Illustrator CS52011 DESE Summer Workshop Series

Download Files at: http://ashgrove.k12.mo.us/aghs/IllustratorWorkshop.htmlGo to Edit(Ctrl + K)/Preferences

General—your preference, big effect on nudging.Type—turn font preview off, if you have lots of fonts on your computer (ok for today).Units—Which do you prefer to use, I like inches so let’s change this one.Smart Guides—make sure transform tools are turned onAppearance of black—there is a difference between 100% black vs. Rich Black. 100% black would look washed out at printing. Change to Display Accurately and Output All Black as Rich Black.

Get familiar with the work area:

Name this Practice, Choose Print Profile and leave everything else the same.Open Black.ai from your downloaded files.

Control Panel:

Right under the word drop down menu: this area is always changing. Select Type tool and see.

Workspace Set up: If our monitors are big enough we are going to enlarge our pallets.Let’s start with making sure we have all selected ESSENTIALS (to right of word drop down menu).Click the Arrows @ top of the pallets to expand them.

Drag out Color Guide and delete.Drag out: Everything except for Color, Gradient, Stroke, andSwatches (We will expand all of those).Close Up: Appearance, Graphic Styles, Transparency, Brushes, Symbols, and Layers and re-dock on the left of Color.Go to Windows/Align and check.

Can name your file upfront Choose from different preset file types

o See different color, dpi, & size. Can have multiple Artboards

o All Same size at this point. Can change the orientation. Can add a bleed if you like. Various Templates you can use too.At the bottom, “Align New Object to Pixel Grid” is important if publishing to the web.

Shut down to expanded.

Drag out Pathfinder, Align, Transform and dock all with Artboards beside the tool box.Expand the tool box to make it a double wide. You can make it a free flow area if you like.

Save this work space as Your Last Name Workspace. Go up to where it said ESSENTIALS and Save Workspace.

Left Side Right Side Tools

Selection Tools

Object Drawing Tools

Transformation Tools

Color Options

Specific Generation Tools

Navigation Tools

Fill/Stroke

Draw Mode

Preview Mode

More than one document open (Practice and Black) you can choose how they are shown. Go to Window/Arrange (I prefer the Consolidate all Windows option, most of the time.) But, it is there if you need it.

Ruler and Guides:If the ruler is not on you can go to View/Ruler/Show Ruler (Ctrl + R) to see your ruler. You can also right mouse click on the ruler to change the values or make it a global ruler. Global Ruler Example: Make sure you are on the Practice file and lets create a new Artboard. Click the New Page button on your Artboard pallet.

Whichever Artboard you have selected the “0” on the ruler will change to the top left corner of that Artboard. To make it a Global Ruler, right mouse click on the ruler and change it to Global and that will give you the width of both documents including the space in between. I’ll change mine back to Artboard rulers.

While we are talking about Artboards, we will change the size of one and rename them. On the tools pallet see the tool that looks like a tick-tack-toe box and click on it. It brings us a whole new set of items on the control panel.

We can change the name of the Artboard here to Your Name and then we can change the size to 5 X 7 (can do this manually or use the W&H options on the control panel and then delete Artboard #2. To deselect the Artboard tool, click your “V” on your keyboard to get your “Selection Tool.” Just like a PDF file you can hit your spacebar to get the hand tool to move the document more into center (this doesn’t work with the Type tool selected).

Let’s get started and we are going to use the pen tool. So open: Pen Tool Practice.ai

Find Layers & Expand—Two Layers, bottom “Trace Layer” is locked. We will be drawing on the “Draw Layer.”We need to look at the stroke and fill options. Change the fill to “None” and the Stroke to “Red” at this time.

Use your “Z” key to zoom in on Pen Tool Area #1 if you like. This is also a good time to make sure your “Smart Guides” are on. Go to View/Smart Guides.

Pen Tool Practice

Pen Tool Area #1—Select your pen tool (I’m going to use the tear off) Start in the upper left corner and all you have to do is click and then shift click at the corners of the green object. The reason to hold down the shift key is to keep everything going in a straight line.

