Lesson 4

Today was lesson 4 and another hands on lesson. We learnt mainly three things. How to use pathfinder, text tools and tracing.

We first started off using the shapes tool to draw out a perfect circle and a rectangle. The rectangle tool was used to cover a a quarter of the circle. The path finder tool was then introduced. There are four different shape modes in path finder. Our job was to get the pac man shape and to do that we used the minus front shape. And just like that the pac man shape was made. We were then allowed to experiment with the other three shape modes, unite, intersect and exclude. This is what i had after that five minutes.






















While still using shapes, we then fused typography and shapes. Basically instead of just typing in the regular boundary that can be created, we were taught how to use the area text tool. First you have to draw out the shape that you want to use for example, I used a circle. Then, you have to hold down the type tool to select the area text tool, click on the shape and there you go. This was what i did.

Next, still under the category of typography, we learnt how to use the "create outlines" option. What it does is basically convert the letters of the words into points. These are the same points that would be seen if we had used the pen tool to make out the word. So what was it for? Well, with all these points, it meant that now we could move them in any way or shape that we want. We had four words to choose from, dog, cat, house and school. I chose the word house. I was trying to give the effect of the H being the house, the O being a happy face meaning we are happy at home, similar to the U, and the E being curtains. To me it is a decent first try and I am sure with practice i can improve.
















Lastly, we were learnt about tracing. We had an outline of a dog to trace and this was the hardest task by far in our EGD journey. What we had to do was use the pen tool to trace out the dog, in a different layer of course. There were two methods, we could either trace the whole picture then do the filling of colour later or trace one part and fill it straight away before continuing to the next. I used the first method and faced a big problem. I plotted the points around the picture without thinking of specific parts but instead just making sure that my outline was visible on the picture. This caused me a problem when filling in the colours as the first point and last point of that specific part i wanted to fill did not meet, so, i decided to re-do it with method two. Learning from my mistake, i made sure the first and last points connected and confirmed this by filling the colour straight away so i could rectify my mistakes easily. After completion and a little bit of touch up, i completed my dog.

In conclusion, lesson four was a tough and interesting one, more tools were introduced and i felt i was slowly getting the hang of Adobe illustrator before my tutor assured us that this was just the begining and there is plenty more tools and complications to come but I am looking forward to the challenge.

Reference have been made to notes on olive