Learning Illustrator well requires a regular and consistent investment of time, both in study and in practice. It's not something you are going to do one evening in an hour or two. Learning a sophisticated and powerful program like Illustrator is a big job. Not planning for and making adequate time available is one of the reasons many people who try to learn Illustrator on their own end up giving up on it and either taking an instructor-led class or farming out work to independent designers, free-lancers or agencies. Step 2: Plan regular time, both for learning Illustrator and for practice. It will make the whole project more fun and leave you with not only a great reminder of how far you've come, but also the beginning of a portfolio. Print your objectives out and put them in a binder to keep with printouts of the projects you create along the way as you become an Illustrator master. This will be the beginning of your study plan. It's a really good idea to write your goals and objectives down. Do you want to be able to create mock-ups in Illustrator for use in web design projects? Are you going to be bringing artwork into Flash? Do you need to be able to create logos from scratch? Of course, you might just be learning Illustrator for fun, but even then, you will probably enjoy it more if you take the time to create some structure for your Illustrator training plan before you begin. So take some time to think about what you are going to try and accomplish. Even if you have time to spare, the chances are good that if you don't set some specific goals and objectives, you'll end up surfing too much and wasting a lot of time.
While this is true even if you are taking a structured, instructor-led Illustrator training class, it's especially true for those folks using the many free Illustrator training resources available on the net.
One of the most important things to think about before starting to learn new graphic arts software, whether it's Illustrator or anything else, is to begin with the end in mind. There's still some tips that apply though, whether you are going to use free Illustrator training resources or invest in higher-end Illustrator training courses or materials. If you've got more time than money, free Illustrator training is a great way to go. Some people learn best by reading and interacting, but if video works for you (always seems to put me to sleep), then there's.
For those on a budget who are looking for a great way to self-study Adobe Illustrator, these really are some excellent Adobe Illustrator resources available for free on the Internet. Some of the very best free illustrator training resources out there are Mike's Sketchpad, n.design studio and Illustrator World. A simple Google Search for free illustrator training returns almost four million results. The biggest problem is sifting through the chaff. No doubt about it, some of the best resources for learning Adobe Illustrator are absolutely free (as in beer, not as in speech).
Not everyone can afford or wants to attend a hands-on, instructor-led class. Tips for getting the most from Free Illustrator training resources