Customize your palette.

Import your own image (File > Place), or use the one provided from Adobe Stock, and then click a colored circle with the Selection tool. Grab the Eyedropper tool and click to sample colors from the image. Repeat this process to create a custom color palette inspired by a painting.

Pro tip: Visit Adobe Color to explore the visual tools you can use to select beautiful color palettes to import directly into Illustrator.

Fine-tune your colors.

Use the sliders on the Color panel (Window > Color) to adjust the colors even more. Add your colors to the Swatches panel (Window > Swatches) so you can reuse them later. To do this, click the folder button to create a group, and click to select the new folder. Then select a colored circle and click the + button to add the color to the group.

Pro tip: From the Swatches panel, you can add the color group to a library (Window > Libraries) to reuse it across projects.

Find your type.

Select some text with the Selection tool and click the Character dropdown menu in the Properties panel (Window > Properties). Use the Filters to locate specific font types, and then mouse over font names to preview different styles. You can also change the font style, sizing, and spacing in the Character panel, or use the Swatches panel to change its color.

Pro tip: Check out the Adobe Fonts website to explore font packs and trendy new typefaces. When you find a font you like, slide the Activate Font button to add it to your list.

Mix and match colors.

Select all the art with the Selection tool and choose Window > Color Guide. Then click the Edit or Apply colors button to open the Recolor Artwork panel. Then choose Edit or Assign and adjust the settings to explore new directions. Click Reset to restore the colors to their original state.

Pro tip: The Color Guide suggests themes using Harmony Rules (colors that work well together) based on the current color in the Tools panel. Use these to color artwork, or edit them as noted above.