Need to amp up your Adobe Illustrator brush skills, then take a look at the best tutorials we have on Vectortuts+ for creating and using Illustrator brushes. Jump into one of these Illustrator tutorials that cover a range of workflows, such as using complex art brushes, pattern bushes, the Blob Brush Tool, and more. Whether you’re looking to master the technical how to of Illustrator’s brush tools, or how to integrate their use into a highly create workflow, we have you covered with a vast range of technical and artistic tutorials.
Create a Feather Brush and Set of Detailed Wings in Illustrator
In this tutorial you’ll learn how to create a feather art brush in Illustrator. You’ll then learn how to use it to create a set of angel wings, which can be added to your illustrations. It’s a common element in fantasy style art to have a set of wings. Ranging from bird like wings to epic angel wings, they can communicate a sense of freedom. This illustrator brush tutorial is for intermediate users.
How to Create a Climbing Rope Pattern Brush
A simple two-point-path can be transformed into a powerful Pattern Brush. The technique behind this illustrator brush tutorial will help save you a lot of time. Learn how to work with Illustrator Pattern Brushes in this intermediate tutorial.
How to Create a Hair Braid Pattern Brush in Illustrator
In today’s tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a deceivingly complex, yet easy to make, patterned hair brush using Adobe Illustrator. Discover how to create detailed elements in hair design with ease, from creating strands of hair all the way to more complex elements. Learn a complete process in how to create hair braids in this intermediate Illustrator pattern brush tutorial.
How to Illustrate Dynamic Hair Using Adobe Illustrator’s Paintbrush Tool
This tutorial will show you how to create a dynamic hairstyle from a reference image. You will use the Paintbrush Tool, basic skin shading and transparent gradients. Learn how to put custom Illustrator Profile Brushes to work in this intermediate tutorial.
A Comprehensive Guide: Illustrator’s Paintbrush Tool and Brush Panel
Illustrator’s Paintbrush Tool (B) and Brush Panel are some of it’s most powerful tools. With the Paintbrush Tool (B) and Brush Panel you can dress up your vector paths into compelling flourishes, patterns, tapered edges, and more. In this comprehensive beginner tutorial, you’ll learn how to break down the basics of the Paintbrush Tool and Brush Panel and how to create your own Illustrator brushes. Using brushes will greatly improve you Illustrator productivity and helps you create artwork you never thought possible.
Quick Tip: How to Draw a Stylized Motorcycle with Complex Illustrator Brushes
The application of Illustrator brushes can be very different, from imitating smudges in painting up to the most unexpected effects. In this beginner tutorial you will learn how to create complex brushes in Adobe Illustrator and how brushes work together to create some interesting effects.
Quick Tip: How to Create a Hand Drawn Style Text Effect
In the following tutorial you will learn how to use different layered brushes and effects to create a hand drawn text effect. Perfect for illustrative designs, you will create a cute and fun lettering effect in this intermediate tutorial.
Using Illustrator CS5 Tools to Create a Painted House – Vector Premium Tutorial
If you want to learn how to use a combination of the new Illustrator CS5 features – including the Perspective Grid and Natural Media Brushes – to create a 100% vector illustration with a painted finish, then we have an awesome tutorial for you. In this advanced Premium tutorial you’ll create a scene with perspective and paint all its elements with the Natural Media Illustrator brushes that create an excellent painted simulation with brush strokes that can be freely edited.
How to Make a Parrot Illustration with Custom Illustrator Brushes
This intermediate Illustrator tutorial covers the vector painting process in creating beautiful parrot illustration. You’ll learn how to use the standard Illustrator brushes, and how to make your own brushes to add more detail to your illustrations, for example the feathers on the parrot. You will also learn how to make a thick outline around your subject to add style and how to make a soft focus background with the Mesh Tool to set the scene.
Create Winter Festival Brushes in Illustrator CS
In this beginner Illustrator tutorial you’ll learn how to create a holly, ivy and a berry brush to create a Winter Festival wreath. These Illustrator brushes aren’t limited to this artwork, and can be used in pieces of vector art and decorations, just put your imagination into it after practicing.
Illustrate a Grunge Style Talking Skull in Vector with Illustrator Brushes
In this Illustrator tutorial I’ll show you how to create a grungy skull illustration using an image and some freebies around the web. These techniques can be easily applied to other grungy illustrations, and not only skulls. You’ll learn some useful Illustrator brush techniques in this intermediate tutorial.
How to Create Fireworks Using Adobe Illustrator Brushes and Effects
In this beginner Illustrator tutorial you’ll learn how to create vector fireworks using the Pixelate Effect and complex Art Brushes. Learn to decorate a night landscape or a greeting card with bright fireworks.
Create a Gold Chain Pattern Brush with Illustrator
In this intermediate Illustrator tutorial you’ll learn how to use pattern brushes to create complex vector artwork. Creating pattern brushes can save time and is a great technique to have on hand. After this tutorial, you will be able to create great pattern brushes. Add that to your Illustrator brush skills and design arsenal.
How to Create Smoky Brushes and Type In Illustrator CS4
Smoke is fascinating, and experimenting with smoky effects has the potential to wow viewers. In this intermediate tutorial you’ll learn how to create realistic smoke, make it into an Illustrator brush and use it to create some dynamic illustrated lettering. This text effect is smokin’!
