One of the most amazing and confounding tools in Adobe Illustrator is probably the Gradient Mesh tool. Working with this feature allows the user to divide almost any shape into a mesh. Each intersection of two lines (horizontal/vertical) can be colored with a solid color. This tutorial will help you work with the Mesh tool better.

In this tutorial, we’ll show you some tips that will improve your Mesh work. We’ll also show you a proper workflow to get outstanding results with this tool. We’ll take a close look at creating a layer within the detailed file of a meshed boot. Read full tutorial here

In this tutorial, we’ll explain how to create a create a grasshopper based on an image. We’ll review how to trace the needed parts and alter them in order to make the little guy look good in all his vector glory.

To make life a little easier for us, I went and picked a photo over at stock.xchng. You can download the photo here. Open a new document and place the image onto the artboard (File > Place). Lock the layer with the photo and double-click. In the pop up window, check Dim Image. This will fade out the photo. Read full tutorial here

In this tutorial, we’ll explain how to create a bar of soap and give it a retro look. This isn’t just any soap though, but vector soap that has a stylistic nod to Fight Club.

Open up a new document and draw a rectangle with the Rectangle Tool (M). Fill it with a pink color or any other color of your choice. Then apply rounded corners in Effect > Stylize > Rounded Corners. Choose a fairly high setting of around 18 pt. Read full tutorial here

Illustrator is great for creating sharp flawless lines and elements, but sometimes you want to create an illustration with some texture and depth. Watercolor paintings have great textures and depth, but when coupled with Illustrator it seems counterproductive to what the program was built for. You might think “Why not just do this in Photoshop?” Then you will miss out on all the wonderful things vectors have to offer, like scalability.

Before we get started, let’s take a look at the image we’ll be creating. The source file for this tutorial is not currently available, though we are planning on releasing this in the future. Below is the completed illustration to see what you are working toward. Read full tutorial here

Probably one of the most popular and recognizable icons in the web universe; the RSS icon is displayed on many website to indicate the availability of a subscription feed. There are pre-made icons you can download and place on your website, however this tutorial cover the process of creating your own custom vector RSS icon in Illustrator. Since the icon is to be created in vector format, it can be scaled up or down in size for implementation on future websites you may work on, unlike a raster version which would have to be remade in larger dimensions to prevent pixelation. Read full tutorial here