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Adobe Illustrator Intermediate Training

Build on your existing Illustrator skills to take your artwork to the next level using traditional and new AI tools to speed up your design workflow. This Intermediate course focuses on practical, real‑world techniques that help you work faster, design smarter and create more polished, professional graphics.

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Adobe Illustrator Intermediate Training

This course is ideal if you already know the basics and want to deepen your understanding of Illustrator’s creative tools, workflows and production techniques.

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to:

  • Work competently using more advanced drawing and editing tools
  • Use complex shapes, paths and transformations with precision
  • Create cleaner, more flexible artwork using Appearance, Graphic Styles and advanced effects
  • Work with colour more professionally, including tints, global colours and colour management
  • Build more sophisticated layouts using artboards, grids and guides
  • Improve your workflow with shortcuts, automation and smarter file organisation
  • Prepare artwork for print, digital and multi‑format output

 

If you need something more advanced, we also offer Advanced Illustrator and specialist Illustrator courses but if you’re not quite ready for Intermediate, the Illustrator introduction course is a perfect starting point.

View all our Adobe Illustrator Courses

Who this course is for

This Intermediate course is ideal if you:

  • Already know the basics of Illustrator
  • Want to work more efficiently and creatively
  • Need to produce more polished, professional artwork
  • Are self‑taught and want to fill in the gaps
  • Want to understand Illustrator’s more powerful tools
  • Work in design, marketing, publishing, social media or digital content
  • Want to move beyond simple shapes and text into more complex artwork

How the training works

This Illustrator course can be delivered onsite at your premises or live online via Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Both formats are fully interactive, with clear demonstrations, guided exercises and plenty of time to ask questions.

If you choose online delivery, you’ll be able to share your screen whenever you need help, and the session runs exactly as it would in person just without the travel. You can find full details on setup, platforms and what to expect on the Online Training Guidance page.

For online sessions, you’ll need:

  • A computer with Adobe Illustrator installed
  • A mouse or graphics tablet (optional but helpful)
  • A stable internet connection

 

Onsite sessions simply require a suitable room and access to Illustrator on each delegate’s computer.

Course content

This Intermediate Illustrator course takes you beyond the basics and into the tools and techniques that make your artwork sharper, cleaner and more professional. It’s all about working smarter building confidence with more advanced features, refining the creative workflow and learning the methods designers rely on every day.

The outline below shows the core topics we typically cover, and it can be tailored to your projects or the type of artwork you create.

Working with complex paths and shapes

  • Use Pathfinder and Shape Builder to create cleaner, more flexible shapes
  • Build compound paths for complex artwork and precise cut‑outs
  • Edit curves and anchor points with more control and accuracy

Drawing and editing techniques

  • Improve Pen tool confidence for smoother, more intentional lines
  • Refine shapes quickly using the Curvature tool
  • Clean up messy artwork with smoothing and simplification tools

Colour, swatches and creative control

  • Work with global colours and tints for consistent branding
  • Use Recolour Artwork to explore creative variations instantly
  • Build organised colour groups and palettes for faster workflows
  • Patterns, Textures & Fills /Work with Pattern Maker

Appearance, effects and graphic style

  • Create multi‑stroke and multi‑fill artwork for richer designs
  • Build reusable Graphic Styles to speed up repetitive tasks
  • Apply effects non‑destructively for flexible, editable artwork

Using brushes

  • Brush panel, create and design new brush tips
  • Work with Art, Calligraphic, Pattern Brushes etc
  • Fit to path /along stoke options /apply artwork to brushes

Working with images and artwork

  • Use Image Trace with more control for cleaner vector conversions
  • Create clipping masks and opacity masks for polished compositions
  • Manage linked and embedded images for smoother file handling

Layout, artboards and production

  • Work confidently with multiple artboards for multi‑page projects
  • Use grids, guides and alignment tools for precise layouts
  • Prepare artwork correctly for print, digital and multi‑format output

Workflow, organisation and efficiency

  • Organise assets using Libraries for consistent branding
  • Use Symbols to speed up repeated elements and updates
  • Apply shortcuts and time‑saving techniques to streamline your workflow

AI Tools - optional

If you’d like to explore Illustrator’s AI‑assisted features, we can include a practical introduction to the tools that help you work faster and experiment with ideas. These are only covered if you want them included and are designed to support your creativity, not replace it.

