Learning Graphic Design & Illustration

Techniques for Selecting Artwork Lesson 15 Discussion Topic

Aligning Objects What does it mean for two things to
be aligned?
Illustrator makes it easy to align or distribute multiple objects relative to each other,
the artboard, or a key object. In this section, you’ll explore the different options for REVIEW THE
aligning objects. VOCABULARY

Aligning Objects to Each Other Key object An object that you want other
objects to align to.
One type of alignment is aligning objects to each other, and that’s what you’ll do
next. Note: The Align options may
not appear in the Control
Try It! panel. If you don’t see the Align
options, click the word “Align”
1. Choose Select > RobotMouth to reselect the orange shapes. in the Control panel to open
2. Click the Next artboard button ( ) in the lower-left corner of the Document the Align panel. The number of
options displayed in the Control
window to fit the artboard with the orange and red shapes in the window. panel depends on your screen
3. Select the Zoom tool ( ) in the Tools panel, and click several times on the or- resolution.

ange-filled shapes to zoom in.
4. Choose Align To Selection from the Align To button ( ) in the Control panel, if it’s

not already selected, to ensure that the selected objects are aligned to each other.

Making sure objects will align to each other.

5. Click the Vertical Align Bottom button ( ) in the Control panel.

Align the bottoms of the objects. Key object
An object that you want other
Notice that the bottom edges of all the orange objects move to align with the objects to align to.
lowest orange object.
Note: The key object outline
6. Choose Edit > Undo Align to return the objects to their original positions. Leave color is determined by the layer
the objects selected for the next section. color that the object is on.

Aligning to a Key Object

A key object is an object that you want other objects to align to. You specify a key
object by selecting all the objects you want to align, including the key object, and
then clicking the key object again. When selected, the key object has a thick outline,
and the Align To Key Object icon ( ) appears in the Control panel and the Align
panel. Next, you will align the orange shapes.

Try It!

1. With the orange shapes still selected, click the leftmost shape with the
Selection tool ( ).

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 343

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 343

TEACHING TIP Lesson 15 Techniques for Selecting Artwork

Ask how students let Illustrator know Note: In the Align panel, you The thick blue outline indicates that the leftmost shape is the key object
which object they want to be the key can choose Show Options from that the other objects will align to.
object. Explain that if they select two the panel menu ( ) and then
objects and use the Align commands, choose Align To Key Object from 2. Click the Vertical Align Top button ( ) in the Align options in the Control panel.
Illustrator will use whichever object they the Align To option. The object
selected first as the key object. Encourage that is in front becomes the All of the orange shapes move to align to the top edge of the key object.
students to experiment with the orange key object.
shapes and the various Align commands. 3. Choose Select > Deselect.
Note: To stop aligning and
distributing relative to an object, Aligning Anchor Points
click the object again to remove
the blue outline, or choose Next, you’ll align two anchor points to each other using the Align options. Like
Cancel Key Object from the Align setting a key object in the previous section, you can also set a key anchor point that
panel menu ( ). other anchor points will align to.

Try It!

1. Choose View > Fit Artboard In Window.
2. Select the Direct Selection tool ( ), and click the lower-left corner point of the

gray half-circle at the bottom of the artboard. Shift-click to select the low-
er-right point of the same gray half-circle (see the following figure).
You select the points in a specific order because the last selected anchor point is
the key anchor point. Other points align to this point.
3. Click the Vertical Align Top button ( ) in the Control panel. The first anchor
point selected aligns to the second anchor point selected.

Select the first point. Select the second point. After aligning the points.

Note: Using the Horizontal 4. Choose Select > Deselect.
Distribute Center or Vertical
Distribute Center button Distributing Objects
distributes the spacing equally
between the centers of Distributing objects using the Align panel enables you to select multiple objects and
the objects. If the selected distribute the spacing between the centers or edges of those objects equally. Next,
objects are not the same size, you will make the spacing between the orange shapes even.
unexpected results may occur.

344 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

344 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Techniques for Selecting Artwork Lesson 15 TEACHING TIP

Try It! Again, encourage students to experiment
with the Align > Distribute commands,
1. Select the Selection tool ( ) in the Tools panel. Choose Select > RobotMouth to perhaps nudging one orange shape to a
reselect all the orange shapes. new location, then using Align > Distribute
to see what happens.
2. Click the Horizontal Distribute Center button ( ) in the Control panel.

Distributing moves all the orange shapes so that the spacing between
the center of each of them is equal.

3. Choose Edit > Undo Align.
4. Choose Select > Deselect.
5. Choose View > Zoom In, twice, to zoom in to the orange shapes.
6. With the Selection tool selected, press and hold the Shift key and drag the

rightmost orange shape slightly to the left. Stop dragging just before the shape
touches the orange shape to its left. Release the mouse button and then the key.

Press and hold the Shift key while dragging to keep the shape aligned Note: When distributing objects
vertically with the other shapes. horizontally, make sure that the
leftmost and rightmost objects
7. Choose Select > RobotMouth to select all of the orange shapes again, and then are where you want them,
click the Horizontal Distribute Center button ( ) again. Notice that, with the and then distribute the objects
rightmost shape repositioned, the objects move to redistribute the spacing be- between them. For vertical
tween the centers. distribution, position the topmost
and bottommost objects, and
The aligned and distributed shapes. then distribute the objects
between them.
8. Choose Select > Deselect.

Aligning to the Artboard

You can also align content to the artboard rather than to a selection or a key object.
Aligning to the artboard aligns each selected object separately to the artboard. Next,
you’ll get the gray half-circle shape on the artboard with the rest of the robot and
align it to the bottom center of the artboard.

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 345

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 345

Discussion Topic Lesson 15 Techniques for Selecting Artwork

What are the keyboard shortcuts for Try It!
Group and Ungroup? How did you
find out? 1. With the Selection tool ( ) selected, click the gray half-circle shape at the
bottom of the artboard to select it. Choose Edit > Cut.
Note: If you need a refresher on
the Align To Selection button, 2. Click the Previous artboard button ( ) in the lower-left corner of the Document
refer to the “Aligning objects to window to navigate to the first (left) artboard in the document, which contains
each other” section. the robot head.

3. Choose Edit > Paste to paste the gray half-circle.

4. Click the Align To Selection button ( ) in the Control panel, and choose Align To
Artboard in the menu that appears. Selected content will now align to the artboard.

5. Click the Horizontal Align Center button ( ) (just in case), and then click the
Vertical Align Bottom button ( ) to align the selection to the horizontal center
and vertical bottom of the artboard.

You’ve now aligned the shape to the bottom center of the artboard.

6. Choose Select > Deselect.

Working with Groups

You can combine objects into a group so that the objects are treated as a single unit.
This way, you can move or transform a number of objects without affecting their
individual attributes or positions relative to each other.

Grouping Items

Next, you will select multiple objects and create a group from them.

Try It!

1. Choose View > Fit All In Window to see both artboards.
2. Choose Select > RobotMouth to reselect the series of orange shapes.
3. Choose Object > Group, and notice that the word “Group” appears in the Selection

Indicator on the left side of the Control panel with the shapes still selected.

The Selection Indicator displays “Group.”
346 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

346 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Techniques for Selecting Artwork Lesson 15 Discussion Topic

4. Choose Select > Deselect. How can you tell when you’re working in
Isolation Mode?
5. With the Selection tool ( ) selected, click one of the orange shapes in the group.
Because they are grouped together, all are now selected. Note: One way to select the
objects in a group individually
6. Drag the group of orange shapes onto the robot head (below the eyes). is to select the group and then
choose Object > Ungroup. This
ungroups them permanently.

You can move the grouped shapes to the robot head. Note: To enter Isolation mode,
you can also select a group
7. Choose Select > Deselect. with the Selection tool and then
click the Isolate Selected Object
Working in Isolation Mode button ( ) in the Control panel.

Isolation mode isolates groups (or sublayers) so that you can easily select and edit
specific objects or parts of objects without having to ungroup the objects. When in
Isolation mode, all objects outside of the isolated group are locked and dimmed so
that they aren’t affected by the edits you make.
Next, you will edit a group using Isolation mode.

Try It!

1. With the Selection tool ( ), click the robot’s hand at the end of the longer arm.
You will see that it selects a group of shapes that make up the hand.

2. Double-click a shape in that hand to enter Isolation mode.

3. Choose View > Fit Artboard In Window, and notice that the rest of the content in
the document appears dimmed (you can’t select it).
At the top of the Document window, a gray bar appears with the words “Layer 1”
and “<Group>.” This indicates that you have isolated a group of objects that is on
Layer 1. You will learn more about layers in a later lesson.

4. Choose View > Smart Guides to turn them off. Smart guides make it so that con-
tent snap-aligns to other content, and right now you don’t want that.

5. Drag the light gray circle down to approximately match the position of the circle
shape in the other hand.

Move the circle onto the hand.

When you enter Isolation mode, groups are temporarily ungrouped. This enables
you to edit objects in the group or to add new content without having to ungroup.

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 347

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 347

Discussion Topic Lesson 15 Techniques for Selecting Artwork

How do you get out of Isolation mode? Note: To exit Isolation mode, 6. Double-click outside of the shapes within the group to exit Isolation mode.
you can also click the gray arrow
REVIEW THE in the upper-left corner of the 7. Click to select the same circle shape. Notice that it is once again grouped with
VOCABULARY Document window or deselect the rest of the shapes in the hand, and you can also select other objects.
all content and click the Exit
Nested Objects grouped within other Isolation Mode button ( ) in the 8. Choose Select > Deselect.
objects. Control panel. You can also press
the Esc key when in Isolation Creating a Nested Group
mode or double-click a blank
area of the Document window to Groups can also be nested—grouped within other objects or grouped to form larger
exit Isolation mode. groups. Nesting is a common technique used when designing artwork. It’s a great
way to keep associated content together.
Nested In this section, you will explore how to create a nested group.
Objects grouped within other
objects. Try It!

1. With the Selection tool ( ), drag a marquee across the series of black shapes
below the hand that make up the longer arm of the robot.

Make another selection to group those objects.

2. Choose Object > Group.

3. With the Selection tool, Shift-click the hand above the arm to select that group
as well. Choose Object > Group.
You have created a nested group—a group that is combined with other objects
or groups to form a larger group.

4. Choose Select > Deselect.

5. With the Selection tool, click one of the grouped objects in that same arm. All
objects in the nested group become selected.

6. Click a blank area on the artboard to deselect the objects.

Selecting Using the Group Selection Tool

Instead of ungrouping a group to select the content within, the Group Selection
tool ( ) lets you select an object within a group, a single group within multiple
groups, or a set of groups within the artwork. Next, you will explore the Group
Selection ( ) tool.

Try It!

1. Point to the Direct Selection tool ( ) in the Tools panel and press and press
and hold the mouse button to reveal more tools. Click the Group Selection tool
( ) to select it. The Group Selection tool adds the object’s parent group(s) to the
current selection.

348 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

348 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Techniques for Selecting Artwork Lesson 15 REVIEW THE
VOCABULARY
2. Click one of the shapes in the same robot hand to select it. Click again, on the
same shape, to select the object’s parent group (the group of hand shapes). Click Stacking order The order in which
once more, on that same shape, to select the group composed of the hand and objects overlap on an artboard.
arm. The Group Selection tool adds each group to the selection in the order in
which it was grouped. Discussion Topics

Click once. Click twice to select Click a third time to select all artwork What happens when you complete step
the parent group. in the nested group. #3 under Arranging Objects? Undo and
redo the step to verify.

