Skip to content
UdemyIllustratorPaid courseBeginner levelCertificate

Adobe Illustrator for Non-Artists (Udemy.com)

Create designs in Illustrator even if you can't draw - create and monetize your designs today!

Created by: Helen Bradley

Last updated October 2018

Our take

Based on the ratings of 25 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in October 2018. No course pays to be reviewed.

This is a short, hands-on Illustrator course built around one project. Across 21 lectures and about two hours, students make a HUD ring, gears, ribbons of colored lines and a background pattern, then combine them into one piece of art. The idea is that circles, rectangles and wiggly lines are enough to produce designs that could work as scrapbook papers, desktop backgrounds or slide designs. It suits people who assume Illustrator is only for artists and who already know roughly where the basic tools live.

Reviewers like the clear, step-by-step teaching. Helen Bradley gets praise for explaining the reasoning behind each step, and one student said it was as good as or better than any live class they had taken. Another liked the tips on using the tools well. The complaints are small but real. A three-star reviewer said the beginner label is generous because the pace was fast enough to force constant pausing and rewinding. A four-star reviewer said it would have been doable but more awkward without some prior Illustrator knowledge.

The course was last updated in 2018, though a 2024 reviewer noted the Illustrator interface still looks much the same. It is also small, with 140 students and 25 reviews (20 of them five-star), so the evidence is thin. Think of it as a fun, practical project more than a full foundation in the program. If you know the basics and want something to practice on, it is a good pick. Total beginners should expect to pause often.

Best forPeople who can't draw but want to learn Illustrator tools by building a few finished graphics from circles and rectangles.
Skip it ifYou have never opened Illustrator and need a slow pace, or you want broad coverage of the whole program.

Pros

  • Builds a HUD ring, gears, ribbons and a pattern, then combines them into one finished piece
  • Instructor explains the reasoning behind each step, not just which buttons to click
  • Under two hours, with five assignments to practice on
  • Reviewers say it is packed with practical tool tips and keeps a brisk pace

Cons

  • Fast pace for a beginner label, so true novices may keep pausing and rewinding
  • Last updated in 2018, and only 25 reviews, so the feedback sample is small
  • Narrow scope: one project, so it will not cover Illustrator broadly
There is so much information packed in every minute! This online course was every bit as good or better than any live class I've ever taken.
M Hughes, a student

Labeled beginner, but reviewers say some basic Illustrator knowledge helps. You need Illustrator installed and basic PC or Mac skills.

icon
What you will learn

  • Create designs in Illustrator even though you can't draw
  • Work more confidently in Illustrator
  • Be ready to monetize your designs

Course content

7 sections · 21 lectures · 1.9 hours of video 5 assignments

  1. 1Introduction 1 free preview1 lecture · 2 min
  2. 2Make a HUD ring 1 free preview3 lectures · 1 quiz · 16 min
  3. 3Make Gears 1 free preview3 lectures · 1 quiz · 25 min
  4. 4Make Ribbons of Colored Lines 1 free preview3 lectures · 1 quiz · 19 min
  5. 5Create a Background Pattern and overlay6 lectures · 1 quiz · 29 min
  6. 6Assemble the Pieces to a single piece of art4 lectures · 1 quiz · 22 min
  7. 7Course Wrapup1 lecture · 1 min

Who it is for

The instructor says it suits

  • Anyone who wants to learn Illustrator in a fun and practical way
  • Anyone who knows a bit about Illustrator and who wants to advance their knowledge
  • Anyone who thinks they can't draw and still wants to learn Illustrator

What you need before you start

  • You should be able to use your PC or Mac at a competent beginner level.
  • You must have Adobe Illustrator installed on your computer - almost any version is ok.

How it compares

Against the other 100 rated Udemy courses in Illustrator on CourseDuck:

  • Rating4.7 out of 5higher than 74% of them
  • Reviews25#96 of 101 by number of reviews
  • Length1.9 hoursshorter than 79% of them
  • Last updatedOctober 2018earlier than 69% of them

icon
Course Description

Create designs in Illustrator even if you can't draw. Learn to use Illustrator by making designs using simple shapes – designs you can use and even monetize.

Do you want to learn Illustrator? Are you worried you can't use Illustrator because you can't draw? Are you ready to use Illustrator better?

Great!

Welcome! 

This course is for you. It's sort of Illustrator for non-illustrators! It's a fun and a practical way to learn Illustrator even if you can't draw. Because lots of people use Illustrator and make money with their designs even though they can't draw to save themselves.

Why did I create this course?

I created this course because I didn't draw at all when I first learned Illustrator. And when I started, I thought I wouldn't be much good because I thought Illustrator was for artists and I definitely wasn't an artist – far from it!

But I learned how to use Illustrator even though I couldn’t draw. And as I learned Illustrator I saw how I could make saleable designs with just wiggly lines, circles and rectangles.

And I want you to do the same thing.

I want you to be able to use Illustrator. I know you can! And I can teach you to make awesome designs with just circles and rectangles.

So you'll learn to make designs using rectangles and circles! These are so easy to create since Illustrator has tools for these. I'll show you how you can make designs with simple shapes and no drawing skills – designs just like those that other people sell online. You are going to be amazed at what you can do with just simple shapes.

Now, if you can draw this course will work for you too. You will learn to use Illustrator and you can combine these skills with your drawing skills to create wonderful designs.

How does this course work?

In this course you'll "learn by doing" and you will make your own designs as you work through the course. The things you will learn to make can be sold as scrapbook papers, desktop backgrounds, patterns, and as PowerPoint slide designs. You can use these designs for book covers (think Amazon Market place designs), for social media images, scrapbook papers and so much more. There are literally hundreds of ways you can make use of the designs you will learn to make in this course. And, think how proud you will be when you say "I made that".

