Can't figure out why your illustrations doesn't look as good as other illustrators? Don't fret as I am going to reveal you 5 golden tips to help you achieve better drawing skills in Illustrator.
1. Master the Pen Tool
Learning to use the pen tool effectively is the most important aspect to create great looking vector graphics. A lot of beginners failed to grasp the basics of using the pen tool. I will suggest you to get some tutorials on drawing shapes with pen tool. The more practice you put in, the smoother your shape will get. Illustrators took years perfecting the pen tool. It is a skill you will improve over time. So don't give up on it.
2. Using Less Anchor Points
A lot of beginners make the mistake of using too main anchor points for drawing shapes. This usually results in a jaggy shape. What I will suggest is to use as little anchor points as possible. One tip I will give is to add anchors only on direction changes or corners. The less anchor points, the smoother the shape. Once you get a hang of it, you will know where to add anchor points intuitively.
3.Using the Smooth Tool
Smooth tool is one of the fastest way to smooth out uneven paths. Just draw along the paths you want to smooth it. If you have a Wacom tablet it will be easier and faster to smooth the edges. Go through the edges a few times to make it perfect. It is a very useful tool to clean up your final artwork.
4. Drawing with the Grid
The grid is one of the best guide to help your draw accurate objects. Learn to use the grid effectively and you will have no problem drawing awesome icons, maps and diagrams. Remember to turn on snapping so that you can snap your lines and shapes to the grid. It will give you more accuracy.
5. Use Pathfinder Smartly
Some illustrators prefer to use pathfinder to build their objects. To be able to do that, you must learn to break complex shapes into basic circles and squares. First you will need to build your basic rough shape by combining these basic shapes to create your initial object. Next, refine the edges and corners of your rough shape by using the pen tool or smooth tool. This is a fast way to build complex shapes.
