Tag Archives: Illustrator

Computer Graphic Design

Color Theory Week 1: The Color Wheel

Objective:

Students will be able to demonstrate a deeper understanding of Color Theory and Color Harmonies by using the shapes and color tools in Illustrator to produce a Color Wheel.

Online Lesson Link:

The Color Wheel

Topics Discussed:

  • Color Theory
  • Color Harmonies
  • Color Wheel
  • Primary Colors
  • Secondary Colors
  • Tertiary Colors
  • Triad
  • Complementary
  • Split Complementary
  • Analogous
  • Monochromatic
  • Shade
  • Tint
  • Swatches Panel

Instructions:

Use your knowledge of the Color Wheel and Color Harmonies to produce a color wheel in Illustrator demonstrating the key Color Harmonies discussed in class.

  1. View the online tutorial: The Color Wheel.
  2. Keep the tutorial open in your browser, and open the Illustrator document we have been working with this week. Follow the steps in the tutorial on the second artboard (upper right).
  3. Using the Shape tool, draw a square at the top of your document. Fill this square with RGB Red from the Swatches Panel.
  4. Consider the square you have just drawn as the 12 O’clock on a clock face. Continue drawing squares at 1 O’clock, 2 O’clock, 3 O’clock, all the way around to 11 O’clock. You should now have twelve squares arranged in a circular formation.
  5. Fill the squares with color in the following manner:
    1. 1 O’clock: Red-Orange
    2. 2 O’clock: Orange
    3. 3 O’clock: Yellow-Orange
    4. 4 O’clock: RGB Yellow
    5. 5 O’clock: Yellow-Green
    6. 6 O’clock: RGB Green
    7. 7 O’clock: Blue-Green
    8. 8 O’clock: RGB Blue
    9. 9 O’clock: Blue-Violet
    10. 10 O’clock: Violet
    11. 11 O’clock: Red-Violet
  6. When you have filled all the squares, use the Line Tool to draw a straight line from the Red square at 12 O’clock to the Green square at 6 O’clock, and use the Text tool to label this “Complementary”.
  7. Next, use the Shape Tool to draw a triangle that represents the Primary Triad (the points of the triangle should touch Red, Yellow and Blue). Label this the “Primary Triad” with the Text Tool.
  8. Continue drawing triangles and using labels to identify the Secondary Triad and a Split Complementary color harmony. Make sure your triangles are not filled so they do not cover each other, and make each triangle’s stroke a different color.
  9. Finally, use the Pen Tool to draw an arc over the four colors in the upper left quadrant (Red, Red-Orange, Orange, Yellow-Orange), and use lines to point to these four colors. Label this arc “Analogous”.
  10. You now have a Color Wheel with several key color harmonies identified. Save your document, and we will continue working with the last two artboards this week.

Assigned: February 16th, 2023
Teacher Pacing Due Date: February 17th, 2023

Computer Graphic Design

ILLUSTRATOR WEEK 3, DAY 3: YELLOW SUBMARINE CHALLENGE

Objective:

Students will be able to practice the use of the pen and shape tools in Illustrator by tracing a picture of a submarine, so they can continue to develop mastery of the drawing tools.  

Video Links:

Review the video links in Week 1 and 2’s lessons to refresh your memory on the use of the Shape tools and the Pen tool.

Topics Discussed:

  • Select Tool (Black Arrow)
  • Direct Select Tool (White Arrow)
  • Shape Tool
  • Line Tool
  • Brush Tool
  • Blob Brush Tool
  • Pen Tool
  • Pathfinder Control Panel
  • Shape Builder Tool
  • Anchor Points
  • Convert Anchor Point Tool

Assignment:

Submarine

Use the third artboard of our current week’s Illustrator document to complete this activity. Using the pen tool, the shape tools and techniques demonstrated in the videos and discussed in class, your goal is to draw the yellow submarine in the picture above. A copy of the image is provided in the link below to use as a reference. Download the submarine image and Import it as a Template, so it appears greyed out on a lower locked layer.

Here’s the catch: You may only use the Pen Tool and the Shape tools to draw. You may not under any circumstances use the Brush or the Blob Brush tools. Don’t even try – I’ll know the difference.

You are encouraged, however, to use the Pathfinder Control Panel and the Shape Builder Tool to combine simple shapes into more complex shapes like the body of the sub!

Be sure to use closed shapes to make parts of the sub that need to be filled in with color, and use the Object -> Arrange menu to change whether objects are in front or in back of each other.

Do your best to make your sub look like the one in the picture, but if you want to change the fill colors, you may do so. (for example, the sub doesn’t necessarily need to be yellow). Good luck and happy drawing!

Sample Image File Link:

Submarine.jpg

Assigned: February 9th, 2023
Teacher Pacing Due Date: February 10th, 2023