Class Details
Adobe Illustrator Course: Level 1
Course summary
This two-day Adobe Illustrator introductory training course will provide you with essential drawing skills and the knowledge needed to progress towards the Adobe Illustrator Course: Level 2. You'll be guided from the basics right through to designing logos, branding and graphics for advertising purposes.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course, you should be able to:
- use the Adobe Illustrator application
- create custom paths
- enter text in an Illustrator document
- enhance documents
- proof documents to make them more accurate
- save images for web and print.
Content
Starting with Illustrator CC 1
- Understanding vector graphics
- Starting Illustrator in windows 8
- The welcome experience
- Opening an existing document
- The Illustrator workspace
- The status bar
- Understanding artboards
- Closing a document and exiting Illustrator
Navigating Illustrator
- Understanding panels
- Displaying and hiding panels
- Floating and docking panels
- The tools panel
- Working with the tools panel
- Understanding workspaces
- Working with workspaces
- Working with the control panel
- Navigating with the hand tool
- Navigating with the navigation panel
- Changing document views
- Using the zoom tool
- Creating and using custom views
Working with objects
- Understanding paths and selection tools
- Selecting with the selection tool
- Working with isolation mode
- Selecting multiple objects
- Making marquee selections
- Using the direct selection tool
- Selecting with the magic wand tool
- Understanding smart guides
- Moving objects
- Copying objects
- Grouping and ungrouping objects
- Locking and unlocking objects
- The alignment and distribution tools
- Aligning objects
- Distributing objects and spacing
- Inserting images
- Deleting objects
Setting up a new document
- Understanding templates
- Understanding document presets
- Adjusting units of measure
- Creating a print document
- Saving a new document
Working with a document
- Understanding artboard options
- Moving and resizing artboards
- Creating and deleting artboards
- Understanding grids, guides and rulers
- Displaying and hiding rulers
- Making guides
- Locking, unlocking and clearing guides
- Viewing and hiding the grid
Layers
- Understanding layers and sublayers
- Understanding the layers panel
- working with the layers panel
- Creating layers and sublayers
- Naming layers and assigning colours
- Grouping layers
- Reassigning objects to different layers
- Rearranging layers and sublayers
- Hiding and displaying layers
- Locking and unlocking layers
- Deleting layers
Shapes
- Understanding the shape and colour tools
- Preparing the workspace
- Creating basic shapes
- Creating polygons
- Creating other shapes
- creating lines and spirals
- Editing path segments
- Using offset path
- Understanding drawing modes
Colour, fill and stroke
- Understanding fill and stroke
- Understanding colour
- Understanding colour controls
- Applying colour using the colour panel
- Applying colour using the swatches panel
- Applying colour using the eyedropper tool
- Swapping fill and stroke colours
- Working with stroke weight
- Working with stroke width
- Applying dashes to strokes
Gradients
- Understanding gradients
- Applying a linear gradient
- Changing the direction of a gradient
- Changing colours in a gradient
- Colours in a gradient
- Adding colours to a gradient
- Applying a radial gradient
- Saving a gradient
- Applying a gradient to a stroke
Working with type
- Understanding type in illustrator
- Understanding formatting options
- Inserting and formatting point type
- Inserting and formatting area type
- Cutting and pasting text
- Formatting text
- Formatting paragraphs
- Copying formatting with the eyedropper tool
- Creating columns of text
Text and objects
- Typing on a path
- Converting text into editable path
- Working with character objects
- The touch type tool
- Styles
Introduction to drawing
- Understanding drawing in illustrator
- Drawing a straight path with the pen tool
- Drawing closed paths with the pen tool
- Draw curved paths with the pen tool
- Drawing objects with curved paths
- Adjusting curves created by the pen tool
- Drawing paths with the curvature tool
- Drawing paths with the pencil tool
- Add fill to closed paths
Saving and printing
- Understanding save and export options
- Understanding file formats
- Exporting an illustrator document
- Saving for a microsoft office program
- Saving as a pdf file
- Saving an illustrator document for the web
- Printing an illustrator document
- Packaging a document
Getting help
- Understanding the help menu
- Using help
- Searching for online help
Who this course is for
Suitable for anyone wanting to learn the basics of the Adobe Illustrator software.
Prerequisites
This introductory course assumes little or no knowledge of the software.
Delivery modes
- Face-to-face, presenter-taught training using your own device
- Online training via the platform Zoom
Materials
Course materials are provided electronically using Dropbox.
What you need to do before the course
To participate in this course, you will need Adobe Illustrator installed on your device and an Adobe Creative Cloud account. If you do not already have an account, you can purchase one through the Adobe Creative Cloud website. Please bring your account login details with you to class.
- Recommended operating system: Windows or Mac
- Required software: Latest version of Adobe Illustrator
- AI features: Download the BETA version of Adobe Illustrator via your Creative Cloud app to access AI tools.
Face-to-face classes
Please bring your own laptop with all required software pre-installed.
Online classes
For the best experience, we recommend using a computer with a large monitor or dual screens/devices. Small laptop screens can make it difficult to follow the facilitator’s display while working in the software.
Sessions
Location
Face-to-face (CCE Building, Sydney)
Public transport
As bus and train timetables regularly change, we suggest you visit the Transport for NSW trip planner before you set out.
The nearest train stations are Newtown Station and Macdonaldtown Station. Macdonaldtown Station is closer by distance than Newtown Station, however trains do not stop as frequently as at Newtown Station.
Other information
Parking
Nearby parking is available at Wilson Parking - RPA Medical Centre Car Park (entry via Elizabeth Street off Carillon Avenue).
A Flexi Saver Rate is available but must be booked in advance online and includes the booking fee. Bookings can be made via the Wilson website or by downloading the Wilson Parking App. Otherwise, hourly parking rates will apply, as advertised on the Wilson Parking website.
Meet the facilitators
Antony Brown
Antony is an Adobe and Apple certified instructor with over 15 years of experience teaching design software. He began his training career at Adobe in London, delivering courses in Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Adobe XD and Captivate. He has trained with leading London-based training providers and worked in the film and television industry in Soho.
Antony is deeply committed to sharing his expertise and takes pride in the positive impact his training has on his clients.
He has delivered training for a wide range of organisations, including Microsoft, Yahoo, Westpac, the Australian Federal Police, the London 2012 Olympics, and many others.
Antony is an Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop CC, After Effects CS5, Premiere Pro CC and Audition, and holds Adobe Certified Instructor status in Photoshop CC, After Effects CS5, and Premiere Pro CC. He is also Apple certified in Final Cut Pro X and Final Cut Pro 7.
In addition, Antony holds multiple Canva certifications, including Canva Essentials, Canva for Work, Canva AI in the Classroom, Canva Teacher Essentials, Marketing with Canva and Canva Graphic Design Essentials.
