Class #1
Adobe Illustrator
Document Set Up  

Launch Illustrator by double clicking on its icon on the desktop
File>New
Artboard defines the printable section of the document. Choose your sizes in inches. For our class exercises we will use 8.5 X 11 inches.
Color Mode: CMYK stands for cyan, magenta, yellow, black and is used in traditional four color printing process. RGB is red, yellow, blue and is used to define web color or color on your computer screen. Title your piece if appropriate and click OK.
Setting Up Palettes
Window>Show Navigator
Window>Show Color
Window>Show Stroke
Viewing Your Art
View>Zoom In
View>Zoom Out
View>Actual Size
View>Fit in Window
Zoom
in and out using the zoom tool in the tool box. Hold down Alt > + or - to increase or reduce the size of your image. Move the Zoom tool and marquee over any area you wish to enlarge.
Navigator
Clicking and drag the red navigator box over your image your image.
Geometric Shapes
Draw a box or a circle by selecting those geometric shapes from the tool box. Stars, ovals and rounded boxes are also possible by holding down the mouse  over the the tool until other choices appear. Use shift/alt to create geometric shapes originating from the center.
Type Tool
Window>Show Character
Use the type tool to create text. Highlight the text by clicking and dragging over the words you want to change. Use the color picker to select a color. Use the black arrow selection tool to select the type and change its shape and orientation. Rotate type with the direct selection tool on any corner.

Stroke and Fill
Fill is the color or pattern inside an object. Stroke is the outline around an image or type. Stroke is measured in points, 72 points to an inch. Select a color for the fill or the stroke by double clicking on the fill box and the stroke box at the bottom of the tool box. You can indicate no stroke or no fill by selecting the diagonal red line box at the bottom of the tool box. You can fill and stroke objects as well as type.
¡¡¡Homework!!!
Choose a poem or song lyric at least four lines long. Use type, color and graphic images to illustrate and illuminate the text. The color and graphic choices you make should convey to the viewer something about the emotional feeling or content of the text. For example, the above word “homework” in the tremor font with the excessive use of exclamation points conveys the panic felt by busy students with yet another assignment to complete. Have fun, be creative and choose text that has some personal meaning to you.
IMPORTANT: To create an outline of your type choices so they will appear on any computer, do the following:
Select the type using the black selection tool
Type> Create outlines
Once you have done this, the type is no longer editable.
 

Leading is the amount of space between lines or paragraphs. It is measured baseline to baseline.

Kerning is the space between two characters.

Tracking is the spacing between a string of characters.

You can increase the font size by highlighting the text, changing the font size in the dialog box, or by using alt+shift+the up and down arrow keys. The cursor must be in the dialog box for this to work.
Leading can be set in the character option dialog box or by using the keyboard shortcut alt+ the up and down arrow keys.
Kerning can be changed when the insertion point is blinking between two characters. All of these work independently of one another.

Pen Tool for Straight Lines
Select the Pen Tool. Click and release where you want the first end point to appear. Then click and release where you want the second end point to appear. A line appears between the two points. To end the line, hold down the Control key or click the pen inside the toolbox. To create a closed path, return to first anchor point you created. The pen changes to a pen with a circle in the lower right hand corner. Deselect before continuing with more lines to avoid deleting your work.
Direct Selection Tool
Use the white hollow arrow to create moveable anchor points.

Brushes
Window>Show Brushes
Choose the paintbrush tool from the toolbar, then choose a brush size from the brushes palette. If the palette is not visible, choose. The stroke size controls the width of the brush. Double click on the brush to change  the width.

To create a new brush, first create the object you want to use. Choose New Brush from the Brushes palette pop-up menu. The Brush Options dialog box appears and you will see your new design. Set the options to use your new brush.

Use shift/alt to create geometric shapes originating from the center.
Gradients
Window>Show Gradients. Gradients are blended colors that work like a fill. You can use preset gradients or create your own. Select a path and make sure the Fillbox is activated in the toolbox. In the Swatches palette, click the gradient swatch icon at the bottom of the palette. Select one.

