How do you create THIS texture?!?!?!?!?!

In Illustrator with a two fill object one a base color and the other a transparent gradient with the Effect Sponge applied to the gradient fill

Yiou can control the size of the effect pattern

(THIS POST HS NOTHING TO DO WITH ILLUSTRATOR)

Did this poster, today  (painted up in PS, after creating all the linework in Illy) :

detail:

Used these 3 grungy spraypaint lookin' splatter splotchies as a PS brush with 100% Angle Jitter, nothing more:

Have at it!

In Photoshop I would probably use a Hard Mix-Pattern Layer and a Gradient Map to get a similar result.

This would be another example, just finer texture:

It's an old technique, where sign artists, etc would probably take spray paint and spray the noisy, gradient texture over masked off portions of the canvas/sign. I've been meaning to try this style for some time now - digitally of course.

The style relies on a lot of smart shape-play and nice colors. Your posted example is a great one.

I would also default to Photoshop for such a thing, though. So much easier to just brush on this type of texture to a layer with it's transparency locked. Draw everything in Illy, but then save out a layered PSD for finishing in PS.

If you are referring to the spoon for example I would be inclined to recommend doing that in Photoshop.

But I suppose a Scatter Brush could be employed in Illustrator.