Creating Objects in Illustrator 10

Date: Apr 12, 2002

Sample Chapter is provided courtesy of Sams.

Peter Bauer and Morty Golding teach how to create basic and complex objects, line segments and curves, use symbols in your artwork, and how to save your work in Adobe Illustrator 10.

Adobe Illustrator, as you already know, is a vector art program. The basic building block of vector art is the path. Paths can be used to create objects and lines. When a path has definable starting and ending points, it is called an open path. Think about a piece of string. When a path has no identifiable end points, it is a closed path. Think about a rubber band. This is the difference between a line and an object. (We'll get into the nitty-gritty of paths in Hour 5, "Creating Paths and Compound Paths," and in Hour 6, "Editing Bézier Curves.") Fasten your seatbelt, because this is going to be a real hands-on hour!

In this hour, you'll learn about the following:

Creating basic objects, such as rectangles, squares, ellipses, and circles
Creating line segments and curves
Creating more complex objects, such as polygons, stars, spirals, and grids
Using symbols in your artwork
Saving your work

Creating Rectangles, Squares, Ellipses, and Circles

These basic shapes are among the easiest to create in Illustrator and are among the most common. From the walls of a phone booth to the eyes of a squirrel, you'll find these shapes everywhere in illustration. In addition to being common and easy to create, they are also the shapes that you'll start creating in Illustrator.

Getting Ready to Create

If Illustrator has been used since the last time you replaced the Prefs, go ahead and return them to their default settings. If you have any doubts about the procedure, see the instructions on the back of the reference card in the front of this book.

Use the menu command File, New, or the keyboard shortcut Command+N (Mac)/Control+N (Windows). In the New Document dialog box, accept the default values by clicking OK.

Task: Making Rectangles and Squares

Among the most basic of objects are those ever-useful rectangles and squares. These are some of the building blocks of illustration, and are also used for such things as crop marks and trim marks (which will come later in your Illustrator education). This is a great place to start creating.

In the Toolbox, click on the Rectangle tool to select it (see Figure 3.1).

Figure 3.1 Most of the tools we'll use in the first part of this hour are located either under the Rectangle tool or under the Line Segment tool, immediately to the left.

Move the cursor onto the artboard. Notice how it becomes a crosshair.
Simply click at a point near the upper-left corner of the artboard and drag down and to the right, near the center of the page. When the rectangle is of the proper size, release the mouse button. Your artboard should look similar to Figure 3.2.

Figure 3.2 Don't worry if your rectangle is different...as long as you actually have a rectangle on your artboard, that is.

In another part of the artboard, click and drag from a point toward the upper-right corner.
Now click and drag toward the upper-left corner. Release the mouse button.
Hold down the Shift key and drag another rectangle. Notice that it remains a perfect square rather than following the cursor. Release the mouse button.
Start dragging a rectangle and, without releasing the mouse button, press Shift. Observe how the outline of the rectangle jumps to a perfect square. Keeping the mouse button down, release Shift. Press Shift. Release Shift. Press Shift. You see how it works. Release the mouse button.
Position the cursor in the middle of the artboard. It doesn't matter if it is on top of an existing rectangle or not.
Click and begin dragging. Without releasing the mouse button, press and hold the Option (Mac)/Alt (Windows) key. Continue dragging. Notice that Illustrator is creating the rectangle from the center outward. Release Option (Mac)/Alt (Windows). Press Option (Mac)/Alt (Windows). Release the mouse button.
Once more from the center, press both Shift and Option (Mac)/Alt (Windows) and begin dragging a rectangle. Experiment with releasing one or the other or both keys. Release the mouse button.
Click on the artboard and begin dragging a rectangle. Without releasing the mouse button, press the spacebar and move the cursor. This allows you to reposition the object while you're drawing. Release the spacebar and then the mouse button.
Drag a few more rectangles and squares.

You've successfully created several rectangles. There are several points to note:

When you released the mouse button, the Rectangle tool stayed selected, ready to draw another object.
When you released the mouse button, the object you just drew stayed selected until you started drawing again.
You can drag in any direction; objects don't have to start from the upper-left corner.
The Shift key constrains the dimensions so that the height and width are equal. With the Rectangle tool, this produces a square. With the Ellipse tool, it produces a circle.
The Option (Mac)/Alt (Windows) key forces the tool to create from the center.
Shift and Option (Mac)/Alt (Windows) can be used together.
The spacebar allows you to reposition an object while you are dragging to create it.
Objects can overlap.