Using the gradient palette, you can control which colors you wan to appear in your gradient. Click the bottom of the Gradient palette to select which colors and in what relation you want the colors to appear. Use the eye dropper from the toolbar to select colors from the color palette. Pull the gradient tool across your object to fill it with your new gradient.

Homework
Create a self portrait. It can be a combination of images, words, a likeness or an abstraction that expresses something about who you are, what you look like, your interests or how you see yourself in
the world. Have fun and be creative.
 

Class #3

Adobe Illustrator

Shape Editing

Adding & Deleting Points on a Path
Click on the Add Anchor point tool found next to the pen tool on a segment where there is no point to create one. Click on an existing point with the Delete Anchor Point tool to remove it.

Double the amount of points on a path by using the Add Anchor Points filter in the Objects>Path>Add Anchor Points.  This function adds a new one between each existing anchor point.
Stars
*  Choose the star tool next to the circle tool.
*  Holding down the alt key keeps the sides of the star in line with one another.
*  To add sides to it hit the up or down cursor keys The control key determines how spiky the points will be.
*  While holding down the mouse button as you draw, hold down command and drag to lengthen the points.
*  To make it sit upright, hold down the shift key when drawing the star.
*  Tap the star tool without moving the mouse to get a dialog box for making stars. This is where you will change the star back to “normal.”
Spirals
•  Choose the spiral tool in the circle tool.
•  Make sure you have no fill.
Polygons
•  Choose the polygon tool in the circle tool box.
•  To increase or decrease the number of sides, use the up and down arrows.
Spazzing is creating multiples and is accomplished by holding down the tick (`) key while drawing.
Creating a New Pattern: Window>Show Swatches
 Draw a square or rectangle and this will be the background. Draw a design on top of the square. Select both (or group) and drag them to the Swatches palette. To name the pattern double click on the swatch. Apply them to a shape just like any other fill.
To shift the pattern on an object: Select the object with the pattern, hold down the tilde (~) key as you hit the arrow cursor keys to nudge it around.
Window>Style Libraries for more default fill and stroke options.
Strokes: Window>Show Stroke Caps: You can apply three Cap styles to strokes:
Butt caps chop the stroke off perpendicularly at the end of the path. Rounded caps are smooth, rounded ends that resemble a half circle. Projected caps project from the end point by half a stroke weight and appear perpendicular to the direction of the path at its end point.
Joins: Three different join types can be applied to paths: Mitered joins cause the outer edges of the stoke to meet in a point. Rounded joins round off the outside edge of corners. Beveled joins are cropped off before the angle can reach a corner.
Dashes
The bottom of the Stroke Palette controls if and how dashed strokes should appear. Checking the Dashed Line box enables you to enter different values for up to three dash and gap lengths.
Pathfinder
Window>Show Pathfinder
Unite traces the outline of all selected objects as if they were a single, merged object. The resulting shape takes on the paint attributes of the top object selected. Any objects inside the selected objects are deselected..
Intersect traces the outline of all overlapping shapes in the selected objects, ignoring any non overlapping areas. This command works on any two objects at a time.
Exclude traces all non overlapping areas of the selected objects and makes overlapping areas transparent. Where an even number of objects overlap, the overlap becomes transparent. Where an odd number of objects overlap, the overlap becomes filled.
Minus Front subtracts the front most selected objects from the back most object. You can use this command to delete areas of an illustration by adjusting the stacking order..
Minus Back subtracts the back most selected objects from the front most objects. You can use this command o delete the areas of an illustration by adjusting the stacking order
Divide divides a piece of artwork into component filled faces (a face is an area undivided by a line segment).The resulting faces can be ungrouped and manipulated independently of each other..
Trim removes the part of a filled object that is hidden. It removes any strokes and does not merge objects of the same color.

