LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning Illustrator Essential Training Review — Tony Harmer, Honest Analysis
LinkedIn Learning's Illustrator Essential Training is one of the most consistently well-rated beginner Illustrator courses anywhere, and the reason is almost entirely Tony Harmer. Across five yearly editions the course holds a 4.8/5 official rating on thousands of ratings, and the independent and learner consensus across 21 analysed opinions is the same: a thorough, well-produced, genuinely enjoyable walk through Illustrator's fundamentals from an instructor who clearly knows the software at the product-team level. The strengths are clarity, breadth and production quality. Harmer covers the real working core of Illustrator — artboards, paths, shapes, color, type, brushes, patterns, appearances and export — in a dense 5-to-7-hour arc, with downloadable exercise files and quizzes at every step. Reviewers describe his delivery as detailed, easy to follow and even entertaining, and the course earns praise from complete beginners and multi-year veterans alike. The 2024 and 2025 editions also fold in Illustrator's generative AI features, keeping the material current. The limitations are about format and price, not teaching. The exercises are instructor-led replications rather than open creative briefs, there is no portfolio capstone or feedback on your work, and the certificate is not accredited. The value verdict hinges entirely on how you access it: through an existing LinkedIn subscription, LinkedIn Premium or a library card it is excellent; paying $39.99 for a single standalone month is the weakest case, since independent reviewers consistently flag the subscription as expensive for occasional learners. For a structured, high-quality first pass through Illustrator — especially paired with your own practice project — it is an easy recommendation.
Final score
from 21 analysed opinions
Published AI-researched, editor-audited
Distribution of opinions
Per-criterion scores
Tony Harmer walks through Illustrator's core in a logical sequence — artboards, selection, shapes and line tools, path drawing and transformation, color models, gradients, strokes, brushes, layers and groups, patterns, appearances, transparency, type, image placement and export — and the 2024/2025 editions add a section on generative AI content. Across five released versions the official rating sits at 4.8/5 (2024: 1,148 ratings; 2021: 1,914; 2022: 1,676; 2023: 1,320), an unusually high and stable signal. Reviewers describe the material as dense and thorough; the main critique is that some assignment toolbars don't match the learner's default setup, and that experienced users hit familiar ground before the advanced sections.
Tony Harmer — a certified Adobe Creative Suite Master with 40+ years in the creative industry and close ties to the Illustrator product team — is the standout asset. Reviewers repeatedly single out his delivery as "detailed, easy to follow, and even entertaining," and even a 17-year Illustrator veteran reported learning new tricks. His voice, pacing and articulation draw consistent praise. The only recurring instructor complaint is occasional mismatch between his on-screen toolbars and a fresh install, which can briefly confuse beginners.
LinkedIn Learning is $39.99/month or roughly $19.99/month billed annually, and the course is also bundled with LinkedIn Premium Career and free through many public-library cards. For learners who already hold a LinkedIn subscription or library access, this 5–7 hour course is excellent value and the completion certificate posts straight to a LinkedIn profile. Paying the standalone monthly fee for this one course is less compelling — independent reviewers call the subscription "more on the expensive side" and "expensive if used infrequently," and the certificate is not accredited. The equation flips for prolific learners who tap the 20,000+ course catalogue.
Each lesson ships with downloadable exercise files and the course includes 22 quizzes for self-assessment, so learners practice alongside the instructor rather than just watching. The gap, flagged by multiple reviewers, is open-ended project work: the exercises are instructor-led replications rather than briefs that push learners to design their own piece, and one reviewer asked directly for "more practice sessions or more question examples." There is no portfolio-grade capstone and no instructor feedback on submitted work.
The skills taught — vector paths, transformations, color, type, brushes, patterns and export for print and web — are genuinely foundational and transfer directly to real Illustrator work. Reviewers describe the tool demonstrations as practical and immediately usable, and a decade-lapsed user called it a strong refresher on newer tools like the curvature tool. The certificate carries professional signalling value on LinkedIn but is not an accredited credential, so it complements rather than replaces demonstrated portfolio work.
What learners said
What people loved
6- Exceptional, consistently 4.8/5-rated instruction from Tony Harmer, an Adobe Creative Suite Master with 40+ years in the field×12
- Delivery described as detailed, clear, easy to follow and even entertaining — engaging rather than dry×8
- Thorough, dense coverage of Illustrator's real working core — paths, shapes, color, type, brushes, patterns and export×7
- Downloadable exercise files for every lesson plus 22 quizzes let you practice alongside the instructor×5
- Current editions (2024/2025) add generative AI features and keep pace with new Illustrator tools×4
- Useful even for experienced users as a refresher — a 17-year veteran still found new tricks×3
What frustrated learners
5- Exercises are instructor-led replications with no open creative brief, portfolio capstone or feedback on your work×6
- Standalone LinkedIn Learning subscription ($39.99/mo) is expensive for someone taking only this one course×6
- Certificate of completion is not accredited and carries limited weight with employers on its own×4
- The instructor's on-screen toolbars don't always match a default install, which can confuse beginners during assignments×3
- Dense and fast in places — some learners had to pause repeatedly to keep up×2
Real quotes from real users
“I have been working with illustrator for 17 years and I can´t believe the amount of tricks I didn't knew... I'M LOVING THIS COURSE!”
“Interesting and practical uses of Illustrator tools with easy to follow steps! Highly recommend.”
“Great course, very clear, lots of material. I absolutely recommend. It is very dense. I think one thing that could have also been helpful could have been some conceptual summary of how Illustrator 'thinks' and of tools by group, since there is a lot and Illustrator has some different workflows or logic behind some actions. But anyway, it doesn't take away from the course at all. I'm happy I took it.”
“This is a nice refresher course for someone who hasn't used Illustrator in a while. Good examples of advanced tools that weren't available a decade ago, i.e. the curvature tool.”
“It gave good examples, instructor was easy to understand, just needed some more practice sessions or more question examples.”
“It was good for beginners. I did have to pause a few times to catch up, but otherwise it was great!”
“Some of the toolbars were not like the instructors which he did not explain how to get all the tools on my toolbar for a specific assignment.”
“Very entertaining and well presented.”
“Taught by Tony Harmer, an accomplished educator, illustrator, and certified Adobe Creative Suite Master. If the course's rave reviews are anything to go by, this is a top-quality introduction to Adobe Illustrator.”
“While the course is suitable for beginners, some more experienced users may find that it covers familiar ground before moving onto more advanced topics.”
“A monthly subscription to LinkedIn Learning costs $19.99 if billed yearly or $39.99 if billed monthly. It's still a bargain that's more on the expensive side, and the certificates are not endorsed or recognized by third parties.”
“Videos are professionally made by industry experts. Reviews note that while there are many courses, not all are in-depth, and some students feel the subscription is expensive if not used often.”
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How we evaluated this
This review synthesizes 21 opinions collected across the public web. Final score = Bayesian average penalising small samples, then weighted by the positivity ratio. No paid placements, no hidden agenda.
- 14 from Official course platform
- 7 from Blogs