Choose your course/education
Illustrator Education PROIllustrator Education
First Illustrator courseIllustrator Advanced courseIllustrator Professional CourseIllustrator Expert course
Pattern design Pattern Swatches Design Pen & TracingIllustrator & Pantone Create brushes Preparing for printTraining on demandIllustrator for stylistsIllustrator for architects
Learn Illustrator!
Illustrator is used to design logos, apps, graphics such as organograms and of course to create creative illustrations for use in other software such as InDesign. But that's not all: you can use your Illustrator designs in Office applications, animations and much more.
There is an Illustrator couse for each level. Whether you're a true novice or have been using Illustrator for years: there is a course for you. Learn how to trace sketches and photos for instance, or create logos and fashion drawings and designs. Do you want to learn how to create seamless patterns, make CAD designs more attractive or create infographics and apps? There is a course for that! There is hardly a professional designer left who does't use Illustrator. Learn how to use Illustrator yourself and become one too.
The tutorials are rather new and help you keep up your existing Illustrator skills or even learn new ones. Try them out, have a look on the Illustrator tutorials page.
You can book extra tutorials with your course, or afterwards. They help you combine functions and tools so you will learn how to become more confident when you design, and of course have more fun. Have a look on the tutorials page, order one to try it out and show your result, that's always so good to see.
The tutorials aren't expensive, they are only 10 euro a piece (although some are more extensive and are 15 euro). The tutorials are for students who have completed the courses that apply to the tutorials level.
Illustrator
Complete
Educations
Learn it all from scratch during this intensive and very complete educaiton. You learn all you need as a professional designer: intuitive drawing, technical drawing, using layers and typography. But you will learn much, much more. Masks are included, working for multimedia, using 3D functions and preparing for print. Spectacular transformations and special tooks and functions are included in the last, 'fanatics' module.
The education consists of 4 modules: you will learn it all, from scratch so you won't miss a thing.
At the end of your education you will know more than most Illustrator users and you will be able to create designs independently and professionally for print and multimedia, and perform all important tasks.
Instead of the 4 modules PRO education you can also choose this one with 3 modules. You learn it all from scratch too and this education includes all you need to use Illustrator professionally. The only thing missing is the module for the Illustrator fanatics who really want to learn it all. If you are not sure what to do, attend this education and if necessary, book the last module individually after you finish your education.
The education consists of 3 modules: you learn it all from scratch and won't miss a thing.
At the end of your educaiton you can create designs independently and prepare your work for both print and digital publishing and create files that are creative and in absolutely perfect technical order.
The main difference of course is the duration. The 3-modules education is perfect if you really want to learn Illustrator but are not really interested in more advanced transformation options and in creating your own tools like brushes and patterns.
The 4-modules education of course addresses the above brushes and patterns design and is terrific if you really want to create your very own original artwork and finishes.
If you are not sure which education to choose, simply start with the 3-modules one, it may be enough. And if you want to continue you can book the fourth module separately. You won't miss a thing.
Illustrator
Complete
courses
This Illustrator course teaches you how to use the fantastic program from scratch. The courses is developed for novices but students who want to become more handy and efficient also attend this very complete course.
You will create illustrations, design and trace with the first drawing tools. You add special type elements and learn how to transform in many surprising ways. You will even use masks and complex fills to create special artwork. This Illustrator course is a more than complete course that helps to become a professional.
During this Illustrator Advanced Course you will start with learning how to use the 'Pen' tool in Illustrator. This tool is used to trace elements, which you will learn to do, to design logos and to create sharp vector graphics.
You will learn how to trace with different techniques, using effects and saving your designs for different types of media. This will help you create designs for print and digital media and it will allow you to make the best possible choice while you design, to prevent pitfalls and mistakes that may slow you down or make your work useless.
During this Illustrator course you will get to know even more tools and functions. You will learn how to prepare your designs for print and develop a technical eye for colour and management. Pantone will be addressed, as well as using images the right way: this helps you create designs that contain your illustrations and logos, images (photos) and typographic elements (text).
This course is perfect if you often have to create total designs in Illustrator that contain lots of different types of graphics such as illustrations and images.
After this course Illustrator will have very few secrets left. You are going to use the last important functions and tools to put the cherry on the cake. This course is perfect for you if you need to create professional and realistic designs. You learn special techniques for automatic transformations and reshape and tweak objects to make them come alive.
This course can not be attended unless you have a solid understanding of how Illustrator works, the same applies to the Illustrator Advanced and Professional courses.
Illustrator and fashion designers & stylists: those go hand in hand. Many designers have switched from Canvas or CorelDraw years ago, others had to really get to know Illustrator from scratch very recently. You can learn all you need to know about Illustrator here, Illustrator is our core application. Learn all about drawing, layers, colours and more.
