Week 4 | Modifying Paths

Discussion

  • Critique Project #2 : Shape Relations
  • Review: Understanding paths, path components
  • Idea suggestions for midterm project.

Lab

Modifying, Combining, and Splitting Paths

  • Building Houses exercise (PDF)
    • Scissors tool, knife tool
    • The Path menu commands: joining paths, averaging paths, offsetting paths, simplifying paths, outline stroke, adding anchor points, divide objects below, clean up, split into grid
    • Transform Tools: Scale, Shear, Rotate and Reflect
    • Pathfinder: Add to Shape and compound paths
  • Name Translation exercise (not completely accurate — but fun!)
    • Open the Template file (name_exercise_TEMPLATE > template_name.ai)
    • Use the following translation tools to translate your name (or a name close to yours).
    • Right-click on the image(s) and save them to the name_exercise_TEMPLATE folder. In some cases you will need to download each letter individually.
    • Select the template layer in the AI file and choose File > Place
    • Locate your image(s) and place your translated names on the template layer. Do this for each image.
    • Lock the Template layer and choose the unique Working layer for each language.
    • Set your view to Outline and your fill/stroke to fill of black and a stroke of none.
    • Recreate each name using the pen tool using a minimum number of anchor points and lines.
    • When you are finished hide the Template layer and save.
      • example: jsmith_name.ai
  • Extra Credit (week04.zip):
    • Recreate the logo using basic shapes, modifier tools, outline path, outline stroke and add to shape. No stroke.
    • Create the car using the pen tool and a combination of closed and open paths.

Homework

  1. Finish Name Project started in class and any Extra Credit.
    • example: jsmith_name.ai
    • example: jsmith_car.ai
    • example: jsmith_logo.ai
  2. RE-work Bezier Pen Tool Homework
    • Based on corrections and discussion in class, improve your pen tool homework from last week.
    • example: jsmith_bezier_v2.ai