You’ll learn how to:

  • use Generative Recolour to create colour variations instantly
  • generate or refine shapes using Firefly‑powered AI tools
  • Text to Vector Graphic for fully editable, scalable vectors from text prompts
  • Generative Expand seamlessly extends your canvas and resizes graphics
  • tidy up complex paths with AI‑assisted clean‑up
  • use AI features to speed up workflows while keeping full creative control
  • adapt new workflows and incorporate agentic agents into the workstream

Bespoke, tailored Illustrator training

All Illustrator training can be customised to your projects, your workflow or your team’s experience level. If you have specific artwork you’d like to work on such as a logo, social media graphics, POS, flyer or a product illustration we can build the session around it.

You can also choose to complete a small bespoke project during the course, giving you the chance to apply your new skills immediately and leave with something practical and relevant to your work.

Hybrid courses are also available, blending topics from Introduction, Intermediate and Advanced levels, or combining Illustrator with other Adobe tools such as Photoshop, InDesign or Premiere Pro.

5* reviews for Greta Powell Training

Greta Powell Training Reviews“I had a great in‑person training session with Greta. The day was taken completely at my pace, with time to tailor the content to what I actually use day to day at work. We covered a lot across Illustrator and Photoshop, and everything was explained clearly. Greta is very friendly and made me feel at ease straight away. It’s brilliant knowing I have ongoing support if I ever get stuck.” Smart Payment Technologies Ltd, Coalville

“Greta delivered training to our team at Walsall College and was an amazing instructor, fast‑paced, clear and incredibly supportive. She took time with anyone who needed extra help and made the whole group feel confident. I’ve always had a barrier with computers, but after the first day I couldn’t wait to get back on it. I can’t recommend her enough.” Wayne Aveline, Fashion Designer & Senior Lecturer, Walsall College

Ready to build your Illustrator skills

Get in touch

If you’d like to book this Intermediate Illustrator course or check availability, just get in touch. Training is friendly, practical and designed to help you work more confidently with Illustrator’s creative tools and workflows.

Adobe Illustrator Intermediate Training Course FAQ

As with the onsite Adobe courses our Online Illustrator Training Courses are flexible and can be customised to individual and group training.

It can be delivered on video software of your choice including both Zoom, Teams and Google and is available across all timezones.

Courses are delivered via live instructor in a virtual environment where you can share screens and interact with one another.  

Do you record the online Illustrator Training sessions?

Yes we do but unfortunately due to privacy issues we can only do this for private one to one and company group sessions.

Onsite Illustrator training is extremely flexible and can be organised for one to one sessions, company groups /workshops and larger team roll-outs

  • The trainer comes directly to you
  • No travel, hotels or other expenses are involved for your staff
  • The course is focused on your objectives as there are no external attendees.
  • Prior to the course we organise a meeting to discuss the training course
  • Flexible dates and times.
Adobe Illustrator Intermediate Training

This is Intermediate Illustrator Course is perfect for people familiar with Illustrator but wanting to push their skills further.

It’s a comprehensive course so ideal for anyone wanting to work with product design, advanced AI tool use and 3D filters.

Over the years the course has been delivered to a wide range of areas including content creators, artworkers, marketeers, designers, product designers, fashion designers and educators.

If you want to create vector graphics then being the industry standard Illustrator is an excellent choice.

On this Adobe Illustrator Intermediate training course you will work with artwork for a range of different purposes including both digital media, print and the web. 

Our digital design courses are extremely flexible and can be tailored around you and your company so you can create artwork relevant to you.