Starting Over

Your artboard probably looks like some kind of a mess. Rectangles and squares, overlapping each other with corners poking out. No sense of order. No sense of symmetry. Wow! I think in some circles they call that "art."

Now, let us suffer for our art and destroy these works of genius! Hold down the Command (Mac)/Control (Windows) key and press the letter A on the keyboard. Command+A (Mac)/Control+A (Windows) is the shortcut for Select All. You'll see that each object on the artboard is highlighted, even those that are hidden. You should see something similar to Figure 3.3.

NOTE

That distinctive look that tells you an object is selected is called the bounding box. No matter the shape of the object or the number of objects selected, the bounding box will, by default, be a rectangle. We'll learn more about bounding boxes in Hour 4, "Making Selections."

Now press the Delete (Mac)/Backspace (Windows) key or use the menu command Edit, Clear. That removes all of the selected objects from your artboard. Hold down the Command (Mac)/ Control (Windows) key and press Z. Command+Z (Mac)/Control+Z (Windows) is the keyboard shortcut for Undo. Memorize this one! Everything reappears. Delete everything again, so that your artboard is clean and clear for the next learning experience.

Figure 3.3 Your artboard should show a variety of rectangles and squares, all selected. There's a large rectangle surrounding them all, called the bounding box.

Task: Making Rounded Rectangles

Like regular rectangles, rounded rectangles have four straight sides. However, these objects don't have pointy, 90° angle corners, they have gentle curves where two sides meet.

Click and hold on the Rectangle tool icon in the Toolbox.
When the hidden (flyout) palette appears, continue to hold down the mouse button and move the cursor onto the second icon, the Rounded Rectangle tool.
Release the mouse button.
Click anywhere on the artboard and drag. Release the mouse button.
You've just created a rounded rectangle. Take a look at the curves that create the corners. Now, with the object still selected, press Delete (Mac)/Backspace (Windows) to get rid of it.
With the Rounded Rectangle tool still selected, click once near the upper-left corner of the artboard. The dialog box shown in Figure 3.4 should open.
Enter Width 200 pt, Height 150 pt, Corner Radius 10 pt, and click OK. (The default unit of measure is points, so the pt doesn't really need to be added. But if the Prefs didn't get reset recently...) Your artboard should look like Figure 3.5.

Figure 3.4 A comparable dialog box opens when you click once with most of the creation tools. The options vary according to the tool.

Figure 3.5 A single rounded rectangle should be on the page, located in the upper-left quadrant of the page.

Move the cursor to the top middle of the artboard and click again. This time, hit the Tab key a couple of times to highlight the Corner Radius field in the dialog box. Enter 25 and click OK.
Position the cursor somewhat below the lower-left corner of the first object and click. In the dialog box, enter 200, 200, and 50, and then click OK.
Move to below the second object and click. In the dialog box, enter 200, 200, and 100. Click OK. Theoretically, this object is indeed a rounded rectangle, although it looks like a circle. (See Figure 3.6. )

You've just learned how to create rounded rectangles both numerically (using the dialog box) and by dragging. A single click with most creation tools will open a dialog box into which you can enter precise values. You also learned that appearances can be deceiving—a rounded rectangle might look like a circle, and a circle might actually be something else. But in fact, to Illustrator, it's just an object. Objects are defined by their paths, strokes, and fills, and don't rely on such limiting labels as circle or rectangle. Quite a refreshing attitude, I think.

Figure 3.6 Your four objects should look like these, although the placement might be slightly different.

Creating Ellipses and Circles

Let's apply what you've learned about the Rectangle and Rounded Rectangle tools to the Ellipse tool. You can select the Ellipse tool in the Toolbox (it's just to the right of the Rounded Rectangle tool), or you can simply press L on the keyboard. (No modifiers are necessary. No Shift, no Control, no Command, no Option, no Alt. Just the L key.)

