prepare your file for a printing company (including trimming, color mode, file format, etc.).

Flexible format: online or on-site – you decide how you want to learn.

Suitable for:
For beginners with basic knowledge to advanced users who want to use Illustrator specifically for their own projects – e.g., for freelancers, creative professionals, designers, or anyone who wants to finally realize their creative ideas.

Julian

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Illustrator is a great application that meets today's advertising needs. The focus of this course is carefully crafted, moving away from traditional teaching approaches in this discipline. It is essential to establish a knowledge link between color modes, the products that can be created with this application, integration with other applications, and different formats, such as the use of Excel spreadsheets to create interactive, mass-produced brochures with detailed information connected with markers.

Regarding integration, we will use two sister applications of Illustrator: Photoshop and InDesign for the creation of magazines.

It will be a great experience, below is the thematic content

ILLUSTRATOR THEMATIC CONTENT
- Introduction

 Introduction to vector drawing.

 Differences between a vector image and a bitmap image.
 Concept of vector drawing with ILLUSTRATOR (Characteristics of a vector)
 ILLUSTRATOR Vs ADOBE PHOTOSHOP
 Professional-level tool utilities.
 New features compared to the previous version

 The work environment

 The document window and workspaces
 Tool palettes, panels, and control panels
 Configure the workspace
 Document configuration and adjustment.
 Document navigation.
 Rulers and grids.
 Using guides and smart guides
 Color modes (CMYK color management).
 Image formats.
 Working with PostScript.
 Keyboard customization

- Creating files, the layers panel, and setting up the workspace

 Configure the new file for different modes
 Data to take into account about pixels in the new document
 Pixel grid alignment
 Generate custom document template
 Prepare files for large outdoor advertising

 Design compositions using layers and sublayers

 Layer options.
 Hierarchical layer structure.
 Locking/unlocking elements.
 Selections with layers.
 Layer colors.
 Nested layers.
 Moving objects in layers

- Storage formats, PDF files, export formats
- Operations on Images

 Rasterization concept and rasterization effects settings
 Coupling transparencies
 Selecting unaligned objects in ILLUSTRATOR
 Graphic styles applied to vectors
 Bitmap-based opacity masks
 Pixelated effects on vectors
 Place vs. Open photos (Linked vs. Embedded objects)
 Preview pixels and contour
 Preview of color separations and transparencies coupling

 Quality output for bitmap elements

 Printing bitmap documents
 Print Presets
 Segmentation of large documents
 Boundary marks crop marks
 Overprinting strokes and fills

- Work tools

 Navigation tools

 Hand
 Impression segmentation
 Zoom

 Copy and paste options; duplicating objects

 Selection tools.

 Configure selection and keyboard preferences
 Normal, direct selection and group selection
 Selection of objects in front, middle and back

 Typical selection tools

 Magic wand
 Lasso selection

 Selection by attributes
 Group and ungroup
 Isolation modes
 Resize images and angles
 Transformation Tools / Repeat Transformations
 Reflection and distortion
 Alignment and distribution of objects
 Editing paths and Bézier curves.

 Pen
 Add anchor point
 Delete anchor point
 Anchor point
 Curvature

 Editing and modifying paths

 Join and average paths
 Simplify
 Attributes of a stroke
 Rows and columns
 Compound paths
 Clipping mask
 Outline and move paths
 Draft
 Scissors
 Blade

 The brush and pencil tools, shaper, and adjustments

 Shaper
 Pencil
 Soften
 Stroke eraser

 Brushes and Creation

 Shading effects
 Pattern brush
 Ink strokes
 Special brushes
 Shading pen

 Working with symbols

 Symbol sprinkler
 Move symbol
 Gather and separate symbol
 Change symbol size
 Rotate symbol
 Stain symbol
 Translucent symbols
 Apply styles to symbols

 Color tools

 Fill and stroke.
 The color palette.
 The samples palette.
 Custom color libraries.
 Paint bucket and eyedropper tool.
 Color modification filters.
 Reasons.
 Degraded
 Interactive paint can
 Interactive painting selection

 Drawing geometric figures

 Drawing vector objects and properties

 Main geometric objects in ILLUSTRATOR

 Rectangle
 Ellipse
 Polygon
 Star
 Flash
 Arch
 Spiral
 Rectangular grid
 Polar grid
 Interactive vertices
 Shape Builder Tool

 Sector and perspective tools

 Sector
 Select sector
 Perspective grid
 Perspective selection

 Working with text

 Draw text with color and outline; font style
 Creating text boxes.
 Create text outline
 Custom text paths.
 The text editor.
 Flow text.
 Mask text.
 Use of text and brushes.
 Flattened text.
 Text
 Area text
 Text in path
 Vertical text
 Vertical area text
 Vertical text on path
 Retouch text

 Modification Tools.

 Rotate
 Reflect
 Climb
 Distort
 Reform
 Width
 Deform
 Windlass
 Pucker
 Gain weight
 Scallop
 Crystallize
 Wrinkle
 Free transformation
 Merger

- Effects and Expand

 Expand and Expand Appearance

 From ILLUSTRATOR

 3d
 Path effects (Pathfinder)
 Form conversion
 Stylization
 Applying filters
 Clipping mask

 From Photoshop

- Mesh management, merges and gradients

 Handling rounded meshes.
 Advanced mesh management.
 Mergers.
 Working with mergers: expand, invert, and drop.
 Gradients and gradient meshes.
 Merger examiner.
 Shadows of mergers.
 Unified gradients.

- Transparency and Appearance

 Handling transparencies.
 Opacity masks and coverage controls.
 The Appearance palette.
 Transparent colors.
 Basic flashes.
 Opacity masks.

- Review of pre-print features

 What should be done to design very large advertising works?
 Prepare folder for sending to the contracted printer
 Export as PDF.

Amanda

5.0

(4)

As a graduate of ECAL and holder of a Federal Certificate of Proficiency (CFC) in graphic design, I offer personalized courses in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, combining both technical and creative approaches.

These courses are designed for beginners as well as those looking to develop their visual style, whether for a personal project, academic studies, or professional goals.

Beyond learning the tools, the goal is to help you:

– Understand the basics of design (composition, color, typography)
– Develop your visual sense
– Create concrete, personal projects

Each class is tailored to your pace and interests, in a supportive and motivating atmosphere ✨

You’ll have the opportunity to work on your own projects (portfolio, resume, social media, illustration, etc.).
Feel free to bring your ideas or projects with you!

Milana

5.0

(4)

📍 This is NOT another course. This is a mentoring 1:1 design program where you don't wander around — you learn to think like a designer.

Whether you need:
🎨 theory (composition, colors, typography)
🖥️ learn or upgrade software skills (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign...)
📚 or a combination of both - the classes are personalized to you and your pace.
👉 If you already have basic knowledge, we can work together on creating and arranging your portfolio - so that it shows your creativity
🌿 I am a designer with 17 years of experience and 9 years of formal education. Under my mentorship, you will get practical advice, help with active projects, support and clarity at every step. I guide you through the process until you become an independent designer, ready for international clients, freelance projects or full-time remote positions.

📩 Send me a message and book your appointment.
Your first step towards professional design can start today. ✨