working with brushes, symbols, and layers chapter 8 © 2011 delmar, cengage learning

Working with Brushes, Symbols, and Layers

Chapter 8

© 2011 Delmar, Cengage Learning

© 2011 Delmar Cengage Learning

Chapter Objectives• Place a sketch or line art in Illustrator as a template to

make the artwork scalable and sharp with Illustrator’s drawing tools.

• Learn to trace the image accurately using Illustrator’s drawing tools and the Live Trace tool.

• Create and apply brushes, place symbols, and format text by applying styles.

• Create symbols to add to the Symbols panel. • Work with Symbolism tools and symbol libraries. • ADVANCED: Placing a logo created by the Blob Brush

tool onto multiple artboards, for various print sizes.


Creating Templates in Illustrator• When drawings are scanned in a digital imaging application like

Photoshop, and are traced and recreated in Illustrator, they can be scaled to any size and edited, while keeping sharp edges throughout.

• A nonprintable template, which is a faded version of the original image, can be created from a scanned image and then traced and edited using many of Illustrator’s drawing and painting tools.


Drawing Tools (1 of 2)

• As a line is drawn, a path is automatically created with anchor points when the mouse is released.

• The Pencil tool allows the designer to draw freely or trace any drawing from a template.

• The Smooth tool moves and deletes anchor points to help smooth out crooked freehand path segments created by the Pencil tool.

• The Eraser tool removes anchor points and path segments.• The Selection tool creates a bounding box around selected paths.• Illustrator’s Blob Brush tool creates clean vector paths and shapes,

even when strokes overlap one another. This tools works in conjunction with the Direct Select, Path Eraser, and Smooth tools creating paths that can be merged as filled shapes of the same color.


Drawing Tools (2 of 2)


Direct Selection Tool The Direct Selection tool selects isolated segments,

anchor points, or objects. You can then drag and reposition these selected paths and anchor points.


Symbols, Symbolism Tools, Libraries, and the Symbols Panel

• Symbols are art objects that you can create from combinations of paths, text, images, or groups of objects, including brush strokes and special effects, and save for later use in the Symbols panel.

• The Symbols panel is used to place, store, and create symbols.

• You can modify the size, color, and distribution of symbol instances using various Symbolism tools.

• Illustrator comes with a wide variety of preset symbols organized in collections called symbol libraries.

• You can create repeating symbol designs or symbol instances of a particular symbol within a document.– These symbol instances can be edited and changed.


Symbols, Symbol Panels, and Libraries


Applying Brushes(1 of 2)

• Creating paths with brushes usually involves either the Paintbrush, Pencil, or Pen tools.

• To apply brushes using these tools, you choose a brush from the Brushes panel first, then draw in the artwork creating paths.

• You can also apply brushes to existing paths by selecting the path(s) first, and then choose a brush in the Brushes panel.

• Illustrator comes with a variety of preset brushes organized as brush libraries, which appear in a new panel and are added by selecting the brush and dragging it to the Brushes panel.

• In the Brushes panel, you can create your own brush artwork or use predefined brushes in four different categories: Calligraphic, Scatter, Art, and Pattern.


Brushes, Panels, and Libraries (2 of 2)


Working with Type• The Type tools contain many functions in Illustrator. You

can select the normal horizontal Type tool, make selections from the Type menu, and then click anywhere to start typing normally.

• There are also Type tools that allow you to type vertically and along a path or within an area.

• Type-related panels in the Window menu (Window > Type) allow adjustments in character or paragraph formatting, tabbing, and to create and apply automated special formatting or styles to selected text.

• You can also use the Control Panel to select Type options.


Type Tool, Panels, and Tool Options


Creating a Tourist Map From A Sketch


Scanning Drawings Into Photoshop• Before tracing and applying brushes and symbols to the map, it

needs to be brought into Illustrator as a template to use as a guide for tracing.

• Since the template will be dimmed when placed in Illustrator, you can scan the image into Photoshop and save it in Grayscale mode to keep the file size down.

