Category: Illustrator Guide
My 8 hand picked Adobe Illustrator fashion tutorials (for your specific situation)
I hear a lot of the same questions about how to do “this thing” in Illustrator, or where should I start if…I’m a total beginner, I don’t know how to draw, etc. And I know how hard it is to find quality, easy to follow Adobe Illustrator fashion tutorials. I also see designers doing things the […]
How FIT is cheating you out of your dream fashion design job
Back in 2015, I was a guest lecturer at FIT (ranked 2nd for fashion in the US and 7th in the world). I was pretty nervous about teaching at such a prestigious school and practiced my Illustrator lecture way too many times the night before. But despite my anxieties, it went great. In fact, it went AWESOME. […]
Are You an Illustrator File Messer-Upper?
If you work on a team, you probably know what it’s like to share Illustrator files. And chances are, you fall into one of these two groups of people: The File Fixer-Upper… or the File Messer-Upper. The File Messer-Upper You know enough about AI to make edits and modify files. But most of the time […]
Lace Brushes & Swatches in Illustrator & Photoshop
You guys have been asking for a while…so I’m finally giving you some answers. Here’s exactly how to mock up lace in Illustrator (and a little bit of Photoshop – because even though I’m an AI junkie, there are a handful of times when PS is necessary.) Enjoy 🙂 How to Create Lace Trim How to […]
5 Reasons Illustrator Proficiency is Closer than You Think
This is an excerpt from my Ultimate Guide to Illustrator for Fashion.If you like what you see, get the entire guide delivered to your inbox. Anyone can learn Illustrator – including you. And it’s more achievable than it seems. Most of your frustration comes from 2 things: misconceptions you believe about AI unqualified teachers who […]
Illustrator vs. Photoshop for Fashion Design
Perceptions are fascinating. We believe them. We beat ourselves up over them. And one of the most common misconceptions in the fashion world is that you have to know BOTH Photoshop AND Illustrator. Which can feel really overwhelming. Photoshop does have a purpose, but it’s not sketching flats (or most other things we do). As […]
How to Change Colors in Illustrator (for fashion flats, pattern swatches & other artwork)
Creating colorways and recoloring fashion flats in Illustrator can feel tedious. I know because I’ve watched hundreds of designers do it the long way… Doing things the long way in Ai looks like: Manually selecting each individual object on fashion flats. Editing every motif in repeating pattern swatches one by one. Messing with grouping and ungrouping to select and […]
It’s normal to feel nervous, but Illustrator shouldn’t make you panic
I know what anxiety and panic feel like. These are normal emotions that we all experience. And there are times when they’re justified. But there are times when you don’t have to feel this way. And I don’t know about you, but I’ll take any chance I can to avoid these emotions. Because let’s be honest…anxiety and panic aren’t fun. When […]
3 AI tutorials to help you stop *bleeping* screaming at your computer right now
Illustrator makes you frustrated that you’re missing something. As soon as you feel the tiniest bit “comfortable” with the program, some other issue pops up. Here are 3 of my favorite tuts to help you gain more confidence and get ahead.
How to Work Faster in Illustrator
One of the simplest ways to work faster in Illustrator is by cleaning up your workspace. It’s not glamorous and it’s not brag worthy (you probably won’t be saying “oh, look what I can do!”). But it’s a super easy way to increase your efficiency, and the best part is that it’ll take you just 5 […]
Distressed & Faded Denim Effect in Illustrator
If you’re frustrated that your fashion sketches look too flat, these simple techniques will help you add distress, fading and texture to bring more life to your designs. You can easily apply them to denim or any other fabrics.
My Illustrator File Has Too Many Anchor Points
In this video I’ll show you some super secret tricks to make Illustrator run faster plus some shortcuts for reshaping paths with the Pencil Tool and tips for editing repeating patterns.
How My Shoe Obsession Made Me Dominate the Pen Tool
A shoe obsession can do a lot of things. It can drain your wallet. It can make your feet scream in pain because, “damn these shoes are freaking cute but man are they uncomfortable.” But the most random for me was how it made me LOVE the Pen Tool.
How Adobe Illustrator Will Change Your (Fashion) Design World
Wondering what Illustrator is used for and how it is applicable to the fashion design world? This post goes through a quick overview of how and why Adobe Illustrator is the most popular software for the fashion design industry.
Creating Repeating Plaid Patterns Roundup
Plaid patterns in Illustrator are actually pretty simple once you know the right tricks. Here are a couple different tutorials to show you how to create plaids both in AI and with a bit of help from Photoshop if you want.
Adobe Illustrator CC 2014 New Pen Tool Features
Illustrator just released AICC 2014 and there are some really great updates to the Pen Tool. One of the most powerful (I can’t believe it took so long to add this one!) is a path preview (0:22). That’s right, you’ll now be able to see exactly what the path will look like instead of guessing what you’ll get. This will help […]
How to Break Apart Repeating Patterns in Illustrator
Easily grab and design element or motif from repeating patterns with this quick trick. Whether it’s a pattern you grabbed from a stock photo site or one that your coworker created, learn how to break it open and pull out what you need.
How to Create Space Dye Texture Patterns in Illustrator
Simple repeating textile patterns like stripes and polka dots are quick and easy to make in Adobe Illustrator. But textures like heathers, melange and space dyes can be harder to realistically emulate. If you’re like me and work in the activewear market, then you see these textures everywhere. They’re on leggings, tanks, jackets, and any other item […]
Anatomy of Argyle Patterns
Traditional argyle patterns typically look very similar in construction and are made up of diamonds and either solid or dashed lines often referred to as rakers. And yep – it’s really quite that simple! The diagram below shows the one tile that makes up the argyle repeat.
