Drawing Monsters with Adobe Illustrator CC (Martin Perhiniak)

On April 21, 2019

Release date:2019

Duration:04 h 35 m

Author:Martin Perhiniak

Skill level:Beginner

Language:English

Exercise files:Yes

Do you want to learn how to create professional vector illustrations using Adobe Illustrator and having fun at the same time? Then this course is perfect for you!

We will be working on three character illustration projects, covering the whole workflow each time from the initial sketches to the fully fledged vector drawings to give you insight into each step of the creative process. As the title of the course suggests these characters will be fun and quirky monsters. You will be able to use the sketches, colours, and elements included with the course and follow along the videos to recreate each artwork OR you can use the techniques demonstrated to create your own versions of these characters and let your imagination run wild.

Don’t worry if you have no experience in character art as the first long chapter of this course covers all the important techniques and concepts used by illustrators to create engaging characters. This course is best suited for anyone who already has a basic understanding of working with Adobe Illustrator as we are going to use advanced techniques like shading with Gradient Meshes, adding texture effects, using Clipping Masks and CC 2019 new features like Freeform Gradients and Global Edit. If you are new to working with Adobe Illustrator I would recommend to start with my Illustrator CC MasterClass before diving into the mysterious and fascinating world of monsters.

You will need Adobe Illustrator to follow along the course, ideally the latest Creative Cloud version, but not older than CC 2015 as we will be working with many newly introduced features. A pen tablet can be useful for taking this course, but it is not necessary. You will be able to finish all the projects without any issues by using a mouse.

Table of Contents

1. Time to draw some monsters! 2:09
2. Principles – Telling a story 3:15
3. Principles – Shapes 2:48
4. Principles – Silhouettes 2:04
5. Principles – Proportions and exaggeration 2:37
6. Principles – Expressions 3:43
7. Principles – Posture and body language 2:57
8. Principles – Scale and perspective 2:25
9. Principles – Colors 4:06
10. Principles – Shading 2:02
11. Principles – Textures and effects 1:04
12. Principles – Finding inspiration 4:01
13. Vampire – Drawing the character 7:00
14. Vampire – Drawing the Cape 4:35
15. Vampire – Drawing the Coat 5:55
16. Vampire – Drawing the Collar 4:00
17. Vampire – Using Global Edit 2:39
18. Vampire – Shading with Freeform Gradient 3:21
19. Vampire – Adding texture 4:27
20. Vampire – Final thoughts 0:49
21. Puffy Monster – Introduction 4:06
22. Puffy Monster – Tracing setup 3:52
23. Puffy – Drawing the body 3:08
24. Puffy – Drawing limbs 4:47
25. Puffy – Using Gradients to define forms 8:05
26. Puffy – Drawing the spikes 6:27
27. Puffy – Adding more gradients 7:55
28. Puffy – Advanced Shading with a Gradient Mesh 8:36
29. Puffy – Adding highlights 1:16
30. Puffy – Cast shadows for the spikes 5:03
31. Puffy – Using an Opacity Mask 2:39
32. Puffy – Drawing the mouth 6:10
33. Puffy – Final thoughts 0:44
34. Reaper – Introduction 4:40
35. Reaper – Drawing the scythe 4:21
36. Reaper – Drawing the cape and legs 7:46
37. Reaper – Drawing the hood 3:14
38. Reaper – Drawing the skull 9:23
39. Reaper – Drawing the arm 4:58
40. Reaper – Setting up tracing 1:47
41. Reaper – Drawing the hand 2:27
42. Reaper – Adding details to the skull 9:02
43. Reaper – Adding details to the cape 5:32
44. Reaper – Adding more details 3:59
45. Reaper – Drawing the other arm and hand 8:33
46. Reaper – The importance of sketching 4:29
47. Reaper – Initial shading 5:31
48. Reaper – Glowing eyes effect 5:21
49. Reaper -Shading eye sockets 6:22
50. Reaper – Shading the skull with Freeform Gradient 8:39
51. Reaper – Shading the nose 6:49
52. Reaper -Adding details to the skull 4:09
53. Reaper – Shading the teeth 5:05
54. Reaper -Shading the cape 9:43
55. Reaper – Additional shading with a Gradient Mesh 9:19
56. Reaper -More shading details on the cape 5:31
57. Reaper – Adding cast shadows 4:48
58. Reaper – Organising layers 1:53
59. Reaper – Final thoughts 1:50
60. Conclusion