Designs Dissected: Gradient Studies | Advanced Graphic Effects in Adobe Illustrator

Get an insight into how I create my gradient designs & learn how to smartly combine familiar tools in Adobe Illustrator to create exciting complex illustrations, artworks and designs more efficiently.

More often than not even the most complex-looking gradient-based designs made in Illustrator are quite easy to create, and you can get impressive results by using a clever combination of Illustrator’s basic tools and looking beyond their obvious functionality.

I am Evgeniya Righini-Brand, a graphic designer at Attitude Creative and a gradient fanatic. I teach a popular Skillshare class on Mastering Gradients in Illustrator, and I have an ongoing Gradient Studies series, which is my personal pursuit exploring different techniques for creating vector gradient-based designs by exploiting the full potential of Illustrator’s tools.

I am often asked how I have created certain pieces in my Gradient Studies series, and in this class I am excited to dissect for you a selection of designs which feature some of my favourite tricks and techniques, and share a few tips and ideas for how you can use a combination of Illustrator’s tools in your future projects to create some exciting works easier and faster.

This class is designed for intermediate and advanced Adobe Illustrator users who know their way around the program well and are proficient users of Illustrator’s core tools and functionality, including:

• Fill Gradients;
• Stroke Gradients;
• Clipping Masks;
• Opacity Masks;
• Blend Tool;
• Gradient Meshes;
• Appearance Attributes: Fill & Stroke Attributes, Blending Modes, Opacity;
• Grain & Blur Effects;
• working with Appearance panel.

Whether you are an illustrator, graphic artist or designer who needs to quickly visualise concepts to pitch ideas to clients or an in-house team, or create final works for print or digital use, I hope this class will spark some new visual ideas and help you create eye-catching designs more efficiently.

If you’d like to see me dissect any other of my gradient designs, all of which you can find in the projects on my Behance profile, please leave a comment with the design name and number on the Discussions board for this class, and I’ll be sure to consider it when making future classes.

Check our my complete Gradient Studies projects on Behance:

• Gradient Studies
• Gradient Studies: Encore
• Gradient Studies II: Metallics

• Introduction & Class Overview
• Custom Colourful Fading-Out Effects
• Translucency & Dimension Using Blur
• Dimensional Elements Using Stroke Gradients
• Organic Colouring by Layering & Blending
• Playful Colouring & 3D Look
• Final Thoughts & Conclusion