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BEGINNER: In our Beginner Guides and Tutorials, you will see me give Prompts and Learning Targets. These directions will simplify the process of learning Adobe Illustrator. LEARNING TARGET: Understand the Primary Building Tools and Options in Adobe Illustrator.
ADVANCED: As I am creating my artwork, pay attention to the Sequence of Events, Resources, and Tool Options as it relates to building a "Workflow." LEARNING TARGET: Apply Building, Variation, Editing, and Advanced Color Techniques to your own Artwork.
STOCK PHOTOS: Download Stock Photos (Unplash / Pexels / Pixabay) for your own artwork and designs. I recommend gathering and organizing resources within the same project folder (Stock Photos / Sketches / Thumbnails / Color Swatches).
RESOURCE GUIDES: As I create my artwork, pay attention to the resources being used throughout the Workflows, Tutorials, and YouTube Playlists.
ARTBOARDS: File-New. Use a size or ratio that you can use for all of your own artwork. I recommend a 1080px by 1080px artboard for websites and social postings. Many of you will be looking to export your own artwork to Instagram. You can modify the size of the artwork or artboard with the Artboard Tool or Properties Panel.
SKETCH OR TRACED PHOTO: I recommend starting from a Clean Line Drawing or a simple Traced Stock Photo for your artwork and designs. Create a "Traceable Path" to align with the Building Tools in Adobe Illustrator. You can speed up your workflow by using a Quick Sketch when you become more advanced.
TEMPLATES: File -Place in your own Drawing, Sketch, or Traced Stock Photo. Select your Resource Layer. (It will usually be your only layer) In your Layers Panel, select the Menu in the Upper-Right Hand Corner. Drop down to Template. This will create a 50% Opacity and Lockout the Layer. Create a New Layer above to start "Building".
BRUSH LIBRARIES: Download Brush Libraries (Teachable) to use with your own artwork and designs. Brush Libraries will come to you as Zipped Folders. (Remember to save all Digital Downloads to an external Hard Drive or Cloud-Based Storage Service.)
RESOURCE GUIDES: As I create my artwork, pay attention to the resources being used throughout the Workflows, Tutorials, and YouTube Playlists.
PRIMARY BUILDING: Many of you will use Shape, Pencil, and Pen Tools as your Primary Building Tools. Understand the Building Tools and Options in Adobe Illustrator. Align the Building Tools (Ellipse, Pen, and Curvature Tools) to the Design Elements (Shapes, Lines, and Curves) in your own drawing or sketch.
APPLYING BRUSHES: Match the Brushes to the desired Line Variation. Select the Brushes and Line Weight. The easiest method is to find the ends and visually find the other end to see if it will be floating or hitting another line. If it hits another line that signals a darker value to the end should reflect the change in value. (Thicker End).
EXPANDED EDITING: To use Shape Builder, you must Duplicate and Expand the Brush Layer. Select All - Expand (Expand Appearance). I recommend duplicating the Brushes Layer to preserve a Live Brush Layer for future edits. Go long with your initial paths to create a larger target for editing with Shape Builder.
COLOR SWATCHES + THEMES: Download or Save Color Swatches (Adobe Color / Canva Colors) for your own artwork and designs. I recommend gathering and organizing resources within the same project folder (Stock Photos / Sketches / Thumbnails / Color Swatches).
RESOURCE GUIDES: As I create my artwork, pay attention to the resources being used throughout the Workflows, Tutorials, and YouTube Playlists.
SAVING SWATCHES: Go to Adobe Color. Select the Color Theme you would like to save. If you have CC, you can Add to your Library. If you have an older version, download as an ASE File.
OPENING LIBRARIES: Open your Library Panel. Select the Color Theme you would like to use. Right Click on the Color Theme to Add Theme to your Swatches Panel.
OPENING SWATCHES: Open your Swatches Panel. In the Swatches Menu, drop down to Open Swatch Library. Select "Other Library" to open an ASE File saved on your computer.
COMIC HALFTONES: Download Comic Halftones (Teachable) to use with your own artwork and designs. Halftones will come to you as a Zipped Folder. (Remember to save all Digital Downloads to an external Hard Drive or Cloud-Based Storage Service.)
RESOURCE GUIDES: As I create my artwork, pay attention to the resources being used throughout the Workflows, Tutorials, and YouTube Playlists.
RESIZING PATTERNS: Depending on your artboard size, you might need to Resize Pattern Fills the Halftones in Adobe Illustrator. Simply use the Scale Tool to "Transform Patterns."
APPLYING HALFTONES: Halftones will behave just like any Color Swatch in Adobe Illustrator. If you are new to Adobe Illustrator, use the Blob Brush to paint in Comic Halftone Patterns.
KNIFE TOOL: We will use the Knife Tool to cut the Basic Shape we created, creating values with our Halftones. Troubleshooting: 1. Select the Shape before Cutting. 2. Make sure you cut all the way through the shape (go long with cuts).