With the Ellipse tool selected, repeat the Select All, Delete procedure to clear your artboard. Now click and drag to create ellipses (also called ovals). Shift+drag to create circles. Option+drag (Mac)/Alt+drag (Windows) to create ellipses from the center. Shift+Option+drag (Mac)/Shift+Alt+drag (Windows) to create circles from the center. See how this tool parallels the Rectangle tool. The same techniques, the same modifier keys, the same results. Except, of course, for the shapes produced.

Click once in the artboard to open the Ellipse dialog box. You'll see that the only options are width and height. Keep in mind that if the width and height are equal you're creating a circle. Enter 250 and 250, and then click OK. Instant circle, exact dimensions.

Creating Complex Objects

Both rectangles and ellipses have four path segments and four anchor points. (You'll learn more about them in Hour 5.) Illustrator also has tools that can create objects with different numbers of sides. Like the Rectangle and Ellipse tools, the Polygon and Star tools can be dragged or clicked. However, they always create from the center of the object.

Using the Polygon Tool

The Polygon tool creates closed paths with multiple sides. Your object can range from three sides, producing an equilateral triangle to as many as 1,000 sides. To give you an idea of what a 1,000-sided polygon looks like, even at an incredibly huge size, see Figure 3.7.

Figure 3.7 Illustrator's maximum document size is a little over 227 inches by 227 inches. This 1,000-sided polygon is about 200 inches across, and still looks like a circle. For reference, in the upper-left corner you can see the page-tiling indicator for a single letter-sized sheet of paper.

Task: Working with Polygons

Unlike the Rectangle, Rounded Rectangle, and Ellipse tools, you always drag polygons from the center. Let's give it a try.

Select the Polygon tool in the Toolbox.
Determine where on your artboard you want the center of the object.
Click and drag straight toward the top or bottom of the page.
Continue to hold down the mouse button and drag the cursor in a circle around your object. Observe how the object rotates with the cursor.
Still holding the mouse button, press the Shift key. You'll see the polygon snap into a specific orientation. When Shift is pressed, the polygon will always have a flat side on the bottom. Release Shift, and then press it again. Release Shift, but keep the mouse button down.
Press the up arrow key on your keyboard several times. Every press of the up arrow adds one more side to the polygon.
Press the down arrow key several times. This subtracts sides from the object. Keep the mouse button down.
Press the spacebar and drag. You can also reposition polygons while creating them.
Release the mouse button. Click once more in the center of the artboard and release. Give your clicking finger a break while we look at the Polygon dialog box (see Figure 3.8).

Figure 3.8 You can create numerically with any of the object creation tools. Simply click once on the artboard to open the appropriate dialog box.

You can input the radius (from the center to any one of the points) and the number of sides.

Using the Star Tool

The Star tool is very similar to the Polygon tool. And, as you'll see right now, it has a lot of similar behavior.

Click or drag to create stars
Stars are created from the center
Pressing the Spacebar lets you move the star while continuing to hold down the mouse button
The Shift key orients the star so that a point is always toward the top of the page
The Option (Mac)/Alt (Windows) key will align the path segments on either side of a point. (You'll see an example later, in Figure 3.10.)
The up and down arrow keys add points to the star, rather than sides
The number of points can range from 3 to 1,000

There are a couple of additional concepts to consider when creating stars. To understand them, let's first look at the Star dialog box (Figure 3.9) .

Figure 3.9 The numbers you'll see in the Star dialog box are those of the last star created, whether numerically or by dragging.

Task: Working with the Star Tool

Stars have two radii. Radius 1 is the distance from the center of the star to the end of a point. Radius 2 is the distance from the center of the star to the angle at the base of two points. Let's see how they work.

First, use the command Select, All or the keyboard shortcut Command+A (Mac)/Control+A (Windows) and delete all of the clutter.
Click somewhere to the left of the center of your artboard. In the Star dialog box, enter Radius 1: 100 pt, Radius 2: 45 pt, Points: 5, and click OK.
Move the cursor to the right of the new star and click again.
Leave Radius 1 set to 100 pt, and leave the number of points at 5. Change Radius 2 to 60 pt. Click OK.

The only difference between the two stars is the length of the second radius, the distance from the center of the star to the base of the points.

