Chapter 3 Drawing and Composing an Illustration

Drawing Straight Lines When you are working with the Pen tool, your view of the board becomes more critical as anchor points are tiny, and you will often move them in 1 point increments. You can click and drag a marquee around the specific area you want to enlarge.

Drawing Straight Lines The marquee, which is a rectangular, dotted line surrounding the area, will disappear when you release the Zoom tool, and whatever was in the marquee will be magnified as much as possible, while still fitting in the window.

Drawing Straight Lines Use the Pen tool to make lines, called paths. Corner points are where two endpoints of two straight segments are united.

Drawing Straight Lines You can move, reposition, add, and delete anchor points and segments. Once you have completed an object, use the Direct Selection tool to fix points and segments.

Drawing Straight Lines Segment Starting anchor point Corner anchor points Ending anchor point Corner anchor point Elements of a path composed of straight segments

Drawing Straight Lines The Average command is used for aligning points. With two or more points selected, you can use the Average command to align them on the: –Horizontal axis –Vertical axis –Both the horizontal and vertical axes

Drawing Straight Lines The name “Average” is appropriate because when the command moves two points to line them up on a given axis, that axis is positioned at the average distance between the two points. Thus, each point moves the same distance.

Drawing Straight Lines The Join command unites two anchor points. When two points are positioned in different locations on the artboard, the Join command creates a segment between them. When two points are aligned on both the horizontal and vertical axes and are joined, the two points become one.

Drawing Straight Lines Applying the Join command always results in a corner point. You will often use the Average and Join commands in tandem.

Drawing Straight Lines Two paths created by the Join command Points to be joined Join command unites open points

Drawing Curved Lines When you click to create anchor points with the Pen tool, the points are connected by straight segments. You can “draw” a curved path between two anchor points by clicking and dragging the Pen tool to create the points instead of just clicking. Anchor points created by clicking and dragging the Pen tool are known as smooth points.

Drawing Curved Lines When you use the Direct Selection tool to select a point connected to a curved segment, you will expose the point’s direction lines.

Drawing Curved Lines Smooth anchor point Direction line Direction point Direction lines define a curve

Drawing Curved Lines The angle and length of the direction lines determine the arc of the curved segment. Direction lines are editable. You can click and drag the direction points, or handles, at the end of the direction lines to reshape the curve.

Drawing Curved Lines A smooth point always has two direction lines that move together as a unit. The two curved segments attached to the smooth point are both defined by the direction lines. When you manipulate the direction lines on a smooth point, you change the curve of both segments attached to the point, always maintaining a smooth transition through the anchor point.

Drawing Curved Lines When two paths are joined at a corner point, the two paths can be manipulated independently. A corner point can join two straight segments, one straight segment and one curved segment, or two curved segments. That corner point would have zero, one, or two direction lines, respectively.

Drawing Curved Lines A corner point joining two curved paths (note the direction lines) A smooth point Corner point joining one straight and one curved segment Corner point joining two straight segments Smooth points and corner points

Drawing Curved Lines When a corner point joins one or two curved segments, the direction lines are unrelated and are often referred to as “broken.” When you manipulate one, the other doesn’t move.

Drawing Curved Lines Convert Anchor Point tool changes corner points to smooth points, and smooth points to corner points. To convert a corner point to smooth, click and drag the Convert Anchor Point tool on an anchor point to pull out direction lines.

Drawing Curved Lines Corner point converte d to a smooth point Corner point Converting a corner point to a smooth point

Drawing Curved Lines When you click directly on a smooth point with the Convert Anchor Point tool, direction lines disappear. A smooth point is converted to a corner point that joins two straight segments.

Drawing Curved Lines You can also use the Anchor Point tool on one of the two direction lines of a smooth point. The tool “breaks” the direction lines and allows you to move one independently of the other.

Drawing Curved Lines Toggle between the Pen tool and the selection tools using keyboard shortcuts for efficiency. When the Pen tool is selected press [Ctrl] (Win) or [Command] (Mac) to access the Selection tool or Direct Selection tool, depending on which tool you used last.

Drawing Elements of an Illustration Drawing from scratch means you start with a new Illustrator document and create the illustration using only Illustrator tools.

