Illustrator Comprehensive -

Course Description

Discover high quality drawing and illustration with Adobe Illustrator. You will start with an overview of Illustrator and work on lessons that will step you into a greater skill level. Discover the unique features of Illustrator, including how to create logos, professional type effects, complex airbrush effects and color control.

Course Outline

Introduction from the instructor. Class overview. Post class student support program explanation and access information.

Lesson 1: Getting to know the work area.
Using the Welcome Screen; Opening a file; The Tools panel; Working with panels; Using viewing options to control the Document window; Navigating multiple artboards and documents; Using Illustrator Help

Lesson 2: Selecting and Aligning
Selection tools; Grouping and ungrouping items; Working in isolation mode; Smart guides; Cloning with the Selection tool; Locking and hiding items; Saving selections; Aligning basic shapes.

Lesson 3: Creating and Editing Shapes
Documents with multiple artboards; Using tools and commands to create basic shapes; Using rulers and smart guides as aids; Scaling and supplicating objects; Join and outline objects; Using Pathfinder commands to create shapes; Using Live Trace to create shapes.

Lesson 4: Transforming Objects
Add and edit artboards in an existing document; Selecting objects individually, in groups or partially; Moving, rotating and scaling objects; Working with smart guides; Reflect, shear and distort objects; perspective adjustments; Distortion filters; precise object placement; Repeat transformations quickly and easily.

Lesson 5: Drawing with the Pen and Pencil Tools
Straight lines; Template layers; End path segments and split lines; Curved lines; Select and adjust curve segments; Using the Pencil tool.

Lesson 6: Color and Painting
Using color modes and color controls: Create, edit, and paint with colors using the Control panel and shortcuts; Name and save colors, create color groups, and build a color palette; Use the color guide panel and the Edit Colors/Recolor Artwork features

Lesson 7: Working with Type
Import text; Create columns of type; Change text attributes; Use and save styles; Sample type; Wrapping text; Reshape text with warp; Creating text on paths and shapes; Create type outlines.

Lesson 8: Working with Layers
Working with the layer panel; Create, rearrange, and lock layers, nested layers, and groups; Move objects between layers; Paste layers of objects between files; Merging layers; Apply drop shadow to a layer; Make a layer clipping mask; Apply an appearance attribute to objects and layers; Isolate content in a layer.

Lesson 9: Blending Shapes and Colors
Create and save gradients; Add colors to a gradient; Adjusting the direction of a gradient blend; Creating smooth color blends between objects; Blend the shape of objects in intermediate steps; Modify a blend, it’s path, shape and color.

Lesson 10: Working with Brushes
The Blob Brush tool and the Eraser tool; Use the four brush types: Art, Caligraphic, Pattern and Scatter; Adjusting brush color and settings.

Lesson 11: Applying Effects
Use Pathfinder and Distort & Transform effects; Use Photoshop effects to add texture to objects; Use warp effects to create a banner logotype; Creating 3D artwork from 2D artwork; Map artwork to the faces of 3D objects.

Lesson 12: Applying Appearance Attributes and Graphic Styles
Create and edit an appearance attribute; Add a second stroke to an object; Reorder appearance attributes and apply them to layers; Copy, turn on/off, and remove appearance attributes; Save an appearance as a graphic style; Apply a graphic style to an object and layer; Apply multiple graphic styles to an object or layer.

Lesson 13: Combining Illustrator Graphics with Other Adobe Applications
Vector vs Bitmap graphics; Placing embedded Photoshop graphics in and Illustrator file; Creating clipping masks from compound paths; Making an opacity mask to display part of an image; Sample color in a placed image; Replace a placed image with another, and update the document; Export a layered file to Photoshop; Place an Illustrator files in Indesign, Flash and Flex.

Lesson 14: Output
Understanding different printing requirements and devices; Know different printing concepts and terminology; Apply basic color principles; Separate color output for output to print; Use spot colors for two-color printing; Discuss saving and printinting files with transparency effects; Create files in PDF, EPS and more.
 

Course Prerequisites

This class assumes you have working knowledge of computers and operating systems. It is assumed you know how to use your mouse, the standard menu and commands and how to open and save files. If you are bringing your own computer, make sure you have the version software that is being taught in the class. In the event that you are not knowledgeable in the use of computers, the instructor will not be able to take time away from the other students to teach you. One-on-one tutoring is available for a fee.