2009’s top 23 tutorials

The Christmas holidays are so close you can almost feel them, but let’s face it: come Boxing Day you’re going to be getting a bit restless, and by the 28th you’re going to be climbing the walls with festive boredom.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Rather than let your brain atrophy for a couple of weeks, why not use your yuletide downtime to learn some new skills so that when 2010 shows its face you can hit the ground running? That’s why we’ve had a rummage through the Computer Arts archives and collected together the best tutorials from the past year, covering a broad range of design disciplines and featuring an assortment of essential tips for any designer. Enjoy!

Break the vector mould

Vector work can be as simple or as elaborate as you choose to make it. YUP encourages you to push the vector exploration envelope

Self-initiated abstract art

Out-of-this-world work doesn’t require a brief, says JUN, just careful choice of source material, a few hours and a little imagination

Illustrating with vectors and pixels

Luke O’Neill takes advantage of Illustrator and Photoshop’s strong points to create his work of dark art

Design a Flash-based videogame

Luke Feldman reveals how to create an exciting Flash-based computer game that will bring your audience back time and time again

Create retro-look vectors

James Wignall, AKA Mutanthands, demonstrates how to take your digital vector illustrations back in time

Design lettering with negative space

Jawa and Midwich reveal how to utilise hundreds of illustrations to build up a positive space containing negative letters

Design Japanese-style graffiti

Tokyo graff writer Imaone demonstrates how to create clean vector lines from hand-drawn graffiti, which can be used to decorate a skateboard deck

Create unique botanical patterns

Ben the Illustrator predicts two trends for 2009: more organic, botanical illustrations; and more pattern-based designs. Here he reveals how you can develop both

Working with type in Illustrator

Martin Fewell spreads the word on creating bold typographic posters

Using blends to create depth

Working with vectors needn’t be flat, says Sara Haraigue, if you know how to breathe life into them through dynamic use of Illustrator and Photoshop

Stylised graphic backdrops

Computer Arts’ Luke O’Neill takes the legwork out of illustrating around your model

Create dynamic distortion effects

Bring velocity and meltdown to your subjects with a little Photoshop magic. Doucin Pierre, aka Soemone, shows you how

Mastering masking in Illustrator

Ben the Illustrator shows you the range of brilliant features hidden within your masking tools

Digital manga illustration

Just like Harajuku Girls mixing fashion styles, Joanna Zhou combines several drawing techniques to create a new twist on manga art

Creating organic illustration

Doug Alves reveals the thinking and methods behind his incredible artwork

Create unique kaleidoscope graphics

Matt Booth demonstrates how to create a drawing tool that enables you to generate your own kaleidoscopic images

Take your artwork cosmic

Celestial elements are everywhere in design. Ben Thomas demonstrates how to incorporate them into your style

Create frozen liquid effects

Sergio Vichique shows how you can bring the coolest of effects to your illustrations

Paint in 3D via your webcam

Stewart-Hamilton Arrandale demonstrates how to turn your webcam data into striking 3D art

Monochrome made easy

Creating a beautiful and dramatic piece of work in Photoshop need only take a few simple actions, says senior designer Chris Malbon

Warp tool and texture experiments

Be inspired to create out-of-this-world works using the Warp tool and source material at your disposal. Design duo Shotopop shows you how

Explore and combine new textures

You don’t always need to be gentle with texture. Mix and match, like Átila Meireles, for the most effective results

Create a balanced T-shirt graphic

In an era of tough T-shirt design competition, Jared Nickerson shows you how to make sure your threads are quality