Drawing Elements of an Illustration Using the Place command, it is easy to import a scanned image into Illustrator. For complex illustrations, especially those of people or objects with delicate relationships, such as maps or blueprints, many designers find it easier to scan a sketch or a photo and import it into Illustrator as a guide or a point of reference.

Use a scanned sketch as a reference for tracing Drawing Elements of an Illustration

Applying Attributes to Objects Attributes are formatting that you have applied to an object that affect its appearance. Typographic Attributes: –Font, leading, horizontal scale Artistic Attributes: –Fill color, stroke color, stroke weight

Applying Attributes to Objects The Eyedropper tool: –is handy for applying all of an object’s attributes to another object. –can be used to copy type formatting and effects between text elements.

Applying Attributes to Objects Use the Eyedropper tool to apply the attributes of one object to another with one click

Applying Attributes to Objects You can think of the letter O as an example of a closed path and the letter U as an example of an open path. Although it seems a bit strange, you are able to add a fill to an open path just as you would to a closed path. The program draws an imaginary straight line between the endpoints of an open path to define where the fill ends.

Applying Attributes to Objects Avoid applying fills to open paths. An open path’s primary role is to feature a stroke. Any effect that you can create by filling an open path is more effective by filling a closed path.

Assembling an Illustration Assembling an illustration with multiple objects will test your fluency with the stacking order commands: –Bring to Front –Send to Back –Bring Forward –Send Backward –Paste in Front –Paste in Back –Group –Lock –Unlock All –Hide –Show All

Assembling an Illustration The sequence in which you draw the elements determines the stacking order (newer elements are in front of older ones), so you’ll almost certainly need to adjust the stacking order when assembling the elements. Locking and hiding placed elements will help you to protect the elements when they are positioned correctly.

Assembling an Illustration Nose pasted in front of the left eye

Stroking Objects for Artistic Effect Caps are applied to the ends of stroked paths. The Stroke panel offers three choices: –Butt Cap for square ends –Round Caps for rounded ends –Projecting Caps for square ends that extend the anchor point one-half of the weight of the stroke

Stroking Objects for Artistic Effect Two segments with butt caps Two segments with projecting caps Projecting caps are useful when segments meet at right angles

Stroking Objects for Artistic Effect When two stroked paths form a corner point, joins define the appearance of the corner. The default is a miter join, which produces stroked lines with pointed corners. The round join produces stroked lines with rounded corners, and the bevel join produces stroked lines with squared corners. The greater the weight of the stroke, the more apparent the join will be.

Stroking Objects for Artistic Effect Miter join Round join Bevel join Three types of joins

Stroking Objects for Artistic Effect The miter limit determines when a miter join will be squared off to beveled edge. The miter is the length of the point, from inside to outside. The default miter limit is 4 times the stroke weight.

Stroking Objects for Artistic Effect A dashed stroke is like any other stroked path except the stroke has been broken into a sequence of dashes separated by gaps. You can create a maximum of three different sizes of dashes separated by three different sizes of gaps. The pattern you establish will be repeated across the length of the stroke.

Stroking Objects for Artistic Effect The “Exact Dashes” option distributes dashes around the edge of the rectangle with exact measurements regardless of appearance. The “Adjust Dashes” option automatically adjusts dashes and gaps around corners for a balanced effect.

Stroking Objects for Artistic Effect The Exact Dashes and Adjust Dashes options applies to a stroked object

Stroking Objects for Artistic Effect Creating pseudo-stroke effects: –Sometimes the most effective stroke is no stroke at all. –Place black-filled copy behind an illustration element, then distort the black element with the Direct Selection tool so it peeks out from behind.

Stroking Objects for Artistic Effect Black copy pasted in back and distorted The “pseudo-stroke” effect Original object

Using Image Trace When you place and select an image, the Image Trace button becomes available in the Control panel. Image Trace offers a number of new and traditional tracing presets that give you different results.

Using Image Trace These presets include: –Line Art –Sketched Art –Black and White Logo –16 Color In addition to the options in the Image Trace menu, you can use the Image Trace panel.

