Illustrator course: the 10 best in 2026

Best for beginners who want a broad tour of creative Illustrator techniques. A basic part covers objects, appearance, drawing, brushes, type and masking with an artwork at the end of each section; an advanced part covers data visualisation linked to spreadsheets, geometric grids, isometric 3D cities, patterns, symmetrical mandalas, blends and drawing from photos.

It has 4.4 stars from more than 5,100 reviews and more than 48,000 students. It runs about 18 hours, includes a section on where to sell your artwork and a bonus on animating in After Effects, but was last updated in October 2023.

Best for illustrators who want to get productive fast through projects. Instead of memorising features, you work through AI-enhanced workflows across eight illustration projects, from a linocut-style fairy tale and a nautical scene to a cartoon character, a children's book piece, stylised portraits and a travel illustration.

It has 4.6 stars from 136 reviews and more than 1,400 students. It runs about 14 hours, lets you take the modules in any order, and was last updated in June 2024.

Best for intermediate users who want advanced, portfolio-level techniques. It covers advanced interface features, shortcuts and actions, custom brushes and textures, advanced masking, colour and patterns, shape blending, typography, graph visualisations, geometric grids, 3D isometric designs, animation prep for After Effects, and AI features.

It has 4.9 stars from 175 reviews, the highest rating here, and more than 7,200 students. It runs about 21 hours with templates, brushes and design assets, and was last updated in April 2025.

Best for beginners who learn best by doing exercises. The course is split into five chapters, from getting started and lines and shapes to drawing and colouring, text and effects, and advanced tools, with each exercise introducing a new tool or technique and getting gradually harder.

It has 4.7 stars, but from only 129 reviews and 474 students. It runs about 16 hours with 94 resources, and was updated in October 2026, the most recent here. You will need a mouse, not a touchpad.

Best for beginners who want to build a portfolio while they learn. Louay covers shape tools and the Shape Builder, drawing and tracing, pencil and brushes, typography for flyers and brochures, colours and gradients, patterns with a T-shirt challenge, repeats, image tracing, logos, icons, CC Libraries and mockups.

It has 4.6 stars from more than 1,200 reviews and more than 30,000 students. It runs about 10 hours, ends with 30+ self-designed artworks for your portfolio, and was updated in November 2025.

Best for learners who want one long course from basics to pro, including the latest AI tools. It covers the interface, drawing, colour, type, masking, effects and patterns, then shortcuts and actions, 3D, custom brushes, advanced colour tools, opacity masks, blends, graphs, geometric grids, isometric designs, and animation with After Effects.

It has 4.8 stars from 269 reviews and more than 10,000 students. At about 31 hours it is the longest course here, with 24 resources, and was updated in January 2026. It also covers text to vector graphic, Retype, generative recolour, mockups and Intertwine.

Best for designers who know the basics and want to go further. Dan Scott follows up his Essentials course with a bespoke brief covering AI for ideation, vectorising and colouring hand-drawn sketches, charts and graphs, colour mastery with Pantones and blends, images in Illustrator, advanced typography, complex shapes, Transform and Distort, and workflow speed.

It has 4.8 stars from more than 10,900 reviews and more than 62,000 students. It runs about 10 hours and was last updated in January 2025.

Best for learners who want structure, quizzes and certification prep. Martin, an Adobe Certified Instructor, starts with vector versus pixel graphics and the interface, then covers objects, drawing with the Pen and Curvature tools, brushes, Image Trace, type, and advanced techniques such as symbols, graphs, gradient meshes, perspective drawing, Recolor Artwork and masking.

It has 4.6 stars from more than 34,000 reviews and more than 155,000 students, the most on this list. It runs about 14 hours with nine quizzes and a preparation guide for the Adobe Certified Associate exam, but was last updated in February 2024.

Best for beginners who want to go from scratch to advanced techniques in one course. Tim Wilson, an Adobe Certified Instructor and UK university lecturer, covers the workspace, typography, infographics, patterns and symbols, effects and styles, custom brushes, colour, logos and icons, Live tools, perspective, 3D, masks and layers, plus the AI text-to-vector features.

It has 4.8 stars from more than 1,300 reviews and more than 6,700 students. It runs about 13 and a half hours with real-life projects and exercise files, and was updated in April 2026.