GCIP 152: Schedule

Week 1: Getting Started
Exploring the interface; View and Modify Artboard Elements; Work with Objects and Smart Guides; Create Basic Shapes; Apply Fill and Stroke Colors to Objects; Select, Move and Align Objects; Transform Objects; Make Direct Selections; Work with Multiple Artboards

Week 2: Creating Text and Gradients
Create Point Text; Flow Text into an Object; Position Text on a Path; Create Colors and Gradients; Apply Colors and Gradients to Text; Adjust a Gradient and Create a Drop Shadow

Week 3: Drawing and Composing an Illustration
Draw Straight Lines; Draw Curved Lines, Draw Elements of an Illustration; Apply Attributes to Objects; Assemble an Illustration; Stroke Objects for Artistic Effect; Live Trace and Live Paint

Week 4: Transforming and Distorting Objects
Transform Objects; Offset and Outline Paths; Create Compound Paths; Work with the Pathfinder Panel; Use the Shape Builder Tool; Create Clipping Masks

Week 5: Working with Layers
Create and Modify Layers; Manipulate Layered Artwork; Work with Layered Artwork; Create a Clipping Set

Week 6: Working with Patterns and Brushes
Use the Move Command; Create a Pattern; Design a Repeating Pattern; Work with the Brushes Panel; Work with Scatter Brushes; Compare the Paintbrush Tool to the Blob Brush Tool; Enhance Artwork with Brushes and the Width Tool

Week 7: Working with Distortions, Gradient Mesh, Envelopes and Blends
Edit Colors and Distort Objects; Work with Gradient Meshes; Work with Envelopes; Create Blends

Week 8: Working with Transparency, Effects and Graphic Styles
Use the Transparency Palette and Color Picker; Recolor Artwork; Apply Effects to Objects; Use the Appearance Panel; Work with Graphic Styles; Use Opacity Masks

Week 9: Creating and Designing Graphs
Create a Graph; Edit a Graph Using the Graph Data Window; Use the Group Selection Tool; Use the Graph Type Dialog Box; Create a Combination Graph; Create a Custom Graph Design; Apply a Custom Design to a Graph; Create and Apply a Sliding Scale Design

Week 10: Creating 3D Objects
Extrude Objects; Revolve Objects; Manipulate Surface Shading and Lighing; Map Artwork to 3D Objects; Work with a Perspective Gride

Week 11: Preparing a Document for Prepress and Printing
Explore Color Theory and Resolution Issues; Work in CMYK Mode; Specify Spot Colors; Create Crop Marks; Create Bleeds; Save a File as a PDF

Week 12: Drawing with Symbols
Create Symbols; Place Symbol Instance; Modify Symbols and Symbols Instances; Create Symbol Instance Sets; Modify Symbol Instance Sets

Week 13: Preparing Graphics for the Web
Create Slices; Specify Slice Type and Slice Options; Use the Save for Web & Devices Dialog Box; Create an Image Map; Eport Illustrator Graphics for the Web

Week 14: Combining Illustrator Graphics with Other Applications
Vector vs. bitmap graphics; Placing Photoshop Files; Masking an Image; Sampling Colors in Placed Images; Exporting Files to Photoshop, InDesign and Flash

Week 15: Automation
Actions; Scripting; Cleaning up Files; Creating a List of UsedIitems; Collecting Support Files

Week 16: Workflow
File Size; Exporting Files; Saving as Rasters; Exporting HTML pages

In this piece, the digital artist captures the city at rush hour, where people meld into a crowd and become one big, flowing mass. The artist uses transparent bodies as a metaphor for the paradox of closeness and isolation within a crowd of people.

Here, architecture is combined with organic material to create synthetic life. The artist captures the moment of fusion that might happen between organic and non-organic material. The use of overlapping perspective and color is inspired by 20th century Futurism.

To an animator or an illustrator, Adobe Illustrator is an empty canvas waiting to come alive. In a world of animated feature films and TV shows, it's easy to understand the benefits of drawing characters and animations directly on a computer. Its ability to repurpose art for almost any need makes Illustrator the perfect environment for creating animations and illustrations.

Adobe didn't name their products Illustrator without reason. Artists create illustrations for children's books, magazine covers and articles, packages, and a variety of other products, and they use Illustrator to take advantage of the high quality and precision available in the program. A variety of tools like gradient meshes, blends, and even 3D, allow illustrators to translate the images they see in their mind into reality.