3. Choose Select > Deselect.

4. With the Selection tool, click any of the objects in the nested group to select the Note: To ungroup all of the
group. Choose Object > Ungroup to ungroup the objects. selected objects, even the hand
and arm shapes, you would
5. Choose Select > Deselect. choose Object > Ungroup twice.

6. Click to select the hand. Notice that it is still a group of objects. Stacking order
The order in which objects
Exploring Object Arrangement overlap on an artboard.

As you create objects, Illustrator stacks them in order on the artboards, beginning Note: To learn more about objects
with the first object created. The order in which objects are stacked (called stacking and stacking order, see the PDF
order) determines how they display when they overlap. You can change the stacking “Stack_order.pdf” in the folder
order of objects in your artwork at any time, using either the Layers panel or Object > holding this chapter’s data files.
Arrange commands.

Arranging Objects

Next, you will work with the Arrange commands to change how objects are stacked.

Try It!

1. Choose View > Fit All In Window to see both artboards in the document.

2. With the Selection tool ( ) selected, click to select the black shape below the
robot’s head (the robot’s “neck”).

3. Choose Object > Arrange > Send To Back to send the shape behind the
robot’s head.

4. Click to select either of the red circles on the right artboard.

5. Drag the selected circle on top of the smaller eye for the robot. Release the
mouse, and notice that the red circle disappears, but it’s still selected.

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 349

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 349

Discussion Topics Lesson 15 Techniques for Selecting Artwork

What happens in the Layers panel when
you complete step #6 at the top of the
page? Undo and redo the step to verify,
if needed.

Note: You may see an angle Move the first circle from the right artboard to the robot eye on the left artboard.
bracket displayed with the
pointer ( ). It went behind the ellipse (the eye) because it was probably created before the
eye shape, which means it is lower in the stacking order.
Note: To select the hidden red
circle, make sure that you click 6. With the red circle still selected, choose Object > Arrange > Bring To Front. This
where the circle and the eye brings the red circle to the front of the stack, making it the topmost object.
overlap. Otherwise, you won’t be
able to select the red circle. Selecting Objects Behind

When you stack objects on top of each other, sometimes it becomes difficult to
select objects that are underneath other objects. Next, you will learn how to select
an object through a stack of objects.

Try It!

1. With the Selection tool ( ), select the other red circle on the right artboard, drag it
onto the larger robot eye shape on the left artboard, and then release the mouse.
Notice that this circle disappears like the other but is still selected. This time, you
will deselect the circle and then reselect it using another method.

2. Choose Select > Deselect, and the red circle is no longer selected.

3. With the pointer positioned over the location of the second red circle you just
deselected, the one behind the eye shape, press and hold the Command (Mac
OS) or Ctrl (Windows) key, and click until the circle is selected again (this may
take several clicks).

Press and hold the Command (Mac OS) or Ctrl (Windows) key while clicking to make the selection.

4. Choose Object > Arrange > Bring To Front to bring the circle on top of the eye.

The finished eyes.

5. Choose Select > Deselect.

350 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

350 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Techniques for Selecting Artwork Lesson 15 Discussion Topic

Hiding and Locking Objects Where has the robot’s mask been all
this time?
When working on complex artwork, it may become more difficult to make selections. In
this section, you’ll learn how to lock and hide content to make selecting objects easier.

Try It!

1. Choose View > Fit Artboard In Window.
2. Choose Object > Show All to reveal a mask over the robot’s eyes. Choose

Object > Arrange > Bring To Front to bring the mask to the front.
3. With the Selection tool ( ), click to attempt to select one of the eyes.

The mask prevents you from making a selection.

Notice that you can’t, since the mask is on top of them. In order to access the
eyes, you could use one of the methods we previously discussed or use one of
two other methods: hide or lock.

4. With the mask still selected, choose Object > Hide > Selection, or press
Command+3 (Mac OS) or Ctrl+3 (Windows). The mask is hidden so that you can
more easily select other objects. (This is how I hid the mask when I set up the file.)

5. Click to select one of the red circles in the eyes, and move it.

6. Choose Object > Show All to show the mask again.

7. With the mask selected, choose Object > Lock > Selection, or press Command+2
(Mac OS) or Ctrl+2 (Windows).
The mask is still visible, but you cannot select it.

8. With the Selection tool, click to select one of the eye shapes.

With the mask locked, you can select one of the eyes.

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 351

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 351

Discussion Topic Lesson 15 Techniques for Selecting Artwork

What is the keyboard shortcut to lock a 9. Choose Object > Unlock All, and then choose Object > Hide > Selection to hide
selected object? Is there a shortcut to the mask again.
unlock a selected object? How can you
tell that an object is locked? 10. Choose View > Smart Guides to turn them on.

11. Choose File > Save to save the file, and then choose File > Close.

Employing Personal and Professional
Cyber Safety Rules

Safety and security on the Internet pose a real concern for individuals, schools,
companies, and other organizations. Stories of identity theft, security breaches
involving customer information, new viruses and malware infecting computers
and other devices, and more are featured in the media every day. Each of us has a
responsibility to develop and implement our own cyber safety rule and systems.

Best Safety Practices

For students and professionals alike, the best practices in safety involve common
sense rules, which you can and should implement today, including:
• Never post personal information such as your mobile phone number, home

address, birth date, and so on any social networking site or through mobile apps
such as Snapchat or Instagram.
• Do not share passwords.
• Do not share inappropriate pictures online.
• Don’t meet in person with strangers who you’ve met online, especially if you
have no way to verify the person is who they say they are.
• Use software to protect against viruses and other malware.
• Take advantage of privacy settings on social networking sites, such as the ability
to limit the visibility of your posts to your friends or contacts only.
• Do not download software or apps from unknown or untrusted sources.
In a company setting, you will be called on to adhere to additional cyber safety and
security rules and procedures, some of which may be mandated by your company’s
policy or even by law. These might include things such as:
• Following company policies or legal standards with regard to security, storing,
and disposing of client information and records.
• Using spam filters as directed by company policy, and disposing of any
suspicious communication. Note that in some industries, companies are required
by law to keep backups of e-mail and private messages for a period of years, so
keep your communication clean and ethical.
• Following company rules and procedures about what software and apps you can
install on company devices.

352 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

352 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Techniques for Selecting Artwork Lesson 15 Discussion Topic

• Following secure password practices. A secure password should have at least 8 What other cyber safety rules do students
characters, including a mix of upper- and lowercased letters, and numbers and know and follow?
symbols. Store passwords in a secure location, and follow company policies for
changing passwords when needed. Comprehension Check

• Backing up work files and other information as required by company policy. 1. You can select an object that has no
fill by clicking the stroke or by drag-
Managing Your Online Identity ging a marquee across any part of
the object.
Online, people learn about you by what you post and what sites you frequent. You
can use your online profile to both promote a positive image, or brand, of yourself, 2. Using the Direct Selection tool, you
and to protect your identity. Building your brand means making sure everything you can select one or more individual
post or display online supports the reputation and character you want people to anchor points and make changes to
associate with you. the shape of an object.
You can protect your identity by making sure you effectively manage all of your
online profiles, including on gaming sites and on social networking sites such as 3. For any selection that you anticipate
Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Be sure to set privacy settings and to never give out using again, choose Select > Save
your personal information in your profiles. You might also maintain both a profes- Selection. Name the selection so that
sional and a personal identity. For example, you might have two e-mail accounts; you can reselect it at any time from
one you use for professional and business communication such as a job search, and the Select menu.
one you use for personal communication with your friends and family.
4. To align objects to an artboard, first
Comprehension Check select the Align To Artboard option.

1. How can you select an object that has no fill?

2. Of the two Selection tools Selection ( ) and Direct Selection ( ), which allows
you to edit the individual anchor points of an object?

3. What should you do after creating a selection that you are going to use repeatedly?

4. To align objects to the artboard, what do you need to first select in the Align
panel or Control panel before you choose an alignment option?

Review Project 4

As a class, discuss personal and professional safety rules and regulations. Discuss
recent incidents of security breaches at organizations, companies, or government
departments and incidents of cyber predation or bullying. Then prepare a brief report
detailing what you can do to maintain security of your own online accounts and
those of your school or workplace.

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 353

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 353

REVIEW QUESTIONS Chapter 7 Getting Started with Illustrator CC

1. You can freely move or modify vec- End-of-Chapter Activities
tor graphics without losing detail or
clarity because they are resolution- Review Questions
independent. Vector graphics retain
crisp edges when resized, printed to 1. Explain why vector graphics are the best choice for artwork such as logos.
a PostScript printer, saved in a PDF 2. Explain how to display a hidden tool in the Tools panel.
file, or imported into a vector-based 3. Why would you create a custom tools panel?
graphics application. 4. Describe three ways to navigate among artboards in Illustrator.
5. Describe what distributing selected objects does.
2. Either of the following answers is 6. Explain two ways you can select an item in a group without choosing Object > Ungroup.
acceptable: 7. Sometimes you are unable to select an object because it is underneath another object. Explain two

• Point to the displayed tool (with the ways to get around this issue.
triangle in the corner), press and 8. List at least two cyber safety and security rules and procedures you might be asked to follow in a
hold the mouse button, and then
click the desired tool in the menu. company setting.

• Press the Option key (Mac OS) Multiple Choice
or Alt key (Windows) and click
the tool with the triangle to cycle 1. The arrangement of panels, bars, and windows is called the
through each next hidden tool. a. artboard
b. workspace
3. A custom tools panel would contain c. Document window
the tools you use most often, giving d. Control panel
easier access to those tools.
2. You can find more options for a panel in its
4. To navigate among artboards in Il- a. artboard
lustrator, you can: b. Control panel
c. panel menu
• Choose the artboard number d. tab
from the Artboard Navigation
menu at the lower-left of the 3. A region in an Illustrator document that can contain printable artwork, similar to pages in other programs or
Document window sheets of paper on a physical desk, is called a(n)
a. artboard
• Use the Artboard Navigation ar- b. workspace
rows in the lower-left of the Doc- c. group
ument window to go to the first, d. panel
previous, next, and last artboards
4. Which of the following is not a standard for ethics at work?
• Use the Artboards panel to navi- a. Maintaining confidentiality of information about clients and co-workers.
gate to an artboard; or you can b. Respecting copyrights and patents.
use the Navigator panel to drag c. Respecting co-workers’ and customers’ rights.
the proxy view area to navigate d. Taking credit for co-worker’ ideas.
between artboards.
5. Use this tool to select all objects in a document that have the same attributes, like a color fill.
5. Distributing makes the spacing be- a. Selection tool
tween the selected objects equal. You b. Direct Selection tool
can distribute objects from their cen- c. Magic Wand tool
ters or edges. You also can distribute d. Zoom tool
objects horizontally or vertically.
354 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION
6. Using the Group Selection tool, you
can click once to select an individual group to enter Isolation mode, edit the shapes as needed, and then exit Isola-
item within a group. Click again to add tion mode by pressing the Esc key or by double-clicking outside of the group.
the next grouped items to the selec-
tion. You can also double-click the 7. If your access to an object is blocked, you can choose Object > Hide > Selec-
tion to hide the blocking object. The object is not deleted. It is just hidden in
the same position until you choose Object > Show All. You can also use the
Selection tool to select an object that’s behind other objects by pressing the
Command (Mac OS) or Ctrl (Windows) key and then clicking the overlapping
objects until the object you want to select is selected.