• Line art can be any drawing or sketch created by traditional drawing utensils, like pencil, pen, charcoal, and so on.

• To bring line art into the computer to use in Illustrator, it still needs to be scanned and imported into an image-editing program like Photoshop (File > Import).

• The image can then be “placed” into a new document created in Illustrator.


Scanning Into Photoshop


Placing the Drawing as a Template• Before an image is traced, a template layer must be created, which

dims the image. Template layers are nonprintable representations that allow you to trace a sketch or drawing.

• By using the Place command, any sketch or drawing can be made into a template for tracing manually by either the Pencil or Pen tool.

• When the Place dialog box comes up, and the Template option is checked, the scanned image can be placed in a new document created in Illustrator and is automatically dimmed 50 percent.

• A drawing layer is automatically created on top of the template layer for tracing the drawing.

• You can lock and unlock the template layer or any other layer by clicking on the Lock Icon to the left of the active layer.

• Layers can be named and options set by double-clicking on a layer’s name.


Placing Artwork as Template


Using Pencil, Smooth, and Eraser Tools• When tracing, the Pencil tool allows you to create freehand paths.

You can modify a path by drawing over the path with the Pencil tool again, which replaces the existing path with the newly drawn path.

• The Smooth tool is used to edit or smooth out crooked path segments, while the Eraser tool will remove path segments.

• If you mess up, use Edit > Undo Pencil to delete that portion of the path, redraw it, and then use the Smooth and Eraser tools to adjust and complete the basic outline, if needed.


Using the Direct Selection Tool• The Direct Selection tool allows the designer to select

single path segments or anchor points and move them around independently of the rest of the path.

• Dragging the direction lines extending from anchor points modify a curve or path with precision.


Displaying and Hiding the Template Layer and Selected Paths


Using the Line Segment and Direct Selection Tools


Using the Stroke Panel


Creating A Custom Brush


Using Live Trace (1 of 2)

• Illustrator uses a Live Trace function that interprets the contours and outlines of drawings and bitmap images, translating them into vector drawings.

• The Tracing Options dialog box offers presets to trace a variety of images, including sketches, drawings, photos, and even templates, and you have the ability to set your own options for tracing.

• Live Trace is located in the Object menu. In order to trace any object, it has to be selected first.

• To convert the tracing outline to a series of connected paths, you select the Expand command.


Using Live Trace (2 of 2)


Symbols Panel• A designer can create a graphic, copy it, and then paste it into

another document. The selected graphic can then be saved as a symbol in the Symbols panel for later use.

• Any object can be made into a symbol, which can then appear as a• graphic thumbnail in the Symbols panel. • Once a symbol is created, it stays in the Symbols panel for use

whenever it is needed in the document. • You can create multiple versions of the symbol, called symbol

instances, by dragging it from the Symbols panel to the artboard. Once it is placed in your document, you can resize or edit it.

• Illustrator allows you to name your symbol and determine whether it will be used as a graphic or as part of a video or animated sequence.


Symbols Panel With New Symbols Created


Placing Imported Type in Illustrator• Illustrator allows you to import text from other documents made by

Microsoft Word (DOC), as plain text files (TXT), or rich text format files that maintain formatting commands (RTF).

• With text, the Place command imports a copy of the document into its own text block; so it can easily be moved around into position and edited.


Character and Paragraph Panels• Illustrator has a Character panel and a Paragraph panel to format

selected type. This is helpful when you need to format large amounts of text or specialized titles and headlines.

• In the Character panel, you can apply character formatting techniques to selected characters or lines of text, while in the Paragraph panel, you can apply paragraph formatting commands to selected paragraphs.


Symbolism Tools and Symbol Instances• You can select symbols from a variety of preset symbols

organized in collections called symbol libraries.• When you open a Symbol library from the Symbols panel

menu, it displays as a new panel.• To add symbols to the Symbols panel from the library,

just select from the Symbol library, and it is automatically placed in the Symbols panel.

• Placing symbols on the artwork creates symbol instances, which can be resized and modified using the various Symbolism tools.

