Session #1  
(four sessions, each session is three hours)
 
I. Toolbox overview--73 tools
    A. Selection tools: 
        Selection, Direct Selection, Group Selection tools,
        Magic Wand, Lasso
    B. Creation tools: 
        Pen tools, Type tools, Line tools, Rectangle-
        Polygon tools, Paintbrush, Pencil tools
    C. Transformation tools: 
        Rotate/Reflect tools, Scale/Shear/Reshape tools,
        Warp-Liquify tools, Free Transform
    D. Symbols and graphs: Symbol tools, Graph tools
    E. Paint effects: Gradient Mesh, Gradient tool
        Eyedropper/Paint Bucket tools, Blend/Auto Trace tools
    F. Cutting, Measuring tools: 
        Slice tools, Scissor/Knife tools
    G. Navigating tools: Hand/Page tools and Zoom tool
    H. Fill and stroke buttons

II. Illustrator interface
    A. "Fly-out" hidden tools
    B. Illustrator panels: shared features
    C. Navigating
        1. Zooming and scrolling shortcuts
        2. Navigator panel
    D. Viewing modes: Preview and Outline 

III. Drawing with Rectangle and Ellipse tools
    A. Constrain drawing: make squares and circles
    B. Draw from center-out (polygon tools)
    C. Polygon tool: set number of sides

IV. Drawing with Brushes and Pencil tools
    A. Four types of brushes, edit a brush
        - Create custom Brush Libraries
    B. Pencil: drawing, editing, erasing, smoothing

V. Selecting objects
    A. Selection tool: selecting paths
        1. Moving
        2. Bounding box: sizing and rotating
    B. Direct Selection tool: selecting points

VI. Changing attributes
    A. Stroke weights
    B. Coloring fills and strokes 
    C. Appearance panel---change and remove attributes

VII. Selecting multiple objects
    A. Two methods: adjacent or scattered
    B. Lasso tool
    C. Group and Ungroup objects 
    D. Group Selection tool and shortcut

VIII. Layers panel
    A. Benefits
    B. Adding layers: Layer Options
    C. Drawing using layers
        1. Move an object to a different layer		 
        2. Rearranging layer order
    D. Showing/Hiding
    E. Locking/Unlocking

IX. Live Trace drawing exercise
    A. Import scanned image - Place command
    B. Live Trace tool: default or custom settings
    C. Context menu 

X. Pen tool
    A. Corner points
        1. Open and closed paths
        2. Continue from a non-selected open path
    B. Smooth points: working with direction lines
        1. Drawing a wavy line (sine curve)
        2. Making curves fuller or flatter
        3. Changing the slope of a curved line
    C. Add Point, Delete Point, Convert Anchor Point tools

XI. Tracing with Pen tool
    A. Third type of point: hybrid (scallop line)
    B. Drawing and editing paths

XII. Aligning, distributing & arranging selected objects
    A. Align/Distribute buttons display when multiple items selected: Control panel
    B. Stacking order of objects: Bring to Front/Send To back commands

XIII. Printing---enhanced in Illustrator CS1

XIV. Essential tips list
 
 

Session #2

I. Warm-up exercise
    A. Draw a heart using only 5 points: fewer points are better
    B. Effects menu
        1. Drop shadow, feathering, glows
        2. Effects vs. Filters: many same commands but results very different
    C. Saving a file
        1. Native Illustrator format: can be placed/opened in InDesign, Photoshop
        2. PDF - can be placed/opened in InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator
        3. Illustrator template
        4. Save for Microsoft Office
        5. Export file formats

II. Layers panel---advanced
    A. Displaying and selecting any shape using sub-layers
    B. Targeting a layer to select all shapes

III. Transformation tools: Rotate, Scale, Reflect, Shear, Blend
    A. Constrain transformations
    B. Transform around object center point
    C. Transform around a new point of origin
    D. Transform object by specifying a numerical value
    E. Transform a copy of the object: visually and numerically
    F. Transform Again command
    G. Transform panel

IV. Styling shapes 
    A. Make a tint
    B. Swatches panel
        1. Add a color to Swatches
        2. Clear a swatch
        3. Duplicate swatch
    C. Stroke weight and color
    D. Graphic styles: create a style based on a selected shape

V. Make concentric, gradient-filled shapes
    A. Scale a copy
    B. Simple gradient fills
        1. Apply gradient 
        2. Gradient angle: numeric and manually with Gradient tool

VI. Working with text
    A. Enter and style type
        1. Point type: selecting and moving
        2. Paragraph type (automatic text wrapping)
    B. Formatting 
        1. Selecting text with Type tool or Selection tools
        2. Character and paragraph attributes
    C. Create Outlines command to avoid "missing fonts"
    D. Type features
        1. Adobe OpenType fonts
        2. Glyphs palette
        3. Show hidden characters
        4. Paragraph and character styles
        5. Optical margin alignment and optical kerning
        6. Enhanced control of hyphenation & justification
        7. Spell checking

