In this lesson, you have the opportunity to dive right into Adobe Illustrator CS6 and create an exciting illustration. This lesson helps you quickly discover some of the essential features available in CS6. If you are a completely new user, you may want to start with Lesson 2, “Getting to know the Workspace,” and then return to this lesson.
What you’ll learn in this lesson:
- Setting up an artboard
- Creating and combining shapes
- Applying color and effects
- Adding text
- Importing an image
- Cloning objects
Starting up
Before starting, make sure that your tools and panels are consistent by resetting your workspace. See “Resetting Adobe Illustrator CS6 Preferences” in the Starting up section of this book.
You will work with several files from the ai01lessons folder in this lesson. Make sure that you have loaded the ailessons folder onto your hard drive from www.digitalclassroombooks.com/epub/illustratorcs6. See “Loading lesson files” in the Starting up section of this book.
The project
In this lesson you will create a comp (rough design) of an ad using some features that have been around for years, as well as newer features recently added to Adobe Illustrator CS6.
1 Launch Adobe Illustrator CS6.
2 Choose File > Browse in Bridge or press the Go to Bridge button (
) in the Application bar at the top of the workspace.
) in the Application bar at the top of the workspace.
By pressing the Go to Bridge button, you launch a separate application called Adobe Bridge. Bridge is an indispensable application that acts as the central command center for all your CS6 applications, and helps you to organize your Adobe Illustrator projects. You can use Bridge to help you easily locate files, as it provides a preview of every file within any folder.
3 Once Bridge opens, navigate to the ai01lessons folder within the ailessons folder that you copied to your computer, and double-click ai0101_done.ai to open it. If an embedded Profile Mismatch dialog box appears, leave it at the defaults and press OK. The artwork for a rough design of an ad appears. You can keep this completed file open for reference, or choose File > Close to close it. If you are asked to save the file, choose No (Windows) or Don’t Save (Mac OS).
The completed rough design of an ad.
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The Illustrator CS6 workspace has been revamped so that fewer steps are needed to accomplish daily tasks in a new, streamlined interface. You will explore this new interface in Lesson 2, “Getting to Know the Workspace.”
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4 For this lesson, you want to have multiple panels showing at the same time. To make sure that you can follow the lesson more easily, choose Window > Workspace > Essentials, or choose Essentials from the drop-down menu on the right side of the application bar.
Setting up the artboard
You will now set up the artboard to create your comp for an ad.
1 Choose File > New. The New Document dialog box appears. Type ai0101_work into the Name text field.
2 Choose Print from the New Document Profile drop-down menu. By choosing the Print preset your default colors, patterns, and gradients are built from CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black) colors.
3 Make certain that Letter is selected from the Size drop-down menu, and select Inches instead of Points in the Units drop-down menu. Set the document to Landscape by clicking on the Orientation button on the right (
). Press OK; the new document is created. The document window contains a blank artboard, which represents the region that contains printable artwork.
). Press OK; the new document is created. The document window contains a blank artboard, which represents the region that contains printable artwork.
Define the settings in the New Document dialog box.
Creating the background shape
You will now create the fundamental shape that will be used as the background of the ad. You will use two separate shapes and then combine them using the Shape Builder tool (
).
).
1 Click and hold on the Rectangle tool in the Tools panel to select the Rounded Rectangle tool (
) and click once on the artboard; the Rounded Rectangle dialog box appears.
) and click once on the artboard; the Rounded Rectangle dialog box appears. |
In order to enter exact values, you are clicking and releasing with your mouse on the artboard. If you accidently drag your mouse, the Rounded Rectangle dialog box will not appear. If the Rounded Rectangle dialog box does not appear, press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac OS) to undo your last step and try clicking again.
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2 Enter 9 into the Width text field, 7 into the Height text field, and 2.5 into the Corner Radius text field. Press OK.
3 Use the Selection tool (
) to reposition the new shape in the center of the artboard. No exact position is necessary.
) to reposition the new shape in the center of the artboard. No exact position is necessary.
Enter the values for the Rounded Rectangle.
The result.
Combining shapes
You will now use the Shape Builder tool to combine two shapes to create your own unique shape.
1 Smart Guides offer assistance when aligning one shape with another and also tracking the size and position of your objects as you are creating them. Verify that Smart Guides are turned on by looking under the View menu. If the Smart Guides command does not have a checkmark on the left, select it now.
2 Click and hold the Rounded Rectangle tool (
) and select the Rectangle tool (
). Click and drag from the center of the rounded rectangle shape and release when the rectangle is flush with the bottom and right sides of the rounded rectangle. You are essentially creating the sharp corner that will be in the lower-right of this shape. The shape will also take on the current white fill color.