Task: Mastering the Star Tool

The Star tool has a couple of other little tricks up its sleeve as you drag it on the artboard.

In the empty area near the top of the artboard, click with the Star tool and begin dragging.
While continuing to drag, press the Shift key and continue to hold down both it and the mouse button. This, you will recall, orients the star to the top of the page. (If you need to reposition the star, remember the spacebar.)
Now press the Option (Mac)/Alt (Windows) key. This makes the shoulders of the star square to each other, as in Figure 3.10. (The Shift key is not required, but it makes it easier to see.) Release and press the Option (Alt) key several times. Each point is constructed of two straight path segments. With Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) depressed, the segments on either side of a point's segments will be parallel.

Figure 3.10 To the left, a star with Radius 1 set to 100 and Radius 2 set to 55. On the right, dragging a star with Radius 1 at 100 and the Option (Alt) key depressed to automatically adjust Radius 2.

Press the up arrow key four times to give the star nine points. (Release the Shift and Option (Mac)/Alt (Windows) keys momentarily, if necessary, but continue to hold down the mouse button.)
Once again, press and release the Option (Mac)/Alt (Windows) key several times. Release the Shift key and do it again. Press the Shift and Option (Mac)/Alt (Windows) keys.
Release the mouse button.
Start dragging to create another star in another part of the artboard. Don't drag very far—keep the star small for the moment.
With the mouse button still down, press and hold the Command (Mac)/Control (Windows) key. Now drag the cursor farther from the center of the new star. At this point, Radius 2 is not changing, but you are dragging the points of the stars (Radius 1) farther from the center. Release the mouse button and the Command (Mac)/Control (Windows) key.

The Flare Tool

While we're working with this group of tools, let's take a quick look at the Flare tool. The flare in Flare tool signifies lens flare; those pesky reflections on a camera's lens that cause unwanted highlights. Photographers have spent thousands of hours trying to discover easy ways to remove these flares from negatives. And Adobe is giving us an easy way to add them. Cool, eh?

Task: Working with the Flare Tool

The Flare tool creates rather complex objects, and it works somewhat differently than the other tools with which you've just worked. Keep in mind that you'll always need a click-drag and another click to complete a flare.

Select all and delete to clear your artboard.
In the Toolbox, click on the Star tool (or which ever of the object tools is currently showing) and drag the cursor to the right to select the Flare tool.
With the Flare tool active, click in the center of the artboard and drag a short way toward the upper-left corner of the artboard. When the paths that you're creating stretch almost to the edges of the artboard, release the mouse button as shown in Figure 3.11.

Figure 3.11 When the artboard looks something like this, release the mouse button.

With the cursor a short distance to the up and right of the center of your flare, click the mouse button once. This completes the flare, as shown in Figure 3.12.
Hit the Delete (Backspace) button. That was just a practice flare.
Click in the center of the artboard again, and drag as you did before.
Before you release the mouse button, experiment with the Shift key and the Command (Mac) Control (Windows) key. Press them both and continue dragging. Notice that Shift stops the flare from rotating as you drag. The Command (Mac)/Control (Windows) key allows you to resize the flare in relation to its inner circle.
Again, release the mouse button, move the cursor a short distance and click once. This completes the flare. It should still be selected on the artboard.
In the Toolbox, double-click the Flare tool's icon to open the Flare dialog box, as shown in Figure 3.13.

Figure 3.12 The flare is completed and it remains selected on the artboard.

Figure 3.13 It's a complicated dialog box, with many cryptic sliders. Thankfully, it has a Preview option.

Rather than attempt to explain what each variable is and what it does, just click on the checkbox next to Preview and we'll look at some basics. Move the dialog box out of the way if necessary by dragging its title bar.
The first thing to do, perhaps, is to uncheck the Rings box and then recheck it. That shows you the two major parts, the flare and its rings.
Change the amount in Diameter to 50 pt, and then press the Tab key (which moves you to the next field and tells Illustrator to accept the value you just entered). The Preview will update the look on the artboard. Click back in the Diameter field, enter 150 pt, and hit Tab again.
You get the idea. Experiment. Have fun. See if you can figure out what each control does to the flare.
When you're done experimenting, hold down the Option (Mac)/Alt (Windows) key and look at the upper-right corner of the dialog box. The Cancel button has changed to Reset. Click reset and see what Illustrator's programmers have decided a flare should look like. Click OK.
Press Delete to send your flare to that place where professional photographers try to send real lens flares.

