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Chapter 3
Drawing and Composing an Illustration
Table of Contents:
Chapter Objectives ................................................................................................................................................ 1
Lecture Note: Chapter Overview ........................................................................................................................ 2
Lecture Note: Draw Straight Lines ..................................................................................................................... 3
Lecture Note: Draw Curved Lines ...................................................................................................................... 3
Lecture Note: Draw Elements of an Illustration .............................................................................................. 4
Lecture Note: Apply Attributes to Objects ....................................................................................................... 4
Lecture Note: Assemble an Illustration.............................................................................................................. 5
Lecture Note: Stroke Objects for Artistic Effect ............................................................................................. 5
Classroom Activity ............................................................................................................................................. 6
Lecture Note: Use Live Trace and the Live Paint Bucket Tool ..................................................................... 6
Classroom Activity .............................................................................................................................................. 7
Where Students Might Have Trouble................................................................................................................. 7
Classroom Activity................................................................................................................................................. 7
Classroom Discussion ........................................................................................................................................... 7
Objectives
Draw straight lines
Draw curved lines
Draw elements of an illustration
Apply attributes to objects
Assemble an illustration
Stroke objects for artistic effect
Use Live Trace and the Live Paint Bucket tool
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INSTRUCTOR’S NOTES
Estimated Time to Complete the Chapter
Approximately 3-4 hours for the seven lessons
Approximately 2 hours for the end of chapter material
Lecture Note: Chapter Overview
Learning to use the Pen tool to draw in Illustrator is something like learning to ski or to golf: It‟s a great
idea to take a lesson, but eventually you‟re going to have to get out there and learn to do it by just doing it.
Using the Pen tool effectively also requires an important component that can‟t be taught─experience. The
lessons in Chapter 3 offer an excellent approach for teaching students how to use the Pen tool. Students
will draw, tracing pre-drawn elements of an illustration, all of which are mapped out specifically with
directions for using the Pen tool and positioning curves with direction handles properly. This approach was
conceived in the same spirit as the classic learn-to-dance chart, which literally drew footprints on the floor
for students to follow with their feet. Once the student has drawn the elements, they will apply color to the
component parts of the illustration and copy attributes from one to another using the Eyedropper tool.
Students will get a valuable lesson in composing an illustration by assembling the pre-drawn illustration,
learning about the Stroke panel and dashed line effects, and then applying "pseudo strokes" to create a
dramatic effect.
The last lesson in this chapter features the Live Trace command and the Live Paint Bucket tool. These two
features are fun and exciting with which to work. The Live Trace command traces an object for you with
excellent precision and accuracy. Not only does the feature trace an object for you, it offers lots of tracing
presets such as Comic Art and Grayscale. The Live Paint Bucket tool is designed to make painting easier
and more intuitive. It does this by treating all selected objects as objects on one level. The objects are
broken down into regions (similar to fills) and edges (similar to strokes). Students will be amazed at this
method for colorizing art in Illustrator.
Lecture Note: Draw Straight Lines
In Lesson 1 students learn to draw straight segments using the Pen tool and how to align and join anchor
points.
Students will want to become proficient at using the Zoom tool. This tool can be used to create a marquee
to better view their work. Anchor points are small, so they will want to magnify certain parts of their
drawings while working. Also, the New View command allows you to save any view of the artboard.
When you click the Pen tool to create anchor points on the artboard, a straight segment is automatically
created. Several connected straight paths will create different anchor points.
See Figure 1 on page 3-5: Elements of a path composed of straight segments
Students should practice aligning and joining anchor points with the Average and Join commands.
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Lecture Note: Draw Curved Lines
After completing Lesson 2, students are able to define the properties of curved lines and convert anchor
points.
A formal study of anchor points and the effects of moving and „breaking‟ direction handles will improve the
students‟ confidence when actually drawing. This lecture should define corner points, smooth points,
direction lines, and direction handles. The focus of the lecture is to convey the concept that it is the
direction lines that create the shape of the curve. Curved paths are created by clicking and dragging the Pen
tool. Either practically, or following the instructor‟s demonstration, students should experiment with
moving direction lines and noting the effect the move has on the shape of the curve.
Students can change corner points to smooth points and smooth points to corner points using the Convert
Anchor Point tool.
See Figure 16 on page 3-13: Converting smooth points to corner points
When a student deselects a path for any reason while drawing, and then returns to the path, he or she will
need to reconnect to the path to continue drawing the path. This is simply done by clicking the ending
anchor point on the path with the Pen tool. If a student forgets this operation and clicks a new anchor
point, the action will begin a new path, as opposed to continuing the previous path.
Lecture Note: Draw Elements of an Illustration
Students can create illustrations many ways. In this lesson, students will learn about drawing an illustration
from scratch in Illustrator, and tracing a scanned image in Illustrator. Tracing a scanned image gives the
designer a guide or point of reference. Point out to students that they may want to start with tracing a
scanned image; that it is not „cheating‟.