The emphasis of this course is on intuitive drawing, colour, redesigning and transformations. If you need to learn much more the illustrator Course is better for you.
This course teaches you Illustrator from scratch. You use drawing tools, layers, learn how to properly use colours and create geometric designs and free illustrations using the first drawing tools in Illustrator. Colour is crucial to make your designs attractive: one of the lessons addresses this and more about colour.
The last lesson is all about revamping a CAD design to teach you what you should know and be aware of. A CAD design from one of the students will be used during class.
Illustrator
Specialist courses
Creating seamless patterns is a trade in its own right. You will have to create designs that repeat in different ways so they can be used in, for instance, fashion designs, carpets, wallpapers and even as backgrounds for websites. They should be seamless: you can't tell where the pattern stops and continues.
Learn techniques to create repeating, seamless patterns from scratch. This course is for students who at least have the skills that are adressed during the Illustrator Course.
Creating brushes you can use in Illustrator is a fun and crucial part of your design work. Learn all tips and tricks to create perfect brushes from scratch during this course. This will help you create the perfect brush for each of your designs and it will make your work stand out: no one after all will have that brush.
You can't really attend this course unless you already know how Illustrator works. You need at least the skills that are addressed during the Illustrator Course.
Learn how to use the 'Pen' tool during this course. From scratch! This is the most difficult tool to master but your teacher will be there every step of the way. With homework and assignments you will understand how it all works, rest assured.
The 'Pen' tool is used to design logos, infographics and other artwork that has to be super smooth and clean. You need at least the skills that are addressed during the Illustrator Course.
During this course you will learn how to add Pantone colours to your designs, the professional way. Anyone can simply add a Pantone colour but this doesn't mean the colours and your artwork will properly print, or that the result will actually be the same as you designed it.
Have you ever wondered why colours in the printed result are different from your design? And have you ever wanted to know why this happens? This course is perfect for you!
During this course you will learn how to prepare your designs for print. You will receive a checklist and we work with that during class to go through all the settings, elements and objects that can be problematic during print. This way you will be able to repair problems but it will help you prevent them during your design process, too.
Check all your settings and artwork properties before you send files to the printer. It is easy once you understand it all, you'll see.
All information on
Illustrator Course
Preflight & Print Ready
Training on demand allows you to learn exactly what you need to do your job. You book the hours you think you need (we can help you with that) and you can tell us what you want to learn before you start. You can bring files to class to work on but it is also the perfect way to freshen up your knowledge if you need to use a new software version. This way you will get to know the latest tools and features.
Call or to decide how many hours you need to book. Sometimes it's easy and you can be helped in only two hours.
During this course you will learn how to add Pantone colours to your designs, the professional way. Anyone can simply add a Pantone colour but this doesn't mean the colours and your artwork will properly print, or that the result will actually be the same as you designed it.
Tijdens de lessen leerde ik snel veel verschillende tools om te gebruiken waardoor het in een mum van tijd lukt om zelf aan de slag te gaan met het maken van afbeeldingen.
Wat ik erg prettig vond was dat we bij alle functies meteen leerden wat de sneltoetscombinatie was. Hierdoor leer je meteen snel schakelen tussen tools wat efficiƫnt werkt.
Eva F.
Echt vet, ik kan al meteen alles gebruiken. Ik ga door met gevorderden!
E. vd V
Heb al wel superveel profijt van de cursus! Zowel thuis als op werk :) Ben allerlei dingen aan het maken ermee.
M. de P.
Dit is een zeer degelijke cursus die goed de basis van Illustrator uit de doeken doet. De sfeer is goed en nodigt uit om vragen en opmerkingen te plaatsen waar ook goed en professioneel op wordt gereageerd. Het cursusmateriaal is uitgebreid en de oefeningen sluiten aan op de behandelde stof. Het huiswerk sluit ook aan op de afgelopen lessen en zijn van goed niveau, zelfs voor de mensen die al wat ervaring hebben met Illustrator. Het vergt wel een paar uur per week om het huiswerk te maken maar het heeft dan ook tot doel om routine op te bouwen.
Tot slot; de geboden faciliteiten zijn goed en er zijn mogelijkheden om met de verschillende versies van Illustrator (CS3/4/5/6)) te werken.Kortom; deze cursus is de prijs meer dan waard!
JanHas
I though this course would be easy, I have worked with Illustrator for a few years now. I stepped into your class room with a big ego. I am now dwarfed! But I love it ;)
Andrew D.