Creating Lines

So far you've created objects—closed paths—in the shape of rectangles, squares, ellipses, and circles. Now we'll take a look at some of the open paths that you can create by dragging or clicking a tool.

Using the Line Segment Tool

The Line Segment tool, like the Flare tool, does one thing and one thing only. Thankfully, this tool does it much more simply than Flare does.

Click, drag, and release. A straight line will be drawn between the point where you clicked and the point where you released. Pretty simple. A point at each end, with a path in between. Double-click the Line Segment tool icon in the Toolbox to open its dialog box. Length and angle are the two big options (see Figure 3.14). There's also an option to fill the line. (Fills are discussed in Hour 8, "Using Strokes, Fills, and Gradients.")

Figure 3.14 The Line Segment tool is a good antidote for the very-complex Flare tool.

Be aware that adding a fill to a straight path segment changes nothing on the artboard. However, if you combine this path with another at some later date, a fill might be appropriate.

Pressing the Shift key while dragging constrains the Line Segment tool to 45° angles. The Option (Mac)/Alt (Windows) key allows you to create lines from the midpoint.

Using the Arc Tool

The Rectangle tool is to the Ellipse tool as the Line Segment tool is to the _______. If you answered "Arc tool," go to the head of the class! Similar to the Line Segment tool, the Arc tool produces a single path segment with an anchor point at each end. Similar to the Ellipse tool, it uses curved segments.

Double-click the Arc tool's icon in the Toolbox to open the Arc dialog box. As you can see in Figure 3.15, it is substantially more complicated than the Line Segment dialog box. This tool, however, offers a preview window in the dialog box.

Figure 3.15 The Arc tool has a variety of options.

When you double-click the Arc tool's icon in the dialog box and adjust the settings, you don't actually create an arc. Rather, you're setting the tool for the next time it's clicked in the artboard. When you next click it, the dialog box will again open (without a preview), but you can just click OK and create the arc.

Don't overlook the little four-point grid (called a proxy) in the upper middle of the dialog box. Click on any of the four corners to establish the arc's point of origin. Think of the selected point as being where you just clicked, and the small square of the proxy representing the bounding box of the arc.

TIP

If you double-click the Arc tool's icon in the Toolbox and the preview window looks broken or empty, close the dialog box by clicking Cancel. Now change the foreground color to black and the background color to white by pressing D on the keyboard. Reopen the dialog box and you'll see the preview. (This preview uses the current foreground and background colors. If the foreground color is white or None, the arc won't be visible in the preview window.)

Task: Working with the Arc Tool

Here's a quick way to get a handle on all of the Arc dialog box options.

If the dialog box is not open already, double-click the Arc tool icon in the Toolbox.
Set Length X-Axis and Length Y-Axis to the same value, any value. (Well, any value between 1 and 1000 points. )
Change Type from Open to Closed.
Drag the Concave/Convex slider all the way to the right.
Take a look at the preview. Start making changes to the various options and creating arcs by clicking the tool on the artboard. You'll soon recognize what each does.
Practice creating curves with different points of origin. After creating an arc, press V to switch to the Selection tool so that you can see the bounding box. Compare the bounding box to the proxy square in the dialog box. You can then switch back to the Arc tool.
When done, click the Cancel button, select all, and delete to clear your artboard and get ready for the next step in your journey.

Using the Spiral Tool

Spirals are constructed of a series of linked arcs. Select the Spiral tool from the Toolbox and click once on the artboard to open the Spiral dialog box, as shown in Figure 3.16.

Figure 3.16 Shown are Illustrator's default values for the Spiral tool.

NOTE

When Decay is at 100%, the segments of the spiral will be placed atop each other, simulating a circle. Remember, however, that this is an open path, not a closed path like an actual circle.

The Spiral tool is easy to work with if you know the basic terms and functions.