Many designers first sketch their idea, scan it, and then place the scan into Illustrator. This lecture should
focus on the basics of doing just that, which is a smart and simple way of beginning an illustration. This
lecture is not meant to be an exploration of how scanners work, of bitmap graphics, or of Adobe
Photoshop. The point is to expose students who are unfamiliar with scanning to the hardware and showing
all the students the most direct method for getting a pencil sketch into Illustrator. Stressing the innate
compatibility between Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop, the instructor should scan the sketch into
Photoshop, crop it, and then save it as a Photoshop document (.psd), which is easily placed in Illustrator
using the Place command. If the equipment is available, students could actually do the scanning themselves.
Lecture Note: Apply Attributes to Objects
Lesson 4 teaches students how to use the Eyedropper tool and how to add a fill to an open path.
Part of assembling an illustration is to apply color to each part in the form of fills and strokes. This task is
easy enough to do; however, there are ways to make this process quicker and more efficient. To apply the
same fill and stroke to multiple objects, show students how to press and hold [Shift] to select all of the
objects first, and then while the objects are still selected apply the fill and stroke colors. You can also show
students that if they change their minds about the colors applied, they can change the fill or stroke on all of
the same objects quickly by using the Same Fill & Stroke command on the Select menu. Click one object,
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then click Select on the Application bar, point to Same, and then click Fill & Stroke. All objects with the
same fill and stroke of the selected object will be selected and ready to have new attributes applied.
Take a moment to show them the other commands on the Select menu; for example, Select Inverse is an
easy way to select everything else on the artboard that is not selected. The Eyedropper tool is another quick
way to apply the same attributes from one object to another. Simply select the object or objects that you
want to change, click the Eyedropper tool on the Tools panel, then click the object that has the desired
attributes. Those attributes will be automatically applied to the selection.
Emphasize to students the benefits of using these methods. Saving time is always great but more
importantly, objects that are meant to have the same attributes will be consistent throughout the document.
When you a apply fill color, a stroke color, or a stroke weight, its easy to forget exactly which color or how
much of a stroke weight you chose. The methods described above eliminate careless errors.
You can apply fills to both open and closed paths. For open paths, Illustrator draws an imaginary straight
line between the endpoints of an open path to determine where the fill should end.
See Figure 31 on page 3-25: A fill color applied to an open path
Lecture Note: Assemble an Illustration
To assemble an illustration effectively, students will need to be familiar with the stacking order commands
in Illustrator: Bring to Front, Send to Back, Bring Forward, Send Backward, Paste in Front, Paste in Back,
Group, Lock, Unlock All, Hide, and Show All. The stacking order is determined by the sequence in which
you draw an illustration. In other words, new items are in front of older items.
Using a complex illustration, show students how hard it is to select an individual object because so many
other objects are near it. Then lock the other objects and demonstrate how much easier it is to select the
artwork you need to work on. Point out that locking objects makes it impossible to „mess up‟ artwork that is
considered final. The location of objects is imperative for some types of illustrations, such as a map. To be
able to lock finished art ensures that it cannot get disrupted. Hiding artwork for the same reason is another
way to ‟get things out of the way‟. Take this time to remind students about the Outline view as an option
for selecting “hard to reach” objects. In Outline mode, simply click the black outline or path of the object,
then switch back to Preview mode to continue working.
Make sure students understand the difference between Send to Back and Send Backward, and Bring to
Front and Bring Forward. Have students assemble a few illustrations using the same elements. Note the
difference in the illustrations when the stacking order differs from one to another.
Lecture Note: Stroke Objects for Artistic Effect
Lesson 6 teaches students about joins, caps, and the miter limit. Students also learn how to create a dashed
stroke and pseudo-stroke effects.
Review the Stroke panel with students. Have them identify each section of the panel.
See Figure 40 on page 3-30: The Stroke panel
Students will use the Stroke panel to apply caps to the ends of stroked paths. Demonstrate the three styles
of caps visually so students can identify what each looks like: Butt Cap, Round Cap, and Projecting Cap. Do
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the same with the three types of joins: Miter Join, Round Join, and Bevel Join. Finally, the Align Stroke
buttons on the Stroke panel: you can now specify if you want to align a stroke to the center, inside or
outside of an object. Demonstrate how much of a difference this can mean with larger stroke weights.
See Figure 42 on page 3-31: Three types of joins
Students will also use the Stroke panel when creating dashed strokes. Remind students that they may need
to enlarge their view to see dashed strokes. At some magnification levels, the dash and gap patterns are not
obvious. A pseudo-stroke is created by placing a black filled copy behind an element of an illustration and
using the Direct Selection tool to distort it.
