IT Adobe Illustrator exercise

Well, what can I say!... What a fantastic tool Adobe Illustrator is!

I spent a couple of hours in the computer / CAD labs this morning, following on from a tutorial given during the same time last week.  So, in a total tutorial of 3 + 3 = 6 hours, we were given the full introduction to Adobe Illustrator.

I have copied my notes below to serve as a future repository and Aid Memoire...

We started off the session as one might expect, by creating a new file.  Adobe Illustrator (Ai) uses vector graphics mapping rather than raster point manipulations.  This means that any images created in Ai can be scaled in a virtually infinite range.  This makes the package much more superior to software that provides an out put as a bit-map.  Bit maps can only be scaled up by a very small order of magnitude before the image becomes pixilated and looses resolutional sharpness.  Vector graphics avoids this loss of quality by mathematically drawing objects between and to points of anchorage or intersection.

The only limitation to vectoring is that packages cannot create automatic shadows and transparencies in the same manner, however there are simple techniques to create these and convert them to raster graphic images.  This can be done up to 300 ppi which is suitable for printed matter.

We used a .jpg image as our template, and using a verity of line tools build up various layers of the image.

Explored the elipse tool, and a tip being to press [SHIFT] key whilst selected to create perfect circles.

Anchor points can be defined through the line tool, and by click and drag on next anchor allows for quick bezier curves to be formed. Click again on the same end anchor point to remove secondary bezier curve handles  / in order to change curve directions sharply.

A quick mothod of arranging object orders on an art board is to select the object and use;

 [SHIFT] [cmd] '['   = Arrange, shift back, or the reverse is [SHIFT] [cmd] ']' to Arrange shift forward.

A handy colour to remember is 112 / 90 / 62 for basic flesh tones

Using Object and Path command can produce a huge variety of effects, the finished exercise is shown above, Marilyn.