Illustrator intro and Starter Tutorial

  Illustrator intro and Starter Tutorial 

Illustrator Art/Design

Adobe Illustrator is a professional quality graphic art program. Its applications are diverse, from creating print to web graphics and, for our purposes, posters. Although the program is complex and requires a significant amount of time to truly master, it is quite easy to learn the basics and create work with a professional appearance. Designing a poster does not require any special artistic talent or skills; it just requires having the patience to get acquainted with the program. As with most computer applications, I recommend using the trial-and-error methodology to figure out the intricacies of this program. You will make numerous mistakes, and frequently want to make changes. Thankfully Illustrator is equipped with an undo option. In fact, undo [Crtrl+Z] will become a very familiar action as you design your poster.

This tutorial is very basic, because (as just mentioned), Illustrator is best mastered by actually using it. Use Illustrator’s help index whenever you need a question answered that is not addressed in this text. This tutorial is meant to assist you in making posters only! Many essential elements for creating graphic art have been purposely left out. Although this tutorial was made for use with the Windows® version only, almost everything (with only a few exceptions) is applicable to the Mac® version.

It is also recommended that you create the general appearance of your poster first with pen and paper, so that you have a general idea of what you wish to accomplish on Illustrator.

Start 

1. Tool Bar

You will definitely need to know how to use the following tools on the tool bar. The rest pertain to graphic design and are beyond the scope of these instructions. Selection tool: Lets you select entire objects, resize, delete, move them, etc. Text tool: Allows you to create and edit text. Pen tool: Lets you draw straight or curved lines. Rectangle tool: Lets you create rectangles, which are good for borders and backgrounds Hand tool: Lets you navigate around on the page. Zoom tool: Allows you to zoom in and out of the page. Holding down the ALT key allows you to zoom out. 2. Page Setup for a Poster The default page size once you begin Illustrator is 8.5 inches by 11 inches. You want to change these specifications to be the intended size of your poster. The height must be changed to 36 inches. That is the height of the paper in the large format printers at Whitman College. On the other hand, you are not constrained by a set width, because the paper for the large format printers is a roll. Common specifications for posters made using this printer are 48 inches by 36 inches. To change the page size: Go to File > Document Setup and change the following information to poster dimensions. Change the Units to inches, set the Height at 36 inches, and set the Width you wish to use. The Size will automatically convert from Letter to Custom. 3. Creating a Background Some students like to add to the visual appeal of their poster by adding a background and/or a border. You can use either a color, or a graphic to create a background. Using a graphic as a background Creating a color or patterned background Using a graphic as a background 1. Import a graphic by following the directions for (4. Importing and placing a graphic.) 2. Then resize the graphic using the Selection tool so it covers the entire page (some distortion of the graphic will occur.) 3. Go to Object > Arrange > Send To Back to set the graphic at the very back of the page, so it does not cover any work you have done. 4. You may need to alter the intensity of the graphic, so it does not interfere with other information on your poster. Select the graphic with the Selection tool and go to Filter > Colors > Adjust Colors. Increase the percent of each color equally. Check the Preview box if you want to observe the changes as you make your adjustments. Click OK when finished. 4. Creating a border 1. Use the Rectangle tool and create a box that is 1-inch from all sides of the page. (If you’ve already created a color background you can use the same box, just make sure it is 1-inch from all sides of the page.) 2. Highlight the rectangle you have created using the Selection tool. (You may also use the selection tool the adjust the size of the rectangle at this time.) 3. Click on the Stroke box located on the tool bar. 4. Then go to the Swatches Menu or the Brushes Menu, for a desired color or pattern you wish to use for a border. If these menus are not on the desktop, then go to Window > Show Swatches or Show Brushes. 5 Go to the Stroke Menu, which should be on the desktop. Again, if this menu is not on the desktop go to Window > Show Stroke. Adjust the weight, which is the thickness of the border.

Tool Bar