Al jaren was ik creatief bezig en ik wilde dit uitbreiden naar digitaal tekenwerk. Dat lukt me nu heel goed. Ik kan mijn eigen tekeningen mooi opmaken in Illustrator en ze bovendien van tekst voorzien. Ik ben echt heel blij met deze cursus. En wat een prachtig naslagwerk.
Merel de J.
Kijk, aan jullie cursusmateriaal heb ik nog eens wat. Dit is pas het echte werk. Geweldig!
Boris van den H.
Leerzame cursus, met duidelijke uitleg en uitgebreid naslagwerk ( een soort illustrator bijbel ).
Ik heb met heel veel plezier de cursus gevolgd !
H.M. V.
This school is so different that I hope they will stay this way for ever and not grow into one of those fast-school facilities. Professional training, personal coaching and homework corrections. What more do I need? Thanks miss, had to get used to your sense of humor but wow!
W. Y.
Ik moest voor het werk vaak Illustrator bestanden bewerken, we krijgen ze aangeleverd uit Amerika. Ik prutste wat met de tekst. Sleutelde aan de kleuren en morrelde aan de vormen. Maar het grootste deel van mijn tijd was gemodder. En ik moest dus op cursus. Met tegenzin begon ik eraan, ik vond het echt een vrouwenprogramma. Maar vanaf de eerste les was ik om. Dat is knap! Ik ben nog steeds enthousiast. Wilde ik even kwijt. Volgende week mijn laatste les. Eeuwige dank.
Modder R.
Hoewel ik de Cursus an sich kan waarderen was hij voor mij te zwaar. Ik vond het moeilijk mijn drukke gezin, baan en les te combinieren. Echter wel prachtige ondersteuning en feine sfeer.
Sybille J-D
Sybille, je had wel flinke pech! Je mag altijd terug komen om wat je gemist hebt in te halen, doe rustig aan, er is geen tijdlimiet voor. Maak daar gerust gebruik van! Ik stuur je een mailtje.
MP
Ik ben al op meerdere scholen geweest, het moest er snel, het moet met standaard materiaal, er is geen begeleiding... Eindelijk vind ik naar school gaan leuk en vooral inspirerend en leerzaam! Deze school is een echte aanrader!
Neil J.
Ik ben net begonnnen met deze cursus maar het bevalt me nu al goed! Ik krijg na deze twee lessen elke keer trouw antwoord op mijn vragen. Had ik niet verwacht, heel erg bedankt en sorry dat ik zoveel vragen stel!
M. S.
Illustrator is a very extensive application and I must say I dreaded the course. But due to the teacher's patience I found the course to be not only clear and helpful but truly inspirational. I am looking forward to the advanced course.
Bette L.
Ik had deze cursus nodig voor mijn positie als marketing manager. We krijgen regelmatig Illustrator files toegestuurd ter revisie. Tot op heden waren dergelijke bestanden abracadabra voor mij. Nu niet meer. Ik redigeer en wijzig alles direct en kan instructies geven aan de editors overzee. Ideaal!
Linda d. J.
Geweldige cursus! Zo uitgebreid en praktisch. De begeleiding is zeer goed. Ik heb uiteindelijk 3 cursussen gevolgd. Ik ontwerp voor mijn eigen bedrijf en nu doe ik alles digitaal en ben zo onafhankelijk van andere ontwerpers. Top! Ga zo door.
Yisa Lin-T.
I learned not only the basics but even features used by professionals. The course was saturated with incredibly useful information. Thanks!
Raymond R.
De cursus is heel goed en professioneel. Ik heb voor de cursus een lijst gemaakt van alles wat ik wilde leren tijdens deze cursus en heb alles kunnen afvinken.
E. van H.
Ik ben echt zeer tevreden over de inhoud van de cursus die ik heb gevolgd. Naar mijn idee wordt de beschikbare tijd zeer nuttig gebruikt tijdens de lessen. Het lesmateriaal is zo ontzettend duidelijk dat je er genoeg aan hebt om alles thuis nog eens door te nemen en vervolgens de huiswerkopdrachten te maken. Mij sprak het tempo wel aan, het gaf me het gevoel dat ik snel en veel leerde.
Ook ben ik zeer te spreken over het feit dat ik steeds zo snel een reactie ontving per email als ik huiswerk toestuurde of iets te vragen had.
Aimée Hoen
Les krijgen en weten dat je er ook werkelijk iets aan gehad hebt. Dit stimuleert enorm. Geweldig lesmateriaal!!!
M.H.
Deze cursus is een echte eye-opener. Ik kan nu al mijn ontwerpen digitaliseren wat een hoop tijd scheelt. Bedankt voor de goede begeleiding!
