Tutorials:
How to Draw a T-Shirt in Illustrator (the right way)
I discovered a flat sketch of a t-shirt in the Adobe Illustrator application folder…and when I opened it, I was pretty unimpressed with how the fashion sketch was drawn and assembled. Simply put, the quality was subpar for Adobe’s high standards. In this step by step video tutorial, I’ll show you how to use some best practices to draw […]
New Pen Tool Features that Make it Easier to Draw in Illustrator
Illustrator just released AICC 2014 and there are some really great updates to the Pen Tool. I of course had to create this short video tutorial to show you these and how they can help speed up your workflow. My favorite (and I can’t believe it took so long to add this one!) is the path preview. That’s right, you’ll now […]
Illustrator Cannot Save “An Unknown Error Has Occurred”
After fighting with and troubleshooting in AI CC for days, I found two workarounds to the “an unknown error has occurred” warning when saving. I cannot figure out any pattern or behavior that causes this. None of my files are overly complex or contain corrupt fonts (which can cause this). My OS and software are up to date, and I […]
How to Edit Paths, Curves & Handles in Illustrator
If Illustrator’s Pen Tool has ever made you scream at your computer, you’re not the only one… This step by step video tutorial will show you how to use some of the more advanced Pen Tool features to control handles, anchor points and paths when you’re sketching fashion flats in Adobe Illustrator. EDIT: Use the technique […]
How to Create Specs for Repeating Textile Patterns
A lot of the work I do is print/textile design based, so I’m constantly creating specs for artwork to send to factories. Here is how to prepare artwork in Adobe Illustrator for a tech pack (for fashion or surface design) to make sure your design is executed accurately. Many factories also love to get a printout of at least […]
How to Edit Clip Art and Create a Repeating Pattern in Illustrator
With so many free vector graphics available for download, you don’t always have to start from scratch when designing. Think about how different elements can be remixed to get the results that you want. This video tutorial will show you how to edit free clipart (this one’s from Vector Arts Hub) to create a seamless repeating textile pattern in […]
How to Create Space Dye Fabric Texture Patterns in Illustrator
Simple repeating textile or surface design 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 more challenging. In this step by step Illustrator video tutorial, we’ll cover: How to convert a scan or image to vector using Image Trace […]
How to Load Brushes, Swatches, Styles & Symbol Libraries in Every Illustrator File
You may already know how to save custom libraries for things like swatches, symbols and brushes to use over and over again in your Adobe Illustrator workspace. But did you know you can create a master template file with these libraries so you don’t have to reload libraries each time you work in AI? If you sketch tons of […]
How to Easily Curve Lines (Paths) in Illustrator
It can be very frustrating to sketch fashion flats in Illustrator with the Pen Tool. And if you’ve ever said “I just don’t know what weird thing it’s going to do next” when you’re sketching, you’re not alone. In this step by step video tutorial, we’ll explore Illustrator’s Reshape Tool and how you can use to […]
How to Draw Stitching & Seam Allowance in Illustrator (accurately!)
Using Illustrator’s offset path feature allows you to do exactly that – create new paths that are offset from existing paths. These are great shortctus for drawing stitches (dashed lines) along the edge of seam lines on fashion flats, appliqué, patches and more. In the tutorial below, I’ll show you how to add stitching to straps on a bag tech sketch. […]
How to Break Apart Patterns in Illustrator
With tons of resources for grabbing free vector patterns online, you may want to use some of the motifs from the patterns in your artwork. This tutorial uses a free repeating pattern from Vecteezy and a grunge texture from the same site to create a placed print for use on fashion flats. Watch the full video […]
How to Align Objects in Illustrator
I’ve always thought that the align icons in Illustrator are a good visual…BUT my students tell me otherwise. Designers get confused by the icons and how to know which align to choose, yet it’s such an essential tool for fashion flats. One of my students made this brilliant comparison: “It’s like the paragraph alignment in Word!” WOW! What an observation, […]
Where Are the Pantone Colors in Adobe Illustrator?
This tutorial will show you how to load any Pantone swatches in your Adobe Illustrator workspace including paper (Coated, Uncoated, etc) and cotton (TCX / TPX) books. This is a great way to mock up fabric for your clothing line in Illustrator. Q: Where do I find the Pantone colors in Illustrator? A: It depends on what Pantone book […]
How to Spec a Garment in Illustrator
After working with too many companies that I felt did it wrong, I created a very organized and efficient way to spec my fashion flats in Illustrator that I’ve used for many years now. For me, it’s proven to be the best method – perhaps it will work for you as is, or you can adjust to […]
Distressed & Faded Denim Effect in Adobe Illustrator
With a few simple tricks and shortcuts, it’s easy to add a sandblasted, distressed, or faded look to your denim fashion flat sketches in Illustrator. In this video tutorial, I’ll show you step by step how to add these textures and change a few settings so they look realistic on your fashion flat illustration. These […]
How to Create a Denim Texture Swatch in Illustrator & Photoshop
It’s super easy to create texture swatches in Photoshop and then bring them into Illustrator to fill your fashion flat sketches. This step by step video tutorial will show you how to: Crop the texture in Photoshop (0:24) Bring a raster object into Illustrator (0:59) Turn the texture into a seamless repeating pattern swatch (1:14) Fill […]
How to Warp Repeating Patterns in Illustrator
If you fill your fashion flats with textile patterns, the result may not be what you want. The pattern will look very flat and straight, and not realistic at all. This video tutorial will show you how to bend and curve the pattern inside your fashion sketch so that it looks more natural on the sketch. In the […]
Fashion Flats in Illustrator: Object > Arrange
My personal favorite technique for drawing fashion flats is to be a little less precise with paths and arrange objects accordingly.
Fashion Flats in Illustrator: Copy Path Segment
Copying path segments is a little known trick in Illustrator and works great for drawing fashion croquis when you want to make sure that paths line up perfectly.
Fashion Flats in Illustrator: Outline w/ Style Lines
A very simple technique for drawing fashion sketches (technical sketches or flats) is to simply outline the garment and add style lines.
