Objective:

Students will be able to use Live Trace and Live Paint to color hand-drawn artwork that was converted to digital artwork using a scanner so that they can more easily apply color to their hand-drawn or digitally produced art.

Video Links:
https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/how-to/illustrator-auto-tracing-and-resolution.html?set=illustrator–fundamentals–trace-artworkhttps://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/how-to/illustrator-live-paint.html?set=illustrator–fundamentals–apply-color

Topics Discussed:

• File > Place
• Live Trace
• Live Paint
• Gap Options
• Swatches Panel
• Starting a new document in Illustrator using the Welcome screen.
• Adjusting settings in the New Document dialog box.
• Establishing multiple artboards.

Assignment:

Use the fourth artboard of our current document to complete this activity.

Follow along with the in-class tutorial to learn a new method for converting imported raster graphics to vector graphics called Live Trace, as well as a technique for recoloring vector graphics called Live Paint.

1. After you have watched the tutorial, download the Robot Sketch 01.png file below and import it to your fourth artboard using File > Place.
2. Follow the steps in the tutorial to apply Live Trace to the artwork (converting it to vector graphics).
3. Next, follow the steps in the tutorial to activate Live Paint, and use Live Paint to color in the robot.
4. Color in all areas, leaving no empty or white spaces, but be careful not to change the black outline color.
5. DO NOT use the Paint Brush, the Blob Brush or any other drawing tool to color in the robot. Use Live Paint only.
6. Be sure to pay attention to the Gap Options mentioned in the tutorial, so your Live Paint doesn’t bleed out all over your artboard.
7. When the robot is completely colored in, save your document. Confirm that you have all four artboards complete, and turn it in to today’s assignment post on our Google Classroom page.

Sample Image File Link:
Robot Sketch 01.png

Assigned: January 21st, 2026
Teacher Pacing Due Date: January 22nd, 2026

Objective:

Students will be able to create complex shapes using the Pathfinder, Compound Shapes and Compound Path techniques in Adobe Illustrator so that they can quickly and easily enhance their artwork with unique and complex shapes.

Link:

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/combining-objects.html?set=illustrator–fundamentals–work-with-shapes

Topics Discussed:

• Methods of combining objects
• Pathfinder
• Compound Shapes
• Compound Paths

Assignment:

• Using the Pathfinder palette and the shape tools to draw an example of each of the following compound shapes on the second (upper right) artboard of this week’s Illustrator document. Label each combination using the Type tool.
  • Shape Mode: Unite
  • Shape Mode: Minus Front
  • Shape Mode: Intersect
  • Shape Mode: Exclude
  • Pathfinder: Divide
  • Pathfinder: Trim
  • Pathfinder: Merge
  • Pathfinder: Crop
  • Pathfinder: Outline
  • Pathfinder: Minus Back

Assigned: January 20th, 2026
Teacher Pacing Due Date: January 21st, 2026