Once you have gotten back around to the top left corner the pen tool wants to close the path, so as you hover over the top left corner anchor the pen tool will give you a “0” instead of the “X”. Select the path and then you can change the fill color to a color of your choice and you have filled in the path.

You may want to use your space bar to move you over and Alt-Z-Click to Zoom out.

Pen Tool Area #2—If we don’t change the fill color to none it will give you a partial fill, so change fill color to none. Make sure your pen tool is selected, now we have to click and drag. We are going to create a Bezier Curve, which uses mathematical equations to draw curves. It is based on points and handles (length and direction handles do matter). What happens if you pull the handle the wrong way? (Ctrl+Z = your friend) We can always use the direct selection tool to manipulate anchors or handles after the fact if we need. You may want to erase that path and try again. Perfect practice makes perfect. We have been using the default stroke size of 1pt, you may change that if you like in the “Stroke Pallet.”Pen Tool Area #3—In the other two examples we have used just corner anchors or just curve anchors, this time we are going to make an anchor be both. The trick is to use your Alt key and then click on the anchor to make it become what you want it too. (FYI you can always make a corner point a curve and vise versa using this little trick).

Pen Tool Area #4—This time we are going to make a scallop or rolling hills path, in order to do this we have to break the handle and bring it back the same direction. In order to do this Alt + Click on the handle you wish to move. Direction and length are important as always on the handles.

2011 Trace—Tracing around font is always a good way to practice your skill. We will need to start at a corner point. Let’s start with the number one.

Now lets do the Zero, it will be easier than you think! Using the pen tool Click THEN hold down the shift key is very helpful. Top, Bottom, and about ½ way up each side are the places we will put our anchors.

The number two puts it all together and make take a little work to make it right.

Let’s Copy the #1 path and put it on the other #1. We can fill these, but we will need to make them a compound path in order to make the zero work right.

Feel free to go back and practice any of the practice area’s you need to feel comfortable with the pen tool.

Save your work and then close out of Pen Tool Practice.

Click on the Black Document and learn the difference between 100% black and Rich or Dense Black.

Shapes & Lines

Open: Shapes and lines.aiCreate a New Artboard and rename to: shape practicePractice Drawing Each ShapeWith the tool selected if you just click and let go it brings up a dialogue box.If you hit the Alt and Ctrl key it will give you different options with the star toolOn the polygon and star tool you can change the number of sides on the fly by clicking up or down arrow.The ones in the bottom corners are single objects that are rotated and duplicated.

Pattern Fill and Multiple StrokesCreate a new ArtboardDraw a green ballDrag the green ball onto the Swatches Pallet, you have just created an object as a swatch.Draw a rectangle the size of your artboard.Drag your symbol onto the fill area of the tool pallet.You just filled your rectangle with a pattern.Lets scale it. Hit your “S” key on your keyboards then your enter key. Type in 95% and hit ok. Now Ctrl +D to Duplicate this effect. What happens?Ctrl +Z to undo all your scales. Now, scale it again, this time uncheck object and it will now just scale the pattern.Now Ctrl + D till you get the size you want.

Now one of the coolest features the multiple stroke.Open up the Appearance Panel and now with the rectangle selected go to the more options area and add New Stroke.The stacking order is of importance here, just like layers the top stroke should be the smaller one, so that it can be seen.

Helpful Hint: If you want to do add multiple strokes to text you will have to create them into a compound path and not live text, imagine the possibilities.

Dashed Dragon

On your practice document we are going to learn how to use: Arc Line or Pen Tool (review)Rotate ToolJoin FunctionDashed Lines ArrowheadsVariable Width ToolEllipse ToolPolygon or Star ToolPen + ToolDirect Selection ToolAnd Grouping (Ctrl + G)

While we draw a dashed dragon. Everybody’s dragon will be differentAnd there are NO right or wrong ways to draw a dragon, so I will be giving general guidelines and it will be time to use the Power of Play right here and now.