Janneke van B.
Ik kijk sinds ik met de eerste cursus begon heel anders naar de wereld en ontdek steeds meer dingen die met Illustrator zijn gemaakt. Het is zo opvallend! En het mooiste is: ik heb er nu werk mee gevonden. Heel erg bedankt!
Jeltsje van M.
Thanks for the course. Really inspiring. I am coming back for more courses. Great, people!
Stan B.
Het was hard werken zeg. Maar alle moeite waard! Ik heb er echt tijd voor moeten maken en gelukkig werd me op het werk ook de ruimte gegeven om dat te doen. Ik gebruik het nu in mijn functie van webdesigner en maak de nieuwsbrieven en presentaties op. Echt te gekke cursus!
Joris van B.
Ik sluit me helemaal aan bij Tamara hieronder, ik zat bij jou in de klas. We hebben bovendien ook nog vreselijk veel gelachen! We moesten wel wennen aan het gevoel voor humor van onze coach!
Nadine Meertens
Ik werkte al jaren met Illustrator. En vond mezelf een hele piet. Toen ik van mijn docent het artwork zag moest ik even slikken: dat kon ik niet. Ik heb uiteindelijk zowel de basis cursus en de gevorderden cursus gevolgd. Ik heb er geen spijt van en bovendien heb ik me geen seconde verveeld. Ik zat een beetje vast in wat ik wist en kon en heb mijn kennis en vaardigheden enorm uit kunnen breiden. Petje af voor de trainer!
Tamara van den A.
Ja, veel geleerd en erg leuk om te doen bovendien. Het was het waard!
F. van der Wielen
I really lost heart when the pen tool was addressed. I didn't understand it at all. Due to the teacher's patience and clear responses I finally got it and I must say I truly enjoy using it now. Excellent course!
Amanda Reyes
Ik wist niet dat ik nog zoveel zou leren. Maar nu kan ik binnen mijn functie zelfs de omslagen van de boeken maken. Ik hoop dat er nog een soort Illustrator Super komt! Als er tenminste nog iets te leren valt.
Sandra van de Meulebelt
Ik vond de basiscursus al heftig maar deze is zo mogelijk nog leuker. Mijn dank, als graficus ontbrak het me aan de nodige skills binnen Illustatror. Ik kan nu 'alles'.
Raymond Waayer
Als modeontwerpster koos ik voor het volgen van de Illustrator Cursus en voor Illustrator Cursus Gevorderden. Dit omdat ik meer wilde dan alleen tekeningen overtrekken: ik wil ook presentaties maken en mood boards. En dat is gelukt! Ik ben continu druk bezig. Thanks!
Lianne Luyenberg
Kerel, geinig gedaan. Klaar met deel twee en ik hoop met sterke hoop dat er ooit een deel drie komt met spannende extra's.
Jacques de B.
Juffie bedankt! Ik heb nu een baan dankzij jou. Een oldskool handmatige designer zit nu te computeren. En ik vind het geweldig!
M. Anjers
De aanpak was voor mij echt oldskool. Waar kom je nog tegen dat je huiswerk op de hand wordt nagekeken? Dat je persoonlijke tips krijgt? Je wordt achter de broek gezeten als je je huiswerk niet inlevert dat was zo leuk. Go oldskool!
G. W.
Ik sluit me geheel aan bij de eerste reactie: valt er nog iets te leren??? Ik ken mensen die van grafische vakscholen komen en ik vind dat ze zitten klooien. Ik ben erg, erg tevreden met deze leerplek.
Harold de K.
Supercursus, superhuiswerk, supermateriaal, superbegeleiding, helemaal superdesuper. Ik kan alles uitvoeren wat mijn baas me vraagt. Geen enkel probleem. En: ik ben de enige op de zaak die dat allemaal kan. Misschien toch eens salarisverhoging vragen...
Janneke Schoordijk
Voor mij betekend dit een enorme kosten besparing, ik kan alles zelf uitwerken en hoef niets uit te besteden. Fijn.
Henna J.
Deze cursus is voor mij het puntje op de i.
G. van de B.
Deze cursus was voor mij ideaal. Het tempo was goed, niet te snel niet te langzaam. Ook de zorg tijdens de cursus en de uitdagingen met het lesmateriaal en tijdens de les waren inspirerend. Ik heb veel geleerd.
M. W.
Deze Illustrator cursus is fijn om alles te leren over drukbaar maken van ontwerpen. Ik moet in mijn vak veel prepress doen en Illustrator bestanden waren voor mij vaak een raadsel omdat ze door verschillende bedrijven en creatives zijn opgemaakt. Maar ik snap nu hoe het moet en heb ondertussen nog heel wat meer geleerd. Ik kan deze cursus van harte aanraden.
