Learning Objectives

Students will learn how to import a hand drawn sketch into the Illustrator workspace as a template layer and trace over it to create a vector drawing

Vocabulary and tools covered:

Resolution, CMYK vs RGB color space, Placing an image, Template, Linked vs Embedded images, Bezier curves, Pen tool, Stroke, Variable Stroke Width, Fill, Split Complementary Color Harmon, Color Group

Project

Part 1: Create and scan or photograph your drawing

1. Create a drawing of a your favorite art-making, building, or drawing tool in your sketchbook. Make sure the lines of your drawing are dark enough to show up on a scan or photograph. Don’t worry about making it perfect, it will be the base of our sketch.
2. Option 1: If you have a scanner at home, watch the demo video on D2L to learn how to scan your sketch with a flatbed scanner.

Option 2: If you do not have a scanner, watch the demo video on D2L to learn how to photograph your sketch with your smartphone or another device. Make sure you have good lighting that is evenly distributed across the entire page, cast shadows, and make sure your sketch is flat and not at a skewed angle! If your drawing does not cover the entire page, crop in your photograph to just around the drawing area.

• Save your scanned or photographed drawing as a jpeg in a new folder titled Last Name  Exercise 2.

Part 2: Import the jpeg of your scanned drawing into a new Illustrator document

1. Open Adobe Illustrator and create a new 8 ½” x 11” artboard (File>New…).  Select RBG color space for screen viewing, 300ppi resolution. (CMYK is for print output) Name this document LastName_FirstName Exercise 2.ai (Example: Anfinson_Erin Exercise 2.ai)
2. Reset your Workspace to Painting (Window > Workspace > Painting)
3. Go to File>Place…
4. Navigate to your image in the Exercise 2 folder and select it to import it on to your art board
5. Click on your artboard to place your scanned image and move it to where you want it on the page
6. Keep the image selected and click “Embed” in the top navigation bar of the workspace
7. Double-click the scanned drawing layer and click the “Template” option, dimmed to 50% (this locks your layer to the artboard)
8. Save your work to your Exercise 2 Folder (Command S).

Part 3: Set up a Split Complement color group in the Swatches window

• Select 3 colors from a Split Complementary color harmony of your choice:

Image from https://zevendesign.com/color-harmony-hulk-wears-purple-pants/

• Once you have your key color + 2 split complementary colors selected, open the Swatches window by going to Window > Swatches.
• Also open the Color window by going to Window > Color.
• In the Swatches window, click on the upper right button to open the flyout menu, then select New Color Group…

TIP: Whenever you need a lighter or darker version of one of your Split Complementary Color Group colors, select it from the folder and double click the fill or stroke color chip. A monochromatic color chart will open. This combination of colors can be used as fill and stroke colors on your Exercise 2 Drawing.

• Name the color group Split Complementary and click OK. A new folder will be created in the Swatches window.

• Use the preset color swatches or the Color window to select your first key color (Example orange). Your selected color will fill the Fill color chip.
• Click and drag the color chip down into the new Split Complementary Color Group folder.
• Repeat steps 6 and 7 to select your split complement colors (Example: blue-violet & blue-green)
• Save your work. (Command S)

Part 4: Trace the outlines of your sketch with the Pen and Pencil tools 

Trace the base layer(s) of your sketch with the pen tool  (No Fill)

1. Create a new layer for your drawing by clicking the Create a New Layer button in the Layers window or by going to Layers > New Layer. Rename this layer Outlines.
2. If necessary, zoom in to get a better view of your drawing. (Command +). Then use Pencil or Pen tool (P) to activate and select a uniform black 1pt. stroke with no fill.

1. Begin carefully tracing the outlines of your drawing with the pen, pencil, or both tools in combination with each other.
2. Use the pencil tool to draw linear shapes, adjust their width profile with the Width Profile tool, then turn them into a shape using Object > Expand Appearance.
3. Try to match the contours of your drawing as closely as possible by adding, editing and/or removing anchor points with the Direct Selection (A) tool and/or the Add/Delete Anchor Point tools. If necessary, zoom in to get a better view of the details in your drawing. (Command +).

Part 5: Apply custom variable stroke width profiles to your drawn outlines

1. Select a prominent line in your drawing. Use the Width Profile tool (Shift W) and/or the general width profile tools to vary it’s stroke width. Don’t forget to open the Stroke properties to change the caps and angles of the stroke if you’d like!
2. Once you have a width profile you’re happy with, save it as a preset in the Stroke properties menu. You can now select all of the outlines in your drawing and apply this saved width profile to your entire drawing. Notice that you can even change the direction of the stroke property, i.e. reverse it!
3. Make changes to the drawing until you are satisfied with your results.
4. Group your Outlines in a new sub-layer by selecting them all & Grouping them (Command G)

Interested in taking a deeper dive into more options with the Stroke tool window? Check out this overview on the Adobe online help guide.

Save your work (Command/Ctrl S)

Part 6: Draw & trim filled background shapes with color using the Shape Builder Tool

1. Begin drawing large, overlapping shapes BEHIND your outlines, filling each shape with colors from the Split Complementary Color Group you set up. Remember to use different lights and darks for each color!
2. To trim these shapes to the borders of the outlines, Select the newly drawn shape and all of the outlines that intersect it.
3. Use the Shape builder tool (Shift M) and hover your cursor over the areas of the shape you need to delete. Hold the Option key and when you see the negative sign, click to delete the unneeded portion of the shape.  
4. Repeat these steps to add color to all other areas of your drawing!

Part 7: Wrapping up by grouping, centering, & resizing the Artboard

When you are finished with your drawing, Group all drawn elements together, scale the drawing to fill the artboard, and Align your drawing in the center of the artboard. Finally, use the Transform window (Window > Transform) to find the overall height and width of your completed and grouped drawing. Use the Artboard tool to create a 1” border on all sides of your drawing based on it’s height/width dimension.

For example:

If the drawing is 4” x 8,”

then, the Artboard should be 6” x 10” (adding 2” to the height and width of the artwork)

Exercise Requirements (Assessment criteria)

1. The hand-drawn sketch was effectively scanned or photographed and imported as a template layer in Illustrator.
2. Drawing demonstrates the use of a split complementary color scheme that is applied to the fills and strokes in the drawing. An exploration of the dark and light values is evident in the key and split complement color choices.
3. A Color Group was created for the drawing color harmony in the Swatches window
4. A noticeable effort was made to use variable stroke width profiles throughout the drawing.
5. Final drawing is correctly grouped and centered on the Artboard with a 1” border around all sides.
6. Workspace organization: Layers are labeled and on the correct art boards.

Exporting and submitting your exercise:

1. When you have finished Exercise 2, go to File > Save As…
2. Next, select Adobe PDF from the format options.
3. In the next window, make sure “Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities” is checked!
4. Click Save. Be sure you file is labeled correctly! LastName_FirstName Exercise 2.pdf (Example: Anfinson_Erin Exercise 2.pdf)
5. Submit the PDF of your completed Exercise 1 file in the class D2L Dropbox