Week 4 | Illustrator Pt. II

PROJECT 1 | SKETCH | CRITIQUES

Critique Goals:

  • Obtain specific kinds of feedback.
  • Compare how several different components of the same product are designed.
  • Discuss the user flow through a design. (Similar to a cognitive walkthrough).
  • Explore the designs of competing products.
  • Explore: Color, shape, function, font, style, concept, execution
  • How to Write a Critique

Break into groups of three, share your work, speak to its strengths and weaknesses. Take notes because your are required to post a review of BOTH of your classmates in your group to your website. Critiques should be posted by 10am on Saturday.


Design Development: Iterative Design Process

  • Explore: What are you trying to solve?
  • Functions: Define the usage, dimensions and output.
  • Iterate: Plan – Do – Study – Act
  1. Agree on the objective.
  2. Work on the design.
  3. Using virtual prototype (sketches in your sketchbook), study the outcomes.
  4. Make a decision and move from the sketchbook to Illustrator.

  • CREATING OBJECTS

Complete exercise and save as follows: 2013.9.27_Last Name_First Name_CreatingObjects


  • PEN TOOL

Complete exercise and save as follows: 2013.9.27_Last Name_First Name_PenTool
Download the .ai exercise file here.

In-class  Line Exercises

Download line exercise file listed below and save them to your desktop.

    • Create a new print document in Illustrator: File > New > Print > Letter > Vertical > Selection Tool > Place > Select the image > Size it to fit the page > Click away from the image > Start with the Pen Tool and continue selecting the various tools.
    • Stroke size: 3 points.
    • Add a color to the stroke AND fill the images. Personalize your designs.

Continue with the exercises below:

##Save ALL files as .ai files as well as  .jpg and upload to your Flickr. Use the url code to insert it on your website homework blog posting, giving your document a name starting with: 2013.9.27_Last Name_First Name_Line Exercise 2 (etc.)


  • BEZIER CURVES

With Bezier curves you connect the dots to create an image. By simply connect the dots, you have straight lines. We’ll use Bezier curves to create smooth images which incluses curving lines.

Bezier curves simply employ a level of mathematical formulas to apply curves to your image data. When using the Bezier tools in Vector programs you manipulate your vector lines to create the curves. An Illustrator project is made up of a series of paths, (points called anchor points). Points are connected by curved or straight outlines called paths, and a curved path makes up a Bezier curve.

If you select the Pen Tool and click (and release) on the workspace, you create an initial anchor point. Click in another location (do not release) and drag to create a curved path (Bezier Curve). You’re able to select any anchor point at any time and drag to edit the look of the curve. When you click and drag anchor points, direction handles appear. The angle and length of these direction handles determine the shape and size of the curve. The direction handles in a Bezier curve are not part of the design and will disappear when the path is not active.

Complete exercise and save as follows: 2013.9.27_Last Name_First Name_BezierTool


  • SELECTION TOOLS



Complete exercise and save as follows: 2013.9.27_Last Name_First Name_SelectionTool


  • OBJECT ORIENTED DESIGN

Complete exercise and save as follows: 2013.9.27_Last Name_First Name_ObjectOrientedDesign (Change the colors of the balls/sand/stroke, etc. Personalize it.)



GROUPING

Complete exercise and save as follows: 2013.9.27_Last Name_First Name_GROUPING (Change the colors of the balls/sand/stroke, etc. Personalize it.)


REFERENCE:

For those of you who want to convert artwork or a photo into a vector artwork for your CD cover, view this video.


Homework 1: Vincent Van Gogh

Design Brief:
Choose one of the three paintings by Vincent van Gogh and re-create it in Illustrator.
This exercise will help you to begin understanding how design elements can work together to form a work of art. Your recreation doesn’t have to be an exact reproduction because we haven’t mastered all the tool. Use the elements of designs and the tools you’ve been learning so far.

Download the painting here.

Look for horizontal and vertical image blocks and show the motion simple shapes affect when creating a dynamic work of art. Keep note s of the techniques the original artist used in the work’s production and write a few sentences about the techniques and tools you used to recreate it.

The first thing you should do is to concentrate on the general shapes of the work, then move on to color, and then the final details. Try to interpret the design choices Vincent van Gogh made when he painted the image.

