I chose this workshop over the textiles workshop as I plan on incorporating digital art into my future projects and I have always struggled with learning programs in the past.
Illustrator doesn’t uses vector based graphics, most other digital graphics work with pixels, bitmaps. Photos are also bitmaps.
Adobe photoshop, In design and Illustrator constitute “the big three”.
We will cover:
- Vectors/pathfinder
- Colours and gradient fills
- Transparency and opacity
- text as object
- placing imagery
When drawing with Illustrator, use fill to make images expandable without
Lowering the opacity of a shape will make it more “see-through” allowing several layers of colour to be blended.

Vector graphics lends itself well to creative typography.
Two in sketches
- Generate shapes to work from
- Reproduce on Illustrator
- Combine demo techniques
- refer to notes
You can customize your own artboard’s positioning and size. Document setup. Use shortcuts for everything.
Hold space to drag art board “camera”.
How to trace in Illustrator notes:
- Use the pen tool (with a little help from the spacebar) to trace an image.
- Anchor point tool to adjust anchor points.
- Window> pathfinder> mess around with the menu.
- Elipse tool to create elipses.
- select multiple shapes with shift.
- File> place> select image> Outline image> select bitmap+ outline> object> clipping mask> make.
- Type text> select text> Type> create outlines.
- Hold space to move anchor point once misplaced.
- CMD+ + to zoom in.