) and select the Rectangle tool (). Click and drag from the center of the rounded rectangle shape and release when the rectangle is flush with the bottom and right sides of the rounded rectangle. You are essentially creating the sharp corner that will be in the lower-right of this shape. The shape will also take on the current white fill color.
Click and drag to create a rectangle.
3 Using the Selection tool, Shift+click on the rounded rectangle shape. Both the rectangle and the rounded rectangle are selected.
4 Select the Shape Builder tool (
) from the Tools panel.
) from the Tools panel.
5 With the Shape Builder tool, click and drag from the larger rounded rectangle all the way down into the lower-right corner of the rectangle shape and release. (Make sure your cursor reaches the extreme lower-right hand corner of the rectangle.) The shapes are now combined into one shape.
Click and drag through the shapes.
The result.
Sampling a color
The spectrum in the Color panel has been improved for Illustrator CS6, allowing you access to a larger library of colors for sampling and applying to objects. You will now use this feature to add a fill and stroke to the background shape you’ve created.
1 Using the Selection tool, click on the new background shape to select it.
2 Click on the Color icon (
) in the dock to open the Color panel. Notice the spectrum at the bottom of the panel, which allows you to click and sample a color to apply without knowing its component percentages.
) in the dock to open the Color panel. Notice the spectrum at the bottom of the panel, which allows you to click and sample a color to apply without knowing its component percentages.
3 Position your cursor over the expansion handle at the bottom-right of the Color panel, and click and drag downward. The cursor will change to an up-down arrow as you expand the spectrum, and expose more colors for sampling.
Expand the spectrum in the Color panel.
Applying a fill and stroke
1 At the bottom of the Tools panel, click on the Fill color icon (
). Any color you sample from the spectrum will now be applied to the fill, or interior color, of the selected background shape.
). Any color you sample from the spectrum will now be applied to the fill, or interior color, of the selected background shape.
2 Click in the expanded spectrum to sample a yellow color for the fill of the background shape. An exact color choice is not necessary for this exercise.
Apply a sampled fill color to your background shape.
3 Now click on the Stroke icon at the bottom of the Tools panel. You will add a gradient stroke to your background shape, which is a new capability in Illustrator CS6.
4 In the Control panel at the top of your workspace, choose 14 pt from the Stroke pull-down menu to increase the weight of the background shape’s stroke. This will make the gradient stroke easier to see.
5 In the Tools panel, click on the Gradient button beneath the Fill and Stroke icons to apply the default gradient to the background shape’s stroke. This was not possible in previous versions of Illustrator.
Creating the smaller combined shape
You will now create the smaller shape used on the left side of the page. You will create a new rounded rectangle shape so that you can visually set how rounded you would like the corners to be.
1 Click and hold on the Rectangle tool to select the hidden Rounded Rectangle tool.
2 Click and drag (but don’t release!) to start creating the new rounded rectangle shape. While dragging, press the down arrow key repeatedly to reduce the size of the rounded corner. You might have to press the down arrow many times to see the difference. Keep in mind that this shortcut will not work if you release the mouse; it only works while you are initially clicking and dragging out the shape. Experiment by pressing the up arrow key (repeatedly) to increase the corner radius. Adjust the corner radius to a point where you are visually happy with it but do NOT release the mouse yet.
3 An exact height and width are not important for this shape. In the example in this lesson, the mouse was released when the measurement reached approximately 2.5 inches in width and 1.75 inches in height.
Press the down arrow while dragging the rounded rectangle shape to reduce the corner values.
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It is best to avoid stretching the width or height of a rounded rectangle, as you can distort the corners. If you need a wider or taller rounded rectangle, it is best to recreate it.
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4 Select the Rectangle tool (
), and (repeating what you did with the large background shape) click and drag from the center point down to the lower-right of the small rounded rectangle.
), and (repeating what you did with the large background shape) click and drag from the center point down to the lower-right of the small rounded rectangle.
5 Select the Selection tool (
) and Shift+click to select the smaller rounded corner shape. Both the rectangle and the rounded rectangle are selected.
) and Shift+click to select the smaller rounded corner shape. Both the rectangle and the rounded rectangle are selected.
6 Select the Shape Builder tool (
), and then click and drag from the rounded rectangle all the way down into the lower-right corner of the rectangle shape and release. The shapes are now combined into one shape.
), and then click and drag from the rounded rectangle all the way down into the lower-right corner of the rectangle shape and release. The shapes are now combined into one shape.
Combine the newly created shapes.