What will you learn?

When you complete this course, you'll:

-       be able to create designs in Illustrator – you'll make HUD rings, gears, ribbon lines, background patterns and more

-       have extended your knowledge of Illustrator tools 

-       have learned new tips and techniques that you can use every day 

-       be able to confidently create designs for a range of commercial uses

Do I hear you say "...but I don't know how to use Illustrator (and frankly, I'm scared of it)"?

I understand!

I've been there.

Illustrator can be really scary to use when you first start out.

So I designed a better way to learn Illustrator – one that makes it a lot less scary and a lot more fun.

You'll learn to make designs you can use immediately and which look great. So you'll be making practical and usable designs as you learn Illustrator. There's no waiting! There's no hours of learning before you start out. In fact you can start today. Complete the first few lessons and you'll have your first wonderful shapes made and ready to use!

Do I hear you say "... but I can't draw"

Awesome! You don't need to be able to draw, in fact, the worse you draw, the more amazing it will be when you start making designs in Illustrator. Basically, if you can use a keyboard and a mouse you can make great looking designs.

… this course is proof positive that Illustrator is so much more than an artist's tool. You'll be amazed at just how much you can achieve.

Are you ready to extend your Illustrator skills?

If you already know the basics of using Illustrator, taking this class will elevate your skills to a new level. You'll learn to use tools and techniques in a practical situation. Everything is taught from a practical perspective and with a view to doing things in an effective way so you'll learn techniques that will save you time every day. 

Do I hear you say "Please don't waste my time"?

If there is one thing I hate it’s wasting time and you probably do too. 

So, I don't say "um", I don't fluff about, I don't make mistakes, I know my stuff and I show you how to do things efficiently and effectively. I speed up the videos where appropriate so you don't get bored or distracted. 

I'm 100% focused on helping you learn.

In short, I'll get straight to the point and I’ll maximize what you learn in every class.

Do I hear you say "... but I can't afford the latest Illustrator version"?

Again, I understand. I teach thousands of students who can't afford the monthly Creative Cloud payment. If you're using practically any version of Illustrator you should be able to complete this class.

How will I learn?

This course is made up 100% of video content. You'll watch my screen as I show you how each design element is made. I'll explain what I am doing and why so you can learn as you watch. 

You will learn to make shapes like HUD rings, gears and patterns and, once you have all the elements, you will see how to put them together to a final design. But, the good news is that most of these elements can be used by themselves as patterns and other elements so all the objects you will make have multiple uses.

Join me... 

I hope you will join me in this Illustrator class. I look forward to meeting you and I invite you to contact me if you have any questions as you work through the lectures.  

cheers!

Helen

icon
Udemy Discount

The discount is applied through our link. Open the course from here and Udemy's current promotional price is applied at checkout on most courses, no code to type.

Some courses are excluded from Udemy's promotions. If the price does not drop, clear your browser cookies and use the button again.

icon
Instructor Details

Helen Bradley

Helen Bradley is an expatriate Australian, designer, and educator. She specializes in teaching graphic design using Adobe Illustrator, Procreate 5X, and Adobe Photoshop. She also teaches photo-editing with Lightroom and Photoshop.

Helen has taught hundreds of thousands of students world wide and she is recognized as a skilled trainer who "knows her stuff" and who is able to communicate even highly technical and complex processes so they are easy to understand. 

Apart from her technical expertise, one thing students frequently comment on is her lack of 'fluff' she doesn't waste time and she gets to the point quickly.

icon
More courses by Helen Bradley

$54.99

$59.99

$11.99

$11.99

$54.99

$44.99

icon
More Illustrator courses

$124.99

$174.99

$14.99

$89.99

$124.99

$139.99

icon
Reviews

4.7

25 ratings on Udemy

Select a bar to show only those reviews.Select the bar again to show every rating.

By Julie M on 7/6/2024

This class was exceptional. It covered so many of the things that seem like they should be obvious in AI. The funny thing is that the class is six years old and yet the AI interface looks exactly the same. I wish Adobe would spend some time modernizing the UI/UX. All that said, Helen's class and delivery were so helpful in moving me forward in using this tool.

By Tara Nell on 12/19/2020

Great course. I learned a lot.

By Sue Spencer on 8/10/2020

Really enjoyed making cogs, ribbons and patterns. There were lots of tips about how to make effective use of illustrator tools. A great way to encourage the creativity in you! Thank you.

By Eric Heim on 7/27/2020

Another fantastic course in Illustrator! Helen is a marvelous instructor. I love the pace of the course and her teaching style makes learning the software so easy. Two thumbs up! :)

By Christa de la Port on 2/7/2020

I enjoyed it very much and learned a lot! Thanks to the tutor & Udemy

By Dave Perryman on 12/2/2019

Yes, although I knew some basic elements of Illustrator, if I didn't it would have been doable but more awkward to follow.

By M Hughes on 5/4/2019

There is so much information packed in every minute! This online course was every bit as good or better than any live class I've ever taken. The instructions are very clear, she details every step along the way and the reasoning behind it. Also, it's great that you can pause and play it again if it's moving too fast.

By Rikki Linden on 1/3/2019

It was ok. It said that it was a beginner course, but the woman went so fast that I kept having to pause or rewind to keep up with her.

By Kristine Twesme on 11/6/2018

So far this is an excellent course. Very practical instruction.

Showing all 9 reviews on CourseDuck

Read all 25 reviews on Udemy

icon
Quality Score

No CourseDuck member has rated this course yet. Taken it? Give each part a thumbs up or down.

Content Quality
/
Video Quality
/
Qualified Instructor
/
Course Pace
/
Course Depth & Coverage
/

Overall Score : 94 / 100