8. Any of the following answers is acceptable:

• Following company policies or legal standards with regard to security,
storing, and disposing of client information and records.

• Use spam filters as directed by company policy, and dispose of any suspi-
cious communication. Note that in some industries, companies are re-
quired by law to keep backups of email and private messages for a period
of years, so keep your communication clean and ethical.

354 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Getting Started with Illustrator CC Chapter 7 • Following company rules and
procedures about what software
6. An object that you want to align other objects to is called a(n) and apps you can install on com-
a. key object pany devices.
b. anchor point
c. distribute object • Following secure password
d. Smart Guide practices. A secure password
should have at least 8 characters,
7. Double-clicking an object with the Selection tool ( ) enters the including a mix of upper- and
a. Edit mode lowercased letters, and numbers
b. Isolation mode and symbols. Store passwords
c. Group mode in a secure location, and follow
d. Deselect mode company policies for changing
passwords when needed.
8. The ______ order determines how objects display when they overlap.
a. overlapping • Back up work files and other
b. layering information as required by com-
c. visibility pany policy.
d. stacking
MULTIPLE CHOICE
Chapter 7 – Portfolio Builder
1. B
Finalizing a Business Card
2. C
Artboards give you a way to isolate and work on individual pieces of a document while you’re developing specific ideas
or parts of the overall design. In this project, you’ll open a file that has elements on various artboards. You’ll then com- 3. A
bine the elements on one artboard to make a finished business card—an essential document for every professional.
4. D
DIRECTIONS aligning its left edge approximately with the left
edge of the e-mail address as the bottom. 5. C
1. In Illustrator, choose File > Open. Navigate to the
folder holding the data files for this chapter, and 6. Click outside the text to deselect it. 6. A
double-click the PB07Start.ai file to open it.
7. With the Selection tool still selected, click in the 7. B
2. Choose File > Save As. In the Save As dialog box, group of trees on the far right artboard.
navigate to the location where your instructor 8. D
directs you to save files for this chapter’s projects, 8. Drag the selection over to the far left artboard, posi-
rename the file PB07End_xx.ai, and click Save. tioning the objects approximately as shown here.
Click OK in the Illustrator Options dialog box.

3. If needed, change the Zoom percentage to ensure
all three artboards display fully onscreen by
choosing View > Fit all in Window.

4. Select the Selection tool ( ) in the Tools panel, and 9. Click outside the group to deselect it. If some of
click to select all the text in the center artboard. the tree trunks appear in front of the “ground” or
“horizon line,” click the group to reselect it, adjust
5. Press and hold the Left Arrow key on the keyboard its position, and then click outside it to deselect it.
to move the selected text over to the left artboard,
10. Save and close the file.

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 355

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 355

Chapter 7 Getting Started with Illustrator CC

Chapter 7 – Critical Thinking

Selecting and Aligning Practice

As you’ve learned, selecting objects is an important part of working with Illustrator. In this part of the lesson,
you will use most of the techniques discussed previously in this chapter to get more practice and to learn a
few new techniques.

DIRECTIONS 10. With the Selection tool, press the Alt+Shift
(Windows) or Option+Shift (Mac OS) keys and
1. In Illustrator, choose File > Open. Navigate to the drag the headlight group to the left to dupli-
folder holding the data files for this chapter, and cate it. Release the mouse button, and then the
double-click the CT07Start.ai file to open it. modifier keys.

2. Choose File > Save As. In the Save As dialog box, Dragging from the center avoids grabbing a
navigate to the location where your instructor bounding box handle and accidentally resizing
directs you to save files for this chapter’s projects, the shapes.
rename the file CT07End_xx.ai, and click Save.
Click OK in the Illustrator Options dialog box. 11. Select both the headlight groups, then click
Vertical Align Top in the Control panel.
3. Choose View > Fit All In Window.
12. Shift-click the rounded rectangle and the head-
Artboard #2 (the artboard on the right) shows the light group to the right to select all three objects.
final artwork. Artboard #1 (the artboard on the
left) shows the artwork in progress that you need 13. In the Control panel, choose Align To Selection
to finish. Throughout the following steps, move from the Align To Selection button ( ) menu,
objects in Artboard #1 on the left to match the and then click the Horizontal Distribute Center ( )
appearance of the bus in Artboard #2 on the right. button. Choose Object > Group.

4. Choose View > Smart Guides to temporarily dese- 14. Shift-click the orange shape behind the selected
lect the Smart Guides. group. Click the orange shape again to make it
the key object. Click the Horizontal Align Center (
5. With the Selection tool ( ), drag the steering ) button and then the Vertical Align Center ( )
wheel shape in the upper-right corner of the left button to align the rounded rectangle group to the
artboard into place in the bus window. Use the orange shape.
arrow keys to adjust its position as needed.
15. With the Selection tool, Shift-click the orange
6. With the Selection tool still active, click the black shape to deselect it. With the group of objects that
rounded rectangle in the upper-left corner of the contains the headlights selected, choose Object
artboard, then drag it onto the front of the bus. > Lock > Selection to keep them in position. You
cannot select the shapes until you choose Object
7. With the Selection tool, select the headlight > Unlock All. Leave them locked.
shapes (the circles) in the lower-right corner of
the artboard by dragging a marquee across them. Locking objects is a great way to keep from select-
Choose Object > Group. ing or editing content and can be used in conjunc-
tion with hiding objects.
8. Drag the center of the headlight group to slide
it to its new location to the right of the newly 16. Select the Zoom tool ( ) in the Tools panel, and
aligned rounded rectangle. click three times, slowly, on the dome at the top of
the bus, above the text, “SCHOOL BUS.”
9. Double-click the center of the headlight group
to enter Isolation mode. Click to select the white
shape and drag it so that it’s visually centered on
the other shapes. Choose Select > Deselect. Press
the Esc key to exit Isolation mode.

356 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

356 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Getting Started with Illustrator CC Chapter 7

17. Select the Direct Selection tool ( ), select the top 25. Double-click the Hand tool ( ) to fit the artboard
anchor point in the dome, and then begin drag- in the Document window.
ging up to make the dome taller. As you drag,
press the Shift key to constrain the movement. 26. With the Selection tool, drag the line group to
Release the mouse button and then the key. Then position it on the rounded rectangle between
click outside the dome to deselect it. the headlights.
Notice that you need to drag one of the lines, not
If you’ve accidentally entered Isolation mode, between the lines, to move the group. You could
press Esc to exit that mode. also align the lines group to the black rounded rect-
angle using the Align options in the Control panel.
18. Double-click the Hand tool ( ) to fit the artboard
in the Document window. 27. Choose Select > Deselect.
28. Choose File > Save and then File > Close.
19. Select the Zoom tool ( ), and click three times on
the four lines in the lowerleft corner to zoom in.

20. With the Selection tool ( ), drag a marquee across
the four lines to select them.

21. In the Control panel, click the Horizontal Align
Left  button.

22. Choose View > Smart Guides to turn them
back on.

23. With the Direct Selection tool ( ), click the right
end of the top, shorter line to select the anchor
point (the word “anchor” appears). Drag that point
to the right until the anchor point aligns with the
other lines.

If you don’t see the Align panel options in the
Control panel, either click the word Align in the
Control panel or choose Window > Align.

24. With the Selection tool, drag a marquee around
the lines to select them. Choose Object > Group
to group them.

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 357

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 357

Chapter 8

Working with Shapes
and Paths

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 358

358 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Working with Shapes and Paths Chapter 8 CHAPTER 8
OVERVIEW
Lesson 16 | Using Shapes to Lesson 17 | Editing and
Create Artwork for a Postcard Combining Shapes and Paths This chapter covers a variety of tools
and techniques for creating, adjusting,
Create a document with multiple artboards Cut with the Scissors tool and combining shapes to create artwork
Use tools and commands to create a variety of shapes Join paths in Illustrator.
Understand Live Shapes Work with the Knife tool
Round corners Work with the Eraser tool Lesson 16: Key skills include drawing
Work with the Shaper tool Work with the Shape Builder tool rectangles, rounding corners, using
Work with drawing modes Work with the Pathfinder commands to create shapes the Polygon and Star tools, and using
Use Image Trace to create shapes Create a compound path the Shaper and Image Trace tools. The
Explore the Arts, Audio/Video Technology, and Edit strokes with the Width tool lesson concludes with an overview of
Communications Career Cluster Outline strokes the Arts, Audio/Video Technology, and
Use mathematics in graphic design Communications career cluster.

End-of-Chapter Activities Lesson 17: Key skills include using the
Scissors, Knife, Eraser, Shape builder,
and Width tools in Illustrator. The chap-
ter concludes with an overview of using
mathematics in graphic design.

Files Needed for This Chapter:

15_Start01.ai

rocket-ship.jpg

17Start.ai

17End.ai

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 359

CHAPTER OPENER

In Chapter 7 you learned your way around the Illustrator workspace and learned a
variety of ways to select, move, group, and re-order objects. In this chapter, you’ll
learn to create and combine shapes to create more sophisticated images.

MEET INDIVIDUAL NEEDS

More advanced learners: Choose up to three more advanced learners—including
any who are already familiar with Illustrator—to act as the Illustrator Shortcut
Police. As you move through the chapter—perhaps all the Illustrator chapters—it’s
their job to point out keyboard shortcuts for pull-down menu options or other
commands. Have them keep a running list to display or distribute to the class.

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 359

FOCUS AND ENGAGE Lesson 16 Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard

Introduce the Lesson Lesson 16 Overview

Bring in examples of business cards or In this lesson, you’ll learn how to do the following:
promotional postcards to share with the
class. Of what components is the artwork • Create a document with multiple artboards. • Work with the Shaper tool.
created? Are there shapes, outlines, type,
illustrations, or photographs included? • Use tools and commands to create a variety of • Work with drawing modes.
How do you think the components of shapes.
the artwork were created? As you review • Use Image Trace to create shapes.
the skills listed in the Lesson 16 Overview, • Understand Live Shapes.
share that students will create, edit, and • Explore the Arts, Audio/Video Technology, and
combine simple shapes to form recogniz- • Round corners. Communications Career Cluster
able images in a postcard-sized format.
Basic shapes are at the foundation of creating Illustrator artwork. In this lesson, you’ll create a new document and
then create and edit a series of shapes using the shape tools for a postcard.

Note: In Mac OS, when opening Creating a New Document
lesson files, you may need to
click the round, green button In this lesson, you’ll explore the different methods for creating artwork using the
in the upper-left corner of the shape tools and various creation methods to create artwork for a postcard. You will
Document window to maximize now create a document for the postcard that will have two artboards, each with
the window’s size. content that you will later combine.

Though Illustrator is perhaps most commonly used to create vector graphics for
print use, you have the flexibility in Illustrator to create content for other applications,
including web, devices, video and film, and even basic RGB, by choosing a profile in
the New Document dialog box. Illustrator will automatically choose an appropriate
page size and units of measure and assign a color mode for the profile you choose--
CMYK for a print document, for example, and RGB for a web document.

Try It!

1. Start Illustrator, and then immediately hold down Ctrl+Alt+Shift (Windows) or
Command+Option+Shift (Mac OS) to reset the default settings.