7 Choose File > Save to save this file. In the Save As dialog box, leave the File name the same and make sure Adobe Illustrator (*.AI) is selected for the type. Using the Save in text field, navigate to the ai01lessons folder, and then press Save. In the Illustrator Options window, leave the settings at their default and press OK. Keep the file open for the next part of this lesson.
Applying color and effects
You will now apply a different color and use the Zig Zag effect on just the stroke of this shape. Using the Appearance panel you can apply a different effect to either the stroke or fill, offering more options for you to create unique artwork.
1 Select the new combined shape and then click on Fill in the Control panel and select the CMYK Green color in the first row of the swatches.
2 Click on the Appearance icon (
) in the panel docking area, or choose Window > Appearance to show the Appearance panel.
) in the panel docking area, or choose Window > Appearance to show the Appearance panel.
3 Using the Appearance panel, click on the Stroke color menu and select Black, and then click on the Stroke Weight drop-down menu to the right and change the value to 1.
Make sure that you have a 1-point black stroke.
4 Click on Stroke in the Appearance panel, and then choose (from the main menu) Effect > Distort and Transform > Zig Zag. The Zig Zag dialog box appears.
Using the Zig Zag effect you can apply this effect with sharp corners or points, or smooth waves. In this example, you will create a smooth wavy effect.
5 In the Zig Zag dialog box, check Preview.
- • In the Size text field, enter .07.
- • Type 4 in the Ridges per segment text field.
- • Select Smooth in the Points section of the dialog box.
- • Press OK.
The stroke is now wavy, but the fill in the shape remains unchanged.
Add an effect to only the stroke.
The result.
Cloning the small shape
You will now clone (or copy) the shape two times and then apply different colors to each shape.
1 Make sure that the smaller shape you just created is selected.
2 Choose the Selection tool and then position your cursor over the smaller shape that you created.
3 Hold down the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) key, and when the double cursor (
) appears, click and drag down to create a copy of the original shape directly underneath itself. Don’t worry about alignment or position. That will be addressed in a later step.
) appears, click and drag down to create a copy of the original shape directly underneath itself. Don’t worry about alignment or position. That will be addressed in a later step.
4 Repeat the same process to clone a third shape underneath the second.
Hold down the Alt/Option key and drag. The result.
5 Select the middle shape and then click on the Fill box in Appearance panel. Click the arrow that appears on the right of the Fill box and select the purple (C=50, M=100, Y=0, K=0) color at the beginning of the third row of swatches.
Use the Appearance panel to change the fill color.
6 Select the bottom shape, click the arrow that appears on the right of the Fill box in the Appearance panel, and select the orange (C=0, M=50, Y=100, K=0) color at the end of the first row of swatches.
The artwork at this stage.
Aligning and distributing the shapes
You will now align and distribute the shapes.
1 Use your Selection tool (
) to Shift+click and select all three shapes.
) to Shift+click and select all three shapes.
2 If the Align buttons do not automatically appear in your Control panel, click on Align in the Control panel, or select Window > Align to show the Align panel.
3 Select Horizontal Align Left from the Align Objects row.
4 Click on the Vertical Distribute Center button in the Distribute Objects row.
Align and distribute the shapes.
The shapes are now aligned and distributed.
5 With all three shapes selected, click on Transform in the Control panel. The Transform panel appears.
Next you will position your shapes.
6 With all three shapes selected, click on the upper-left corner of the reference point (in the upper-left corner of the Transform panel) and change the X value to .5, and the Y value to 1.25.
Set the position for the three shapes.
7 Select the large shape (background), click on Transform in the Control panel, and type 1.25 in the X text field and .75into the Y text field. Ignore it if the value changes slightly after you have entered it.
Set the position for the background shape.
8 Choose File > Save to save this file. Keep it open for the next part of this lesson.
Adding Text
Next, you will add text to your comp, as well as to the boxes that you have already created.
1 Select the Type tool (
) and click on the artboard, making sure not to accidently click in an existing shape. By clicking (and not dragging) you do not limit the width of your text area.
) and click on the artboard, making sure not to accidently click in an existing shape. By clicking (and not dragging) you do not limit the width of your text area.
2 Select Character in the Control panel at the top of the work area. The Character panel appears.
3 Change the size of your text to 48 and press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS).
4 Type Rufus’ What’s Happening.
Change the font size.
Type text.
5 With the Type tool still active, press Ctrl+A (Windows) or Command+A (Mac OS) to select your text.
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You can select the Font family name that appears in the Set the font family text field of the Control panel and then press the down arrow. By pressing the down arrow, you cycle through your font list in your system. You also see the font applied to your selected text. Press the Up arrow to go up the list. This feature, previously only available on the Windows platform, is now available in the Mac OS.