The radius is the distance from where you first click (the center of the spiral) to the start point of the spiral.
Decay is the change in distance between the winds (segments) of the spiral.
The number of segments is measured in quarter turns. Each segment (also called a wind) is one-fourth of a circle.
The style of the spiral refers simply to the direction in which it goes.

When you drag the Spiral tool, you control the number of winds with the up and down arrow keys. Holding down the Option (Mac)/Alt (Windows) key while dragging controls the radius. The Command (Mac)/Control (Windows) key is used while dragging to adjust the amount of decay. If you press Shift while dragging a spiral, your movement will be constrained to 45º angles. Practice dragging a few spirals. Use the modifier keys Shift, Option (Mac)/ Alt (Windows), and Command (Mac)/Control (Windows) while dragging. When you've got a good understanding of how the modifier keys work, select all and delete to clear the artboard.

Creating Grids

Illustrator's grid tools create objects that are actually made from a series of intersecting or connected lines. There are two types of grids, rectangular and polar. Rectangular grids use straight-line segments to produce boxes arranged in rows and columns. Polar grids use arcs to produce concentric circles that are divided by the radius. Figure 3.17 shows the difference.

Figure 3.17 To the left is a rectangular grid, created from straight-line segments. On the right, arcs and radial segments are aligned to create a polar grid.

Creating with the Rectangular Grid Tool

Double-click the Rectangular Grid tool icon in the Toolbox. That opens the dialog box shown in Figure 3.18.

Figure 3.18 The Rectangular Grid Tool Options dialog box can be used to create default settings for the tool or to numerically create a grid.

Creating a grid numerically requires a bit of information and a bit of practice.

The width and height are for the grid as a whole, and the numbers you enter are the dimensions of the rectangle that will be created.
The proxy to the right of Width allows you to select the point of origin for the grid. For example, if you click the top-left corner, the grid will be created down and to the right of the point where the tool was clicked on the artboard.
The number of horizontal dividers does not include the top and bottom of the rectangle. Rather, it counts just the number of dividing lines. (Add one to the number of dividers to determine the number of rows.)
Horizontal skew creates a uniform change in the size of the rows. Use the slider to determine where the larger rows will be, either at the bottom (drag the slider to the left) or at the top of the grid (drag the slider to the right). Figure 3.19 shows some examples of skewed grids.
The number of vertical dividers does not include the left and right sides of the rectangle. Rather, it counts just the number of dividing lines. (Add one to the number of dividers to determine the number of columns.)
The vertical skew changes the size of the columns, with larger columns created either to the left or right. (See Figure 3.19.)
Using the outer rectangle as a frame enables you to include the all-encompassing rectangle as part of the grid. When checked, the outer box of the grid will be a rectangle. When unchecked, the outer box will be four separate paths. (Use the Group Select tool to choose the frame of a grid and adjust its stroke and color.)
The fill option allows you to use the current fill color, gradient, or pattern in the grid. (The grid tools automatically use the current stroke color and width to create the lines.) If the option Use Outer Rectangle As Frame is not selected, the grid cannot be filled.

Figure 3.19 The upper-left grid is unskewed. The upper-right grid is skewed 50% horizontally. The lower-left grid is skewed 50% vertically. The fourth grid is skewed 50% in both directions.

Task: Creating with the Polar Grid Tool

The Polar Grid tool creates concentric circles with radial dividers. You can set the options in the dialog box shown in Figure 3.20. To open the box, double-click the Polar Grid tool icon in the Toolbox.

Figure 3.20 The Polar Grid Tool Options dialog box is comparable to Figure 3.18 for the Rectangular Grid tool.

Concentric dividers are the circles, while radial dividers are the lines extending from the center.

With the Polar Grid Tool Options dialog box open, set the width and height to 250 pt.
Use 5 concentric dividers and 15 radial dividers, both skew sliders set to zero.
Ignore the two checkboxes at the bottom of the dialog box.
Click OK.
Select all and delete.
Click the Polar Grid tool in the center of the artboard and begin dragging toward the lower-right corner.
Press the Shift key. The grid's proportions will be constrained to a perfect circle. Release Shift, but keep the mouse button down.
Press the Option (Mac)/Alt (Windows) key. The grid will be created from the center. Release the Option (Mac)/Alt (Windows) key, but continue to hold down the mouse button.
Press the up arrow key several times to increase the number of concentric dividers. Press the down key to decrease the number of concentric dividers.
Press the right arrow key to increase the number of radial dividers, and the left arrow to decrease.
Release the mouse button.