2. When prompted, click Yes to confirm that you want to delete the Adobe
Illustrator Settings file.

3. Choose File > New to open a new, untitled document. In the New Document
dialog box, change the following options:

• Name: Enter Postcard.
• Profile: Choose Print (the default setting).
• Number Of Artboards: Enter 2 (to create two artboards). (When you change

the number of artboards, Profile changes to [Custom].)
• Arrange By Row ( ): Enter Selected.
• Make sure that the Left To Right Layout arrow ( ) is showing.

Next, you’ll jump to the units so that the rest of the changes are in inches.
• Units: Inches
• Spacing: 1 in (The spacing value is the distance between each artboard.)

360 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

360 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard Lesson 16 REVIEW THE
VOCABULARY
• Width: 6 in (You don’t need to type the in for inches, since the units are
set to inches.) Anchor points Points on a path that ena-
ble you to control the shape of the path
• Height: 4.25 in Closed path A path that forms a shape,
with no endpoints
Choosing settings for the new document. Note: To learn more about the
New Document dialog options, MEET INDIVIDUAL
4. Click OK in the New Document dialog box. search for “New document NEEDS
dialog” in Illustrator Help (Help >
5. Choose File > Save As, navigate to the location where your instructor directs you Illustrator Help). English language learners Have English
to save files for this chapter’s projects, and rename the file 16End_xx.ai. Leave language learners translate the vocabulary
the Format option set to Adobe Illustrator (ai) (Mac OS) or the Save As Type Note: If the Document Setup words and definitions into their native lan-
option set to Adobe Illustrator (*.AI) (Windows), and click Save. Click OK in the button does not appear in the guage and read them aloud to a partner in
Illustrator Options dialog box. Control panel, it may mean both English and their native language.
that content in the document is
6. Click the Document Setup button in the Control panel. selected. You can also choose Discussion Topic
File > Document Setup.
The Document Setup dialog box is where you can change the artboard size (by When and why are bleeds necessary?
clicking the Edit Artboards button), units, bleeds, and more, after a document Note: You could have set up the
is created. bleeds when you first set up the
document in the New Document
7. In the Bleed section of the Document Setup dialog box, change the value in the dialog box by choosing File > New.
Top field to 0.125 in, either by clicking the Up Arrow to the left of the field once
or by typing the value, and all four fields change. Click OK.

Complete the document setup. Anchor points
Points on a path that enable you
Notice the red line that appears around both artboards. The red line indicates the to control the shape of the path.
bleed area. Typical bleeds for printing are about 1/8 of an inch, but it can depend
on the printing vendor. Closed path
A path that forms a shape, with
Working with Basic Shapes no endpoints.

In the first part of this lesson, you’ll create a series of basic shapes, such as rectangles,
ellipses, rounded rectangles, polygons, and more. A shape you create is composed of
anchor points with paths connecting the anchor points. A basic square, for instance,
is composed of four anchor points on the corners with paths connecting the anchor
points (see the figure on the next page). A shape is referred to as a closed path.

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 361

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 361

REVIEW THE Lesson 16 Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard
VOCABULARY
Open path A path can be closed, or it can be an open path with distinct anchor points on each
Open path A path that has one or more A path that has one or more end (called endpoints). Both open and closed paths can have fills applied to them.
straight or curved segments. straight or curved segments.
Anchor point
Endpoints The anchor points at each end Endpoints Path
of an open path. The anchor points at each end of
an open path.
Measurement label The value that
appears in a tooltip to give the current Closed paths Open paths
dimensions of the object being created,
or positioning information. Note: As you go through this You’ll begin this exercise by setting up the workspace.
section, know that you don’t
TEACHING TIP have to match the sizes of the Try It!
drawn shapes exactly. They are
Before the Try It! activity under Creating just there as a guide. 1. Choose Window > Workspace > Essentials (if it’s not already selected), and then
and Editing Rectangles, skip ahead to choose Window > Workspace > Reset Essentials.
page 373. The satellite illustration in step Note: Holding down Option
#4 is what students are creating. (Mac OS) or Alt (Windows) as 2. Choose 2 from the Artboard Navigation menu in the lower-left corner of the
you drag with the Rectangle, Document window.
Rounded Rectangle, or Ellipse
tool draws a shape from its 3. Choose View > Fit Artboard In Window, if necessary.
center point.
Creating and Editing Rectangles

First, you’ll create a series of rectangles that will be the start of a satellite on the post-
card. All of the shape tools, except for the Star tool and Flare tool, create what are called
Live Shapes. This means that attributes such as width, height, rotation, corner radius, and
corner style are still editable later and are retained even if you scale or rotate the shape.

Try It!

1. Select the Rectangle tool ( ) in the Tools panel. Position the pointer anywhere
in the artboard, and drag down and to the right. As you drag, notice the gray
tooltip that appears indicating width and height. Drag until the rectangle is
approximately 1.25 wide and has a height of 1.5 in, as shown in the tooltip next to
the mouse pointer.

Measurement label Drag diagonally to create the rectangle.

The value that appears in a tooltip As you drag to create shapes, the tooltip that appears next to the pointer
to give the current dimensions is called the measurement label and is a part of the Smart Guides (View >
for the object being created, or Smart Guides), which will be discussed throughout this lesson. When you
positioning information. release the mouse button, the rectangle is selected. Also, by default, shapes
are filled with a white color and have a black stroke (border).

362 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

362 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard Lesson 16 TEACHING TIP

Next, you’ll create another rectangle by entering values (such as width and height) In step #5, point out that students don’t
rather than by drawing it. Using any of the shape tools, you can either draw a shape have to type “in” for inches into the height
or click the artboard with a shape tool selected to enter values in a dialog box. field. Illustrator will enter it automatically.

2. With the Rectangle tool still selected, position the pointer below the rectangle you Note: The values may not be
drew, and click. In the Rectangle dialog box, you will see the same values as the exactly 1.25 in for width and
previous shape you drew. Click OK. Leave the rectangle selected for the next step. 1.5 in for height, and that’s okay.

Enter the dimensions for the new rectangle.

3. With the rectangle still selected, position the pointer over the center of the
rectangle. When the pointer changes ( ), drag the shape to center it with the
rectangle above it. A magenta guide will appear when the shapes are aligned and
the word “center” appears (part of the Smart Guides)

Position and size the second rectangle. Note: Depending on the
resolution of your screen, you
4. Option-drag (Mac OS) or Alt-drag (Windows) the center-right bounding point of may also see the Transform
the selected rectangle to the left to resize from the center. When you see a width options such as Width and
of 0.7 in, release the mouse button and then the key. Height in the Control panel. The
Transform panel contains most of
You can also change the size, position, and more of a selected shape by entering the transformation properties for
specific values for width, height, position, and more, which you need at times. Live Shapes.

5. Choose Window > Transform. In the Transform panel, make sure Constrain Width
And Height Proportions ( ) to the right of Width (W:) and Height (H:) is off.
Change Height (H:) to 0.1 in. Typing the in for inches isn’t necessary; it is added
automatically. Close the Transform panel. Move the smaller rectangle below the
larger one.

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 363

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 363

REVIEW THE Lesson 16 Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard
VOCABULARY
From the Transform panel, you can change the appearance of your Live Shape,
Live Shapes Shapes you can dynami- including its dimensions, rotation, and corner properties. The center point of the
cally edit by using widgets or changing rectangle lets you drag to align the object with other elements in your artwork.
shape properties.
Working with the Document Grid

The grid allows you to work more precisely by creating a series of nonprinting
horizontal and vertical guides behind your artwork in the Document window that
objects can snap to. To turn the grid on and use its features, do the following:
• To show the grid, choose View > Show Grid. To hide the grid, choose

View > Hide Grid.

• To snap objects to the gridlines, choose View > Snap To Grid, select the
object you want to move, and drag it to the desired location. When the
object’s boundaries come within 2 pixels of a gridline, it snaps to the point.

• To specify grid properties such as the spacing between gridlines, grid style
(lines or dots), grid color, or whether grids appear in the front or back of
artwork, choose Illustrator CC > Preferences > Guides & Grid (Mac OS) or
Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid (Windows).

—From Illustrator Help

Live Shapes Rounding Corners

Shapes that you can dynamically Rounding corners on rectangles and rounded rectangles is easy since the shapes you
edit by using widgets or create are Live Shapes. In this section, you’ll learn a few ways to round corners of the
changing shape properties. rectangles you created.

Try It!

1. Choose Select > Deselect.

2. Select the Selection tool ( ) in the Tools panel, and click the top (larger)
rectangle. A corner widget appears next to each corner point of the rectangle.
Drag any corner widget toward the center of the rectangle to change the corner
radius without worrying about how much right now.

Round the rectangle’s corners as shown.
364 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

364 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard Lesson 16 Discussion Topic

3. Double-click any corner widget to open the Transform panel. In the panel, How can you tell when a corner widget
ensure that Link Corner Radius Values ( ) is on, and change any of the Radius is selected?
values to 0.15 in to change them all.
Note: You can Option-click
4. Close the Transform panel. (Mac OS) or Alt-click (Windows)
You can also edit just the corners you select, using the Direct Selection tool, a corner widget in a shape to
which is what you’ll do next. cycle through the different
corner types.
5. Select the Direct Selection tool ( ) in the Tools panel. Click one of the top corner
widgets, and then Shift+click the other to select just the top two corner widgets. Note: In the Transform panel,
with a Live Shape selected, you
6. Double-click one of the corner widgets. In the Corners dialog box, change the will see the Scale Rectangle
radius to 0 (zero). Click OK. Corners option. With this option
selected, if you were to scale
Select the corners and then change the Radius setting. the Live Shape larger or smaller,
the corner radius would scale
The Corners dialog box allows you to edit the corner type and radius, but it also as well. Otherwise, without the
has an extra option called Rounding for setting absolute versus relative rounding. option selected, the corner
Absolute means the rounded corner is exactly the radius value. Relative makes radius would stay the same.
the radius value based on the angle of the corner point.
7. Select the Selection tool in the Tools panel. Click in a blank area to deselect. Note: You can also drag a corner
Shift-click both rectangles to select them. widget away from the rectangle
8. In the Swatches panel (Window > Swatches), click the Fill color ( ). Click the center to remove the corner
black color to apply it. radius. The measurement label
9. Choose Select > Deselect. will show as 0 in (in this case).

Apply a black fill.

Creating a Rounded Rectangle

Next, you’ll create a rectangle with rounded corners using the Rounded Rectangle
tool. Similar to rectangles, rounded rectangles are Live Shapes, which means you can
edit properties such as the corner radius after the fact.

Try It!

1. Move the mouse pointer over the Rectangle tool ( ), press and hold the mouse
button, and select the Rounded Rectangle tool ( ) in the Tools panel.

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 365

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 365

TEACHING TIP Lesson 16 Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard

If you don’t see the Corner Type but- Note: The values you see in the 2. Position the pointer to the right of the larger rectangle. Drag down and to the
ton, you can access the corner types by measurement label may not be right until the rectangle has an approximate width of 1.1 inches and a height
clicking Shape in the Control panel. Click the same as you see in the figure, of 2 inches, but do not release the mouse button yet. With the mouse button
the white arrow beneath the rounded and that’s okay. still held down, press the Down Arrow key a few times to see the corner radius
corner buttons to reveal more corner become less rounded (the R value in the tool tip). Press the Up Arrow key to see
type options. Note: You can also press and the corner become more rounded. Don’t worry about the R (radius) value in
hold the Down Arrow or Up the tooltip since you can edit it later, and release the mouse button. Leave the
Arrow key to change the corner shape selected.
radius faster.
3. With the rounded rectangle selected and the Rounded Rectangle tool still
selected, drag any of the corner widgets until the measurement label shows a
value of 0.05 in.