Merge removes the part of a filled objects that is hidden. It removes any strokes and merges any adjoining or overlapping objects filled with the same color.
Crop divides artwork into its component filled faces and then deletes all the parts of the artwork that fall outside the boundary of the topmost object. It removes any strokes.
Outline divides an object into its component line segments, or edges. Each edge can be ungrouped and independently manipulated. this command is useful for preparing artwork that needs a trap for overprinting projects.
To repeats the most recent Pathfinder command:
• In the Pathfinder palette menu, choose Repeat Command, where Command is the most recently used command.
• Choose Effect>Apply <command>.
Setting pathfinder options
The Pathfinder Options dialog box lets you change  the precision of Pathfinder commands and remove any redundant points create as s a result of using Pathfinder commands. You can also control how the Divide and Outline commands affect unfilled objects.

Note: Pathfinder works best with filled and closed objects without strokes. Using Pathfinder with open and stroked paths may give you unexpected results.
To Set Pathfinder options:
1. Window>Show pathfinder.
2. Choose Pathfinder Options from the Pathfinder palette menu.
3. Specify Pathfinder options:
•  Enter a precision value in the calculate Precision text box to affect the precision with which Pathfinder commands calculate when applied. The more precise the calculation, the more accurate the drawing and the more time to carryout a Pathfinder command.
•  Select Remove Redundant Points to delete any points that are located directly on top of one another and that you created using a Pathfinder command.
•  Select Divide and Outline Will Remove Unpainted Artwork to delete any unfilled objects in the selected artwork that result from using the Divide or Outline command.
**Homework**
Create a logo for your real or imaginary business. The logo will contain some art your create in illustrator and the name of the business. Make sure that the imagery you use enhances and tells the viewer
i·con    n.
1.also i·kon (kn)
a..An image; a representation.
b. A representation or picture of a sacred or sanctified Christian personage, traditionally used and venerated in the Eastern Church.
2. An important and enduring symbol: “Voyager will take its place... alongside such icons of airborne adventure as The Spirit of St. Louis and [the] Bell X-1” (William D. Marbach).
3. One who is the object of great attention and devotion; an idol: “He is... a pop icon designed and manufactured for the video generation” (Harry F. Waters).
4. Computer Science. A picture on a screen that represents a specific file, directory, window, option, or program.

[From Greek eikn, from eikenai, to be like, seem.]
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

icon
\I"con\, n. (Gr. Ch.) A sacred picture representing the Virgin Mary, Christ, a saint, or a martyr, and having the same function as an image of such a person in the Latin Church.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

icon
n 1: (computer science) a graphic symbol (usually a simple picture) that denotes a program or a command or a data file or a concept in a graphical user interface 2: a visual representation of an object or scene or person produced on a surface; "they showed us the pictures of their wedding"; "a movie is a series of images projected so rapidly that the eye integrates them" [syn: picture, image, ikon] 3: a conventional religious picture painted in oil on a small wooden panel; venerated in the Eastern Church [syn: ikon]
Source: WordNet ® 1.6, © 1997 Princeton University
com·po·si·tion    (kmp-zshn)  n.
1.a.The combining of distinct parts or elements to form a whole.
b.The manner in which such parts are combined or related.
c. General makeup: the changing composition of the electorate.
d. The result or product of composing; a mixture or compound.
2. Arrangement of artistic parts so as to form a unified whole.
3.a. The art or act of composing a musical or literary work.
b. A work of music, literature, or art, or its structure or organization.
4. A short essay, especially one written as an academic exercise.
5. Law. A settlement whereby the creditors of a debtor about to enter bankruptcy agree, in return for some financial consideration, usually proffered immediately, to the discharge of their respective claims on receipt of payment which is in a lesser amount than that actually owed on the claim.
6. Linguistics. The formation of compounds from separate words.
7. Printing. Typesetting.
[Middle English composicioun, from Old French composition, from Latin compositi, compositin-, from compositus, past participle of compnere, to put together. See component.]
 
When creating your personal icon, think simply and reductively.  Good examples include a smiley face, peace symbol, yin/yang symbol or Hello Kitty. It needs to be simple so that it can be changed and manipulated in color and design exercises. It should not be color dependent because you will change the colors in different exercises.

Homework
Create your personal icon limiting yourself to only black and white.Once you have created your symbol, put it into what you consider a “good” composition and a “bad” composition. Use the icon  three times in each composition. You can include extra rectangles and lines and grays. We will discuss both and begin to learn how to create a pleasing composition.
You will bring in three items: the finished icon, the *good* composition and the *bad* one.
 