In outline view: CS5 vs. CS4

Tomato

Open: Tomato.ai

We are going to learn how to use:

Blob ToolLive TraceGradient Mesh ToolEye Dropper

Again this one is definitely a Power of Play time.

Cartoon Sketch

Open: Cartoon Sketch.ai

We are going to learn how to use:Shape Builder ToolPen – ToolFill ToolDirect Selection Tool

This incredible tool in CS5 is so simple I hate to waste a page for directions!

Notes:

Green Balls

Open: Green Balls.aiWe are going to learn how to use:Move Tool, Scale Tool, Gradient Tool, Compound Path, Scale and Stroke Effects, Snap to Grid andAlign Functions: Artboard & Selection

#1 Create a series of green balls(Move tool with a copy) and evenly distribute them (Align Fuction). Along with making them get progressively smaller (Scale @90%).

#2 Add a gradient to each

#3 Duplicate (we will have four total lines when we are finished).#4 Make the duplicate set into a compound path and now the gradient goes through the entire set.If you release from Compound path it will take it back to an individual gradient.

#5 Duplicate this line and then add a stroke. Click More Options on the Transform tool and toggle off “Scale Stoke and Effect” and scale the set down, Now duplicate this set and toggle it back on and see the difference.

#6 Duplicate a set and now we are going to use the Snap to grid function. Show the grid by going to View/Show Grid. Then move the green balls in an aesthetic arch.

Various Tools

Open a new Artboard on your Practice document.

Envelope Distort:Key the Word Stop in a bulky font (I used Impact). Draw a polygon and make a copy of it. Select Stop and a polygon and then Go to Object/Envelope Distort/Make withTop Object. Now your words should be in form of a stop sign. Color in the other polygon with a color of your choosing and then put the words on top of the object (might have to arrange bring to front).

Key Yield and Draw a Triangle (duplicate)…See steps above

Key Go and Draw a Circle (duplicate)…See steps above

Using the Envelope Distort with Warp works basically like Word Art in MicrosoftWord.

Using the Envelope Distort with Mesh works like the warp tool in Photoshop.See below:

Symbol Sprayer

Open the Symbol Pallet and select your Symbol Sprayer and you can add any symbol that Illustrator has to your Artboard.

If you don’t see symbols you like, go to more options and then symbols library to see many other options.

I painted the house, but then used the Symbol Styler Tool after I opened my Graphics Styles Pallet and then you can paint a graphic style to your symbol. You may want to the Graphics Style Library for more options.

Clipping Mask

Open: Shapes and Lines.ai

Copy and paste the item from the lower left corner of my example to your artboard and then group them together. Select your ellipse tool, Alt+ Click and then drag on the center of the star to draw a circle from the center it can have any stroke or fill. We are going to use the circle to get rid of the sharp edges of our star. Select the star and the circle both (hold down shift key). Then go to Object/Clipping Mask/Make and you now should have a star with no sharp points. This is non-destructive all you have to do is release the clipping mask and you have your pointy star back.

Perspective

Open: A Blank Document and choose print style.

We are going to learn how to use:Perspective ToolEffects

Click on the Perspective Grid Tool

Any adjustments to the perspective grid can be done now, 1, 2, or 3 point perspective grids can be brought up. Key in the word TRUE in a Myriad Pro font type. We will now grab the perspective selection tool and we will move the word TRUE to the Blue side. We can even scale at this point.

Now Key in the word TYPE and follow the same directions except put it on the orange side. We will roughly match them up.

Helpful hints: When you put type on the perspective grid it becomes a path and is no longer directly editable as a text.

You also need to choose fill and stroke before you put them on the grid.

#’s 1,2,3,4 on the keyboard change the perspective points.

You can add shapes or any previously created elements also.

Select one of the words with the Perspective Selection Tool and then go to Effects and add an effect to your word. I chose scribble.