If you'd like to see the specifications of the grid you just created, open the Polar Grid Tool Options dialog box once again. The box will show the numbers for the most recently created grid.

Working with Symbols

The symbolism tools are designed primarily for use with Web images, but they have tremendous possibilities for many kinds of artwork. When designing graphics for the Web, keeping file size small is very important. Symbols allow you to record only a single copy of an image in the file, yet use it many times.

We're going to take this opportunity not only to present the symbolism tools, but also to give you a head start on a variety of other Illustrator concepts. We'll be introducing such concepts as fill color, transparency, tinting, and more. Each of the more advanced concepts will be explained in later hours. For now, just enjoy the creative possibilities.

Adding Symbols

Illustrator comes with a variety of artwork already designated as symbols. You'll find it in the Symbols palette. Click on the tab for the Symbols palette to bring it to the front, and then drag it by the tab to the upper-right corner of the work area. Click on the Symbol Sprayer tool icon in the Toolbox and hold the mouse button down until the flyout palette appears. Without releasing the mouse button, move the cursor to the right end of the mini-palette and position it on the little arrow symbol. Release the mouse button. That should turn the strip of Symbolism tools into a small floating palette. Move it to the upper-left corner of the work area. Your screen should now look similar to Figure 3.21.

Figure 3.21 For the next little while, we'll be working with these symbols and tools. (The contents of your Symbols palette might vary.)

CAUTION

Creating symbols can take a lot of horsepower! Be patient when working with symbols. The screen might take a few seconds to redraw, and the tools might not be as responsive as you expect.

Task: Using Symbols

Let's get creative!

Pick a symbol, any symbol, from the Symbols palette by clicking on it. Feeling fishy? Light (bulb) headed? On fire? Puzzled? There's a little something for everyone. The individual little pieces of artwork in the Symbols palette are called symbol instances. Think of an instance as a particular symbol.
With the Symbol Sprayer selected, click on the left side of the artboard, just below your floating palette of symbolism tools, and drag slowly to the bottom of the page. Release the mouse button.
Move the cursor back up to just under the symbolism tools, and a little to the right of the path you just drew.
Click and drag quickly to the bottom of the page. Compare the two sets of symbols. Press V on the keyboard to switch to the Selection tool. Notice that the bounding box (the rectangle that indicates a selection) now encompasses both lines of symbols (see Figure 3.22).

Figure 3.22 The bounding box is the blue rectangle that surrounds the objects currently active (selected) on the artboard.

In the lower-right corner of the artboard, press the mouse button and leave it down for a couple of seconds without moving the mouse. Watch how the symbols continue to be created for as long as the button is down.
Select all and delete to clear your artboard.
Select a symbol and drag a long lazy arc or two to spread some symbols around. Switch to a different symbol instance and drag some more, overlapping the first set in a few places.

NOTE

As you recall, the term instance refers to the actual symbol in the Symbols palette. When talking about a bunch of symbols on the artboard, all of a particular instance, we'll use the term set.

Hold down the Command (Mac)/Control (Windows) key and click somewhere on the artboard that isn't covered with symbols. This deselects the symbols and gets you ready to start another set.
Double-click the Symbol Sprayer icon in the tool palette that you tore from the Toolbox. In the Symbolism Tool Options dialog box, change the diameter to 100 and increase both the Intensity and Symbol Set Density to 10 (see Figure 3.23).

Figure 3.23 You can use the sliders to make changes or simply type a value in the numeric field.

Switch back to the Symbol Sprayer. Choose another symbol from the Symbols palette and add a lot more artwork to the artboard. You should have something that looks vaguely like Figure 3.24.

Figure 3.24 If your artboard doesn't compare to this masterpiece, don't despair—it was created by a trained professional!

Task: Basic Symbol Manipulation

Now that we've got some symbols with which to experiment, let's do just that.

