Chapter 3
Drawing and Composing an
Illustration
Objectives
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Draw straight lines
Draw curved lines
Draw elements of an illustration
Apply attributes to objects
Assemble an illustration
Stroke objects for artistic effect
Use Image Trace
Use the Live Paint Bucket tool
Draw Straight Lines
• View Objects on the Artboard
– Use the Zoom tool to enlarge areas of the
artboard for easier viewing.
– Click and drag the Zoom tool over an area to
magnify it.
– Use the New View command to save a view of the
artboard.
Draw Straight Lines
Draw straight segments with the Pen tool.
• Use the Pen tool to make lines, called paths.
• Click the artboard with the Pen tool to make anchor
points.
• Straight segments are automatically placed between
every two anchor points.
• Corner points are where two endpoints of two straight
segments are united.
Draw Straight Lines
• You can move, reposition, add, and delete
anchor points and segments.
• Once you have completed an object, use the
Direct Selection tool to fix points and
segments.
Draw Straight Lines
Corner anchor
Ending anchor
point
Line
segment
Starting anchor
point
Corner anchor points
Elements of a path composed of straight segments
Draw Straight Lines
Use the Average command to align two or more
points on:
• Horizontal axis
• Vertical axis
• Both the horizontal and vertical axes
Draw Straight Lines
• Join command unites two anchor points.
• Join command always creates a corner point.
• Use the Average and Join commands in
tandem.
Draw Straight Lines
Points
to be
joined
Points
to be
joined
Two paths
created by the
Join command
Draw Curved Lines
Properties of curved lines
• Click and drag the Pen tool to create anchor points
along a curved line.
• “Draw” a curved path by clicking and dragging the
Pen tool to create points.
• Anchor points created this way are called smooth
points.
Draw Curved Lines
• Direction lines are exposed when you use the
Direct Selection tool.
• Click and drag direction points at the end of
direction lines to reshape curves.
Draw Curved Lines
• Smooth points always have two direction lines
that move as a unit.
• When you manipulate direction lines through
a smooth point, a smooth transition is
maintained.
Draw Curved Lines
Smooth
anchor point
Direction
line
Direction
point
Draw Curved Lines
• When two paths are joined at a corner point,
they can be manipulated independently.
• Corner point can join:
– two straight segments
– one straight and one curved segment
– two curved segments
Draw Curved Lines
A corner point
joining two
straight
segments
A corner point
joining one
straight and
one curved
segment
A smooth point
A corner point
joining two
curved paths
(note the
direction lines)
Draw Curved Lines
• Convert Anchor Point tool changes corner
points to smooth points, and smooth points to
corner points.
• To convert a corner point to smooth, click and
drag the Convert Anchor Point tool on anchor
point to pull out direction lines.
Draw Curved Lines
• When you click directly on a smooth point
with Convert Anchor Point tool, direction lines
disappear.
• Smooth point is converted to a corner point
that joins two straight segments.
Draw Curved Lines
Corner
point
Converting a corner point to a smooth point
Corner
point
converted
to a
smooth
point
Draw Curved Lines
• Toggle between the Pen tool and the selection
tools using keyboard shortcuts for efficiency.
• When the Pen tool is selected press [Ctrl]
(Win) or [Command] (Mac) to access the
Selection tool or Direct Selection tool,
depending on which tool you used last.
Draw Elements of an Illustration
• Drawing from scratch means
you start with a new
Illustrator document and
create the illustration using
only Illustrator tools.
Illustration created
from scratch
Draw Elements of an Illustration
• Illustrator’s shape tools combined with
transformation tools make program powerful
for creating geometric designs.
• Undo and Redo commands allow for easy
experimentation.
Draw Elements of an Illustration
• Use the Place command
to import a scanned image
into Illustrator.
• Trace the image in
Illustrator.
Apply Attributes to Objects
• Attributes are effects you have applied to an
object that affect its appearance.
• Typographic Attributes
– Font, leading, horizontal scale
• Artistic Attributes
– Fill color, stroke color, stroke weight
Apply Attributes to Objects
• The Eyedropper tool is handy for applying all
of an object’s attributes to another object.
• Use the Eyedropper tool to copy formatting
and effects between text elements.
Apply Attributes to Objects
Apply Attributes to Objects
• Avoid applying fills to open paths.
• Open path’s primary role is to feature a stroke.
• Any effect that you can create by filling an
open path is more effective by filling a closed
path.
Apply Attributes to Objects
Yellow fill
applied to
open path
Endpoint
of open
path
Endpoint
of open
path
Assemble an Illustration
The sequence in which elements are drawn determines the stacking order
Assemble an Illustration
• Newer elements appear in front of older
elements.
• Locking and hiding placed elements will help
protect them when positioned correctly.