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6 Choose Type > Font to choose a font you would like to use. In this example, the font name Cooper was selected, but you can use any font you wish. If you do not see the font being applied to your text, make sure your text is still selected.
7 Choose File > Save to save this file. Keep it open for the next part of this lesson.
Applying the Warp effect
In this next exercise, you will apply the Flag warp effect to your text.
1 Choose the Selection tool (
), and click on the text area you just created to make sure it is active.
), and click on the text area you just created to make sure it is active.
2 Choose Effect > Warp > Flag. The Warp Options dialog box for the Flag warp appear.
- • Check Preview.
- • Type 50 into the Bend text field.
- • Type 40 into the Horizontal Distortion text field.
- • Press OK. The Flag warp is applied.
Apply the Flag warp.
3 With the warped type area still selected, click on Fill in the Control panel and select CMYK Red from the Swatches panel that appears.
Change the color of the text to Red.
Depending upon the font that you have selected, you might have to increase or decrease the size of your text. If you want to resize your text, follow this next step.
4 Make sure that the text area is selected (with the Selection tool) and press Ctrl+Shift+< (Lesser than) or > (Greater than) (Windows), or Command+Shift+< or > (Mac OS) to visually decrease or increase your font size.
If you would rather, you can grab any corner of the visible bounding box and click and drag (Hold down the Shift key to maintain proportions) to resize the text area.
Resize the text if necessary.
Adding text to the small shape areas
In this next exercise, you will create text for the smaller shapes.
1 Select the Type tool (
), and then click on Character in the Control panel, and then change the Font size to 24. Click on a blank area on the Control panel to put the Character panel away.
), and then click on Character in the Control panel, and then change the Font size to 24. Click on a blank area on the Control panel to put the Character panel away.
2 Click on the Align Center icon in the Control panel to center the text that you are about to enter.
Center the text.
3 With the Type tool, click on a blank area on the artboard, and type Kids.
4 Switch to the Selection tool (
) and position the text over the top shape.
) and position the text over the top shape.
5 Click on Fill in the Control panel and select White.
Change the font color to white.
The result.
6 With the Selection tool still active, Hold down the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) key and click and drag the text (in one motion), so that it is in approximately the same location in the second shape. If you must nudge the text, press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac OS) to undo and try again to clone the text to the right position in one movement.
7 Press Ctrl+D (Windows) or Command+D (Mac OS) to repeat the transformation and place another copy of the text in the third shape.
The comp at this stage.
8 Switch to the Text tool (
) and select the text in the middle text box. With the text selected, type Teens. The Kids text is replaced with the word Teens.
) and select the text in the middle text box. With the text selected, type Teens. The Kids text is replaced with the word Teens.
9 Change the text in the third text box to Families.
The comp after the text has been replaced.
10 Choose File > Save to save this file. Keep it open for the next part of this lesson.
Distorting a shape
In this section, you will create the green shape that appears behind the image of the dog in the comp.
1 Select the rectangle tool and click once on the artboard. When the Rectangle dialog box appears, type 3.5 for the width and 4 for the height, and then press OK.
2 Click on Fill in the Control panel and select the CMYK Green color in the first row of swatches. The green color is applied.
3 Using the Selection tool, reposition the new rectangle in the lower-right of the background.
Create a green rectangle.
Position on the artwork.
4 Click and hold on the Scale tool (
) to select the hidden Shear tool (
).
) to select the hidden Shear tool ().
5 With the Shear tool active, click on the middle of the bottom edge and drag slightly to the left. This skews the shape. No exact increment is necessary.
Select the Shear tool.
Click and drag to the left.
You will now apply a Zig Zag effect to this shape.
6 Click on the rectangle with the Selection tool, then click on the Stroke color in the Control panel and select None. Make sure that you are not selecting Stroke in the Appearance panel.
7 From the main menu, choose Effect > Distort & Transform > Zig Zag. The Zig Zag dialog box appears.
8 In the Zig Zag dialog box, enter the following:
- • Turn on Preview
- • Size: .15
- • Ridges per Segment: 4
- • In the Points section choose Smooth
- • Press OK.
9 Make sure Fill is selected in the Tools panel, then click on Opacity in the Control panel, and change the opacity to 50%.
Apply the Zig Zag effect, and change the opacity.
The result.
10 Choose File > Save to save this file. Keep it open for the next part of this lesson.
Importing an image
In this section, you will import the dog image, as well as some of the other images you will use in the comp.
1 Making sure that nothing is selected in your file, choose File > Place, and the Place dialog box appears. Navigate to the ai01lessons folder and select the image named rufusdog, ensure that the Link option is checked and press Place. The image is added to the center of the artboard.
