Outline
Drawing tools
First, we will learn all about the pen tool, which can be tricky to master, but is the most essential drawing tool in Illustrator. Then we will cover the pencil and brushes tools and learn how to edit shapes pathfinder tools. Finally, we are going to see how the clipping mask is used and how it makes our lives easier.
The Pen Tool
The pen tool is one of the most important tools in the software; most of the drawing will be done using the pen tool and then edited with other tools to achieve the expected result, but it is usually the start to all shapes.
This tool is very versatile and has a couple of different settings that can also be mastered with practice, so make sure to follow the tutorials and try it yourself.
Now let’s practice!
Edit paths you draw
A huge part of creating shapes with the pen tool is being able to manipulate them and edit them. Check this tutorial and try to follow along.
The Pencil & Paintbrush Tools
These tools allow you to draw shapes as you would with real pencils and brushes, and the resulting elements can be adjusted after.
You will learn how to create the paths, edit them and change the style to mimic different types of brushes.
You will also see the properties panel in action and a few quick actions, such as grouping.
Pathfinder & Builder Tools
Some more complex geometric shapes are more easily created starting from the basic geometric shapes and breaking them and combining them.
To do this, we use the pathfinder tool or the builder tool.
Both tools can be used to achieve the same result using different methods, try them both to see which one you feel more comfortable with.
Clipping Mask
Finally, let’s take a look at the clipping mask effect. Clipping masks are objects that mask other artwork so only areas within the shape are visible. You can edit the clipping mask or image sets in Isolation mode, too.
Packaging Your Files
Properly packaging and organizing your files is an incredibly important. When you drag and drop or place an image into Illustrator, Illustrator saves a linked reference to where that file lives in your computer. So if you move/delete a linked file that will break the link and Illustrator will no longer be able to load it into your project.
Luckily, Illustrator provides us with the Package... feature that will do the heavily lifting and organize linked files for us. It will make a new folder that has a copy of the original Illustrator file and it will copy all linked files into a Links folder and all fonts (other than Adobe Fonts) into a Fonts folder. You can access this feature in the dropdown menus File > Package... or with keyboard shortcut Shift + Option + Command + P on Mac or Shift + Alt + Control + P on Windows.
Any time you submit any files that contain linked images, you must first package the file, and submit a compressed folder of the entire package. This will insure that I properly receive all of the necessary files to review and mark your assignments. It is also good habit to get into now, your future co-workers and clients will thank you!