Johanna van D.
Ik wilde graag met Illustrator leren werken en schreef me in voor de eerste cursus. Maar ik werd gebeten door de Illustrator bug! Ik heb nu ook de cursus Expert afgerond. Alles is leuk, de locatie, de sfeer, wat je leert. Bovendien behalve vriendelijk ook nog professioneel. Wat wil ik nog meer.
Gerda de J.
Ik volgde deze cursus als persoonlijke training. De eerste cursussen deed ik in een groep maar er was geen plek meer en ik wilde graag door. Ook als persoonlijke training was dit perfect voor mij. Ik kon ook een speciaal schema volgen, dat was ook fijn want ik kwam van ver. Heel erg bedankt voor deze leuke cursus.
Syra H.
Ik kom hier inmiddels al een paar jaar en kan met een gerust hart de cursussen aanraden. Kleine groepen en echt les met huiswerk. Plus een bevlogen docente die voor zover ik weet niet een vraag niet beantwoord heeft. De ruimte is netjes en inspirerend en ik leer telkens heel veel.
Ria G.
Deze cursus is leuk en leerzaam. Je hebt voldoende basiskennis nodig om mee te komen, in onze groep zat iemand die niet goed mee kon doen. Dat was soms lastig omdat de docent ook hem graag wilde helpen, we moesten soms wat langer wachten. Maar de sfeer bleef ontspannen. Al met al een plezierige cursus.
Bart J.
Na deze cursus ben je echt klaar met Illustrator. Ik kan op mijn werk alles gebruiken wat ik heb geleerd.
Nellie W.
Leuk dat tijdens de les echt problemen waar je tegenaan loopt worden opgelost. Mijn docent wist een keer iets niet en zocht dat op en liet dat weten bij de volgende les. Tevreden ben ik wel.
Han J.
Questions on Illustrator and Illustrator course
What is Adobe Illustrator?
Is Illustrator difficult to learn?
Do I have to know how to draw?
What can I create with Illustrator?
Do I need an Illustrator course?
Which course should I choose?
I work in fashion and absolutely need the Advanced course. Which course should I attend before that?
What is the difference between InDesign and Illustrator?
What is the difference with Photoshop?
Resolution independent artwork
Posters & moodboards
They say it's much better to design in InDesign, is that true?
What kind of application is Adobe Illustrator?
Illustrator is Adobe application, just like Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Flash and InDesign. Illustrator has been around since the nineties of the previous century. As time progressed Illustrator has developed into a wonderful environment in which great graphics can be created. You are going to explore most options in Illustrator during our Illustrator Course and Illustrator Course Advanced.
In Illustrator you use vectors. Vectors are at the heart of resolution independant artwork. It is a great application to create flyers, posters and business cards and also, as the name suggests, to create illustrations. it is the standard in the world of design to create and edit digital illustrative material.
During your Illustrator Course you will learn how to add and edit text, to create illustrations, how to add graphics to combine all this artwork into a perfect design.
Is Illustrator difficult to learn?
Illustrator can be intimidating because in Illustrator, you create everything from scratch. You have to know different tools to create exactly what you want. But difficult? Not when you learn it at LearningTrain. We are here every step of the way. With our special lesson material with step by step exercises even the most complex and technical things are fun to learn, you will learn it all.
No, I can't say it is. You will need time to practise, of course. And by doing your homework and looking at your personal homework corrections you will learn al there is to know to create everything you need. The courses are well balanced, you will absolutely be successful.
Do I need drawing skills to use Illustrator?
U hoeft echt niet goed te kunnen tekenen. Affiniteit met tekenen of in ieder geval plezier hebben in zelf dingen maken is wel fijn. U hoeft heus geen ster te zijn in tekenen: u hoeft bijvoorbeeld niet uit het hoofd dingen te kunnen tekenen.
What's more you will learn to really observe things from the first lesson on. This means you will soon wonder how to recreate certain objects from your daily life with Illustrator. If you want to create nice designs and be creative Illustrator really is for you!
One of the best things happened when a student finished her Photoshop Education and wanted to become a professional designer. She realized she would need to learn Illustrator too. She told me (LearningTrain founder) she didn't feel like it at all and gave me an somewhat angry look, clearly unhappy.
To my (and her!) surprise, she sent me something after the second class, filled with joy. Her first illustration and she loved it. As a matter of fact... She loved it so much she also attended the Advanced course. Well done Mariska!
What can I design with Illustrator?
