Week 3 Outside Class

Watched Lynda.com videos for Illustrator.

Section 5:

• Working with fills and strokes: how to change the colors for the fill and stroke, choosing colors/patterns using the swatches panel, how to use gradients in objects, how to create your own patterns.

Section 7:

• Creating Shapes: how to change drawing modes for layers, using different shape modes, how to use the paint brush and pencil tools, how to smooth paths using the eraser tool.

Week 3B

Took notes in class

• Copyright - Create Commons Video
• Visual Syntax

MoodBoard finished for class due on Wednesday, September 11th. I wanted to go with a more fun feel to my October theme. I love the idea of black cats and pumpkins. I want to make my theme family friendly. I also want to focus on the overall feel of autumn by using bright colors, like red, orange and yellow, to create falling leaves, bright pumpkins, and crisp autumn skys.

Week 3A

Learned how to make a Mindmapping exercise in class. Can be used for brainstorming ideas when creating a new project. We used this exercise to help us think up different themes for the month of October.

Talked about new homework assignment we will be working on the next few weeks. Creating a wallpaper calendar of varying sizes, some including some excluding the calendar aspect of the calendar. This is for a monthly activity through the website SmashingMagazine.com. These choose new calendars to be displayed on their website for every month, all created by artists throughout the world.

HW for next class:

• Bring in Sketchbook and pencils.
• Finish Moodboard for calendar.

Week 2 Outside of Class

Worked on homework started in class. Recreated common logos in Illustrator. I mainly used the pencil tool to draw different pieces of the more "organic" pictures, while with the other pictures I used more common shapes like circles, rectangles, and the type tool to add typefaces to the images that use text.

Week 2B

Went over some more How To instructions in class today, stuff like:

• How to hide layers.
• How to bring layers forward or push them back.
• How to use different tools when editing pictures, like divide or cut.
• How to use the pen tool to create or trace objects.

Also started a project in class using popular logos and trying to recreate them ourselves. Will be due next class, Monday 9/9. 

Will post finished picture on blog.

Week 2A

No class Monday. School closed for Holiday.

Week 1 Outside Class

Watched Lynda.com video for Illustrator CS6 Essential Training.

Started with the basics: what illustrator is, how to navigate illustrator, where the tools are, how the menus work, how to save your artwork, using rulers and guides, different options for print or web files, preview options, etc.

Went into more detail on how to use specific tools and panels like moving panels around for easier access, creating guides or grids to help place or measure locations for objects, how to use specific tools like the lasso tool, magic wand tool, zoom tool, point tool, etc.

Working with how to create shapes, dashes, arrows. How to fill or stroke objects. Conjoining paths in artwork, hiding art boards or locking them to work around objects without moving something accidentally.

How to use the type tool and create text, edit the text, converting text into paths or different alignments.

How to transform your artwork like re sizing, changing colors, moving line points, different appearance options like the pucker or twirl tool, creating paths with multiple objects repeated into a pattern, reflecting options and duplicates.

I am actually very new to using illustrator and these videos were very helpful. I will definitely refer back to these videos if I need help using a specific tool or function.

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Circle Project started in class: