Adobe Illustrator Level I

Our three-day course will provide you with the core skills you need to make the most of this extremely powerful application.

Perspective drawing, variable-width strokes, a new brush that lets you control bristle characteristics, and innovative ways to quickly build shapes, are among the new features in the comprehensive vector environment of industry leading illustrator.

New perspective tools add an exciting dimension to illustrator, eliminating the need to create your own horizon lines and vanishing points when you wish to draw a scene or an object in perspective. With the shape builder tool, you no longer use the pathfinder panel you simply sweep your cursor across overlapping objects to merge and divide shapes. And you can even paint watercolor strokes that remain vectors, now with new edge softness and subtle control of transparency. These powerful new features make illustrator a must have, but along with the dramatic advances, you’ll find great improvement to familiar favorites. Strokes now have fully controllable width handles, and the draw inside mode creates masks automatically when you draw or when you place an image no extra clicks.

With enhanced integration among Adobe products, you can move easily between illustrator and products, such as Adobe flash catalyst software, where you can add interaction to your designs. And new cs live online services provide effective collaboration, efficient reviews, and more. Using illustrator, you can get the job done efficiently but beautifully, moving quickly from multiple ideas to multiple outputs with complete control, and delivering exactly what you had in mind.

Prerequisite: Photoshop level I (or comparable experience).

Audience: Producers, editors, assistant editors and motion graphics artists interested in getting beyond the basics of Adobe Photoshop. 

Adobe Illustrator Level I – Course Outline – (3 Days)

Getting to Know the Work Area

• Introducing Adobe Illustrator

• Starting Illustrator and opening a file

• Understanding the workspace

• Changing the view of artwork

• Navigating multiple artboards

• Arranging multiple documents

Selecting and Aligning

• Getting started

• Selecting objects

• Aligning objects

• Working with groups

• Exploring object arrangement

• Hiding and locking objects

Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard

• Creating a new document

• Working with basic shapes

• Editing and combining paths and shapes

• Working with drawing modes

• Using Image Trace to create shapes

Transforming Objects

• Working with artboards

• Transforming content

• Create a PDF

Creating an Illustration with the Drawing Tools

• Getting started with the Pen tool

• Creating the ice cream illustration

• Drawing and editing with the Pencil tool

Using Color and Patterns to Enhance Signage

• Understanding color

• Working with color

• Painting with patterns

• Working with Live Paint

Adding Type to a Poster

• Adding type to a poster

• Formatting type

• Creating and applying text styles

• Warping text

• Working with type on a path

• Wrapping text around an object

• Creating text outlines

Organizing Your Artwork with Layers

• Creating layers and sublayers

• Editing layers and objects

• Pasting layers

• Viewing layers

• Applying appearance attributes to layers

• Creating a clipping mask

Blending Colors and Shapes

• Working with gradients

• Working with blended objects

Creating Logos with Brushes

• Working with brushes

• Using Calligraphic brushes

• Using Art brushes

• Using Bristle brushes

• Using Pattern brushes

• Working with the Blob Brush tool

Exploring creativity with effects and graphic styles

• Using live effects

• Applying Photoshop effects

• Working with 3D effects

• Creating a revolved object

• Changing the lighting of a 3D object

• Mapping a symbol to the 3D artwork

• Where to put the Effect

Note: 

The curricula above comprises of activities typically covered in a class at this skill level. The instructor may, at his/her discretion, adjust the lesson plan to meet the needs of the class.