25 Best Retro and Vintage Illustrator Tutorials

by Julia Sagar June 15, 2020 3 Comments

Creating top-class, super-affordable illustration tools that make your design workflow faster and more efficient is just one part of what we do at RetroSupply. The other part is inspiration: we’re dedicated to producing and finding the best creative resources out there – from tutorials to pro tips, tricks and techniques – for becoming better designers and illustrators.

That’s why we’ve collated this list of the very best retro and vintage tutorials for Adobe Illustrator, which we’ve divided into the following categories for ease of use: retro and vintage techniques, logos, effects, characters and typography. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, you’ll find something here to help take your skills up a notch.

Scroll down for our hand-picked selection of the best retro and vintage tutorials for Illustrator…

Also read:

• Best Free Illustrator Brushes for Retro and Vintage Effects
• 50 Best Retro and Vintage Photoshop Tutorials
• Retro Photoshop Brushes: 50 of the Best
• 50 Free Retro and Vintage Fonts
• 10 of the Best Places to Make Your Products

Retro and vintage techniques

 

01. Create complex shapes with Illustrator’s Shape Builder tool

Design ninja Tony Harmer demonstrates a quick way to create compound shapes in Illustrator, in this two-minute video walkthrough. Find out how to create unique forms in seconds by merging, extracting or erasing intersecting objects.

 

02. A faster way to vectorize hand lettering with Illustrator’s Pen tool

Designer Will Paterson reveals a faster way to digitise hand-lettering and logotypes using Illustrator’s Pen tool, in this super-quick tutorial. He explains how to shave hours from your vector workflow by mastering anchor points and handles – and says that if you don’t already know this technique, it might just change your life.

 

03. How To Create an Editable Retro Text Style in Illustrator

 

Learn some handy techniques for creating a graphic style that works with live text, using the Appearance panel in Illustrator. You’ll find out how a range of fills and strokes can be layered to produce a retro style text effect, while retaining the ability to alter the text and font.

 

04. Create a retro T-shirt design in Illustrator

Design some cool retro graphics for a T-shirt by creating simple vectors and textures in Adobe Illustrator, with this step-by-step guide. Key skills covered include how to use the Pathfinder panel to knock out and combine shapes, and how to apply vector textures to shapes.

05. Create a Bird's-Eye View of Retro Cars in Illustrator

Get to grips with basic shapes, gradient, blending modes and the Pathfinder panel in this intermediate Illustrator tutorial, which walks through how to make a retro 1950s ‘Greased Lightning’ car.

06. Create a Set of Simple Line Icons

Produce a set or retro icons in less than 20 minutes with this intermediate Illustrator tutorial. Topics covered range from creating basic Shapes to using the Arc tool and Blob Brush tool.  

07. Design retro isometric artwork

Illustrator Mark Oliver shares a recipe for transforming shapes to fit a predefined isometric projection without having to do any calculations, in this retro Illustrator tutorial.

08. Create a retro-style comic in Illustrator

From initial sketches to a polished piece of final artwork, illustrator Toby Leigh walks through how to develop a narrative-based artwork in his retro graphic style, using Illustrator and Photoshop.

09. Design a Vintage Book Cover

Recreate the look of a clothbound, vintage book cover and decorative spine with woodcut-style illustrations and calligraphy in this intermediate tutorial, which uses Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign.

Retro and vintage logos

10. How to make a Vintage Logo Tutorial for Illustrator 

Create an eye-catching vintage logo design with this Illustrator tutorial walkthrough from Chris Spooner. Based in inspiration taken during a raid trip through Canada, this tutorial will have you creating vintage-style badges in no time.

11. How to Create a Distressed Retro Logo in Illustrator and Photoshop

Craft a 1940-50s-style logo design in this step-by-step to creating a distressed retro logo in Illustrator and Photoshop.

 

12. Create a Retro Badge/Emblem Style Logo

Build a circular motif in Illustrator, before giving it an aged vintage appearance with some final touches in Photoshop.

Retro and vintage effects

13. How to Make an Engraved Illustration Effect in Adobe Illustrator

Learn how to make an engraving effect in Adobe Illustrator with ease. This tutorial teaches you how to create a simple eye engraving illustration fast. Check out the technique they use here and never be intimidated to add an engraving effect to your work again.

14. How to create a trippy kaleidoscopic effect

Find out how to add a sense of motion to your work by creating vector illustrations in Illustrator and combining them with Photoshop's Pen tool to create a kaleidoscopic effect.

15. Create a Retro Triangular Pattern Design in Illustrator

Find out how to create a retro pattern design made up of a limited color palette, and lots of squares and triangles, in this step-by-step Illustrator tutorial.

16. How to Create a Pencil Pattern Brush in Illustrator

This beginner Illustrator tutorial shows you how to create a pencil pattern brush in Illustrator, from setting up a simple grid to creating a simple text effect with your own, handmade brush.

Retro and vintage characters

17. How to Design symmetrical character art

Dutch creative duo LouLou & Tummie reveal how to create perfectly balanced characters in Illustrator. They explain how to hone your use of the Pathfinder tool to build new shapes, and tweak lines to give them a sense of flow.

18. Create symmetrical vector character art

Combine shapes and textures with vectors and symmetry to striking effect in this Illustrator tutorial by xxx-based illustrator Jonny Wan.

19. Create vintage vector textures

Designer Ben Steers walks through how to create your own vintage characters in this retro Illustrator tutorial, while also explaining how to achieve a handprinted effect and use halftone patterns effectively.

20. Create a Character Kit in Illustrator

This beginner-level Illustrator tutorial explains how to create different elements of character design from scratch, before using these elements to create different characters.

 

Retro and vintage typography

21. The Easy Way to Roughen Your Typography in Illustrator

Add an aged, grunge effect to your designs as we walk through how to roughen your typography in Illustrator.

 

22. How to create vintage type styles in Illustrator

Type artist Bobby Haiqalsyah explains how to create a stunning piece of retro typography in Illustrator using the Blend and Offset Path functions.

23. How to Create a Light Bulb Text Effect in Illustrator

Create a light bulb text effect in Illustrator, covering key skills that include: setting up a simple grid; using the live corners feature; mastering the Appearance panel and Transform effect; and basic blending effects.

 

24. How to Make a Mid-Century Modern House in Illustrator

Learn how to create a mid-century modern house complete with shading, texture, and retro color palette in this detailed tutorial. This tutorial starts with a sketch and shows you how to construct your design step-by-step to finished art.

25. Create vector type with an animal theme

Marcus Reed walks through how he creates letters with an animal theme in Illustrator and Photoshop, using his L is for Lion print as an example.

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