Deliverables:

A .jpg and .ai of your recreation

The original image along with a blog posting naming the artist and the name of the painting.
The image files should be named 2013.9.27_Last Name_First Name_VanGogh

  • Create a new document
  • Import the painting
  • Create a New Layer
  • Apply design elements use drawing tools such as the rectangle, oval, square, circle, etc. to begin tracing over the image.
  • Use layers to help organize your composition. (Each new element you wish to add, you can create a new layer and add it to that layer.) Name each of your layers.
  • Add color to your document.
  • Use the drawing tools to add as much detail as possible.
  • Hide the original painting by turning the visibility to the original layer (clicking the eyeball on the layers palette for Layer 1.
  • Save your file as an .ai file. You will need to Save for Web and Devices and change GIF to JPEG to save as a .jpg file. Set your image quality to high.
  • Finish and Save
  • Post the original artwork and your document to your site.

Homework 2: Bezier Curves

Watch the video below and recreate it in Illustrator. Save the file as an ai and jpg  and upload to your Flickr and your website homework post, giving your document a name starting with: 2013.9.27_Last Name_First Name_BezierCurves

Homework 3: Complete all in class assignments if you you have not already done so and upload them to Flickr and then your website. When completing the exercises, use a different color so that I can see what you’ve created. Review the videos for reference.

Homework 4: Copy the following questions to your website and answer them:

  1. When drawing with the Pen tool, how does creating the first point of a straight line differ from creating the first point of a curved line?
  2. How do you import a bitmap image that you want to trace in Illustrator?
  3. What key do you hold down on when you want to remove one shape from another using the Shape Builder tool?
  4. What is the purpose of using Bezier curves? Why not simply draw these  curves using the pencil tool? Provide a link as an example of an image created with a Bezier curve.
Homework 5: Use ILLUSTRATOR to create the first iterations for Project I. Use your sketches as references for your Illustrator files. Files should be created for the logo, front and back cover and spine.  The following items should be included in your Illustrator files.
Product specifications required include:
  • Designed to the exact CD/DVD size using the template provided
  • Company or product name
  • Manufacturer
  • Font choices
  • Logo design
  • Bar code
  • Designed in color
Save your .ai files as well as export your files and save as .jpgs. Upload all your .jpgs to Flickr, copy the image URL, go to your website blog post, add media, insert URL, paste Flickr URL, click on link back to Flickr and save your post.
Homework 6: Critique
Post your critiques of BOTH of your classmates designs to you blog by 10am on Saturday. You are to take these critiques into consideration when creating your first design iteration using Illustrator. Then RESPOND to the critique. You don’t have to incorporate their critique into your design BUT you need to justify why you did or did not incorporate the changes.

16 thoughts on “Week 4 | Illustrator Pt. II

    1. Did you do this?

      DELICIOUS: On your del.icio.us account tag three Web Sites that focus on Adobe Bridge, Illustrator or anything we learned in class today, and write a note in the Delicious comments section about why you think each one would be a good resource for this class. *Make sure you also add the tag: digitalmediaproductionramapo2013 AS WELL AS add additional tags.

    1. Did you do this?

      DELICIOUS: On your del.icio.us account tag three Web Sites that focus on Adobe Bridge, Illustrator or anything we learned in class today, and write a note in the Delicious comments section about why you think each one would be a good resource for this class. *Make sure you also add the tag: digitalmediaproductionramapo2013 AS WELL AS add additional tags.

    1. MISSING HOMEWORK
      DELICIOUS: On your del.icio.us account tag three Web Sites that focus on Adobe Bridge, Illustrator or anything we learned in class today, and write a note in the Delicious comments section about why you think each one would be a good resource for this class. *Make sure you also add the tag: digitalmediaproductionramapo2013 AS WELL AS add additional tags.

      2013.9.20_Last Name_First Name_Exercise_Fish

      2013.9.20_Last Name_First Name_Exercise_Fish2

      2013.9.20_Last Name_First Name_Triangle

    1. Josh,

      Your images are supposed to be posted on your website, not just a link back to the Flickr file.

      MISSING HOMEWORK
      DELICIOUS: On your del.icio.us account tag three Web Sites that focus on Adobe Bridge, Illustrator or anything we learned in class today, and write a note in the Delicious comments section about why you think each one would be a good resource for this class. *Make sure you also add the tag: digitalmediaproductionramapo2013 AS WELL AS add additional tags.

      Fish2

      Your images of your drawings are such poor quality that it’s nearly impossible to see tehm

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