Adobe Illustrator / Watercolor Art Brush

1. Double-click on Pencil Tool - Fidelity: 0.5px, Fill new pencil strokes, Keep selected
2. Draw a shape of a brush stroke and fill it with light gray
3. Draw a shape of a larger brush stroke and fill it dark gray
4. Draw a shape of the largest brush stroke and keep it transparent
5. Align and select all the shapes
6. Object > Blend > Blend Options - Smooth Color
7. Object > Blend > Make
8. Set the blended shape to Multiply in Transparency Window
9. Drag the blended shape into Brushes Window - New Art Brush, Method: Tints

Adobe Illustrator / Japanese Text Effect

1. Type text
2. Type > Create Outlines
3. Object > Path > Simplify - Curve Precision: 75%, Angle Threshold: 25
4. Experiment with the outcome

Adobe Illustrator / Grunge Text

1. Type text in color
2. Effect > Distort > Glass - Distortion: 10, Smoothness: 10, Texture: Blocks, Scaling: 200%
3. Expand Appearance
4. Live Trace

Adobe Illustrator / Vector Trace

1. Prepare an image in Photoshop
2. Image > Adjustments > Desaturate
   
3. Image > Adjustments > Posterize - Levels: 5
4. Duplicate the layer
5. Image > Adjustments > Threshold
6. Create 5 pattern guide layers by changing Threshold Levels
7. Open the Photoshop file in Illustrator
8. Apply Live Trace on each pattern guide
9. Adjust colors
   

Adobe Illustrator / Creating Graphs

1. Select Pie Graph Tool
2. Click and set Width and Hight
3. Input numbers in percentage and click Apply
4. Remove Stroke
5. Select the pie graph
6. Effects > 3D > Extrude and Bevel - Position: 55,0,0, Extrude Depth: 1/10 of the pie graph size, Ambient Light: 100%
7. Object > Expand Appearance
8. Duplicate the pie graph
9. Select the original pie graph and ungroup twice
10. Select pieces in the same color
11. Window > Pathfinder - Add to shape area, Expand
12. Set each parts of the pie graph in different colors
13. Select the duplicated pie graph
14. Cut of the top and leave two parts of the edge
15. Apply Gradient - Type: Linear, Angle: -180, Gradient: Black to White to Black
16. Group the parts and duplicate the gropu
17. Paint the duplicated group white
18. Place the white group under the gradient group
19. Window > Transparency > Make Opacity Mask
20. Align the masked group with the colored pie graph
21. Set the masked group to Overlay
22. Lower Opacity to 40%

Adobe Illustrator / Mirror Ball

1. Create a texture
2. Create a split circle
3. Effect > 3D > Revolve - Position: Custom Rotation, 10, -25, 10, Surface: No Shading
4. In Map Art window, select the created texture under Symbol and select Scale to Fit
5. Effect > Stylize > Outer Glow

Adobe Illustrator / Blend Vector Flower

1. Create two stroke paths in different colors with Pen Tool
2. Object > Blend > Blend Options - Specified Steps: 10
3. Select both paths
4. Object > Blend > Make
5. Duplicate the blended object or create new ones and combine them