Generate vector art with Concept to Vector in Illustrator

Use style and match settings to shape a sketch into editable artwork, then refine and show it in context using Boards.

Published September 15, 2026

00:01

Introduction and meet Dave Clayton

[Dave Clayton]: I've always wondered if there's a better way to get my sketch in a sketchbook to an editable design on screen.

Hi, I'm Dave Clayton, I'm a graphic designer of 30 plus years, I'm an author and Adobe Learn Instructor.

And today, let's explore that exactly together.

We've already got the idea on paper, now it's time to see how Adobe Illustrator's Concept to Vector feature can help us jumpstart vector artwork into polished, editable vectors.

Here's our original sketch I've drawn for a vegetarian food truck character, Veggie Vibes.

You can see it's a rough sketch if we zoom in a little bit closer.

Now if you've been using Illustrator for a while, your first instinct might be exactly the same as mine.

Should I just Image Trace this?

Image Trace has been a fantastic tool for years when you already have artwork that's ready to convert into vectors.

But this sketch is still an idea.

The proportions are loose and this is all part of the creative process.

00:57

Turn a sketch into vector artwork instead of tracing it

Concept to Vector approaches that challenge very differently.

Instead of tracing every pencil line it helps us interpret the idea and generate editable vector artwork that's ready to refine.

To access the Concept to Vector panel it's under Window > Concept to Vector.

This instantly has more visual settings than the Conceptual taskbar but you can still open the panel from the taskbar by clicking on the gear to access some of the main controls and more importantly see how many credits this will use depending on which model you choose.

Before we generate anything, it's worth taking a moment to look at the options available because these have a big influence on the final result.

For this project I'm going to choose Drawing as I want to preserve as much of the personality from the original sketch as possible.

You'll see as we select each option, the Conceptual taskbar recognises this.

You'll also see this choice creates a prompt.

You can edit this prompt, but you'll notice the Drawing icon is no longer selected.

You've just enhanced the basic prompt for this.

The other controls allow us to influence how close the Illustrator follows the original drawing, so let's look at the Match Reference setting.

We can go for less of a match.

Or more.

If your sketch is already quite refined you'll probably want Illustrator to stay fairly faithful to it with more.

If it's much rougher you can allow more interpretation and explore some different creative directions by selecting less.

We then select our model of choice.

I'm going to go with Gemini which uses 40 credits per generation.

We don't want Raster Output so we'll leave that alone.

Then click Generate and let's see what Illustrator comes back with.

This is a great starting point and the result I'm happy with and looking for: a refined version of my sketch with subtle changes.

Rather than simply tracing the sketch, Illustrator has generated clean vector artwork while keeping the character's personality of the original idea.

03:01

Compare generation styles to find the right look

Let's just quickly look at an alternative result by changing a few settings and generate again.

Looking at one more option, if I switch over to Line Art, you can immediately see how the style changes the artwork becomes cleaner and simpler making it a great option for icons, badges, or more minimal logo styles but doesn't quite catch all the features as well as the drawing so I'd need to recreate some of the details.

By all means experiment to get the result that you like.

Once we found a version we're happy with, everything is fully editable Illustrator artwork from here it's the workflow most Illustrator users already know and all we need to do now is apply some swatches.

For this vegetarian food truck I'm using some bright and eye-catching colors to give the character a fun and friendly personality.

Within just a few minutes we've gone from a rough pencil sketch to a polished vector character ready to become part of a brand.

Now comes my favorite part: Firefly Boards.

Designing a logo or character is one thing, but helping someone imagine it in the real world is something else entirely.

04:14

Bring the finished artwork into Boards to show the artwork in context

I've copied and pasted the finished artwork from Illustrator straight into Adobe Firefly Boards.

From here we can quickly explore branding ideas like a food truck, staff aprons and takeaway packaging with simple prompts.

Instead of looking at a logo sitting on a blank artboard, we're now telling the story of the brand and exploring how it might live across different touch points.

Now, I prefer longer descriptive prompts to help dial in the look that I'm going for and it gives a much better result and a lot faster.

I've provided these prompts in the project files for you to use.

Whether you're presenting ideas to a client or simply exploring concepts for yourself it's a fantastic way to communicate your vision much earlier in the creative process.

Now, why stop with the static visual when you can also show your client an idea for an animated mascot?

Some models can generate audio too, although I haven't selected that option here.

Concept to Vector isn't about replacing creativity, it's about shortening the journey between that first spark of an idea and then something you can build on.

The sketch provides the idea and Illustrator helps us explore it.

Then it's over to us to decide what's next.

I'm Dave Clayton.

Thanks for watching and enjoy using Concept to Vector in Adobe Illustrator.

What you’ll learn

Turn a sketch into vector artwork instead of tracing it

Concept to Vector interprets a rough sketch and generates editable vector artwork, rather than tracing every line the way Image Trace does. Settings like style and match reference control how closely the result follows the original sketch.

Compare generation styles to find the right look

Switching between styles like Drawing and Line Art changes the character and detail of the result. Drawing preserves more of the sketch's personality, while Line Art produces a cleaner, more minimal option suited to icons or badges.

Bring finished artwork into Boards to show the artwork in context

Paste the finished vector artwork into Firefly Boards to see how a logo or character could look across real-world touch points like a food truck, staff aprons, and packaging. Use descriptive prompts to help shape the direction.

Bonus tip: Some models can also generate an animated version of the mascot, with audio as an option too.

Instruction and design by: Dave Clayton

Try these tutorials with Illustrator

Create illustrations and other graphics with vectors.

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Cookies are small text files stored by your web browser when you use websites. There are also other technologies that can be used for similar purposes like HTML5 Local Storage, web beacons, and embedded scripts. These technologies help us do things like remembering you and your preferences when you return to our sites, measure how you use the website, conduct market research, and gather information about the ads you see and interact with.

If enabled:

We can improve your experience by tailoring the site and the content to things we think might be of interest
We can better keep track of your preferences — like what language you prefer to use
We will better understand your likely interests so we can provide you more relevant Adobe ads and content on non-Adobe websites and in non-Adobe apps
It will help us improve the performance of our website and those of our partners who use the Adobe Experience Cloud

If disabled:

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View transcript

What you’ll learn

Turn a sketch into vector artwork instead of tracing it

Compare generation styles to find the right look

Bring finished artwork into Boards to show the artwork in context

Try these tutorials with Illustrator