• Use stacking order commands to assemble
various components of an illustration.
Assemble an Illustration
All elements in position
Stroke Objects for Artistic Effect
Use the Stroke panel to define stroke attributes:
• Joins
• Caps
• Strokes
– solid
– dashed
Stroke Objects for Artistic Effect
Caps
Joins
Dash width text box
Gap width text box
Limit
text box
Stroke Objects for Artistic Effect
• Caps are applied to the ends of stroke paths.
• Stroke panel offers three choices:
– Butt Cap for square ends
– Round Caps for rounded ends
– Projecting Caps for square edges that extend
anchor point one-half weight of stroke.
Stroke Objects for Artistic Effect
Two segments
with Butt caps
Two segments with
Projecting caps
Stroke Objects for Artistic Effect
Joins define appearance of corner.
• Default is miter join, which produces
stroked lines with pointed corners.
• Round join produces stroked lines with
rounded corners.
• Beveled join produces stroked lines with
squared corners.
Stroke Objects for Artistic Effect
Bevel join
Round join Miter join
Stroke Objects for Artistic Effect
• Miter limit determines when a miter join will
be squared off to beveled edge.
• Miter is length of point, from inside to
outside.
• Default miter limit is 4 times the stroke
weight.
Stroke Objects for Artistic Effect
• Dashed stroke is like any other stroked path
except stroke has been broken into sequence
of dashes separated by gaps.
• Customize dashed or dotted lines using the
Stroke panel.
Stroke Objects for Artistic Effect
• Create a maximum of three different sizes of
dashes and three different sizes of gaps.
• When creating dashed stroke, remain
conscious of cap choice in Stroke panel.
Stroke Objects for Artistic Effect
• Rectangle uses Exact
Dashes options
• Dashes distributed
around the edge of the
rectangle with exact
measurements
regardless of
appearance.
Stroke Objects for Artistic Effect
• Rectangle uses Adjust
Dashes option.
• Dashes and gaps
automatically adjusted
around corners for a
balanced effect.
Stroke Objects for Artistic Effect
• Creating pseudo-stroke effects:
– Sometimes the most effective stroke is no stroke
at all.
– Place black-filled copy behind an illustration
element, then distort the black element with
Direct Selection tool so it peeks out from behind.
Stroke Objects for Artistic Effect
The ‘pseudo-stroke’ effect
Original object
Black copy
pasted in back
and distorted
Use Image Trace
• Image Trace feature traces a bitmap image
and converts it to a vector graphic.
Use Image Trace
• Once Image Trace has been executed, the
Expand button becomes available on the
Control panel.
• Expanding a traced image allows you to
modify the paths and points that comprise the
new vector graphic.
Use Image Trace
Expanded traced graphic in Outline mode
Use Image Trace
• You can use Image Trace to trace bitmap
photo.
• Tracing Presets on the Control panel offers a
variety of ways to trace an image.
• Settings in the Image Trace panel can be used
to create interesting illustration effects.
Use Image Trace
Image
Trace
panel
Use Image Trace
Scanned photograph
Photograph traced
Use Live Paint Bucket Tool
• In Live Paint mode the concepts of “objects”
no longer applies.
• You can fill and stroke negative spaces.
• Live Paint Bucket tool uses two object types:
– Regions
– Edges
Use Live Paint Bucket Tool
• Edges and regions are like fills and strokes but
“live.”
• Where regions overlap a third region is
created that can be painted a different color.
Use Live Paint Bucket Tool
Edge with new
color applied
Region with new
color applied
Edge
Region
Use Live Paint Bucket Tool
To paint objects with Live Paint Bucket tool:
• Select object
• Click Live Paint Bucket tool
• Click a color in Swatches panel
• Click a region to be filled
Use Live Paint Bucket Tool
• When any object is moved, overlapping areas
changes shape and fill accordingly.
• This is the “live” aspect.
Use Live Paint Bucket Tool
Rectangle
moved to
the left
Moving an object in a Live Paint group
Use Live Paint Bucket Tool
• Painting Virtual regions
Six paths
Four regions
Appearance of regions
based on paths being
moved
Use Live Paint Bucket Tool
To insert new objects into a live paint group:
• Switch to Selection tool.
• Double-click inside any of the regions of the
group.
Use Live Paint Bucket Tool
New object is
added to the
live paint
group
Gray rectangle
indicates
intersection
mode
Use Live Paint Bucket Tool
• Use Expand command to release Live Paint
group into its component regions.
• Select live paint group.
• Click Expand button on Control panel.
Use Live Paint Bucket Tool
• To use Live painting edges:
• Double-click Live Paint Bucket tool.
• Click Paint Strokes check box in Live Paint
Bucket Options dialog box.
Use Live Paint Bucket Tool
Paint Strokes
check box