Seems like only yesterday I was putting together the Top 40 Design & Illustration Posts of 2014. How time flies... it's 2016 already! 

This year, we've seen a few new things worth mentioning before we get into our top 40 from the Design & Illustration section in 2015:

• We've had a small change to our name... from Tuts+ to Envato Tuts+. This is so we're more aligned with our parent company, Envato (who most will know from Envato Market).
• We hit the landmark 500 courses... in fact, at time of writing, we've smashed this and currently have over 670 video courses!
• We've created many new learning guides including the awesome ...in 60 Seconds series, Careers in Design & Illustration and Adobe Photoshop for Kids.
• Diversity has been at the forefront of our themes and aims on Envato Tuts+, as it should be with all education. We've been kicking off content with worldwide themes with Global Influences, and publishing content with a variety of gender and LGBTQI themes.
• Halloween this year was filled with content on The Wizard of Oz instead of the usual ghouls. It was so much fun organising it that we're planning our next movie week in January... Hint: it might be the one that you want!

So enough with patting ourselves on the back—let's get into this Top 40. 

The Top 40 Design & Illustration Posts of 2015

In no specific order, these are the posts our readers loved in 2015.

• 
  Post-Processing
  Facebook JPEG Compression: How to Get the Best Image Quality on Your Timeline
  Marie Gardiner
• 
  Photo Manipulation
  Make a Trendy Double Exposure Effect in Adobe Photoshop
  Yulia Sokolova
• 
  Text Effects
  How to Create a Realistic Neon Light Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop
  Rose
• 
  Drawing Theory
  10 Drawing Myths That Block Your Progress
  Monika Zagrobelna
• 
  Adobe Illustrator
  10 Essential Tips & Tools All Adobe Illustrator Beginners Should Learn
  Sharon Archer-Thomas
• 
  Drawing Theory
  Why Is It So Hard to Draw From Imagination? Here's How to Do It!
  Monika Zagrobelna
• 
  Icon Design
  How to Create Stylish Flat Space Icons in Adobe Photoshop
  Yulia Sokolova
• 
  Text Effects
  How to Create a Clean, Glossy Plastic Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop
  Rose
• 
  Hand Lettering
  Hand Lettering: Mastering Brush Script
  Scott Biersack
• 
  Wallpapers
  Create a Dimensional Raindrop Desktop Wallpaper Illustration in Adobe Illustrator
  Mary Winkler
• 
  Text Effects
  Create an Easy 3D Metallic Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop
  Rose
• 
  Illustration
  How to Create a Flat Grayscale Cityscape in Adobe Illustrator
  Yulia Sokolova
• 
  Text Effects
  Create a 3D Retro Text Effect Using Layer Styles in Adobe Photoshop
  Rose
• 
  Digital Painting
  How to Paint Realistic Eyes in Adobe Photoshop
  Alice Catrinel Ciobotaru
• 
  Portrait
  How to Create a Stylized Captain’s Portrait in Adobe Illustrator
  Yulia Sokolova
• 
  Brushes
  How to Create Custom Water Splash Brushes in Adobe Photoshop
  Kirk Nelson
• 
  Patterns
  Create a Crazy Sticker Bombing Seamless Pattern in Adobe Illustrator
  Yulia Sokolova
• 
  Font Design
  The Basics of Drawing Type & Creating Your Own Handwritten Font
  Grace Fussell
• 
  Illustration
  How to Create a Bouquet of Spring Flowers in Adobe Illustrator
  Nataliya Dolotko
• 
  Hand Lettering
  Hand Lettering: How to Vector Your Letterforms
  Scott Biersack
• 
  Typography
  The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Chinese Fonts
  Kendra Schaefer
• 
  Photo Manipulation
  Create a Fantasy Landscape Matte Painting in Adobe Photoshop
  Jenny Le
• 
  Drawing
  How to Learn to Draw: Stage One, Manual Skills
  Monika Zagrobelna
• 
  Text Effects
  How to Create a Stencil Banner Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop
  Rose
• 
  Text Effects
  How to Create a Quick Sketch Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop
  Rose
• 
  Brushes
  Quick Tip: How to Create a Pencil Pattern Brush in Adobe Illustrator
  Andrei Marius
• 
  Text Effects
  How to Create a Quick Sparkling Diamonds Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop
  Rose
• 
  Layer Masks
  How to Create and Use Luminosity Masks in Adobe Photoshop
  Kirk Nelson
• 
  Text Effects
  How to Create a Glowing Metal Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop
  Rose
• 
  Logo Design
  Create a Retro Logotype on a Blurred Background in Adobe Illustrator
  Yulia Sokolova
• 
  Text Effects
  Create a Quick and Simple 3D Sticker Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop
  Rose
• 
  Drawing
  How to Draw a Stick Figure: a Complex Guide
  Monika Zagrobelna
• 
  Drawing
  Quick Tip: Clean Up Your Traditional Drawings in Photoshop
  Monika Zagrobelna
• 
  Graphic Design
  Understanding Adobe Illustrator's Grid System
  Andrei Stefan
• 
  Digital Painting
  10 Basic Mistakes in Digital Painting and How to Fix Them
  Monika Zagrobelna
• 
  Photo Effects
  Create a Taylor Swift "Style" Inspired Double Exposure Effect in Photoshop
  Kirk Nelson
• 
  Adobe Photoshop
  Free Alternatives to Adobe Creative Cloud
  Mary Winkler
• 
  Logo Design
  Team Awesome: From Hand-Lettered Logotype to Vector in Adobe Illustrator
  Roberlan Borges
• 
  Photo Manipulation
  Create a Funny Surreal Underground Scene With Adobe Photoshop
  Jenny Le
• 
  Animals
  Create a Cute Deer Illustration in Adobe Illustrator
  Ioana Sopov

Happy New Year and All the Best for 2016!

Did your favourite get into the top 40? Did we miss it? Share with us in the comments. While you're at it, is there something you want to learn in 2016? No matter how niche or specific it is, please tell us.

On behalf of the instructors of Design & Illustration and the Envato Tuts+ team, I'd like to wish you all a Happy New Year and all the best for 2016. Let's hope this is your year!