See Figure 44 on page 3-32: Caps are an important factor in determining the appearance of a
dashed line
Design your own dashed line pattern
Classroom Have students create a straight line, and then apply a thick stroke weight to it – at least
Activity 20 points. Using the Copy and Paste in Front commands, have students create an
overlapping dashed line pattern by applying different gap and dash patterns, stroke
weights, and colors to each copied line. Each successive top line should have a smaller
stroke weight than the previous so that all lines can be viewed in the final illustration.
The end result should be at least four or five lines on top of each other, each with a
different pattern.
Lecture Note: Use Live Trace and the Live Paint Bucket Tool
Live Trace and the Live Paint Bucket tool are two very exciting features in Illustrator CS4. Students may be
familiar with the old Auto Trace tool in older versions of Illustrator, or with Adobe Streamline─another
tracing software program. However, the Live Trace feature is an enormous improvement over Auto Trace
or Streamline. The Live Trace command converts a bitmap image, such as a scanned image, to a vector
graphic. It virtually eliminates the need to use the Pen tool. However, if students ask why they need to learn
the Pen tool, emphasize that the skills learned using the Pen tool can be carried over to the Pen tool in
Adobe Photoshop. Knowing the ins and outs of the Pen tool is a valuable skill that will enhance their
understanding of Live Trace, especially when they‟ll want to further manipulate a vector created using Live
Trace. They can add, delete, and move anchor points on a „Live Trace vector‟ just as they can with a „Pen
tool vector‟. To use Live Trace, choose an interesting bitmap, select it, and click Live Trace on the Control
panel. Undo your step and choose a different preset from the Preset list arrow, and then trace again.
Students will marvel at the different results each time. Once traced, the new vector can be expanded so that
each component part can be manipulated. Expand the new vector by selecting Expand button on the
Control panel, and then apply fill colors to some of the component parts.
See Figure 55 on page 3-37: Expanded traced graphic, in Outline mode
Students may confuse the Live Paint Bucket tool with the previous Paint Bucket tool found in older
versions of Illustrator. Make the point that these two tools only appear to look the same. Their functions
are very different. The Live Paint Bucket tool allows you to paint overlapping areas of overlapping objects.
Normally, when two vector objects overlap, one is on a higher level than the other. This relationship
changes when you use the Live Paint Bucket tool because all objects are on the same level and layers no
longer apply. Show students two or three overlapping objects, select them, and then point out the new
shapes created where the selection marks appear. These areas are called regions and the borders are referred
to as edges.
See Figure 59 on page 3-40: Three overlapping selected rectangles
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Click the Live Paint Bucket tool, choose a new color, and then click a region to show that each region is a
separate element when working in the Live Paint mode. Once you apply the Live Paint Bucket tool, you‟ve
created a live paint group. Individual regions and edges can be selected with the Live Paint Selection tool.
Individual regions and edges can be moved and resized with the Direct Selection tool, once the live paint
group is deselected. When the Live Paint group is selected, you can add new objects to the group; this is
referred to as ‟insertion mode‟.
See Figure 68 on page 3-42: Adding an object to the live paint group
Use the Live Trace command and the Live Paint Bucket tool
Classroom Have students use a favorite photograph and trace it with the Live Trace command.
Activity Using the tracing presets is optional. Once expanded, use the Live Paint Bucket tool
to apply new colors to the regions and edges of the resulting artwork.
Where Students Might Have Trouble
Students may have trouble when they first begin using the Pen tool. The Pen tool is one of the most
difficult tools included in the Adobe Creative Suite. The best way to get used to the Pen tool is to use it.
Hands-on experience is the key to understanding and mastering this complex tool.
Students may also have trouble understanding some of the vocabulary introduced in this chapter without
the help of visual aids. For example, the definitions of each of the different types of joins and caps can be
overwhelming without visual representations to help you distinguish between them. Make sure the students
understand all of the vocabulary presented in this chapter before moving on. This will ensure that they are
ready to go on to more challenging design concepts while working with Illustrator.
Students may also need a little help understanding the pseudo-stroke effect. Make sure that they understand
that it is not an actual stroke. Instead, it is a black copy of the original object that is placed behind the object
in the stacking order. The copy is then reshaped, based upon the designer‟s preferences, to create what
looks like a stroke around the object. Students may not understand why this effect is useful. Have them
experiment with pseudo-effects so they can see how easily it can create interesting looking illustrations that
couldn‟t be achieved using only strokes.
Have students create a number of different shapes using the Pen tool. Make sure the
Classroom shapes overlap in places. Have them experiment with the stacking order and different
Activity stroke colors and weights to create different design possibilities. Once they are
satisfied with their design, have them use the Live Paint Bucket tool to change the
colors of the different overlapping regions.
Ask students if they have ever worked with illustration software before. For many
Classroom students, this will be their first time using any program like Adobe Illustrator. It may
Discussion be difficult for them to see the benefits of such a program if they are completely
unfamiliar with it. In order to help those new to illustration software to better
understand its uses, ask the students who have experience with programs such as
Illustrator to describe their experiences. Ask them what kind of projects they
competed using the software and how they felt about it.
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