Adobe Illustrator Course: Level 1

COVID-19 update: arrangement of our courses

We are now delivering courses online and in-person. Please check the delivery format of each class before enrolling.

Please note that course materials (excluding prescribed texts) are shared electronically within 48 hours of course commencement. Printing is not available.

This two-day Adobe Illustrator introductory training course will provide you with essential drawing skills and the knowledge needed to progress towards the Adobe Illustrator Course: Level 2. You'll be guided from the basics right through to designing logos, branding and graphics for advertising purposes.

Your own Adobe Creative Cloud account is required for this course. You will also need your own device. For further details, see 'Before the course'.

Outcomes

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• use the Adobe Illustrator application
• create custom paths
• enter text in an Illustrator document
• enhance documents
• proof documents to make them more accurate
• save images for web and print.

Content

Starting with Illustrator CC 1

• Understanding vector graphics
• Starting Illustrator in windows 8
• The welcome experience
• Opening an existing document
• The Illustrator workspace
• The status bar
• Understanding artboards
• Closing a document and exiting Illustrator

Navigating Illustrator

• Understanding panels
• Displaying and hiding panels
• Floating and docking panels
• The tools panel
• Working with the tools panel
• Understanding workspaces
• Working with workspaces
• Working with the control panel
• Navigating with the hand tool
• Navigating with the navigation panel
• Changing document views
• Using the zoom tool
• Creating and using custom views

Working with objects

• Understanding paths and selection tools
• Selecting with the selection tool
• Working with isolation mode
• Selecting multiple objects
• Making marquee selections
• Using the direct selection tool
• Selecting with the magic wand tool
• Understanding smart guides
• Moving objects
• Copying objects
• Grouping and ungrouping objects
• Locking and unlocking objects
• The alignment and distribution tools
• Aligning objects
• Distributing objects and spacing
• Inserting images
• Deleting objects

Setting up a new document

• Understanding templates
• Understanding document presets
• Adjusting units of measure
• Creating a print document
• Saving a new document

Working with a document

• Understanding artboard options
• Moving and resizing artboards
• Creating and deleting artboards
• Understanding grids, guides and rulers
• Displaying and hiding rulers
• Making guides
• Locking, unlocking and clearing guides
• Viewing and hiding the grid

Layers

• Understanding layers and sublayers
• Understanding the layers panel
• working with the layers panel
• Creating layers and sublayers
• Naming layers and assigning colours
• Grouping layers
• Reassigning objects to different layers
• Rearranging layers and sublayers
• Hiding and displaying layers
• Locking and unlocking layers
• Deleting layers

Shapes

• Understanding the shape and colour tools
• Preparing the workspace
• Creating basic shapes
• Creating polygons
• Creating other shapes
• creating lines and spirals
• Editing path segments
• Using offset path
• Understanding drawing modes

Colour, fill and stroke

• Understanding fill and stroke
• Understanding colour
• Understanding colour controls
• Applying colour using the colour panel
• Applying colour using the swatches panel
• Applying colour using the eyedropper tool
• Swapping fill and stroke colours
• Working with stroke weight
• Working with stroke width
• Applying dashes to strokes

Gradients

• Understanding gradients
• Applying a linear gradient
• Changing the direction of a gradient
• Changing colours in a gradient
• Colours in a gradient
• Adding colours to a gradient
• Applying a radial gradient
• Saving a gradient
• Applying a gradient to a stroke

Working with type

• Understanding type in illustrator
• Understanding formatting options
• Inserting and formatting point type
• Inserting and formatting area type
• Cutting and pasting text
• Formatting text
• Formatting paragraphs
• Copying formatting with the eyedropper tool
• Creating columns of text

Text and objects

• Typing on a path
• Converting text into editable path
• Working with character objects
• The touch type tool
• Styles

Introduction to drawing

• Understanding drawing in illustrator
• Drawing a straight path with the pen tool
• Drawing closed paths with the pen tool
• Draw curved paths with the pen tool
• Drawing objects with curved paths
• Adjusting curves created by the pen tool
• Drawing paths with the curvature tool
• Drawing paths with the pencil tool
• Add fill to closed paths

Saving and printing

• Understanding save and export options
• Understanding file formats
• Exporting an illustrator document
• Saving for a microsoft office program
• Saving as a pdf file
• Saving an illustrator document for the web
• Printing an illustrator document
• Packaging a document

Getting help

• Understanding the help menu
• Using help
• Searching for online help

Intended audience

Suitable for anyone wanting to learn the basics of the Adobe Illustrator software.

Prerequisites

This introductory course assumes little or no knowledge of the software.

Delivery modes

• Face-to-face, presenter-taught training using your own device
• Online training via the platform Zoom

Delivery style

Face-to-face classes

These classes run in a classroom and you will need to bring your own device with Adobe Illustrator installed. You should ensure it is fully charged as access to power is limited. Please note that the University does not carry any responsibility for your lost, stolen, or damaged devices whilst on the University premises.

Online classes

You will need your own device with Adobe Illustrator installed. We also recommend using a computer with a larger screen, or two screens/devices. A small laptop screen provides limited space, and it can be difficult to manage following the facilitator’s screen and using your own software.

Materials

Course materials are provided electronically.

Before the course

You will need an Adobe Creative Cloud account to participate. If you don't have an existing account, you can purchase an Adobe Creative Cloud account here. Please bring your account login details with you to class.

Recommended operating system: Windows or Mac

Recommended software for PC: Adobe Illustrator CC 2023

Recommended software for Mac OS: Adobe Illustrator CC 2023

Download the BETA version through your Creative Cloud to access the AI features.