Illustrator is also used to create free illustrations. The program after all is not called Illustrator for nothing. With Illustrator, you create special illustrations and designs you can use in images and of course in InDesign: in InDesign, you add them to the design of books and magazines.
Adobe Illustrator is used to create digital artwork. You can for instance use it to create business cards and posters. Even smaller brochures can be created in Illustrator. Illustrator is also used to design websites, logos and technical drawings.
In Illustrator you can combine illustrations (based on vectors) with text and digital images (based on pixels). Think of a big poster with huge text and self-made illustrations with a big image in it. Illustrator is at the heart of everything you need to create free and fabulous designs and is the program of choice of every creative.
In Illustrator you can trace your sketches and patterns to create crisp vector artwork. This makes adjusting colours and using special fills a fun and exciting thing todo.
Designers in the world of fashion and styling love Illustrator and it helps them saving a lot of time. More and more fashion designers are switching to Illustrator and make the move from Canvas to the world of Illustrator.
Looking for a job in this industry you can hardly miss any Illustrator skills: LearningTrain has by now trained students from many fashion companies. Think of Tommy Hillfiger, McGregor and Levi's for instance, or Mexx, America Today, CoolCat, Sissiyboy and Hunkemolller.
Creating graphs in Illustator is very simple and you can learn different ways to create and edit them. You can change the colours on the fly and you will learn what to pay attention to when you are creating them, such as the right colours for the colour blind.
When do I need an Illustrator course?
The fashion industry is an important user: it is easy to design and present models in Illustrator and the drawings are crisp and perfect. Adding stitches, patterns, creating technical drawings: everything can be done in Illustrator.
As an illustrator you will probably love Illustrator. You can be asked to produce digital material and want to trace your own scans and drawings. This can all be done in Illustrator, then allowing you to change colours, create colour schemes and much, much more.
Pattern designers love Illustrator. It is often used to trace patterns and to create perfectly repeating patterns. Playing with colour and using seasonal colour schemes and Pantone, for instance, can all be done in Illustrator.
Another big user group is formed by architects, city planners and garden designers, for instance. They often use CAD and frankly, what comes out of CAD needs some revamping if it has to be presented to clients. With some Illustrator extras the design is made much more attractive for your clients which will make it much easier to sell.
Many different types of students have so far attended the Illustrator courses. They all put Illustrator to good use. They create models, for instance, for the shoes industry. Others create medical illustrations. Some students create infographics for use in company flow charts, others design interfaces for apps and websites. They design flyers and designs that can be used in InDesign and Photoshop. Illustrator will surprise you with its flexibility and versatility. .
Which Illustrator should I choose to start with?
You will most often enjoy starting at the beginning, even if you have been using Illustrator for a while you will learn lots of handy tricks and things that save you a lot of time.
You will learn how to use lots of tools and functions and you will use, among other things, pencil and brush, masking techniques and special transformation functions. You will use type in many different ways to help you create layouts for business cards for instance, and for posters and flyers. You can do a lot with text in Illustrator, it is fantastic to discover this.
At the end of the course you can work independently.
Alternatively, you can start with the Illustrator Course Fashion & Styling if you work in fashion but this course is less extensive. If you need to attend the Illustrator Advanced Course later, you are much better off if you start with the regular Illustrator Course.
You can also start with the Illustrator Course For Architects. The basis is the same for all Illustrator courses since tools need to be addressed but the Architect course does not contain the extensive typography class that is included in the regular Illustrator course.
Do you need personal advice? Send an so someone can help you out.
Ask what you need to know and tell us what you want to learn for your specific situation so someone can help you out as best they can to find you the right course.
The complete
Illustrator Education
Learn it all during an Illustrator Education. We have two! You learn everything from the individual Illustrator courses. And of course, since it's an education, you learn lots of great combinations.
You will learn how to draw, how to use colours professionally and how to use Pantone for example. You use combined and split paths, different drawing techniques and pathfinder functions. You will prepare artwork for both print and digital media and how to use different profiles for different jobs. All is addressed during this solid education, you will have very few questions left.
These educations contain 3 or 4 modules and take 21 or 28 lessons to complete.
The modules can be attended in a row but it is usually very much appreciated to schedule a break in between some modules..
The most popular schedule is the one that contains a longer break between the second and remaining modules: this is also what the educations are based on. You start in september and practise during the end of year break, then continue in January.
After practising enough you can book the tests for the different modules.
The exam is done after that, you can do this within 2 months after your last lesson.
Illustrator and
Fashion & Styling
Fashion and styling form an important Illustrator user group. Many stylists use Illustrator. But since fashion is such a wide playing field in which many different tasks should be performed it can be a search to find out what's best for your situation. Stylists can be divided in two big groups.