Class #4

Pathfinder with Type

1. Type your letter using the Type tool.
2.  Convert the type to outline paths. (Type: Create Outline)
3. Divide the type using rectangles or a drawn pencil line with no fill or stroke.
4. Use the Unite or Divide command from the Pathfinder palette to either combine or break the letter forms into pieces.
5. You can modify their shapes with the direct selection tool.
More Design Choices
1. For more brushes: Window>Brush Libraries
2. For more styles: Window>Style Libraries
3. For more swatches: Window> Swatch Libraries
You can use a brush stroke to change the stroke appearance of a selected style. You can use a swatch to change the Fill of a selected style. For no style choose the first  (default) style on the Style Palette.
Faux Calligraphy
Select the Paintbrush from the Tool Box. Window> Show Brush Libraries, choose a calligraphy brush, write in handwriting script. Deselect one line before beginning another.
Curves with the Pen Tool (Bezier)
The Basic S Curve:
1. Click and drag the Pen Tool about 1/2” to the left.
2. Release the mouse button. You should see the anchor point and the control handle you just drew with a control handle between them.
3. Position the cursor about an inch below where you first clicked.
4. Click and drag to the right about 1/2”.
5. Release the mouse button.
6. Position the cursor about 1/2” below where you last clicked.
7. Click and drag to the left about an inch.
Curved Corner Points are where two different, usually distinct, curved segments meet an anchor point. After creating the first anchor point, press alt while using the mouse to drag the anchor point to its new location.
Combination Corner Points are where a curved segment and a straight segment meet each other. after drawing the curved segment, return to the last anchor point and click and the control handles will disappear. The next segment will start out straight.
Tips
•Drag approximately one-third of the length of the next curved segment.
•The control handles are always tangent to the curved segment they are guiding.
• Always drag the control handle in the direction that you want the curve to travel at that anchor point.
• Make your segments as long as possible. The fewer anchor points the better
• Place anchor point at the beginning of each new curve.
• Use crtl+Z rather than delete when correcting curves.
•  To straighten up curves and lines, use Object>Path>Average, then choose horizontal and vertical.
•  You can import a photograph (File>Place), then trace around it using the pen, paintbrush or pencil tool. Select the photograph, then Object>Hide Selection to view your work.
Homework
Design your fantasy tattoo. Use the curves and/or the pathfinder. it can be amusing or something you might really acquire someday.
Begin to think about and create your personal symbol .You will be working with it for the next few weeks so make sure it is something you love. An example might be an animal you like. Make it simplified and fillable, a closed path. An example would be Hello Kitty.