Note: You can also edit the corner Add the rounding.
radius and type for all corners
at once in the Control panel if It may be difficult to see the corner widgets because the shape is filled
the resolution of your screen with black. You may want to zoom in or you can choose View > Outline to
supports it. temporarily remove the fill of the shape.

Note: If you don’t see the Corner 4. Click the Corner Type button in the Control panel and select Chamfer to change
Type button, you can access the all four corners of the rectangle.
corner types by clicking Shape in
the Control panel.

Apply the Chamfer Corner Type.

5. Choose Window > Swatch Libraries > Patterns > Basic Graphics > Basic
Graphics_Lines. In the Basic Graphics_Lines panel, choose the 10 lpi 90% swatch
to apply to the fill.

Note: The color of the Smart Add a striped fill.
Guides can be changed to another
color by choosing Illustrator > 6. Close the Basic Graphics_Lines panel.
Preferences > Smart Guides (Mac
OS) or Edit > Preferences > Smart 7. Select the Selection tool ( ) in the Tools panel. Drag the rounded rectangle
Guides (Windows). so that it’s centered horizontally with the rectangle to the left, as shown in the
figure. When a horizontal magenta line appears (Smart Guides), release the
mouse button.

366 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

366 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard Lesson 16 Discussion Topic

Adjust the positioning. What happens when a shape is selected
and you type the letter D?
Make sure the horizontal distance between the original rectangle and the
rounded rectangle is roughly like you see in the figure. TEACHING TIP
8. Option-drag (Mac OS) or Alt-drag (Windows) the rounded rectangle to the left
to copy it. Drag it to the left of the original rectangle filled with black. When you Encourage students to experiment with
see a magenta horizontal Smart Guide appear (indicating that all three shapes are ellipses and the Pie Angle widget.
aligned horizontally) and you see the equivalent gap hint appear, indicating that
the distance between the three shapes is the same, release the mouse button
and then the key.
Smart Guides (View > Smart Guides) are on by default and can be really useful
when trying to align shapes and other artwork to each other.
9. Choose Select > Deselect and then choose File > Save.

Creating and Editing an Ellipse

Next, you’ll draw and edit an ellipse with the Ellipse tool ( ).

Try It!

1. Move the mouse pointer over the Rounded Rectangle tool ( ) in the Tools
panel, press and hold the mouse button, and select the Ellipse tool ( ).

2. Position the pointer above the center black rectangle and aligned with its left
edge. A magenta Smart Guide will appear when the pointer is aligned. See the
first part of the following figure.

3. Drag to make a circle that has a width of 1.25 in and a height of 0.3 in.
The pointer will most likely “snap” to the right edge of the black rectangle, and a
magenta alignment guide will appear.

4. Press the letter D to apply the default fill of white and stroke of black.
5. Drag the Pie Angle widget off the right side of the circle clockwise around

the ellipse a bit.

Move the Pie Angle widget.

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 367

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 367

TEACHING TIP Lesson 16 Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard

Try to draw a perfect circle without using Dragging this widget allows you to control the pie angle of an ellipse. After
the Shift key. How do the magenta Smart dragging the widget initially, you will then see a second widget. The widget you
Guides help you? dragged initially controls the end angle. The widget that now appears on the
right side of the circle controls the start angle.
6. Click the word “Shape” in the Control panel, and change Pie End Angle to 180°.
Press Esc to hide the Shape panel.

Change the Pie End Angle setting.

7. Drag the circle from what was the center down until the center snaps to the top
edge of the black rectangle.

Note: If you draw an ellipse so Snap the shape to the top edge of the rectangle.
that the width and height are
close to the same (a circle), a Make sure that the magenta alignment guide is showing in the center of the
magenta “crosshair” will appear in black rectangle to ensure that it is center aligned horizontally with the rectangle.
the circle. This makes it possible
to draw a circle without holding 8. Click the Fill color in the Control panel, and select a gray color. We chose a gray
down the Shift key (Smart Guides with the tooltip that shows “C=0 M=0 Y=0 K=50.”
need to be turned on).
9. Choose Select > Deselect, and then choose File > Save.

Creating and Editing a Circle

Next, you’ll draw and edit a perfect circle with the Ellipse tool ( ).

Try It!

1. Choose 1 from the Artboard Navigation menu in the lower-left corner of the
Document window.

2. Choose View > Fit Artboard In Window, if necessary, to see the whole artboard.

3. With the Ellipse tool still selected, position the pointer over a blank area of the
artboard. Begin dragging down and to the right to begin drawing an ellipse.
As you drag, press the Shift key to create a perfect circle. When the width and
height are both roughly 2 in, release the mouse button and then the Shift key.
Without switching to the Selection tool, you can reposition and modify an ellipse
with the Ellipse tool, which is what you’ll do next.

368 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

368 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard Lesson 16 Discussion Topic

4. With the Ellipse tool selected, position the pointer over the left-middle bounding Note: An ellipse is also a Live If you mouse over the blue swatches and
point of the circle. When the pointer changes ( ), drag away from the center of Shape like a rectangle or don’t see their CMYK values, save your
the circle to make it larger. Drag until the measurement label shows a width and rounded rectangle. document and try again.
height of approximately 5.5 in.

Drag to make the circle larger.

5. Choose View > Zoom Out a few times until you see the whole circle.
6. Option-drag (Mac OS) or Alt-drag (Windows) the top middle bounding point

down until you see a height of approximately 3.9 in.

Reshape the circle.

7. With the circle selected, change Fill color to a blue with the tooltip
“C=85 M= 50 Y=0 K=0.”

8. Choose Align To Artboard from the Align To Selection menu in the Control
panel. Click Horizontal Align Center ( ) and Vertical Align Center ( ) to align
the ellipse to the center of the artboard.

Align the shape to finish.

9. Choose Object > Hide > Selection to temporarily hide it.

Creating and Editing a Polygon

Polygons are drawn from the center by default, which is different from the other
tools you’ve worked with so far. Now you’ll create a triangle to add to the satellite
artwork using the Polygon tool ( ).

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 369

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 369

Discussion Topic Lesson 16 Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard

What happens if, while you’re drawing Try It!
a polygon, you press the up or down
arrow keys? 1. Click the Next Artboard button ( ) in the lower-left corner of the
Document window.
Note: Outline mode temporarily
removes all paint attributes, 2. Select the Zoom tool ( ), and click a few times near the bottom of the artboard.
such as colored fills and strokes,
to speed up selecting and 3. Move the mouse pointer over the Ellipse tool ( ) in the Tools panel, press and
redrawing artwork. You can’t hold the mouse button, and select the Polygon tool ( ).
select or drag shapes by clicking
in the middle of a shape, because 4. Choose View > Smart Guides to turn them off.
the fill temporarily disappears. So far, you’ve been working in the default Preview mode, which lets you see how
objects are painted with fill and stroke colors. If paint attributes seem distracting,
you can also work in Outline mode, which you’ll do next.

5. Choose View > Outline to switch to Outline mode.

6. Position the pointer in a blank area of the artboard. Drag to the right to begin
drawing a polygon, but don’t release the mouse button yet. Press the Down
Arrow key three times to reduce the number of sides on the polygon to three,
and don’t release the mouse yet. Hold down the Shift key to straighten the
shape. Release the mouse button and then the key.

Note: In one corner of the Draw the polygon and reduce it to three sides.
triangle (in this case), you’ll see
a corner widget. You can drag Notice that you cannot see the size of the shape in the gray measurement
the corner widget away from the label (the tooltip), since the tooltip is part of the Smart Guides that you turned
center or toward the center of off. The magenta alignment guides are also not showing since the shape is not
the shape to change the corner snapping to other content on the artboard. Smart Guides can be useful in certain
radius. situations, such as when more precision is necessary, and can be toggled on and
off when needed.

7. Choose View > Smart Guides to turn them back on.

8. Drag the Radius widget either away from the center or toward the center of the
shape until you see a radius of approximately 32.

Resize the triangle using the Radius widget.

370 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

370 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard Lesson 16 Discussion Topic

9. With the Polygon tool still selected, drag the small white square on the bounding What is the default stroke width
box to change the number of sides. Make sure you wind up with three sides again. in Illustrator? What is the default
stroke color?

Adjust the number of sides.

10. Drag the triangle from its center into position below the first rectangle you
created. Drag until the vertical magenta guide appears, indicating that the
triangle is aligned horizontally with the rectangle. Use the figure as a guide.

Make the shape larger and drag it into position. Note: You can also turn off
the bounding box by choosing
11. Choose Select > Deselect. View > Bounding Box so that you
can drag a shape by the anchor
Changing Stroke Width and Alignment points with the Selection tool
without reshaping it.
So far in this lesson, you’ve mostly edited the fill of shapes but haven’t done too much
with the strokes (a visible outline or border of an object or path). Every shape and path,
by default, is created with a 1-point black stroke. You can easily change the color of a
stroke or the weight of a stroke to make it thinner or thicker, which is what you’ll do next.

Try It!

1. Select the Zoom tool ( ) in the Tools panel, and click the small rectangle
beneath the triangle a few times to zoom in more closely. Make sure you can still
see the triangle above it.

2. With the Selection tool selected ( ), click to select the bottom rectangle
beneath the triangle. Press the Command (Mac OS) or Control (Windows) key
to switch temporarily to the Direct Selection tool. Drag the upper-left point to
the lower-left point of the triangle. When the anchor point appears (gets larger),
release the mouse button and then the key.

Move the small rectangle into position using the Direct Selection tool.

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 371

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 371

Discussion Topic Lesson 16 Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard

How is your illustration different after 3. Drag the upper-right bounding point of the rectangle to the right until the right
step 9? Undo and redo the step if needed edge is aligned with the right edge of the triangle. The word “anchor” will appear
to verify. when it’s aligned.

Note: You can also open the Align and resize the rectangle.
Stroke panel by choosing
Window > Stroke, but you may 4. Choose View > GPU Preview or View > Preview On CPU if GPU Preview is
need to choose Show Options not available.
from the panel menu ( ).
5. Change the stroke weight to 0 in the Control panel, and change the Fill color
to Black, if necessary.

6. Choose Select > Deselect.

7. Click to select the triangle, and then click the word “Stroke” in the Control panel
to open the Stroke panel. In the Stroke panel, change the Stroke weight to 5 pt,
and click the Align Stroke To Inside button ( ). This aligns the stroke to the
inside edge of the triangle.

Note: Going forward, you will Applying a stroke to the shape.
find that by opening a panel in
the Control panel (such as the Strokes are aligned to the center of a path edge by default, but you can change
Stroke panel in this step), you will the alignment as well using the Stroke panel.
need to hide it before moving
on. You can do this by pressing 8. With the triangle still selected, click the Stroke color in the Control panel (to the
the Esc key. left of the word “Stroke”), and change the stroke color to a gray with the tooltip
“C=0 M=0 Y=0 K=80.” Change the fill color to Black in the Control panel.

9. Choose Object > Arrange > Send To Back.

The arranged shapes.

10. Choose Select > Deselect.
11. Chose View > Outline.

372 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

372 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard Lesson 16 Discussion Topic

Drawing Lines After steps #6 and #7, the striped fill
pattern in the rounded rectangles did
Next, you’ll work with straight lines and line segments, known as open paths, to not rotate with the rest of the artwork.
create the last part of the satellite. Shapes can be created in many ways in Illustrator, Why not?
and the simpler way is usually better.