VII. Logo with type on path, custom pattern fill
    A. Text on a path
        1. Create and edit type on path
        2. Apply color to path type
        3. Raise type up from baseline
        4. Move type along path, flip direction of type
    B. Fill shape with custom pattern fill
        1. Create pattern fill
        2. Control spacial relation between shape and fill
        3. Move/size shape with or without fill pattern

VIII. Create a line of identical butted shapes: Transform Again command

IX. 3D effects
    A. Two ways to add dimension: Extrude and Revolve
    B. 3D options for Extrude and Bevel, or Revolve
    C. Rotate a 3D or 2D object
    D. Apply surface shading to an object
    E. Lighting an object
    F. Mapping artwork or text to each object surface 

X. More on selections
    A. Magic Wand tool
    B. Save and Load Selections
    C. Other Select menu commands 
 
 

Session #3
 
I. Rain drop--drawing based on regular polygon
    A. Ruler guides, unlock and delete guides
    B. "Break" direction lines to make pointed top
    C. Stroke options---caps and joins
    D. Drag out a copy

II. Add Pantone (spot or process) colors
    A. Accessing color libraries
    B. Add colors from another Illustrator file
    C. Add Pantone colors to Swatches panel

III. Make gradient using spot color
    A. Linear or radial gradient
    B. Control midpoint between two colors
    C. Save a gradient

IV. Multicolor gradients (process color)

V. Gradient Mesh tool for 3D shading and color effects
    A. Making gradient mesh objects
    B. Edit and color mesh objects

VI. Eyedropper and Paint Bucket share object and text attributes
    A. Switch between Eyedropper and Paint Bucket shortcut
    B. Control coloring and text attributes passed by tools

VII. Transparency
    A. Opacity setting
    B. Blend modes
    C. Printing transparency issues: flattener settings

VIII. Masks (or "clipping mask")---zebra with masked stripes
    A. Paintbrush tool: calligraphic brush angle
    B. Restore outline of masking shape
    C. Group mask and masked shapes
    D. Remove a masked shape or add a shape to masked items
    E. Opacity masks: fade out shapes to white

IX. Use type to mask imported image
    A. Import image
    B. Style text large and bold 
    C. Masking the image

X. Blends: transform shape and color between multiple objects
    A. Blend tool
    B. Set number of steps in blend
    C. Rules for blends
    D. Redo a blend: change color, position or path outline
    E. Blend options
    F. Blending modes for overlapping shapes or layers

XI. Type design (optional)
    A. Style text in large bold style
    B. Convert text to object paths: Create Outlines
    C. Edit letter outlines
    D. Gradient fills for type
    E. Compound paths

XII. Data-driven graphics (optional)
    A. Working with variables
    B. Binding variable to object attributes
    C. Edit dynamic objects
    D. Data sets
    E. Loading & saving variable data
    F. Saving a template for variable data
 
 

Session #4
 
I. Pathfinder commands---Pathfinder panel and Effects commands
    A. Combine, isolate, subdivide paths
    B. Build new paths where objects intersect, overlap
    C. Create one path outline around two or more objects
    D. Create a shape where two objects overlap
    E. Knock out the area where objects overlap
    F. Knock out the overlap area from the top or bottom shape
    G. Subdivide objects into smaller shapes

II. Filter menu
    A. Filters for Illustrator-created shapes
        1. Free Distort
        2. Punk and Bloat
        3. Roughen
    B. Filters to apply to imported bitmaps for Photoshop effects

III. Symbols (optional)---quickly generate quantities of repeated shapes
    A. Symbols vs. brushes
    B. Create, edit and replace symbols
    C. Eight Symbol tools

IV. Warp effects: distort Illustrator objects with Illustrator commands
        - Apply, expand, remove effects

V. Envelopes: objects that distort and reshape
    A. Creating/editing preset & custom envelopes
    B. Envelope options
    C. Removing envelopes

VI. Liquify tools: seven tools to change an object shape

VII. More on type
    A. Area type: fill a shape with text (typed or pasted)
    B. Make a multi-page text layout
        1. Enlarge size of artboard
        2. Set up rows and columns
        3. Import text 
        4. Thread text to other text boxes & pages
        5. Add hyphenation
        6. Wrap text around a graphic

VIII. More on tracing/drawing: draw less, use transformations
    A. Reflect a copy, average points & join paths
    B. Rotate from a distant point, transform again
    C. Create a new path between two separate paths

IX. Making charts
    A. Chart styles: nine types
    B. Chart-making steps
        1. Define the chart area
        2. Enter graph data and labels
        3. Choose graph style options
        4. Replace chart elements with pictographs/Illustrator art
    C. Changing chart data and chart style

X. Working with multiple art boards in the same Illustrator document

XI. Color Guide: let Illustrator suggest color variations for your drawing