This 2 day course builds on knowledge gained on the Introduction to Illustrator course and provides a deeper understanding of the software’s advanced features.

On this Illustrator training you will learn how to: 

  • 3D Shapes and Objects
  • The Illustrator AI Tools /Generative Fill /Generative Recolour
  • Advanced Fills, Patterns, Textures
  • Use the Pen Tool, Paths, Anchor Points
  • Illustrators Type Tool, Type on a Path and Outlined Text
  • Text and 3D 
  •  Advanced Image Trace Techniques
  • Illustrator Graphs and Importing Data from Excel
  • Creating complex Art Brushes

The full course outline is available at the bottom of the page. We constantly update our Illustrator Training materials to incorporate new tools one of which is Illustrator’s wonderfully named Intertwine Tool.

Download our Adobe Illustrator Introduction Training Course Overview

  • Use to create Vector artwork (you can find out exactly what vector artwork is here) some examples would be:

  • Create logos, symbols, icons for screen, digital, print & video
  • Website Mockup Design
  • Design Packaging
  • Social Media Icons
  • Social Media Images & Posts
  • Infographics
  • Charts, Graphs & Spreadsheets (to enhance documents like financial reports & tenders)

Our Online Adobe Training Courses are available on any time zone. We offer 24 hour availability, evenings, overnight and during the weekend. 

We run our online training sessions via the most popular video conferencing software including Zoom, Teams, Google and WebEx. It’s your choice which one you prefer.

Do you record the Online Adobe Illustrator Training Sessions?

We do but due to privacy issues can only offer this to one to one courses and closed company groups.

Booking with us

Please get in touch with us via the online booking form.

We will then get in touch and send the details of booking reservation and find out your timeframe for training.

We will then send across dates.

Once the booking is confirmed we then organise a pre-course call /meeting to discuss the course and any logistics around the day.

Payment

Payment for training is via BACS or Credit Card

Credit Card payment is via Stripe

*Greta Powell Training Ltd does not collect or store your card details.

Purchase Orders

We accept purchase orders from UK registered companies and the public sector.

Adobe Illustrator Intermediate Training - Course Content

Working with Paths

Using the Pen Tool effectively
Drawing shapes
Using the Pen to create clipping paths
Modifying the Pen Properties
Accurate Path Drawing
Create & edit unique shapes with Pathfinder
Additional Pen Tools
Images using Compound Paths

Colours and Shades

Create Gradients /Linear /Radial & Freeform
Use Gradients for Light and Shade
Work with Gradient Mesh
Sample and Modify Colours
Work with Colour Themes

Graphics and Text

Import Graphics
Create Masks
Work with Area Text
Create Various Text Wraps

Advanced Fills

Patterns, Textures & Fills
Work with Pattern Maker
Understand Pattern Makers more advanced Tools
Flawless Repeats and Seamless Patterns
Envelope Warp
Blend Tool for smooth colour & specified steps

Illustrator & Infographic Design

Designing Infographics
The 7 Infographics Designs
Planning your Infographic
Gathering Assets /Colour /Brand
Inserting Graphics (from Excel or Illustrator)
Apply Custom Design
Warp Tool

Illustrator Graphs

Import Data from Excel
Create Graphs in Illustrator
Pie /Bar & Line Charts
Graph Options
Create Custom Graphs

Accurate Positioning

Working with Select & Direct Select
Use the Transform Palette
Use Illustrator Grids effectively
Smart Guides
Work with Smart Guides for Precise Positioning

Brushes

Create and Design New Brush Tips
Work with Art, Calligraphic, Pattern Brushes
Work with Jitter, Spacing, Sizing etc Options
Fit to Path and Along Stoke Options
Apply Artwork to Brushes
Use the Brush Panel
Save and Load Brush Panels

Illustrator Output

Prepare Artwork
Printers Marks
Export Command
Save for Print, Web and Digital