2 Using your Selection tool (
), click and drag to position the dog over the sheared green rectangle in the lower-right of your page.
), click and drag to position the dog over the sheared green rectangle in the lower-right of your page.
3 Then, click and drag a corner of the bounding box outward (while holding the Shift key) to enlarge the image of the dog.
Resize and reposition the image of Rufus.
Adding lines of text
In this section you will create the wavy lines that are meant to represent body copy on the comp. When creating a rough draft of a document, it is often a good idea to use graphics to represent the look and feel of text without adding actual content.
1 If the Layers panel is not visible, choose Window > Layers.
2 From the Layers panel menu, select New Layer. The Layer Options panel appears.
3 Type Textblocks in the Name text field and press OK. By creating a separate layer for the text art you have the opportunity to turn off the visibility, or delete the layer if you want to add actual content.
Create a new layer for the textblocks.
4 Click on the Stroke color box in the Control panel and choose Black. Choose 1 pt for the Stroke weight from the Stroke pull-down menu.
5 Select the Line Segment Tool (
) and position your cursor next to the Kids graphic, then click and drag until you see the smart measurement guide indicate that the line is approximately 2.5 inches long. You can also type 2.5 into the Width text field of the Transform panel. If it makes it easier, you can hold down the Shift key to keep your line segment straight as you drag it.
) and position your cursor next to the Kids graphic, then click and drag until you see the smart measurement guide indicate that the line is approximately 2.5 inches long. You can also type 2.5 into the Width text field of the Transform panel. If it makes it easier, you can hold down the Shift key to keep your line segment straight as you drag it.
Create a new line segment.
6 With the line segment still selected, choose Effect > Distort & Transform > Zig Zag. The Zig Zag dialog box appears. This time you will use the Zig Zag effect to represent body text with squiggly lines.
7 In the Zig Zag dialog box, click the Preview checkbox and enter the following:
- • Size: .05
- • Select Absolute.
- • Ridges per segment: 45
- • Points: Smooth
- • Press OK.
Zig Zag the line segment.
The result.
You will now clone this line segment.
8 Choose the Selection tool and then hold down the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) key and click and drag down. Hold down the Shift key as you are dragging to keep the line segment aligned with the original. You are cloning the line segment, so make sure that you have enough space between the lines to look like rows of text.
Clone the line segment.
9 Press Ctrl+D (Windows) or Command+D (Mac OS) to repeat your last movement, or transformation. Another line segment appears beneath the second. Continue pressing Ctrl/Command+D until you have a total of eight line segments. If you spaced them out too much or not enough, simply drag to reposition the last segment, then select all of the line segments and click on Vertical Distribute Center in the Align panel.
Duplicate the line segment for a total of 8 lines.
10 Select the top line segment, and choose 3 pt from the Stroke Width drop-down menu in the Control panel.
Change the top segment to 3 pt.
11 Select the last three line segments and hold down the Alt/Option key and drag down, so that the cloned lines start at about the top of the Families artwork.
Clone the last three lines down further on the page.
12 Select the top line in the newly created group of line segments and change its width to 3 pt.
13 Choose File > Place. Select the pictures.psd file in the ai01lessons folder, then click Place. An image of the Kids, Teens and Families appear on the artboard. Using the Selection tool, reposition the image above Rufus.
The final design. Your version may have slight variations in positioning and text.
14 Choose File > Save.
Congratulations! You have completed the Jumpstart lesson.
Self study
Now that you’ve had an introduction to some of the essential tools and techniques in Illustrator, try the following:
1 Replace the placeholder (greeked) type lines with real text, and adjust the formatting and spacing using the Control panel.
2 Finally, change the background color to include a gradient, and replace the gradient stroke with a solid one.
Review
Questions
1 What does choosing Essentials from the Application bar do to your workspace?
2 How can you combine shapes with the Shape Builder tool?
3 What keyboard modifier can you use to clone a shape in Illustrator?
4 Why would you create a separate layer for artwork that you’re adding to your illustration?
5 How can you repeat a transformation (such as a move)?
Answers
1 Choosing the Essentials workspace resets the panels on your screen to their original, factory default settings.
2 Dragging over multiple selected shapes with the Shape Builder tool combines them into one united shape.
3 Holding down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) while dragging an object clones, or duplicates, that object.
4 Creating a separate layer for new artwork allows you to turn off the visibility of that content, or delete it with one click by deleting the layer.
5 Pressing Ctrl+D (Windows) or Command+D (Mac OS) repeats your last movement, or other transformation. You can also choose Object > Transform > Transform Again to achieve the same result.
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