* Since stylists are required to do more and more this specific course will soon be merged with the regular Illustrator Course. All topics from Fashion & Styling will be integrated: the course is very complete.
These stylists create impressions for moods, moodboars and free illustrations. They sometimes have to create small designs for cards, posters and flyers and work intuitively and freehand for lively designs.
These stylists are more technical: they need to work very precisely and create designs for production plants in, for instance, China, Turkey and other countries. They need to work proportionally correct and specify where cuts and stitches should be applied so the garments can be properly produced.
Since styists are required to do more and more the Illustrator Course is the best choice. It also contains an extensive typography clas and one for handy transformations that will be very handy for moodboards.
You're best off starting with the Illustrator Course. Then proceed with the Illustrator Advanced Course. This will teach you how to trace technical designs and will prep you to create technical drawings and very precise designs. You will know everything about colour to allow for super fast variations.
Illustrator courses for
Advanced students
During this Illustator course you build on your existing skills. So by now you know all about colour, transformation and paths. During this course you learn how to trace using the 'Pen' tool and you create professional paths.
You get to know the active functions in Illustrator and use special effects to add lots of extras to your designs. The emphasis is on creating professional and technically correct artwork but of course, this course is also very creative.
If you want to use Illustrator professionally you can't afford to miss this course. You will learn all there is to know about special functions to create artwork that is perfect for print, too: you learn all about prepress and preparing work for print, too, and all about Pantone and how to use this correctly.
More transformation is included, as well as exciting new techniques to create 'motion' and 'movement' in your designs.
This course is really the cherry on the cake. You will learn how to transform dynamically, use colours professionally and you will create complex layouts for different media. You will learn how to create repeating patterns you can use in fashion, wallpaper and packaging and backgrounds. You will even learn how to create professional brushes to make your designs stand out.
You will combine all techniques you learned during earlier courses. After this course Illustrator will have very few secrets left.
Illustrator
specialisation courses
This Illustrator course is for architects, landscape and city planners and garden designers.
You learn Illustrator from scratch. The last lesson is on demand to adjust your CAD designs in Illustrator. CAD usually creates 'boring' artwork, Illustrator helps you sell a good looking design.
During this course you wll learn how to use the most daunting tool: the 'Pen' tool. This is the most powerful tool and it's the most difficult tool to master. In two days though, you will learn how to create vector paths from scratch and how to trace designs. With the Pen.
Tracing is important for different reasons. If you work in fashion it is a great tool to create sharp designs and to present them.
But it is an absolutely essential tool to create logos since you will often have to trace your sketches or sharpen paths.
Tracing is also done to work from photo.
You can attend this course to learn how to design patterns. Patterns are used as special fills in different objects but the technique is incredibly useful if you want to learn how to design patterns for fashion for instance, or for wall papers and wrapping papers. Eijffinger, one of the renowned wall paper and interior design companies in the Netherlands, attended an Illustrator course here: they create patterns with, among other software, Illustrator.
Patterns, sometimes referred to as 'artworks' which is not a professional name, can be used to print silk, cotton and artificial fibers. Each fabric is different and will react according to their nature. During your course you will learn tips and tricks on inks and colours too.
You need prior knowledge to attend this Illustrator course.
Designing brushes is very useful to create artwork with special borders and edges but brushes are also used to create special decorative elements. They are used for special finishing, too.
Brushes are often at the heart of a design, they are not just a nice thing to use. Creating brushes requires an understanding of technique and clever tricks you can use while you design them. Because your artwork may need some better finishing, it's best to understand how to tweak your brush to get the most out of it.
Can you guess who this is and what he has to do with Illustrator?
.
Indirectly, he is connected to Illustrator.
Learn it all during the first Illustrator course, all will be revealed during the third lesson.
Wgat is resolution independent artwork?
Resolution independent artwork is artwork that can be scaled (resized) without quality loss. In Illustrator you use vectors to draw and create artwork. Vectors are at the heart of resolution independent designs: you can upscale and they will not get blurry, in contrast to what happens when you scale something in Photoshop. This is, of course, a terrific quality.
There are of course lots of things to be aware of if you want to create truly resolution independent artwork.
Learn all about that during the advanced courses. This will help you creating files that are perfect for print and different media.
They say you're much better off designing in InDesign, is that true?
If you create designs that contain many pages as is the case when you design magazines, brochures and books for instance, you're better off with InDesign. In InDesign you can design books, too. If you need to combine lots of images with text, including headers, footers and pagination, you really will need InDesign. InDesign will give you all the options for typography and to combine images with text and decorative elements.
