What Adobe Illustrator Is:
Industry standard software used by graphic designers, web designers, photographers, web content providers, illustrators game designers, character designers and much more. Main file format is VECTOR.
Files are Scaleable, meaning they can be enlarged or reduced to any size and remain crisp and clean.
Students New To Adobe Illustrator, Start Here:
If this is your first time using Photoshop, these beginning tips, techniques and projects will help you get started using some of the design industry's most popular software.
Pre-Production
What Is Adobe Illustrator (These show you what the software can be used for)
1. Preview These Adobe Illustrator examples
2. Read Pages 1 - 4 | What Is Illustrator?
Start with Number 1 Overview — Take a one-minute tour, the, work your way through 2 - Essentials for beginners
Step 1 | Pre-Production: Adobe Illustrator - Skill Builders (These introduce you to using the software)
Step 2 | Pre-Production: Adobe Illustrator - Getting Familiar (Further clarification on the software use) (use some headphones for the videos)
Step 3 | Project - Beginners Pen Tool Exercises (Practice) 1pt
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Exercise 1 Pen Tool Exercise - Basic Shape Tracing - 1 (Turn in this training)
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Exercise 2 Pen Tool Exercise - Basic to Intermediate Tracing Exercises (Turn in this training)
Step 4 | Project - Intermediate Pen Tool Exercises (More Practice and Effects) 1pt
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Exercise 3 Advanced Shape Tracing (Turn in this training)
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Exercise 4 Advanced Complicated Shapes and Effects (Turn in this training)
Practice & Production
Practice | Adobe Illustrator Character Skill Builders
1. Practice - Video Tutorial - Create a Flat Design Character in Adobe Illustrator
Watch this video and follow along with, attempting to recreate his character.
2. Practice - Web Tutorial - How To Draw A Flat Character in Adobe Illustrator (Objects - People - Etc.) (Turn This In For 2 pts)
Pick two or three objects or game characters and practice making them using
Illustrator and the tips you've just picked up.
3. Practice - Choose 2 Flat Characters From The Examples and Recreate Them
(Turn This In For 2 pts)
Pick two characters and cut and copy them from Photoshop into Illustrator and practice recreating them in Illustrator.
Practice | Adobe Illustrator Skill Builders
1. Video: 13 Tips For Illustrator Beginners
Watch this great video and pick up some basic tips for using tools in the Adobe
Illustrator world
2. Video: Understanding the Pathfinder tools. Practicing what Unite, Minus Front,
Intersect, Exclude, Divide, Trim, Merge, Crop, Outline, Minus Back
Increase your Illustrator skill set by understanding what the Pathfinder tool does.
Pre-Production | Adobe Illustrator Character Design
1. Creating Characters using Adobe Illustrator.
Your job is to find two video or web tutorials that will help you create characters in
Illustrator.
Project | Adobe Illustrator - Portrait Instructions - Trace Someones Face (Practice)
Resources
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Excellent video Tracing a face in Illustrator
- Task Sheet | Portrait Project - Trace Anyone's Face Sheet (Turn this in) 3 pts
- Task Sheet | Portrait Project - Trace Your Face (Turn this in for a grade) 3 pts
Adobe Illustrator Resources
Adobe Illustrator Advanced Resources
Intermediate Tutorials (For when you're feeling good about how to use the software) *Extra Credit 1/2 pt each