Illustrator Basics
Unleash the power of the industry-standard vector drawing tool for print and the Web
Adobe Illustrator is a powerful and versatile tool for creating illustrations, logos, and graphics for print and the Web. By tapping the power of vector software, you can produce detailed and scalable art for almost any application.
In this 6-lesson course, you'll build a solid foundation in Adobe Illustrator, learning from a master teacher. You'll start with a tour of important menus, tools, and panels, then explore selection tools, drawing tools, layers, the Pen tool (a lesson unto itself) as well as transformations/distortions, type tools, and modifying paths and shapes.
Hands-on class projects will include a robot, a CD cover, photo tracing, a postcard, a bus ad, and a visual identity. You'll be surprised how quickly you begin to master this challenging but rewarding software application.
Tuition: $900 US
Course Instructor(s):
Requirements:
- Computer with Internet connection (56 Kbps modem or faster).
- Adobe Illustrator CS4 or CS5.
Course Objectives:
- Work efficiently in the Adobe Illustrator environment with various modes, panels, and settings.
- Use the full range of shape drawing and freehand drawing tools to build illustrations.
- Apply fill and stroke colors to objects created with the drawing tools.
- Develop attractive illustrations using advanced selection, organization, and drawing tools.
- Use the full range of transformation and distortion tools to accurately modify objects' shapes.
- Draw accurate vector objects using the Pen tool and its associated features.
- Use the various type tools, and apply wrap, flow, shape, and path modifications to typography.
- Design an advertisement using appropriate typography, drawing tools, and a clipping mask to contain the art within a shape.
- Align multiple objects with the Align panel and create complex shapes from simple objects with the Pathfinder panel and Shape Builder tool.
- Design a logo using the appropriate tools and features covered throughout the course.
Course Outline
LESSON 1 Getting to Know Illustrator
Lesson One unpacks all the goodies in the Illustrator toolkit. You'll learn how to create and save files, access basic panels and drawing tools, manage your workspace, and select colors with the Live Color feature. An overview of selecting shapes, creating fill colors and stroke outlines, and working with different views and magnification sets up for your first project, in which you design your own robot.
LESSON 2 Advanced Selection, Organizing, and Painting
True Illustrator mastery comes from the ability to quickly select and manipulate any detail in your artwork. Lesson Two equips you for this task with a focus on direct selection, anchor points, pasting, and grouping. You'll learn how to use drawing aids such as the ruler, guides, and smart guides. Drawing tools including the Paintbrush, Pencil, Smooth, and Eraser tools are explored along with the handy Live Paint feature. The lesson culminates with tips on how to organize your work in layers and create templates. A CD cover project gives you the chance to apply this knowledge.
LESSON 3 Transformations and Distortions
Transformation tools give you the ability to rotate, reflect, and twist your artwork, reconfiguring or expanding a motif and moving elements around the artboard at will. Lesson Three explores a variety of tools for transforming and distorting your designs. We'll discuss how to transform, scale, shear, and reshape your artwork... or even liquify it! The project is a promotional zoo postcard.
LESSON 4 Of Path and Pen Tools
Lesson Four tackles the mighty Pen tool, a daunting learning curve for most Illustrator users (no pun intended). You'll learn how to draw all types of paths, straight or curved, open or closed, adding and manipulating anchor points to create specific effects. You'll learn tips and techniques for smooth curves, including using the Convert Anchor Point tool. The Scissors and Knife tools are explored for cutting and carving to give you in flexibility in editing and creating detail in your designs. In the exercise, you'll create an illustration based on a photographic image.
LESSON 5 Working with Type
Sooner or later, most of your designs will incorporate the written word. Lesson Five gives you a grounding in the tools that make Illustrator a great text layout application. You'll explore the Type tool, learning how to create text boxes, resize type, wrap text around images, create vertical columns or fill shapes with text, adjust leading and kerning, and make your type follow paths. Just watch it go! You'll also learn to use styles to help automate your text formatting in large documents. In the exercise, you'll design the type for a bus ad.
LESSON 6 Modifying and Combining Objects
How's your alignment? In Illustrator, alignment tools are key to adding a final gloss and polish to your compositions. Lesson Six kicks off with an exploration of how to arrange objects and anchor points on your artboard, grouping and spacing elements. Different options in the all-powerful Pathfinder panel are discussed as a means of creating complex new shapes out of simpler lines and objects. You'll also learn how the Shape Builder tool takes on similar tasks. And a final discussion of modifying and combining paths and shapes leaves you with options to edit and shape any aspect of your artwork. The final project is a visual identity design that integrates everything you've learned in the course.
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