How to Create a Vector T-Shirt Mockup Template in Adobe Illustrator

Do you need a T-shirt vector template for your next design project or clothing brand? In this tutorial, you will learn how to use the Mesh Tool in Adobe Illustrator to create a T-shirt mockup vector template!

If you're wondering what can you do if you don't have Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop, but you still need a T-shirt template, scroll down after the tutorial to know more about Placeit, and how to make a shirt mockup right in your browser.

What You Will Learn in This Vector T-Shirt Tutorial

• How to create a T-shirt template in Illustrator from scratch


• How to make a T-shirt template vector using the Mesh Tool
  


• How to change colors in a T-shirt vector


• How to make a shirt mockup in a web browser

Additional Tutorial Assets

• 
  T-shirt design template ready to download from GraphicRiver
  


• Learn how to apply patterns to these T-shirt mockup templates in this tutorial
  


• Get T-shirt mockup PSD templates for Photoshop if you prefer

1. How to Draw a T-Shirt Mockup Template

Step 1

To begin your T-shirt mockup in Illustrator, let's learn how to use the Mesh Tool while creating a photo-realistic T-shirt!

Begin by drawing the shape of half of a shirt with the Pen Tool (P). Fill it in with #F3F3F3.

Create a copy of the shape! Put it aside—we will need it later.

Let's start using a Mesh! Take the Mesh Tool (U)
and start creating a Mesh grid on the object by placing nodes.
Afterwards, select the nodes on the left edge of the shirt and
change their color to #B7B7B7.

Add some more nodes, as indicated in the screenshot below, and color the selected nodes with #F4F4F4, adding wrinkles to the shirt.

Step 2

Continue coloring the nodes in the T-shirt vector as indicated below. Use these colors:

1. #DFDFDF


2. #E3E3E3


3. #F7F7F7


4. 
   #B9B9B9
   
   

Step 3

Take the second copy of the shirt vector, reflect it, and continue coloring.

1. #F3F3F3


2. #B7B7B7


3. #D9D9D9


4. 
   #EEEEEE
   
   

Step 4

Finish the second half of the shirt vector. Your T-shirt mockup in Illustrator is halfway there.

1. #CFCFCF


2. #C4C4C4


3. #B9B9B9


4. 
   #E3E3E3
   
   

Step 5

Draw a sleeve for your T-shirt vector.

1. #EAEAEA


2. #BDBDBD


3. #B6B6B6


4. #CFCFCF


5. #DADADA


6. 
   #BDBDBD
   
   

Step 6

We'll make the collar of your T-shirt template in Illustrator:

1. #E9E9E9


2. #C0C0C0


3. #F4F4F4

Step 7

Bend the Mesh into a collar with Effect > Warp > Arc, using -85% Bend.

Object > Expand Appearance of the result.

Step 8

Draw the second part of the shirt vector's collar.

1. #6A6A6A


2. #979797

Step 9

Combine the collar parts of your T-shirt mockup vector:

Step 10

Assemble the T-shirt mockup vector!

2. How to Recolor the T-Shirt Mockup Template

Step 1

Your basic T-shirt mockup in Illustrator is done. Now, to get all the colors you can see in the thumbnail, create three more copies of the white shirt template vector we just made.

Grab a copy and proceed to Edit > Edit Colors > Adjust Colors. Change the tab to Greyscale and apply 32% Black. Don't forget to tick the Convert box.

Step 2

Create two more copies of the grey shirt mockup we just made. Grab the original and recolor it with Edit > Edit Colors > Adjust Colors.

This time, change the tab to RGB and apply 18% Red, -30% Green, and -26% Blue. Don't forget to tick the Convert box.

Step 3

Take another copy and essentially repeat the last step by going to Edit > Edit Colors > Adjust Colors, changing the tab to RGB and applying 6% Red, 13% Green, and -60% Blue.

Step 4

Take the final copy and convert it to orange with 27% Red, -5% Green, and -41% Blue.

Step 5

Grab one of the original white T-Shirt template vectors and convert it to Grayscale with 40% Black.

Step 6

Recolor the grey T-shirt template vector to cyan with -9% Red, 20% Green, and 16% Blue.

Step 7

Take the last white shirt vector copy and turn it black with 63% Black.

Step 8

Create a copy of the black T-Shirt mockup and recolor it to dark red with 9% Red, -9% Green, and -7% Blue.

Step 9

Congratulations! Your colorful set of T-shirt mockup templates is done!

Awesome Work!

Your T-shirt template in Illustrator is now ready. What now? You can try any of my other tutorials from my profile, or check out my portfolio on GraphicRiver, as well as the original shirts collection we recreated in this tutorial.

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial, and I'll be extremely happy to see your results in the comments below!

How to Create a T-Shirt Mockup Without Illustrator

You've learned how to make a shirt mockup using Illustrator. But what if you don't have any design software installed, or you don't know how to use it?

Here's where Placeit comes in handy. Placeit is an online T-shirt mockup generator. This means you don't need any specialized software—you can create amazing T-shirt templates right in your browser.

Placeit has the largest selection of premium T-shirt templates, with thousands of T-shirt mockup models to choose from. 

And it's really easy to use. Just sign up, create your amazing T-shirt mockup vector, and make a single purchase of your design. Alternatively, if you're an avid graphic designer or you're about to launch your own clothing brand, you can get a subscription with unlimited mockup downloads!

Discover More Amazing T-Shirt Template Inspiration

Hungry for more? Explore these resources below to learn how to make a shirt mockup in our online mockup generator, and get more T-shirt mockup vector inspiration:

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