• To make any changes to a symbol instance, it needs to be selected first.


Symbolism Tools• To adjust the size of a graphic, you can use the Symbol Sizer tool. • The Symbol Spinner tool is used to vary the direction of the selected

symbol instance. • You can change the color of symbol instances with the Symbol

Stainer tool and apply other effects to symbol instances with the other Symbolism tools.


Saving Artwork in EPS Format (1 of 2)

• Saving Illustrator files in EPS format allows them to be viewed universally by many graphics applications.

• EPS files work quite nicely with text and graphic elements and are used predominantly in the commercial press industry, especially when vector graphics are needed to maintain sharpness and clarity.

• You can include options like embedding fonts and display thumbnail previews, although adding options will also increase file size.

• You can save EPS files using the current CS5 version or earlier versions. If you save to an earlier version, you may see various warnings and functions grayed out in the dialog box; this is because some of Illustrator CS5’s features may not have been available in a previous version.


Saving Artwork in EPS Format (2 of 2)


Advanced: Placing Logos Created by the Blob Brush Onto Multiple Artboards

• The Multiple Artboards feature allows a designer to create up to 100 multiple artboards to show a potential client various sizes and types of media that the artwork created can be used for.

• Whereas the Brush, Pen, and Pencil tools create stroke paths and anchor points from the inside out, the Blob Brush tool creates paths of a Fill color with no stroke with paths and anchor points on the outside creating shapes from anything you draw.

• Multiple artboards are useful for creating a variety of things such as multiple page PDFs, printed pages with different sizes or different elements, independent elements for websites, and so on.


Using Multiple Artboards


Multiple Artboards and the Artboard Tool• Designers can use and save multiple artboards within one

document or export each artboard to its own file. • Double-clicking the Artboard tool opens the Artboard Options dialog

box, and then clicking Artboard Options button in the Control panel. • You can adjust dimensions of a selected artboard using the Control

panel or by using the Artboard tool. • The Artboard tool (Shift + O) controls how you move, resize, and

edit artboards, with one artboard selected at a time. • To set an artboard as the active artboard, click it. When you have

multiple artboards defined, you can view them all by selecting the Artboard tool.

• Double-clicking the Artboard tool opens the Artboard Options dialog box, or by clicking the Artboard Options button in the Control panel.


Using the Artboard Tool

Using the Artboard tool to select, edit, resize, and move artboards to suit various client needs.


Using the Artboard PanelThe Artboard Tool can be used to name each artboard or create an orientation. The Artboards panel provides options for your individual artboards.


The Blob Brush Tool• Illustrator’s Blob Brush tool (Shift + B) allows a designer to draw

merged paths as fill shapes. Instead of a regular paintbrush stroke, you get a filled compound path.

• You can use the Blob Brush tool to paint filled shapes that you can intersect and merge with other shapes of the same color. The key here is same color shapes.

• The Blob Brush tool uses Fill colors with a Stroke of none. Different colors create different or independent shapes or object paths.

• The Blob brush works alongside the Direct Selection, Smooth, and Path Eraser tools to smooth out or erase parts of the shape paths created by the Blob Brush. To see brush options, double-click on the Blob Brush tool.

• You can use the Blob Brush tool to create free-style shapes.


The Blob Brush Tool and Draw Behind Modes

Using the Draw Behind mode, you can draw behind all artwork on a selected layer if

no artwork is selected, otherwise if artwork is selected, the new object is drawn

directly beneath the selected object.


Using the Blob Brush Tool


Saving Multiple Artboards• When saving multiple artboards in,

you can save as one document, which will display as multiple pages in Bridge.

• If you save to earlier versions like CS3, it will create separate documents from each artboard.

• You can also export a range of different artboards or choose individual pages. Saving your work as PDF file will display multiple artboards within the same document name.


End

working with brushes, symbols, and layers chapter 8 © 2011 delmar, cengage learning

Documents

symbols panel symbols

cengage learning slide

smooth tools

place symbols

pencil tool

pen tools

painting tools

eraser tool