- Place reference image onto illustrator.
- Using various manually controled line drawing tools (eg. brushes), make an illustration based on the reference image by hand (using tools that are simulations of preexisting media)

• If you overlap two lines that create a area, that is still not a shape. You cannot do a fill in the area. To merge those lines
  
  Object -> Path -> Join
  
  
• For more complex overlap (shapes overlapping another to create an area you want to fill with color), select the objects, then:
  
  Object -> Live Paint -> Make
  
  Use the live paint bucket in the tool kit to fill in the color

• Selecting multiple objects 1. shift select 2. lasso
• You can try Select -> Same -> {...}
• Grouping Objects -- Cmd-G
  
  
  • Isolation mode -- double click on any element of a grouped object, you enter isolation mode which takes you inside the group.

• Pen tool
• Line segment tool
  • Click drag draw
  • Shift drag to add constrait.
• Curvature tool
  • Cmd-click to draw new curve
  • Click on anchor point to continue curve
  • A small circle next to your cursor indicate you are about to close the path
  • Move the anchor points to change the shape of the curves
• Pencil tool
  • Double click on tool icon to control fidelity
  • Turn on "Close paths when ends are..." to make a closed path.
  • Edit selected paths lets you continue drawing on the selected path if you are within X pixels.
• Brushes
  • Open and closed paths
  • Brush panel for different brushes. Note that existence of brush libraries for additional brushes
    
    
    
    
    
  • Object -> Expand Appearance: to turn a path into a shape of the outline
  
  
• Blob brush tool
  
  • Notice what happens when you create and then select lines that overlap
  
  
• Shape tool
  
  • Quickly sketch a shape and Illustrator will convert it into a clean shape
  • (it can do a lot more...)
  
  
• Eraser tool (in the toolbar)
  • With selection: only the objects selected will be effected
  • Without: all object will be subject to the eraser
  • With the eraser, you are most likely adding more anchor points. It will be harder to clean up later. (eg. circle with 4 anchor point vs 40 anchor points)
  
  

• Fills and strokes
  • Activating the fill/stroke options.
  • Using the color swatches
  • Accessing swatch libraries
  • Stroke width
  
  
• Gradients
  • Select Gradient tool (on the left) then
  • Use Gradient panel (on the right) to choose a fill for gradiant
    
    
    
  
  
  
• Stroke panel
  
  
  
  
  • Arrowhead
  • Dashed line
  
  
  
  
• Width tool: Changing the width of strokes
  
  
  
  Some tools (such as the Width tool) work on simple vector lines. Lines made with certain tools like Brushes come with what is called "appearances" and they are not just simple vectors anymore. (Similar to how word doc file is not the same as plain text file). In order to convert a line back into a simple vector line, open
  
  Window -> Appearance
  
  From the top right flyout menu, "Clear Appearance" or "Reduce to Basic Appearance"

You can select color from an image (of a painting) and save it to a swatch library