Nice Typographic Sketch Effect

Using the Appearance Panel and the Scribble Effect, you can turn any font into a sketch-drawn look. Pretty cool!

30 Illustrator Video Tutorials

These videos are a great collection that will get your vector on!

Recoloring Artwork

Great tutorial by Mordy on Recoloring Artwork with Live Color.

Illustrator Key Object

Aligning objects in Illustrator can be frustrating when the objects are dissimilar. Yes, the alignment options in the Control and Align panels are much better, but did you know that you can set a Key Object?

1. Select a range of objects and then single click on one of the object to set it as a key object. Illustrator CS4 will highlight the key object.
2. Then you can set the alignment of the other objects according to the key object.

Isn't that cool?

Illustrator CS4 Beyond-the-Basics

Lynda.com has released a new title by my buddy, Mordy Golding, called Illustrator CS4 Beyond-the-Basics. It looks like Lynda.com is taking a more professional route in this series. There are some movies that show Mordy in a studio that are shot hi-def.

The title itself starts off with LivePaint and then talks more about Paths, 3D, Transformations and Effects, and more.

Cool Illustrator Plug-in: Xtream Path

Xtream Path, by CValley Software, is a set of tools that allow you to work with paths a little easier than just the Direct Selection tool. There are demo videos on their site and I can think of a bunch of uses for these tools.

Multiple Artboards & Symbols

In this video by Rufus Deuchler shows some techniques and advantages for using the new Multiple Artboards feature in Illustrator CS4.



He also shows how you can use Symbols as repeatable elements.

Graphic River

I started selling on GraphicRiver.net. The site is a spinoff of FlashDen.net. Selling on Graphic River is very easy. You first have to read a set of instructions for posting graphics and trademarks, copyright infringement, etc. Then you take a test that is basically an overview of what you just read. Once you pass the test, you're ready to sell.

You can upload a variety of graphics into different categories. You don't get to set the price of the graphics you sell and graphic river takes a cut of the profits, but at least you can make money online, which is ideal.

Graphic River will review all of the materials that you upload and they actually turned down a few of the pieces that I sent them. It takes a while to figure out what they are looking for but for the most part, they are looking for original, trendy, graphic work.

If you've got the time and are willing to commit to their rules, it might be worth it to start submitting artwork to them.