Class #5
Adobe Illustrator
Transformation Tools  

Select the item you wish to change.
Object>Transform>Move
In the distance field type how far you want the object to  move
In the angle field set the angle at which the object will move.
Object>Transform>Scale will make something larger or smaller. You an type in a percentage and keep it Uniform or Non-Uniform.
*The easiest way to transform an object is to use the bounding box. To scale an object proportionally, hold down shift as you move the box.
Rotate allows you to set the angle at which the object will rotate. In the same cell as rotate is twirl. Spin the selected object with the twirl tool and it will begin to add sides.
Reflect allows you to flip a selection over any axis, making a mirror image.
1. Select the artwork to be reflected.
2. Chose the Reflect tool from the Toolbox.
3. Press and hold the Shift key. The shift key constrains the reflection to a 45° angle, which makes the horizontal reflection easier to accomplish.
4. Click the far right edge of the artwork and rag to the left.
5. Release the mouse button and the shift key after the artwork flips over
Double click on the reflect tool to get a dialog box.
Horizontal: to flip the image upside down while you reflect it.
Vertical flips the image over while you reflect it.
Angle rotates the image to a specific angle while you reflect it.
Shear is called skew in other programs. The Shear tool is in the same cell as the Reflect tool. When you click and drag with the shear tool, everything on one side of the origin point moves to where you drag it while everything on the other side of the origin point moves an equal distance in the opposite direction.
1. Select the artwork to be sheared.
2. Choose the Shear tool from the toolbox
3. Click at the edge of the artwork to be sheared. This sets the origin point, making the shear easier to control.
4.  Drag with the Shear tool.
Blend Tool will blend one path into another. Only paths can be blended together.
1. Create two paths on opposite sides of the document.
2. Choose the Blend tool from the toolbox.
3. Click on one path, then the other path, then watch the blend appear.
4.. You can specify the number of steps between the paths by double clicking on the Blend tool.
5. You can specify the number of steps between the two paths from the scaling pop up menu by entering the number of desired steps.
Smooth color option lets Illustrator automatically calculate the number of steps for the blend. this allows for a smooth transition  of color and shape. The specified distance option specifies the distance between the steps in the blend You can also specify the orientation of your blend---either align to page or align to path. Under Object>Blend>Make you can find more blending options.
Transform options:
You can transform only a portion of an object by selecting a art of it with the Direct selection tool, (white arrow).
Window>Show transform
The Transform palette can be used if you need a specific measurement.
Filters work on pixel based (bitmap) images.
The document color mode must be in RGB for these to work.
File>Place >...to put a pixel based image into Illustrator.
Filters in Illustrator are not really integrated into the software. They are plug-ins. Each works individually to accomplish complex math-based tasks quickly.
Create Filters: Object Mosaic creates a series of tiles from a placed  bit map image. The image becomes a series of rectangles filled with a color corresponding to the image.
Distort Filters are used to cause slight fluctuations in the paths of an object.
Pen and Ink Filters let you apply Hatch effects and Photo crosshatch effects to images.
Stylize Filters are used for a variety of functions. Add Arrowheads puts all sorts of arrowheads onto the ends of paths. Drop Shadow adds a darkened shadow to a selected path. The Round Corners filter removes corner points and replaces them with smooth points.
The artistic filters simulate traditional art methods and are identical to those used in Photoshop. These filters work on imported (placed) raster images and photographs--those made from pixels. It is possible to rasterize Illustrator images by going to Object>
Rasterize.
Effects are like magic tricks to change the appearance of an object without permanently changing the object itself.
Convert to Shapes effects include the Rectangle, Rounded Rectangle and Ellipse.
Distort and Transform effects are used to change the shape, orientation and position of an object. You find these under Effects>Distort & Transform.
Free Distort enables you to distort an object by moving one of its four corner points. On each corner of the bounding box is a control handle that can be moved.
Punk and Bloat causes the path to move toward or away from the path’s anchor points.
Roughen randomly moves points along the path, creating around, jagged look.
Free Distort enables you to distort an object by moving one of its four corner points. On each corner of the bounding box is a control handle that can be moved.
Punk and Bloat causes the path to move toward or away from the path’s anchor points.
Roughen randomly moves points along the path, creating around, jagged look.
Scribble and Tweak moves the path away from the anchor points in either  horizontal direction.
Transform lets you scale, move or rotate an object using a dialog box.
Zig Zag distorts the path using back and forth distortions.
Rasterize effects create the appearance of rasterizing an object without the commitment of doing so.
Stylize Effects are used to enhance paths and objects. The stylize effects include Add Arrowheads, Drop Shadows, Feather, Inner Glow, outer Glow and Rounded Corners.
Feather effect fades the edges of an objects from solid to transparent. The effect opens a simple dialog box where you can specify the number of pixels to include in the feather process.
Inner and outer Glows create the appearance of a color that glows on the inner or outer edge of an object. Selecting either Effects>Stylize>Inner Glow or Effects>Stylize>Outer Glow opens a dialog box where you can specify the Blending Mode, the Glow Color, the Opacity, and the Blur distance. The Inner Glow dialog box also adds the Center and Edge radio buttons. The Center option creates a glow from the center of the object and the Edge option cause the glow to emanate from the object edges.
Homework: Begin to create your simplified object or animal. It needs to be fillable and not have too many parts. The idea is that it is easily alterable.