Using Image Trace Image Trace panel

Using Image Trace You use Image Trace to trace a bitmap photo the same way you trace a sketch.

Traced graphics Using Image Trace

Especially when tracing photographs, the Image Trace utility creates illustrations with complex relationships between different paths. Working with expanded tracing results will often test your skills for working with paths.

Using Image Trace When you place a file, that file is not automatically part of the Illustrator file. Instead, a link is created from Illustrator to that file. If you were to move the Illustrator file to a different computer, the placed image would not be available when the file is opened on the other computer.

Using Image Trace For this reason, many designers choose to click the Embed button; doing so is like copying and pasting the placed file into the Illustrator document. *Note that when you click Embed, the file name of the placed image no longer appears in the Control panel. Instead, the panel lists the word Embedded.

Using the Live Paint Bucket Tool In Live Paint mode the concept of “objects” no longer applies. You can fill and stroke negative spaces. Live Paint Bucket tool uses two object types: –Regions –Edges

Edges and regions are like fills and strokes but “live.” Where regions overlap, a third region is created that can be painted a different color. Using the Live Paint Bucket Tool

Edge Region Edge with new color applied Region with new color applied Using the Live Paint Bucket Tool Identifying regions and edges in an illustration

The “live” part of Live Paint is that these regions are now part of a Live Paint group, and they maintain a dynamic relationship with each other. This means that when any of the objects are moved, the overlapping area changes shape and fill accordingly. Using the Live Paint Bucket Tool

Filling multiple regions Using the Live Paint Bucket Tool

With the Live Paint Bucket tool, the regions that are created by the intersection of the paths are able to be filled as though they were objects. Using the Live Paint Bucket Tool

Four filled regions between paths

Using the Live Paint Bucket Tool New objects can be inserted into a Live Paint group. To do so, switch to the Selection tool, then double-click inside any of the regions of the group. Once in insertion mode you can then add an object or objects to the group.

Gray rectangle indicates intersection mode Using the Live Paint Bucket Tool Viewing the art in insertion mode

Using the Live Paint Bucket Tool In Live Paint mode, just as regions are akin to fills, edges are akin to strokes. With the Live Paint Bucket tool, you can paint edges as well as regions. To paint edges, you must first double-click the Live Paint Bucket tool, then activate the Paint Strokes check box in the Live Paint Bucket Options dialog box.

Paint Strokes check box Using the Live Paint Bucket Tool Specifying the Live Paint Bucket tool to paint edges

Exploring Alternative Drawing Techniques Along with its ability to convert anchor points from smooth to corner and vice versa, the Anchor Point tool can also convert path segments from straight to curved. In fact, the Anchor Point tool is so powerful that you can use it as an alternate to dragging directional handles to modify a curve. Instead you can just click and drag any segment to reshape it and position it as you like.

Exploring Alternative Drawing Techniques A curved object reshaped from a simple rectangle

Exploring Alternative Drawing Techniques When you’re creating paths with the Pen tool, you can access the Anchor Point tool and the path segment reshape function simply by pressing [Alt] (Win) or [option] (Mac).

Exploring Alternative Drawing Techniques With the widespread use of tablets and pen styluses, advances in Illustrator’s Pencil tool is making it a great option for drawing in Illustrator by hand. The following figure shows a relatively uneven line being drawn with the Pencil tool.

Exploring Alternative Drawing Techniques Rough line being drawn

Exploring Alternative Drawing Techniques The following figure shows the same path once the Pencil tool is lifted. The path is automatically smoothed out and anchor points are added at necessary locations.

Exploring Alternative Drawing Techniques Rough line smoothed automatically

Exploring Alternative Drawing Techniques The following figure shows a simple, hand-drawn circle with a line across it done with the Pencil tool.

Exploring Alternative Drawing Techniques Circle with line drawn across it

Exploring Alternative Drawing Techniques If you want to draw a circle with a line drawn across it, you must do so with the Edit selected paths option deactivated. If the Edit selected paths option is activated, drawing the line across the circle will actually edit the circle and redraw it with the new line, as seen in the following figure.

Exploring Alternative Drawing Techniques Circle redrawn with new line