Main Tools Used

• Shape
• Pen
• Brush
• Line
• Curvature
• Type On Path
  
• Direct Selection

Activity Brief
Replicate the images shown on screen, using only the tools in Adobe Illustrator.

Main Tools Used

• Pen
  
• Shape
  
• Curvature
  
• Width
  
• Brush
  
• Direct Selection
  
• Anchor Point

Activity Brief
Using your knowledge on Adobe Illustrator, create vector images based on images found on Google.

Main Tools Used

• Shape
  
• Pen
  
• Brush
  
• Curvature
  
• Pathfinder
  
• Direct Selection
  
• Alignment

Main Tools Used

• Shape
  
• Pen
  
• Brush
  
• Line
  
• Curvature
• Pathfinder
  
• Direct Selection
• Pattern 
  
• Shape builder
  

1.1 Creating the fish illustration
I created the fish vector icon for this activity, with the intention on making a seamless pattern where the mouth of the fish would match the gap between its tail.
To create the fish, I first used the Shape tool to create an oval, then I used the Curvature tool to ‘pinch’ the sides of the oval and clean up the curves. Afterwards, I used the Direct Selection tool to select the ‘pinched’ ends of the oval, then I rounded them. To create the scales, I manually drew them in using the Brush tool, making sure they overlap each other by adjusting the positions of the layers. To make sure the gap between the fish’s tail matched the fish’s mouth shape, I first used the Shape tool to create a triangle as the tail. Then I duplicated the shape I had and overlaid the mouth of the fish over the triangle. Lastly, I selected both shapes and while using the ‘Shape Builder’ tool,  I held the ‘option’ key to remove the overlaying shape, forming the gap between the fish’s tail.

1.2 Creating the pattern
While selecting my fish illustration, I navigated the top bar in Illustrator and clicked on ‘Object ->  Pattern -> Make’ to create and edit the pattern using Illustrator’s inbuilt pattern making function. I opted for the ‘Hex by Row’ tile type, checked the ‘Move Tile with Art’ option, made sure the illustration would line up with each other without a gap, and changed the number of copies to ‘5 x 5’.  

1.3 Overall thoughts
I really enjoy this pattern for the aesthetic, colour scheme, and choice of visuals. Therefore, I chose to use the same colour scheme and fish illustration for this e-Learning Journal. I also got to explore Illustrator’s ‘Pattern’ function, as I have never encountered a situation where I would need to use this function. I approached this first pattern with a set look in mind, therefore it was enjoyable for me to tinker with Illustrator’s tools and functions to create a design that aligned with what I envisioned from the beginning.

Pattern 2

Tools Used    

• Shape
  
• Pen
  
• Brush
  
• Line
  
• Curvature
  
• Pathfinder
  
• Direct Selection
  
• Pattern 
  
• Shape builder
  

2.1 Creating the pattern
For pattern 2, I reused the seal vector illlustration I created for the activity during the previous lesson.  
Once again, while selecting my seal illustration, I navigated the top bar in Illustrator and clicked on ‘Object ->  Pattern -> Make’ to create and edit the pattern using Illustrator’s inbuilt pattern making function. This time, I opted for the ‘Brick by Column’ tile type, included a 1/2 offset, checked the ‘Move Tile with Art’ option, made sure there was a gap between the illustrations, and changed the number of copies to ‘5 x 5’.  

2.2 Overall thoughts
For pattern 2, I wanted to apply what I learned during the pattern making lesson in week 2 - the introduction of the different pattern styles. For this pattern I applied the ‘half drop repeat’ style, editing the pattern using Illustrator’s built in function. I wanted this pattern style to be simple, as I wanted the emphasis and focus to be on the vector illustration.

Pattern 3

Tools Used

• Shape
  
• Pen
  
• Brush
  
• Line
  
• Curvature
  
• Pathfinder
  
• Direct Selection
  
• Pattern 
  
• Shape builder
  

3.1 Creating the pattern
For pattern 3, I reused an element I created during the previous lesson’s tutorial, exploring a different way to create patterns outside of Illustrator’s built in pattern function.
  3.1.1 Creating the outer circle
For the outer circle with larger icons, I used Illustrator’s built in function - clicking ‘Object’ -> ‘Repeat’ -> ‘Radial’ .  I chose to only repeat the vector icon 8 times and I also adjusted the angle of the circles accordingly.
  3.1.2 Creating the inner circle
For the inner circle with smaller icons, I decided to test out a different way of creating radial patterns. Firstly, using the Shape tool, I created a circle. I then placed my original vector illustration on top of the circle. Next, while having the vector icon selected, I pressed the ‘R’ key, which is the shortcut for the Rotate tool. While selecting the Rotate tool, I held the ‘Option’ key and hovered my cursor over the center of the circle I first created, until a ‘Center’ text popup appeared, then I clicked onto it.  There would be a popup of the Rotate tool and I set the angle to -45 degrees and clicked ‘Copy’. The original vector then got duplicated and rotated -45 degrees. From there, I used ‘Cmd’ + ‘D’ which is a shortcut that will repeat the last action made in Illustrator. I repeated that until I completed the whole circle.

3.2 Overall thoughts
For pattern 3, I wanted to step away from what I was using in the previous 2 patterns, using the ‘Pattern’ function in Illustrator. I explored with other ways to make patterns such as the Repeat tool, Rotate tool,  and ‘Cmd’ + ‘D’ hotkey which repeats the last action made in Illustrator.

Main Tools Used

• Shape
  
• Pen
  
• Brush
  
• Line
  
• Curvature
• Pathfinder
  
• Direct Selection
• Pattern 
  
• Shape builder
  
• Gradient
  
• Width

Reflection
I traced over a picture of myself, mainly using the Brush and Shape tool at this stage. To adjust the shapes created, I used the Direct Selection and Curvature tools to create curves and angles. I also used the Line tool to draw lines, then curved them in order to draw outlines of my features.

To create depth, I created a copy of the base shapes, then changed the fill to a Gradient, ranging from the shadow colour to the base skin colour, trying to make the colours shift seamlessly.  I also adjusted strokes to create dotted lines.

To incorporate the pattern making from the previous activity, I first made my fish pattern into a swatch. A swatch will be automatically created whenever accessing the Pattern function and for this case, I simply copied the fish pattern over from the file used in the previous activity. I decided to place the pattern on my bag, first creating the shape of it, then dragging the swatch over to the bag shape from the swatch panel. However, the pattern does not include a background, therefore I duplicated the shape then filled it with the same blue used during the creation of the fish.

first initial typeface exploration,  it was too tough to create a ‘spikey’ and ‘sharp’ font with my current grid system, so I abandoned it after letter ‘D’.

Main Tools Used

• Shape
• Line
  
• Curvature
• Pathfinder
  
• Direct Selection
• Shape builder

Reflection
Being the second typeface iteration I tried, I wanted to play with a more rounded and slightly distorted typeface.

Firstly, I created the grids and guides using a mixture of squares and circles created using the Shape tool.  Then, I used ‘View’ -> ‘Guides’ -> ‘Make Guides’ in order to use the grid I created as a guide in creating my typeface.

Next, navigating to ‘View’ -> ‘Snap to Grid’, it restricts my actions in a way where I am confined to the grids that I created. From there, I created my typeface, starting from ‘A’.

After completing the alphabet, I created numbers and punctuations. Finally, using FontForge, I uploaded my typeface and made a ttf. file, bringing my creation to life, making it usable.  

Real World Application