Class #6

Composition   

is the structure of the picture and is essentially abstract design.It is the selection and organization of line, shape, value, texture, pattern and color into an aesthetically pleasing arrangemen embodying such principles asbalance, harmony, rhythm, repetition and variations.
Elements of Design/Composition:
•  Formal Elements: Color, space, composition.
•  Pictorial Elements: Line, shape, color, value, texture, space.
Pictorial Principles
The pictorial principles are: balance, contrast, harmony, emphasis, movement, proportion, pattern, variety, unity, rhythm, repetition.
Balance: Distributing the "weight" of the forms in the composition, both horizontally and vertically, in terms of their size, shape and position. The aim is generally asymmetrical balance - meaning that the composition should be balanced, but not symmetrical (exactly the same on the left and right sides). For example, if you have two identical bottles, and place one on the left side of the composition and one on the right side in the equivalent position, you have symmetry. If you have one tall bottle on the left side, and two smaller bottles on the right, you have an example of asymmetrical balance.
Contrast: Using contrast in a composition, in size, color, value, etc. in order to avoid too much sameness, and to create visual interest. Also can be used to create a sense of depth.
Harmony: A sense of having all compositional elements co-existing peacefully together, as opposed to an uncomfortable sense of things not quite relating to one another. The goal is to have harmony (and enough variety to avoid monotony).
Emphasis: Used to create a center of interest (focal point), or to make certain elements of the composition more prominent, or to seem to come forward in space; also can be used to highlight the emotional or narrative significance of a work. (The use of a focal point is associated more with traditional painting than contemporary painting, which tends toward an "all-over" feeling.)
Movement: Used to draw the viewer's eye around the composition, as well as to create interest or an actual sense of visual movement in the work. Used often with counter-movement, which neutralizes each movement, in order to create a stable composition or a dynamic quality.
Proportion: All of the pictorial elements are arranged in a pleasing or proper ratio to one another.
Pattern: The placement of lines, marks or shapes into a rhythmical or regular arrangement; this often results in a two-dimensional quality to the form or to the painting as a whole, for instance in Matisse, where surface ornamentation often becomes the design of the painting itself.
Variety: Having enough differences in size, color, shape, etc. to create visual interest.
Unity: The composition should combine into a cohesive whole, with theoretically every element related to and compatible with all others. This usually requires some consideration on the part of the artist, either by planning ahead, or arrived at through working on the painting.
Rhythm: This is placement of elements in the composition at intervals which, through regularity of spacing, or of the spaces between elements, creates a "rhythm" in the painting, the visual equivalent of rhythm in music. Interesting rhythms in a painting can be quite effective.
Repetition: As in music or poetry, the principle of repetition enhances the work. This can mean the repetition of a form into a "motif," as in Andy Warhol's soup cans, or it can mean the repetition with variation of a theme - of shape, color, image, etc. For example, repeating an element with a slight variation can be like an echo - or the repetitions can form a pattern within the work. Repetition, pattern and rhythm are often interrelated.

Homework:
Use only black and white for now.
1.  Create a composition in which your icon is used as a pattern background and a larger icon is the focal point., the main object where the viewer can rest its eyes.
2.  Create a composition in which proportion is the theme. Have your icon be arranged in a variety of sizes so that you create the feeling of depth.
3.  Create a composition in which the theme is repetition and/or pattern.
You will bring in all three compositions to show th class.

 Begin to formulate your own personal aesthetic choices and be prepared to talk a bit about why they appeal to you. Also tell us what you really can’t stand.
This isn’t scary. See examples:
 
“I have always been drawn to Japanese prints and colors used in Asian artwork. I like the way they look so flat. I like anime and the way sushi is presented. I don’t like doilies and frilly things.”

“Since I was little, I have liked skyscraperrs and watching bridges being built. I love the sleek lines of freeways and the cool, rational look of computer generated art. I like science fiction and I can’t stand girly girl and Barbie.”

“I love antiques and Victorian Valentines. I enjoy the ornate look of lacey curtains and carved furniture. I decorate my house this way and  I tend to dress this way too. I find Walmart really depressing”