I created a version of this class in 2009, but it only had 11 Episodes. This new Series has 31, just like Baskin-Robbins, except we have training videos and they have ice cream.
We start out easy, with an overview of Illustrator's Environment and how it works.
Then the fun begins.
You'll get to play with
just like when you were in Kindergarten. Oh, and KNIVES, too! Then there are some magical tools that do crazy cool things, like the
and other goodies that make creating with Illustrator exciting.
So lets get started. Put your lunchboxes over there on the shelf, hang up your jackets and go to your desks.
And let's fire up Adobe Illustrator!
New to Adobe Illustrator? This episode gets you up and running in no time. We'll quickly look at creating a new document, show some shortcuts, dig around the interface, and save a file.
Illustrator is a totally different animal than Photoshop. To simplify: Illustrator is Vector. If you don't know what that means, you should watch this episode before you start the series.
Now that you know what a path is, how do we change the look? One way is adding Strokes...and there are so many cool options. Let's have some fun!
Creating a path is step 1, but the fun begins when you fill the paths with color, gradients, or patterns. See how in this episode.
Drawing a line segment shouldn't need a whole episode, right? Well, you might be surprised. Have a look...it won't take long to learn something new.
You may think you have no use for the Arc Tool, and you may be correct. But it never hurts to know what a tool can do for you, just in case. In this short episode you’ll see it in action.
Yep, the name of this tool pretty much gives away what we're going to be creating in this Episode: spirals. Let's all see how to use the Spiral Tool.
So you know, the Rectangular Grid Tool also makes square grids. Now you know. See how, and much more, in this Episode.
I need a bullseye right now, what tool should I use? Hmmmm...how about the Polar Grid Tool. Oh, what about a process diagram? Yep? Target? Yep. Check it out in this Episode.
This is one of my favs right here: the Pencil Tool. See just how powerful it is as we create and edit paths quickly and easily.
The Paintbrush Tool can be deceiving. By itself, it’s not very impressive. Add the Brushes Panel, and a whole new world of design opportunities opens up.
This has become a handy little tool I reach for when needing to add or create a curved line in a graphic. Simple to use, yet powerful in the right instance.
At first glance this looks like just another “paint” tool…but it’s not. It’s a different animal, altogether, and after watching this Episode, you’ll see what I mean.
Well, we can’t use circles for EVERYTHING. We surely need to make squares and rectangles on occasion. In this class you’ll see how to make rectangles, rounded rectangles, and squares with ease.
This won’t take long…we’re drawing circles, right? Yes, but we also want to create correct circles that we won’t have to fix later after our art is more complex.
The name of this Episode says it all, we’re going to make Polygons and Triangles. But HOW are we going to make them is what’s really going on here.
"Star" is a pretty vague term for any number of shapes that have multiple points. Well, if you know how to use it, the Star Tool gives you all of the options you need.
You’ve made your path, maybe a square or a circle, with the shape tools, now what. Now what? Now is when the fun begins as you learn the many ways to modify a path to create new shapes.
Time for recess! Let’s take a break from our studies and play with some tools that are a bit…warped. That’s right, the Warp Tool and it’s siblings.
I know this Series is called Illustrator Kindergarten, but to understand some of the techniques, we have to learn a few higher level things…like what a Compound Path is.
Creating paths is fun and easy, but to create more complex shapes, it’s time to call out the Pathfinder. Using the Pathfinder and overlapping paths opens a whole new creative world.
You can almost pretend this tool is a magic wand that you wave over paths to create new art. Really! You don’t have to dress up as a Wizard, or anything, just pretend for a bit.
This is NOT just a “paint fill” tool. No, it’s much more powerful than that. It not only fills closed paths, but it can fill overlapping open paths, even with a gap. #truth
Sometimes you just don't have art for your project. So use some type and make art out of it. You'll see how in this fun Episode.
We see it everywhere: Photos in text. We see it on billboards, in magazines, on ads, and on cheesy bumper stickers. Now learn how to easily do it in Illustrator.
Just erase it, you say. Yes...and then some. The erasure tool is usable as an erasure, but also as a creator of cool results.
There are a few tools which allow us to erase paths, and they each behave differently. So which one should we use? You’ll see in this Episode how they work so you can decide.
Illustrator has so many ways to create and apply color, that one might actually get confused. In this Episode, we won’t cover EVERYTHING, but we’ll give you enough to get you well on your way.
If you miss X-Acto knives and want to cut some pieces of art apart, Illustrator has just the tool for you: the Knife Tool. You’ll see just how fun it is to cut things apart digitally in this Episode.