Adobe Illustrator CS/CS2: Learning to Swim

This class is running for the last time in May 2008

If you finished Illustrator CS/CS2: Getting Your Feet Wet and you want to know more, this is the class for you! This is the Level 2 class for users of Illustrator CS/CS2 and takes up where the Getting Your Feet Wet class left off. We will refine some of the skills you’ve already learned, as well as add new ones to your Illustrator repertoire.

This class is written for Illustrator CS and CS 2. Because Illustrator 10 is 4 years old, there is no separate Level 2 class for Illustrator 9 or 10. Users of those versions can benefit from this class, but there will be some tools covered you do not have (especially Illustrator 9) and all screenshots will be from Illustrator CS2.

Prerequisites:

1. Students must have Illustrator CS or CS2 installed. If you choose to use an earlier version of Illustrator, be aware the screenshots and instructions are all for Illustrator CS or CS2.

2. Students must be familiar with their operating systems. This means you must know how to unzip and file and open the file in Illustrator, you must understand what a menu is, and basic commands like copying and pasting, as well as Save and Save As.

3. You will need some sort of web presence to post homework. You can post them to your own web site or utilize the Student Upload Area (SUA). Details are available in the classroom.

Enrollment

Classes are $25 each, and $20 for returning students. A returning student is one who has previously taken any LVS Online class. Sessions run throughout the year, and run for 6 weeks each. Lessons will be posted every Saturday during the session.

To enroll, please go to LVS Online.

Syllabus

Lesson 1: Making a clock face; Control + D, Editing Symbols, Using the Pathfinder to draw a bubble wand; Saving images for the web

Lesson 2: The 3D filter: bubble soap, Difference between filters and effects, Mapping textures to a 3D object: A globe; Beachball and transparent bubbles.

Lesson 3: Discovering the Power of Layers, The Transparency Palette and Blend Modes, Patterns, collages, Working with bitmaps, Peppermint

Lesson 4: Postage Stamps, Using Dignbats, Shading with Inner Glow, Grapvine and Grapevine Wreath, Holly and Wreath, Duplicating with math

Lesson 5: Multiple Strokes on type; Bringing Photoshop Files into Illustrator, Bringing Illustrator Files into Photoshop; Productivity Tricks to Help Increase Efficiency, Resizing Tips for Illustrator, Resizing Tips for Illustrator, Drawing a Pyramid, Selective Exporting

Lesson 6: Type Basics: A Review; Anatomy of Type, Leading, Kerning, and Tracking, Open Type Palette, Glyphs Palette; Warping Text and Objects; Create Outlines; Gradient Filled Text