Adobe Illustrator: Introduction

Course Outline

What is vector art? The Adobe Illustrator essentials: interface, preferences, navigation and toolbox.
Step-by-step Tutorial 1: Tracing a vector image. Drawing essential shapes including lines, shapes, bezier curves and paths; strokes, fills and gradient fills; smart guides; combining paths; layers; creating outlines from a path; colour, stroke & gradient panels.

Step-by-step Tutorial 2: Drawing complex shapes and tracing a bitmap template. Includes: importing a bitmap template to trace; creation and manipulation of geometric and hand drawn shapes; aligning multiple objects; power duplication; bezier curves; layers; use of guides; rotation; scaling; grouping; selection methods; sampling colours from a bitmap image; saving and using custom colour swatches; compound paths; the appearance panel; preview modes.

Step-by-step Tutorial 2: continued

Step-by-step Tutorial 3: Hand customising type in Illustrator. Setting type; duplicating techniques; converting fonts to outline shapes; using the paintbrush to create a custom template for editing the type; layers; preview modes; bezier curves; editing paths.

This course will provide students with a solid grounding of the interface, and the tools and techniques available for drawing in the Illustrator program. The skills developed will assist students to work creatively on their own vector art projects. Using their new familiarity with the program, students will be ready to explore Illustrator’s more advanced techniques in their own time.

Please note that while this class is perfect for beginners to the Adobe Creative suite, you will require basic computer skills.

This includes keyboard and mouse skills (including being familiar with various right mouse click functions) and being able to comfortably navigate your way around either an apple or windows environment.

This course will not teach those basic computer skills.

People interested in developing skills in the creation of art, web, print, and design graphics.