Try It!

1. Choose View > Fit Artboard In Window.

2. Select the Line Segment tool ( ) in the Tools panel. Position the pointer on the
left edge of the rounded rectangle (see the red X in the figure). When a magenta
alignment guide appears indicating that the pointer is aligned with the center of
the rounded rectangle, Shift-drag to the right edge of the rounded rectangle on
the right (see the figure). Release the mouse button and then the key.

Add a line segment.

3. Choose View > GPU Preview if available or View > Preview On CPU if not.

4. With the line selected, change the Stroke weight to 10 pt and change the Stroke
color to Black in the Control panel, if necessary.

Change the line stroke and fill. Note: You’ll notice that the
pattern in the satellite rounded
5. Choose Select > All On Active Artboard, and then choose Object > Group. rectangles was not rotated with
the artwork after you click OK.
6. Choose Object > Transform > Transform Each. In the Transform Each dialog box, To rotate the pattern along with
Transform Objects is selected by default, but change the following: the artwork, you could also have
• Scale Strokes & Effects: Select selected Transform Patterns in
• Scale Corners: Select the Transform Each dialog box
• Scale Horizontal: 50% before clicking OK.
• Scale Vertical: 50%
• Angle: -30%

7. Select Preview, and then click OK.

8. Choose View > Fit All In Window.

9. Select the Selection tool, and drag the group to the left, onto the first artboard.
Don’t worry about positioning right now.

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 373

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 373

Discussion Topic Lesson 16 Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard

What are the three adjustments you can
make to a star while you’re drawing it?

Note: You can also click in the Move the grouped objects to the first artboard.
Document window with the Star
tool ( ) and edit the options in 10. Choose Object > Hide > Selection.
the Star dialog box instead of
drawing it. Creating a Star

Next, you’ll use the Star tool ( ) to create a few stars. The Star tool does not create
Live Shapes, which means editing the star after the fact can be more difficult. When
drawing with the Star tool, you’ll use a few keyboard modifiers to get the number of
points you want and to change the radius of the arms of the star (the length of the
arms). Here are the keyboard modifiers you’ll use in this section when drawing the
star and what each does:

• Arrow keys: Pressing the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys adds and removes
arms from the star as you draw it.

• Shift: This straightens the star (constrains it).

• Command (Mac OS) or Ctrl (Windows): Pressing the key and dragging while
creating a star allows you to change the radius of the arms of the star (make
the arms longer or shorter).

Try It!

1. Choose 1 from the Artboard Navigation menu in the lower-left corner of the
Document window. Choose View > Fit Artboard In Window, if necessary, to see
the whole artboard.

2. Choose View > Zoom In a few times to zoom in closer.

3. Move the mouse pointer over the Polygon tool ( ) in the Tools panel, press and
hold the mouse button, and select the Star tool ( ). Position the pointer some-
where on the artboard.

Next, you’ll create a star. This will take a few keyboard commands, so don’t
release the mouse button until you are told. It’s a long step but required if you
want to draw a star rather than entering values.

4. Drag slowly to the right to create a small star shape. Drag until the measurement
label shows a width of about 0.2 in. Notice that as you move the pointer, the star
changes size and rotates freely.

• Without releasing the mouse button, stop dragging and press the Up Arrow
key twice (to increase the number of points on the star to six). See the
second part of the following figure.

• Press Command (Mac OS) or Ctrl (Windows), and continue dragging to the
right a little. This keeps the inner radius constant, making the arms longer.
Drag until you see a width of approximately 0.3 in, and stop dragging,
without releasing the mouse button. Release Command or Ctrl, but not the
mouse. See the third part of the following figure.

374 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

374 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard Lesson 16 Discussion Topic

• Hold down the Shift key, and drag until the measurement label shows a Why do you think you’ve been instructed
width of about 0.4 in. See the fourth part of the following figure. Finally, to hide what you’ve drawn so far?
release the mouse button, and then release the Shift key, and you should
see an awesome little star.

Drag to create the star. Add points. Make the arms longer. Drag to the final size.

The next time you draw a star, it will have the same settings. If you want to
practice creating another star, try using the keyboard modifiers you’ve explored.
Remember, do not release the mouse button until you are sure you are finished
drawing the star. If you do try a few more, delete them, and then select the star
you made in this step before moving on. Your star doesn’t have to exactly match
the stars in the figures.

5. Change the Stroke weight of the selected star, to the right of the word “Stroke” in
the Control panel, to 0.

6. Change the Fill color in the Control panel to the color with the tooltip that shows
“CMYK Yellow.” Press the Escape key to hide the Swatches panel.

7. Select the Selection tool and option-drag (Mac OS) or Alt-drag (Windows) the
star from its center to a blank area of the artboard. Release the mouse button
and then the key.

Arrange the duplicated stars. Note: The Shaper tool is present
in the Tools panel of the classical
Do this a few times so that you have five or so stars out there. workspace. In the Touch
Workspace, it is a top-level tool in
8. Choose Select > All On Active Artboard, and then choose Object > Hide > Selection. the toolbar. This tool works best
with stylus on touch surfaces, such
9. Choose File > Save. as Surface Pro 3 or Wacom Cintiq,
or through indirect inputs such as
Working with the Shaper Tool the Wacom Intuos.

Another way to draw and edit shapes in Illustrator involves the Shaper tool ( ).
The Shaper tool recognizes natural gestures and produces Live Shapes from those
gestures. Without switching tools, you can transform individual shapes you create
and even perform operations such as punch and combine. In this section, you’ll get
a feeling for how the tool works by exploring the most widely used features.

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 375

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 375

TEACHING TIP Lesson 16 Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard

In step #4, encourage students to use the Drawing Shapes
Shaper tool to draw circles, ellipses, rec-
tangles, polygons, triangles, and at least To get started with the Shaper tool, you’ll draw a few simple shapes that will
one hexagon. eventually become an asteroid.

Discussion Topic Try It!

What happens if the scribble you draw over 1. Choose View > Fit Artboard In Window.
a shape to delete it isn’t squiggly enough? 2. Select the Shaper tool ( ) in the Tools panel.

You may see a window appear the first time you select the Shaper tool, which
gives a brief description of the capabilities of the tool. Click to close it.
3. Click anywhere on the artboard draw an ellipse. Use the following figure as a guide.

Draw the ellipse freehand.

When you finish drawing the shape, the gesture will be converted to a Live
Shape such as an ellipse. If the shape you draw doesn’t look like the one above,
don’t worry.
4. Draw a rectangle, and then draw a triangle in a blank area of the artboard.

Note: If you try to draw a scribble Add more freehand shapes.
and draw more of a straight line,
a line will be created instead. There are a variety of shapes that can be drawn with the Shaper tool including
Simply scribble across all the (but not limited to) rectangles, squares, ellipses (circles), triangles, hexagons,
shapes to remove them. lines, and more.

5. Draw a scribble over the rectangle, and then draw another over the triangle to
delete them.

Scribble to delete shapes.

This simple gesture is an easy way to delete shapes. Note that you can scribble
across more than one object to remove it, and you simply need to scribble over
part of the artwork, not the whole thing to delete it.

376 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

376 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard Lesson 16

Editing Shapes with the Shaper Tool Note: Your shape most likely
doesn’t look like the one shown
Once shapes are created, you can also use the Shaper tool to edit those shapes with- and may or may not be rotated.
out having to switch tools. Next, you’ll edit the ellipse you created previously. Don’t worry about that.

Try It!

1. Click the ellipse with the Shaper tool to select it. Press and hold Command (Mac
OS) or Ctrl (Windows), and drag any corner of the ellipse until you see a magenta
crosshair in the center.

The magenta crosshair is a part of Smart Guides and indicates that the ellipse
becomes a circle (an ellipse with equal width and height).

Change the ellipse to a circle. Note: Pressing Command
(Mac OS) or Ctrl (Windows) while
2. Drag the shape from its center toward the upper-right corner of the artboard. using the Shaper tool ensures
that the gray measurement
3. Press and hold Command (Mac OS) or Ctrl (Windows), and drag either widget label tooltip box with the sizing
that looks like a hollow circle away from the center or toward it until you see information appears.
a width and height of approximately 1.2 in.

Resize the circle.

Shapes drawn with the Shaper tool are live and dynamically adjustable, so you
can draw and edit intuitively without the extra hassle of switching between tools.

Combining Shapes with the Shaper Tool

Not only does the Shaper tool let you draw shapes, but you can then combine,
subtract, and continuously edit them, all with a single tool. Next, you’ll draw a few
more shapes and use the Shaper tool to add and subtract them from the circle you
just edited.

Try It!

1. Select the Zoom tool, and click several times on the circle in the upper-right
corner to zoom in closely.

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 377

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 377

TEACHING TIP Lesson 16 Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard

Don’t worry if your small shapes don’t Note: It’s important to deselect 2. With the Shaper tool selected, click in a blank area to deselect the circle. Draw a
look quite the way you want. You’ll have in this step, or you may wind up series of small ellipses around the edge of the circle. It doesn’t matter if they are
a chance to adjust them in the next editing the existing circle. perfect circles.
few steps.
If need be, you can always click within one of the circles you created to select it,
and then press Backspace or Delete to remove it.

Add shapes around the circle.

3. Position the pointer in a blank area, close to one of the little circles. Scribble
across the circle shape. When you release, it will appear to be removed from
the larger circle.

Scribble an outer circle to remove it.

4. For the next small circle, position the pointer inside the larger circle, and scribble
across the smaller circle. Stop just short of the stroke of the smaller circle (see
the following figure).

Scribble to remove alternate circles.

5. Scribble across the other smaller circles to either add them the larger circle or
remove them.

6. Click any of the merged shapes with the Shaper tool to select the merged group
(called a Shaper Group).

7. Click again, and you’ll see crosshatching, which means you can change the color
of areas of the merged group (called a Shaper Group Select). Change the Fill color
to a gray swatch with the tooltip “C=0 M=0 Y=0 K=50” in the Control panel.

378 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

378 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard Lesson 16 Discussion Topic

What are the three Drawing Modes at the
bottom of the Tools panel?

Apply a gray fill color. Note: With the Shaper tool
selected, you can also double-
8. Click the arrow toward the upper-right corner of the dotted box surrounding click one of the shapes within
the artwork to edit each shape independently (circled in the first part of the the Shaper Group to access the
following figure). individual shapes.

9. With the Shaper tool selected, click one of the smaller ellipses. Drag the ellipse
from within to reposition it. Notice that it is still merged with the larger shape.

10. Try clicking each ellipse to resize, rotate, reposition, and more. See the
following figure. When finished, click in a blank area of the Document window
to deselect.

Play with the shape and rotation of the ellipses.

11. Choose View > Fit All In Window.

12. Choose Object > Show All to show the asteroid, satellite, and stars.

Working with Drawing Modes

Illustrator has three different drawing modes available that are found at the bottom
of the Tools panel: Draw Normal, Draw Behind, and Draw Inside. Drawing modes
allow you to draw shapes in different ways. The three drawing modes are as follows:
• Draw Normal mode: You start every document by drawing shapes in Normal

mode, which stacks shapes on top of each other.

Drawing mode choices. 379

• Draw Behind mode: This mode allows you to draw objects behind other objects
without choosing layers or paying attention to the stacking order.