Create a Painterly Apple with Illustrator CS5′s new Bristle Brush
The new Bristle Brush in Illustrator CS5 gives you the best of both worlds: The painterly effects of real media and the control and flexibility of a vector drawing. We’ll use another new feature in CS5, the “Draw Inside” drawing mode, which will let us do what every artist likes to do — color outside the lines. Take your vector painting techniques to the next level with this how to Illustrator brush tutorial.
Create a Vector Tree with Custom Illustrator Brushes and the Gradient Mesh Tool
In this beginner Illustrator tutorial you will learn how to create a leaf-filled, vector tree – step by step. Some of the techniques we’ll use are custom made Illustrator brushes to create the leaves, and Gradient Mesh Tool for creating light and shadows.
Create a Japanese Ukiyo-e Style Print – Vector Premium Tutorial
If you want to take learn how to create a traditional Japanese style print, then we have an awesome tutorial for you. In this intermediate Premium tutorial you’ll learn how to create a landscape in the style of a Japanese Ukiyo-e print. You will get acquainted with lots of manual techniques, and learn how to make your job easier using the Art, Scatter, and Blob Illustrator Brushes.
Create a Painterly Landscape with the Illustrator Blob Brush Tool
Illustrator’s Blob Brush is an intuitive and versatile tool. When used with a graphics tablet, you can create loose, painterly images that venture far from the sharp, clean lines usually associated with vector graphics. These files retain all the benefits of vector files, however, allowing you to experiment and be flexible with scale, color and composition. Advanced your Illustrator brush skills with this how to tutorial aimed at intermediate users.
How to Create a Three Color Wolf Skull in Illustrator
In this beginner Illustrator tutorial you’ll learn the process of designing an aggressive wolf skull using just white, black, and grey. Clients often ask for mind blowing vector images with a low number of colors and no gradients when designing for print. The question is how can you add depth to an illustration, give it an artistic feel, and still keep it commercial? One solution: concept, variable line thickness, contour, shadow and fill color. You’ll use a Wacom tablet (not compulsory), reference images, and Illustrator brushes to complete this tutorial.
Create a Watercolor Vector Flower Illustration
Illustrator is great for creating sharp flawless lines and elements, but sometimes you want to create an illustration with some texture and depth. Watercolor paintings have great textures and depth and their look can be made in vector. In this intermediate Illustrator tutorial learn all the wonderful things vectors have to offer, like scalability. Blends and Illustrator brushes make up the majority of the techniques used in this tutorial.
Inking and Coloring the Comic Strip “The Brads”
In this advanced Illustrator tutorial, we’ll walk through the steps of creating a comic strip using Illustrator’s Pen Tool, custom brushes and masking features. This is a fun tutorial that covers the comic creation process, while showcasing the comic strip “The Brads.” Learn a professional comic creation workflow that utilizes Illustrator brushes and other vector techniques.
Easily Make Shiny Realistic Vector Hair with Illustrator Brushes
This intermediate Illustrator tutorial you’ll learn how to easily make realistic-looking shiny vector hair. You’ll use Illustrator brushes to create S shapes and use them to construct natural looking hair. You should have a basic understanding of Adobe Illustrator tools before you begin this tutorial.
Create CS5 Width Profile Brushes in any Version of Adobe Illustrator CS!
Adobe Illustrator CS5 has a new option within the Stroke window known as “Width Profile”. This intermediate Illustrator tutorial shows how you can create brushes and use them in any version of Adobe Illustrator CS. You will also learn how to create, save and use your new Illustrator brushes!
How to Make an Inspired, Golden Painting in Illustrator
In this intermediate Illustrator tutorial we will travel back in time to learn how to recreate the painting style of one of the most outstanding symbolism artists – Gustav Klimt. His works are full of warm golden colors, simple ornaments, irregular patterns, natural symbols, and asymmetric shapes. We will work to produce this style with the help of Adobe Illustrator tools, such as Illustrator brushes.
Draw a Glowing, Vector Pocket Watch – Front and Back
In this intermediate Illustrator tutorial you will learn how to draw the front and the back side of a pocket watch from scratch. This tutorial is detailed and by the end you will know how to draw all kinds of shapes, like cog-wheels and small screws. You’ll learn to create the scatter brushes used for the designs on the watch and how to use some of the existing patterns and gradients in Illustrator’s library to your advantage.
Quick Tip: The Blob Brush in Action
Illustrator’s Blob Brush settings can be confusing. Seeing it in action will help you get the most out of this fun, flexible tool. Learn how to make painterly scenes and objects with a few strokes of the Blob Brush and Eraser in this beginner Illustrator tutorial. You will be surprised by how fun this tool is!
Quick Tip – Using the Illustrator Blob Brush and Eraser for Character Lines
In this Video Quick Tip you will learn how to use a digital drawing tablet in conjunction with the Blob Brush and Eraser tools to create character outlines. If you don’t own a tablet, don’t worry, you can still follow along with this intermediate Illustrator tutorial and achieve a great looking result. Let’s begin!
Quick Tip: Create a Pretty Bouquet of Flowers with Adobe Illustrator
In this intermediate Illustrator tutorial you will learn how to create a bouquet of pretty flowers, using only Art Brushes and and the Gradient Mesh Tool. You will find that the techniques learned in this Quick Tip will help you craft a variety of flowers and decorative elements. Let’s get started!
