using photoshop with illustrator...

This may get a bit messy, but here's the basic process:

Importing vector images

1. open photoshop
2. file - open - select your illustrator file - open
3. pop-up window will ask you about resolution & file size - choose 300dpi and make the file size somewhere around 8x10" so it's not an enormous file
4. it may take a moment to rasterize your vector image, but it will pop open a new window with your work visible
5. save your file as a .psd (photoshop document, which preserves layers)

Selecting shapes

1. use the wand tool to select your shapes
2. adjust the tolerance to select more or less (default is 32)
3. click on the shape that you want selected
4. if you want more shapes to be selected also, hold shift and select again with wand
5. to deselect, hit apple D

Importing textures

1. file - open - select your texture scans or photo
2. these will open in new windows
3. select all (apple A) and copy texture
4. click back to the day of blood file
5. paste texture (apple V)
6. this adds the texture as a new layer

Using opacity, blending modes & inverse selection to create texture as an overlay

1. select the layer which has the original drawing (click in the layers palette)
2. use the wand tool to select the shape you want to add texture to
3. go to select - inverse
4. now everything but that shape is selected
5. in the palette layer, select the layer of the appropriate texture - shape selection should still be visible
6. hit delete, and all the negative space of the texture will vanish, leaving only texture in the shape of your drawing
7. on the palette layer, adjust opacity & blending modes until you're satisfied

So you wish your texture didn't have color?

1. in your original texture file, go to image menu - mode - grayscale
2. this tosses out the color info, and allows you to add texture as a grayscale value image

Saving work files

1. save your project as a .psd which preserves the layers
2. when you go to post it online, you need to flatten layers & save as a .jpg (layer menu - flatten, then save as)

That should give you plenty to play with. Keep in mind that you'll be submitting the original illustrator drawing, this .psd with texture, and an actual hand made collage next week, so we can compare the three versions.