• Draw Inside mode: This mode lets you draw objects or place images inside
other objects, including live text, automatically creating a clipping mask of the
selected object.

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 379

TEACHING TIP Lesson 16 Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard

After step #1, go to Object > Show Working with Draw Behind Mode
All to un-hide the objects you’ve
previously hidden. Throughout this lesson, you’ve been working in the default Draw Normal mode.
Next, you’ll draw a rectangle that will cover the artboard and go behind the rest of
Note: If the Tools panel you see the content using Draw Behind mode.
is displayed as a single column,
you can click the Drawing Modes Try It!
button ( ) at the bottom of the
Tools panel and choose Draw 1. Choose View > Fit Artboard In Window.
Behind from the menu that
appears. 2. Click the Draw Behind button ( ) at the bottom of the Tools panel.
As long as this drawing mode is selected, every shape you create using the
different methods you’ve learned will be created behind the other shapes on
the page. The Draw Behind mode also affects placed content (File > Place).

3. Select the Rectangle tool ( ) in the Tools panel. Position the pointer off
the upper-left corner of the artboard in the corner of the red bleed guides.
Drag off the lower-right side of the artboard to the corner of the red bleed guides.

Note:If artwork were selected, Draw a rectangle behind the other shapes.
clicking the Draw Behind button
would allow you to draw artwork 4. With the new rectangle selected, click the Fill color in the Control panel, and
behind the selected artwork. change the fill color to Black. Press the Esc key to hide the Swatches panel.

The new black rectangle behind the other shapes.

5. Change the Stroke weight to 0 in the Control panel.
6. Choose Object > Lock > Selection.
7. Click the Draw Normal button ( ) at the bottom of the Tools panel.

380 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

380 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard Lesson 16 Discussion Topic

Why can’t you see the very ends of your
gray ellipse?

Using the Draw Inside Mode Note: If the Tools panel you see
is displayed as a single column,
Next, you will learn how to draw a shape inside another using the Draw Inside draw- you can click the Drawing
ing mode. This can be useful if you want to hide (mask) part of artwork. Modes button ( ) at the bottom
of the Tools panel and choose
Try It! Draw Inside from the menu
that appears.
1. Select the Selection tool ( ) in the Tools panel. Click to select the blue circle.

2. Click the Draw Inside button ( ), near the bottom of the Tools panel.

This button is active when a single object is selected (path, compound path, or
text), and it allows you to draw within the selected object only. Every shape you
create will now be drawn inside the selected shape (the circle). Notice that the
ellipse has a dotted open rectangle around it, indicating that, if you draw, paste,
or place content, it will be inside the circle, even if you were to choose
Select > Deselect.

Draw another ellipse inside the blue ellipse.

3. Select the Ellipse tool ( ) in the Tools panel. Position the pointer off the left
edge of the blue circle and draw an ellipse that has a width that is just wider than
the blue circle and a height of approximately 2 in. Release the mouse button.

4. Change the Fill color of the new circle to a light gray with the tooltip that shows
“C=0 M=0 Y=0 K=20.”

The new ellipse with the gray fill applied. Note: If you draw a shape
outside of the original blue
5. Choose Select > Deselect. circle, it will seem to disappear.
Notice that the ellipse still has the dotted open rectangle around it, indicating That is because the blue circle is
that Draw Inside mode is still active. masking all shapes drawn inside
When you are finished drawing content inside a shape, you can click the Draw of it; so, only shapes positioned
Normal button ( ) so that any new content you create will be drawn normally inside of the ellipse bounds
(stacked rather than drawn inside). will appear.

6. Click the Draw Normal button at the bottom of the Tools panel. Note: You can also toggle
This ensures that any new content you create will not be drawn inside the between the available Drawing
blue circle. Modes by pressing Shift+D.

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 381

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 381

TEACHING TIP Lesson 16 Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard

Your satellite, asteroid, and stars will be Editing Content Drawn Inside
in different places than those in step #5.
That’s okay. Next, you will edit the ellipse inside of the blue circle to see how you can later edit
content drawn inside.
Note: You can separate the
shapes by right-clicking the Try It!
shapes and choosing Release
Clipping Mask. This would 1. Select the Selection tool ( ), and click to select the light gray ellipse (that is
make two shapes, stacked one inside of the blue circle). Notice that it selects the blue circle instead.
on another. The blue circle is now a mask, also called a clipping path. The ellipse and the
circle together make a clip group and are now treated as a single object. If you
Note: You can also double-click look on the left end of the Control panel, you will see two buttons that allow you
the blue circle to enter Isolation to edit either the clipping path (the blue circle) or the contents (the gray ellipse).
mode and press the Esc key
to exit. 2. Click the Edit Contents button ( ) on the left end of the Control panel to select
the light gray ellipse.

Start editing the contents inside.

3. Drag the light gray ellipse from within the light gray fill color down to match the
figure as best you can.

Note: Sometimes it can be Reposition the gray ellipse.
helpful to choose View > Outline
to more easily see and select 4. Click the Edit Clipping Path button ( ) on the left end of the Control panel to
shapes when in Isolation mode. select the blue circle.

5. Change the Stroke weight to 0 in the Control panel.
If you find it difficult to change the Stroke weight to 0 (zero), try changing it to
another value first and then 0.

Your image should resemble this one at this point.

6. Choose Select > Deselect, and then choose File > Save.
7. Choose View > Fit Artboard In Window, if necessary.

382 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

382 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard Lesson 16 TEACHING TIP

Using Image Trace Note: Use Adobe Capture CC Review the yellow note at the top of the
on your device to photograph page. If time permits, demonstrate using
In this part of the lesson, you’ll learn how to work with the Image Trace command. any object, design, or shape and the Adobe Captivate CC app to import an
Image Trace traces existing artwork, like a raster picture from Adobe Photoshop. convert it into vector shapes in image or color scheme into Illustrator.
You can then convert the drawing to vector paths or a Live Paint object. This can be a few simple steps. Store the
useful for turning a drawing into vector art, tracing raster logos, tracing a pattern or resulting vectors in your Creative
texture, and much more. Cloud Libraries, and access
them or refine them in Illustrator
Try It! or Photoshop. Adobe Capture
is currently available for iOS
1. Choose File > Place. In the Place dialog box, navigate to the folder holding the (iPhone and iPad) and Android.
data files for this chapter, select the Rocket-ship.jpg file and click Place (shown
in the figure). Click within the artboard to place the image. Note: Tracing a larger image
or higher-resolution image will
2. Click the Image Trace button in the Control panel. The tracing results you see most likely result in better results.
may differ slightly from the figure, and that’s okay.

This converts the image into an image tracing object using the default tracing
options. That means you can’t edit the vector content yet, but you can change
the tracing settings or even the original placed image and then see the updates.

Trace the image and apply tracing settings. Note: You can also choose Object
> Image Trace > Make, with raster
3. Choose 6 Colors from the Preset menu on the left end of the Control panel. content selected, or begin tracing
Illustrator comes with preset tracing options that you can apply to your image from the Image Trace panel
tracing object. You can then make changes to the tracing settings, if need be, us- (Window > Image Trace).
ing the default preset as a starting point.

4. Choose Outlines With Source Image from the View menu in the Control panel,
and take a look at the image. Choose Tracing Result from that same menu.

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 383

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 383

TEACHING TIP Lesson 16 Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard

In step #6, remember that you can press An image tracing object is made up of the original source image and the tracing
Tab to advance from one value field to result (which is the vector artwork). By default, only the tracing result is visible.
the next. However, you can change the display of both the original image and the tracing
result to best suit your needs.
Note: The Image Trace panel
can also be opened by choosing 5. Click the Image Trace Panel button ( ) in the Control panel. In the panel, click
Window > Image Trace. the Auto-Color button ( ) at the top of the panel.

Make adjustments in the Image Trace Panel.

The buttons along the top of the Image Trace panel are saved settings for
converting the image to grayscale, black and white, and more. Below the buttons
at the top of the Image Trace panel, you will see the Preset and View options.
These are the same as those in the Control panel. The Mode option allows
you to change the color mode of resulting artwork (color, grayscale, or black
and white). The Palette option is also useful for limiting the color palette or for
assigning colors from a color group.
6. In the Image Trace panel, click the toggle arrow to the left of the Advanced
options to reveal them. Change only the following options, using the values as
a starting point:
• Colors: 8
• Paths: 4%
• Corners: 5%
• Noise: 13 px
• Ignore White: Selected
7. Close the Image Trace panel.
8. With the logo image tracing object still selected, click the Expand button in the
Control panel. The logo is no longer an image tracing object but is composed of
shapes and paths that are grouped together.
9. With the Selection tool selected and the rocket artwork selected, choose
Object > Transform > Rotate. In the Rotate dialog box, change the Angle value to
30, and click OK.

Rotate the image.

384 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

384 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard Lesson 16 REVIEW THE
VOCABULARY
10. Drag all the artwork into position as you see in the figure. We scaled some of the
stars as well. Career A chosen field of work in which
you try to advance over time by gaining
The finished postcard. responsibility and earning more money.
Cluster A group of similar things.
11. Choose File > Save, and choose File > Close.
Discussion Topics
Exploring the Arts, Audio/Video Technology,
and Communications Career Cluster What is the difference between a career
and a job?
The career you choose has a major impact on the kind of life you will lead. It deter- Career What fields are included in the
mines the type of training and education you will need. It might impact where you A chosen field of work in which Arts, Audio/Visual Technology, and
live, and the type of lifestyle you achieve. you try to advance over time by Communications career cluster?
gaining responsibility and earning
The Arts, Audio/Video Technology, and Communications career cluster prepares you more money. TEACHING TIP
for a career that involves designing, producing, exhibiting, performing, writing, or
publishing multimedia content. It includes the visual and performing arts, journalism, Cluster Google “US Department of Education
and entertainment services. Many states, including Texas, focus the Arts, Audio/Video A group of similar things. career clusters”. What are some of the 15
Technology, and Communications courses on audio and video production, fashion other clusters?
design, video game design, graphic design and illustration, commercial photography,
animation, and printing and imaging.

The U.S. Department of Education organizes careers into 16 clusters. Career clusters
help you sort career possibilities into 16 manageable groups. The Arts, Audio/
Video Technology, and Communications career cluster prepares you for careers
that generate, enable, or facilitate communication between people or businesses.
That includes designing, producing, exhibiting, performing, writing and publishing
multimedia content,

People who find satisfaction working in arts, audio/video technology, and commu-
nications careers are generally interested in providing entertaining and thought-
provoking information in creative ways. Some personal qualities that are helpful for
success in human services careers include:

• Creativity

• Confidence

• Talent

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 385

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 385

REVIEW THE Lesson 16 Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard
VOCABULARY
Pathway Arts, Audio/Video Technology, and Communications professionals must have
Pathway A group of jobs within a effective communication skills, a strong sense of self, and the ability to recognize and
career cluster. A group of jobs within a career critique creative work. Developing these qualities and skills will help you succeed in
cluster. an arts, audio/video technology, and communications career.
Discussion Topic
Arts, Audio/Video Technology, and
To which of the six pathways does your Communications Pathways
training in Photoshop and Illustrator
belong? Could it belong to more Within each of the 16 career clusters are related job, industry, and occupation types
than one? called pathways. Each pathway offers a variety of careers you might choose. The
clusters and their pathways help jobseekers and individuals interested in specific
careers to identify professions that best suit their interests and abilities. Through the
clusters and pathways you learn about the education and skills you will need to be
effective in a specific job and career. The U.S. Department of Education identifies six
pathways in the Arts, Audio/Video Technology, and Communications cluster:

• Audio and Video Technology and Film

• Journalism and Broadcasting

• Performing Arts

• Printing Technology

• Telecommunications

• Visual Arts

All of these career pathways require a significant amount of technological under-
standing, including the ability to use and manage computer hardware and software.

