The Introduction to Adobe Illustrator course is designed to provide you with an excellent foundation Learn the essentials of working with vector graphics, create beautiful typography and master the art of digital drawing. Through hands-on exercises and practical projects, you will gain proficiency in Illustrator's tools and techniques, enabling you to bring your creative ideas to life.

Adobe Training: Beginner Illustration Sessions (6-Part Series)

Session 1: Introduction to Adobe Illustrator & Digital Illustration
Objective: Understand the interface, essential tools, and vector basics.

Topics:

• What is vector illustration?

• Overview of Illustrator workspace: tools, artboards, panels

• Creating your first document

• Drawing basic shapes (rectangle, circle, polygon)

• Introduction to selection tools (Selection & Direct Selection)

• Saving files: AI vs PDF vs SVG vs PNG

Exercise: Create a simple icon set using only geometric shapes (e.g. sun, tree, house, cloud)

Session 2: Mastering the Pen Tool and Paths

Objective: Learn how to draw custom shapes and control anchor points.

Topics:

• How the Pen Tool works (straight lines, curves)

• Anchor points and handles

• Editing paths with the Direct Selection Tool

• Using the Curvature Tool

• Understanding stroke vs fill

Exercise: Trace a simple sketch (like a cartoon character or animal outline)

Session 3: Working with Colors, Gradients, and SwatchesObjective: Explore colour theory, gradients, and creating a palette.

Topics:

• Fill & stroke settings

• Color Picker and Swatches

• Creating and saving custom colour palettes

• Using gradients (linear & radial)

• Global colors and color harmonies

Exercise: Recolor your illustration from Session 2 using a custom colour palette

Session 4: Layers, Groups, and Object Organisation

Objective: Learn how to keep complex illustrations organised.

Topics:

• Layers panel overview

• Grouping vs ungrouping objects

• Locking/hiding objects or layers

• Using isolation mode

• Align and distribute tools

Exercise: Create a scene (e.g. a landscape or a street) with multiple grouped objects

Session 5: Typography and Adding Text to Illustrations
Objective: Combine illustration with type effectively.

Topics:

• Type Tool basics (point vs area type)

• Fonts vs typefaces

• Using character & paragraph panels

• Outlining text for custom lettering

• Adding text effects (warp, distort)

Exercise: Design a poster or quote using illustrated icons + stylised typography

Session 6: Exporting, Sharing, and Creative Workflow
Objective: Prepare your artwork for web, print, or animation.

Topics:

• Exporting: PNG, JPG, SVG, PDF

• Using artboards for multiple assets

• Optimizing for web or social media

• Intro to Adobe Creative Cloud Libraries

• Next steps: learning animation or advanced brushes

Exercise: Final project – create a themed illustration using all learned techniques

Tools Used:

• Adobe Illustrator (main)

• OptionalOption to print T-Shirt.