Random Free Vectors – Part 13: Stars
Not really much to say here other than enjoy. 🙂 Just another free set of vectors for you to digest. Hope you can put them to good use! Download below. Download: Vector Stars
Illustrator
Illustrator Quick Tip: Faster Gradient-Color Adjustments
A reader recently asked me about using the eyedropper tool to adjust the (one of 2+) colors in an Illustrator gradient. If you’ve never witnessed this frustration, it is quite annoying. In Illustrator, when using the gradient palette, (Adobe should have figured this out by now) you can’t double-click on one of the gradient color…
Adobe Illustrator: Extract Swatches from Selected Artwork
I don’t know if this would be as useful to you as it is for me, but I leaped for joy when I discovered this little Illy feature. If you deal with client-delivered vector artwork, this could make your life a ton easier. By selecting any or all of the artwork and then clicking “New…
Improve Your Illustrator Workflow with Layer Masking
You may or may or may not know/use this Illustrator feature, but Layer Masking is a very under-used feature of the Adobe Illustrator series of software. I’m not talking about making a clipping mask. This is entirely different altogether. By making a “layer mask,” you can save precious time by not having to release and…
30 Illustrator Pattern Brushes for Making Flowers and Circular Designs
In a previous post I talked about using a pattern brush in Illustrator for a fast way to get perfectly spaced, intricate circular designs. Well, I have a set of 30 Pattern brushes for you to use for that same purpose. Remember that these brushes are intended to be used for circular designs, so results…
Easy Illustrator Trick: Oversized Stroke
Illustrator comes standard with some default brushes. Most of us probably use these brushes as they were intended to be used, but what happens if you push the limits of stroke size? You get a really easy way to create some cool abstract effects in Illustrator. Check out the example below, made with very simple…
Fun with Illustrator’s Lesser Known, Yet Powerful Tools
Believe it or not, Illustrator is capable of some amazing effects similar to those in Photoshop, all waiting at the tip of your finger in the Tools palette. These are NOT filters, but some lesser known Basic Illustrator Tools that , if harnessed right, can transform a single path into a work of art. I’ll…
Tutorial: Web 2.0 Logo Reflection in Vector format with Illustrator
You will probably find dozens, if not hundreds of tutorials on how to do this in Photoshop, but I’m going to show you how to do it in Illustrator (vector). The advantage? You can scale it up for a roadside billboard if you like. That’s the power of vector graphics. All you have to do…
17 Tips that will save you time in Illustrator
Photo via Envato Elements I’ve put together a list of 17 quick tips that will help you save time when using Illustrator, and increase productivity as well. For some of you, this may mean breaking a habit or two, but in the long run, it’s well worth exploring the options of the Illustrator interface if…
Illustrator 3D: Bust Down the 2D Barrier
I’m not sure if this is a widely used Illustrator feature or not. I’ve been using Illustrator almost every day for years, but I never took advantage of this feature until a few months ago. If this isn’t new to you, spare me the “I already knew that crap.” It’s new to me, and I…