Illustrator is much handier if you want to design small folders, business cards, stationery and much more. Illustrator is so easy when you need to move objects around and recolour them. You can combine your art with images, photos, and you can use lots of typographic solutions. Illustrator has even a few more options for text. But it's less handy if you need to create designs that consist of many different pages.
But then, what's the difference between InDesign and Illustrator?
InDesign is used to combine photos, images, with illustrations and text. You place all the images in the perfect location and add text, using InDesign's typographic wonderfulness to create perfect layouts for books, magazines and much much more.
Illustrator is used to create graphics, illustrations and logo's. It is also used to create designs for folders, flyers and more.
You can not edit the images and Illustrations in InDesign. You need Photoshop to edit the photos you place in InDesign.
And you need Illustrator to edit (and of course create) the illustrations and decorative elements.
What's the difference between InDesign and Photoshop?
The biggest difference is that Photoshop uses raster-based files containing pixels and Illustrator uses vectors. Vectors are used to create artwork that can be blown up without losing quality whatsoever. If you make something bigger in Photoshop the result will be very poor and can even become smudgy.
This means that you can design something small in Illustrator but still print it in a very big size.
Another difference is that you can combine vectors, rasters and text to create beautiful and powerful designs. Think about posters with a huge image, combined with text and decorative elements. You can do such things in Photoshop but it's usually much, much better to do this in Illustrator.
Photoshop is used to edit images, photos. You can not do this in Illustrator. If you want to edit photos you will have to learn how to use Photoshop, too.
You will most often use Photoshop to make your Illustrator artwork (your designs) 'softer', to use Photoshop patterns in Illustrator (or the other way round) or to combine illustrations and infographics with photographic material.
You can't edit photos in Illustrator, you can only do this in Photoshop. If you want to remove a pimple or background from an image you will really need Photoshop.
Create beautiful backgrounds in Photoshop and use them in Illustrator. For instance, isolate a few elements (aka remove their backgrounds) and use them in Illustrator to create smashing moodboads and other presentation files or promotional materials that require photos.
Illustrator and Photoshop really most often go hand in hand. As a designer Illustrator and Photoshop will often be running at the same time to allow you to exchange elements.
TIP it is advisable to know how to use both Illustrator and Photoshop, have a look on the Photoshop course page.
InDesign is the application of choice to design books, brochures and magazines: graphic design is done in InDesign. In InDesign, you combine images, illustrations and text in a very professional way.
InDesign is often promoted as a creative application. And although you of course can do creative graphic design, you can not use it to create illustrations. You create illustrations in Illustrator. And then, you add these illustrations to your InDesign designs. Use Illustrator to create text dividers, logo's and text balloons for example. The combination of Illustrator and InDesign skills is a highly recommended on in the world of graphic design.
You will enjoy your Illustrator skills a lot using InDesign. It goes both ways: your InDesign skills are terribly useful when you use Illustrator. You usually need both.
TIP InDesign and Illustrator are a very strong combo: you can adjust and create anything and create exactly what you need.
Apps & interfaces design is ideally done in Illustrator. App updates for iPad for instance can require a higher resolution for apps. Not a problem in Illustrator: simply save your designs bigger without losing quality.
TIPIllustrator by default contains standard elements to get started. But the most professional choice is of course to make them yourself. Learn this here!
Architects use Autodesk programma's such as AutoCAD and Revit for their designs. They too enjoy Illustrator on a daily basis to present their designs to their clients in the most attractive way.
Websites are often designed in Illustrator. Buttons, elemtents and core content is often created in Illustrator. And although Photoshop is also often used for this this is mostly due to the fact many designers don't know how to use Illustrator yet.
Complete Illustrator Education PRO
Complete Illustrator Education
Illustrator courses
Illustrator Course
Illustrator Course Advanced
Illustrator Course Professional
Illustrator Course Expert
Illustrator specialization course
Illustrator Course Patterns Design
Illustrator Course Fashion & Styling
Illustrator Course For Architects
Illustrator Course Brushes Design
Illustrator Pen & Tracing
Using Pantone in Illustrator
Preflight & print ready
Photoshop courses
Photoshop Course
Photoshop Course Advanced
Photoshop Course Professional
Photoshop Course Expert
Photoshop specialization courses
Photoshop Patterns Design Course
Photoshop Brushes Design Course
Photoshop Pen & Workpaths
Photoshop Masks Course
Photoshop Animations Course
Dreamweaver courses
HTML, CSS & Dreamweaver Course
Dreamweaver Advanced Course
Dreamweaver Professional
Webdesign specialization courses
HTML markup Course
HTML markup & CSS Code Course
CSS3 Course
SEO Course
WordPress Course
PHP Course
Animate Course