Identifying Arts, Audio/Video Technology,
and Communications Careers

The arts, audio/video technology, and communications pathways include both
technical and artistic careers. However, it is important to recognize that these two
sides of this career cluster are interdependent, which means they depend on each
other. Consider a television broadcast as an example. The script writers and actors
represent the artistic careers, but without the audio and video equipment techni-
cians, camera operators, and broadcast technicians, there would be no broadcast.
Another example is the use of computer systems to create graphic art, animation,
and photography. The hardware and software requires the artist’s abilities to be put
to good use. Taking courses in this career cluster can introduce you to artistic and
technical careers in all six pathways.

Careers in Audio and Video Technology and Film

• Audio and Video Equipment Technicians

• Broadcast Technicians

• Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairers

• Camera Operators for Television, Video, and Motion Picture

• Electronics Engineering Technicians

• Film and Video Editors

• Graphic Designers

386 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

386 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard Lesson 16 Discussion Topic

• Multi-Media Artists and Animators Which careers or clusters could the image
• Photographers represent? What about the image on the
• Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators next page
• Program Directors
• Radio Mechanics
• Riggers
• Set and Exhibit Designers
• Sound Engineering Technicians
• Technical Directors/Managers

Careers in Journalism and Broadcasting
• Broadcast News Analysts
• Broadcast Technicians
• Camera Operators for Television, Video, and Motion Picture
• Directors for Stage, Motion Pictures, Television, and Radio
• Editors
• Producers
• Program Directors
• Public Address System Announcers
• Public Relations Specialists
• Radio and Television Announcers
• Radio Operators
• Reporters and Correspondents
• Talent Directors
• Technical Directors/Managers
• Technical Writers
• Writers and Authors

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 387

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 387

Discussion Topic Lesson 16 Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard

As you review the list of careers on pages Careers in Performing Arts
386 through 389, determine whether • Actors
each is artistic, technical, or both. Do • Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes
students know of any careers that are • Art, Drama, and Music Teachers
missing from the list? • Choreographers
• Dancers
• Stage, Motion Pictures, Television, and Radio Directors
• Theatrical and Performance Makeup Artists
• Models
• Music Composers and Arrangers
• Music Directors
• Music Therapists
• Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners
• Musicians and Singers
• Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers
• Producers
• Program Directors
• Set and Exhibit Designers
• Talent Directors
• Technical Writers
• Writers and Authors

Careers in Printing Technology
• Copy Writers
• Desktop Publishers
• Etchers and Engravers
• Graphic Designers
• Multi-Media Artists and Animators
• Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers
• Prepress Technicians and Workers
• Print Binding and Finishing Workers

388 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

388 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard Lesson 16

• Printing Press Operators
• Proofreaders and Copy Markers
• Writers and Authors
Careers in Telecommunications
• Communications Equipment Operators
• Electronic Home Entertainment Equipment Installers and Repairers
• Electronics Engineering Technicians
• Media and Communication Workers
• Network and Computer Systems Administrators
• Switchboard Operators
• Telecommunications Engineering Specialists
• Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers
• Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers

Careers in Visual Arts
• Art Directors
• Art, Drama, and Music Teachers
• Commercial and Industrial Designers
• Craft Artists
• Curators
• Fashion Designers
• Fine Artists, including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators
• Graphic Designers
• Interior Designers
• Multi-Media Artists and Animators
• Museum Technicians and Conservators
• Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers
• Photographers
• Set and Exhibit Designers

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 389

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 389

REVIEW THE Lesson 16 Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard
VOCABULARY Identifying the Types of Businesses in this Cluster

Economic base The businesses that gen- Economic base The arts, audio/video technology and communications career cluster includes a
erate employment in a geographic area. wide range of occupations in a wide range of businesses. Businesses in this cluster
The businesses that create an economic base by providing jobs and generating income. Some of these
Discussion Topic generate employment in a industries are centralized in specific locations, such as the motion picture industry in
geographic area. Los Angeles, CA, and the theatre industry in New York, NY. In this regard, careers in
What businesses and industries are this cluster may not be part of the local economic base of a community. That may
included in the economic base of your mean someone choosing a career in this cluster may have to relocate. in order to
community? find a job. However, you can find examples of all arts, audio/video technology, and
communications industries throughout the United States. For example, most com-
TEACHING TIP munities have a venue for performing arts. There are local radio stations and cable
television outlets. And the Internet has made it possible to work in an arts, audio/
Assign each student an industry from the video technology, and communications field from anywhere.
list to research online. What examples can
they find of that industry in the local area?
Share results with the class.

If you pursue a career in this field, you might find yourself working for a company in
any of the following industries:

• Broadcasting Businesses in this industry create content and/
or broadcast it to the public.

• Internet Publishing Businesses in this industry produce web
and Broadcasting content.

• Internet Service Providers, Businesses in this industry provide internet-
Web Search Portals, and related services.
Data Processing Services

• Motion Picture and Sound Businesses in this industry produce movies
Recording Industries and albums.

• Other Information Businesses in this industry provide data
Services processing and storage.

• Performing Arts, Businesses in this industry produce live
Spectator Sports, entertainment performances.
and Related Industries

• Printing and Related Businesses in this industry print products, like
Support Activities newspapers, books, or t-shirts.

• Publishing Industries Businesses in this industry publish digital or
print media.

• Telecommunications Businesses in this industry provide services
related to communication.

390 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

390 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard Lesson 16 REVIEW THE
VOCABULARY
Identifying Educational Requirements Employment trend
One way the job market changes Employment trend One way the job mar-
The educational requirements for careers in arts, audio/video technology, and over time. ket changes over time.
communications vary, depending on the specialty.
Job outlook Job outlook A forecast or prediction
• Visual and performing artists, such as actors, dancers, painters, and musicians, may A forecast or prediction about about trends affecting that job.
not require any formal education if they are talented enough. However, training trends affecting that job.
provides technical benefits and most colleges and universities offer art, drama, Discussion Topic
theater arts, and other related degrees.
Why do you think graphic design has such
• Achieving long-term success in a technical career, such as audio and video a positive job outlook? Why do you think
equipment technician or operator, usually requires a 4-year bachelor’s degree in the printing technology field is likely to
a related field such as Audiovisual Technology or Communications technology. lose jobs?

• Some careers in this cluster require an advanced degree. For example, most Comprehension Check
museum technicians and conservators have a post-bachelor’s degree certificate,
master’s degree, or post-master’s certificate. 1. There are six shape tools: Rectangle,
Rounded Rectangle, Ellipse, Polygon,
• Some careers offer industry certification, apprenticeships, and on-the-job Star, and Flare.
training programs to help you build skills for career success.
2. After you draw a rectangle, rounded
Identifying Employment Trends rectangle, ellipse, or polygon using
the shape tool, you can continue to
Will there be jobs for printing press operators when I get out of school? Will Texas modify its properties such as width,
be hiring music teachers? Is the salary for sound engineers increasing or decreas- height, rounded corners, corner
ing? One way to learn the answers to these questions is to look at employment types, and radii (individually or collec-
trends. Sometimes trends in a specific field or industry are called the job outlook, tively). This is what is known as a Live
which means it is a forecast or prediction about trends affecting that job. Analyzing Shape. The shape properties such as
employment trends can help you compare and evaluate job opportunities. corner radius are editable later in the
Transform panel, Control panel, or
Employment trends include information such as the number of jobs in a certain directly on the art.
industry. For example, experts see a growing need for graphic designers, but a
shrinking need for switchboard operators. Other employment trends include where 3. Items that have no fill can be selected
the jobs are. For example, are businesses opening offices in Texas and closing them by clicking the stroke or by dragging a
in the Northeast? selection marquee across the item.

Salaries and job outlook for careers in the arts, audio/video technology, and commu- 4. Another way to draw and edit shapes
nications cluster vary. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, median annual in Illustrator involves the Shaper tool.
wages for jobs in this cluster range from $24,220 for floral designers to $83,000 for The Shaper tool recognizes natural
art directors. Talented individuals may earn more. In this cluster, BLS expects the gestures and produces Live Shapes
most job growth through 2020 to be in graphic design. Some fields, particularly in from those gestures. Without switch-
the Printing Technology pathway, are likely to lose jobs. ing tools, you can transform indi-
vidual shapes you create and even
Comprehension Check perform operations such as punch
and combine.
1. What are the basic tools for creating shapes?

2. What is a Live Shape?

3. How do you select a shape with no fill?

4. What is the Shaper tool?

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 391

LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 391

FOCUS AND ENGAGE Lesson 17 Editing and Combining Shapes and Paths

Introduce the Lesson Lesson 17 Overview

Share the file 17End.ai with the class, per- In this lesson, you’ll learn how to do the following:
haps passing around several printed cop-
ies. What shapes do students see? How • Cut with the Scissors tool. • Work with Pathfinder commands to create shapes.
do they think the leaves were created?
What about the blue bird at the upper • Join paths. • Create a compound path.
left? As you review the skills listed in the
Lesson 17 Overview, share that in this • Work with the Knife tool. • Edit strokes with the Width tool.
lesson, students will take their new skills
to the next level, learning how to edit and • Work with the Eraser tool. • Outline strokes.
combine shapes and paths into a more
complex finished product. • Work with the Shape Builder tool. • Use mathematics in graphic design.

Soon after you begin creating simple paths and shapes, you will most likely want to take them further in order to
create more complex artwork. In this lesson, you’ll explore how to both edit and combine shapes and paths.

Note: The artwork for this Opening the Project File
project was created by Dan Stiles
(www.danstiles.com). In Lesson 16, “Using Shapes to Create Artwork for a Postcard,” you learned about
creating and making edits to basic shapes. In this lesson, you’ll take basic shapes and
Note: In Mac OS, when opening paths and learn how to both edit and combine them to create new artwork.
lesson files, you may need to
click the round, green button Try It!
in the upper-left corner of the
Document window to maximize 1. Start Illustrator, and then immediately hold down Ctrl+Alt+Shift (Windows) or
the window’s size. Command+Option+Shift (Mac OS) to reset the default settings.

2. When prompted, click Yes to confirm that you want to delete the Adobe
Illustrator Settings file.

3. Choose File > Open, navigate to the folder holding the data files for this chapter,
and double-click 17Start.ai to open it. Click OK in the Illustrator Options dialog
box. This file contains a series of shapes and paths on a number of different
artboards that you will use to explore combining and editing.

Note: By default, the “.ai” The starting project file.
extension shows on Mac OS, but
you could add the extension on 4. Choose File > Save As, navigate to the location where your instructor directs you
either platform in the Save As to save files for this chapter’s projects, and rename the file 17End_xx.ai. Leave
dialog box. the Format option set to Adobe Illustrator (ai) (Mac OS) or the Save As Type
option set to Adobe Illustrator (*.AI) (Windows), and click Save.

5. In the Illustrator Options dialog box, leave the Illustrator options at their default
settings, and click OK.

6. Choose View > Fit All In Window.

392 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

392 LEARNING GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION