Illustrator 101: Rookie

We will assume little or no prior knowledge of Illustrator in this course but you should have a basic working knowledge of either the Windows or Mac interface as well as exposure to either Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint.

• Draw and understand Bezier curves
• The root of drawing in Illustrator
• Create a logo using simple shapes
• Accurately place and measure objects in the Illustration window
• Trace and Colour your hand drawn artwork with Live Trace
• Live Paint and Live Colour
• Save illustrations for both print and web purposes

The Adobe Illustrator environment

• Creating new documents for print or web
• Managing a custom workspace
• Navigation and scroll shortcuts
• Outline’ and ‘preview’ modes
• Using grids and guidelines
• Using ‘smart guides’

Working with colour

• Using the ‘swatches’ and ‘colour’ windows
• Understanding ‘stroke’ and ‘fill’ attributes
• Using the ‘stroke’ window
• Gradients and patterns

Drawing in Illustrator:

• Using the shape tools
• Drawing with the line tools
• Drawing with the pen tools
• Pen tool shortcuts
• Editing a drawn path
• Understanding Bézier curves
• Transforming tools
• The ‘warp tool’ flyout
• Symbols in Illustrator
• Creating a logo
• Drawing a tin can
• Drawing a spoked wheel

Images in Illustrator

• Importing images
• Turning bitmap data into vector

Lasso select

• The align and distribute commands
• Using the ‘group’ and ‘duplicate’ commands
• Hiding and locking layer objects
• Using ‘isolation mode’
• Compund paths
• Clipping masks

Text in Illustrator

• Adding ‘point’ type
• Adding ‘area’ type
• Adding type to a vector path
• Spell check
• Find and replace text
• Creating type outlines

Outputting from Illustrator

• Saving Illustrator artwork
• Defining a crop area
• Exporting art in non-vector formats