From the symbolism tool palette, choose the Symbol Shifter.
In the Symbols palette, click once on the type of symbol that you first added to the artboard in the previous exercise. You must select the type of symbol that you want to move before using the Symbol Shifter.
Hold down Command (Mac)/Control (Windows) to temporarily switch to the Selection tool and click on your first set of symbols. The symbol set must be selected on the artboard for the tool to work. (You'll find that manipulating symbols with any of the symbolism tools requires that the set be selected on the artboard.) Release the Command (Mac)/Control (Windows) key.
Now click and drag with the Symbol Shifter in an area of your image where these symbols are overlapped by another type of symbol. Note that only the first type of symbol moves. Release the mouse button.
Press the Shift key and drag again. The symbols that you're shifting are moved on top of (in front of) the other symbols. Option+Shift (Mac)/Alt+Shift (Windows) can send them back behind.
Switch to the Symbol Scruncher. Click and hold on an area of the artboard containing the currently selected symbols. The symbols within the cursor will move closer to- gether. Using the Option (Mac)/Alt (Windows) key moves the symbols farther apart.
The fourth tool in the symbolism tool palette is the Symbol Sizer. As you've probably guessed, you can scale symbols with this tool. As you've also probably guessed, the symbol set needs to be selected on the artboard and the target symbol should be selected in the Symbols palette. Try it out by positioning the cursor over a bunch of symbols and holding down the mouse button for a few seconds. Notice that the symbols in the center of the cursor are affected more than those toward the edge (see Figure 3.25). Try the Symbol Sizer with the Option (Mac)/Alt (Windows) key. Indeed, the targeted symbols are reduced in size.
Next on the agenda is the Symbol Spinner. Aptly named, it will rotate targeted symbols. Give it a shot. Pay attention to what happens when you drag the cursor in a tight circle several times. Drag figure 8's over a group of targeted symbols.
Select all and delete. It's time to analyze what we've done and refresh the artboard for the next round.

Figure 3.25 To the left are the original symbols. To the right you can see the result of using the Symbol Sizer. The symbols in the center are enlarged much more than the symbols toward the edge of the cursor.

The true value in these symbol manipulation tools is in randomizing your set of symbols. When you created them with the Symbol Sprayer, all of the symbol instances (the individual pieces of artwork) were the same size, pointed in the same direction, and were generally uniform except for location. These tools help you create more natural-looking groupings.

Task: Advanced Symbol Manipulation

Let's get set up before we actually start this project. In the Symbols palette, grab a colorful symbol and use the Symbol Sprayer to add some to the lower half of the artboard. Now select a very plain symbol, perhaps one that is a single color. Be quick with the Symbol Sprayer, adding a light spread of symbols over much of the artboard (see Figure 3.26).

Figure 3.26 Your choice of symbols might vary, as might the distribution across the page.

Select the Symbol Stainer. In the Swatches palette, click on a color that is substantially different than your second symbol.
Click and hold for one second on some of your symbols. (Make sure that the symbol is selected in the Symbols palette and that the symbol set is selected on the artboard.)
Move the tool to another area and hold down the mouse button for two seconds. The longer the button is down, the more the color changes. It adopts a tint of the selected color or swatch.
Switch to the Symbol Screener tool. In an area where the two types of symbols overlap, click and hold down the mouse button for a second or so. Check the result. Experiment with longer and shorter times. Try Option+clicking (Mac)/Alt+clicking (Windows) with the Symbol screener. Just as the previous tool changes color, so this tool changes opacity.
The final symbolism tool is the Symbol Styler. In the Styles palette, choose Scribbly Fawn (the first style in the second row). Click and hold on your targeted symbols. The longer you hold the mouse button down, the more the style is applied.
Select all and delete to clear the artboard. Select a symbol, activate the Symbol Sprayer, and add just a few of the symbol instance to your artboard. Too many symbols in your set could result in a long wait.
Use the Symbol Stainer, Symbol Styler, and Symbol Screener to customize your symbol set. Rotate and resize a few, too.
In the Symbols palette, choose another symbol instance by clicking on it once. Then, from the palette's menu (the small triangle in the upper-right corner), choose the menu command Replace Symbol. Give Illustrator a little while to do its stuff and the symbol on the artboard should be replaced. All of the twisting, turning, resizing, staining, screening, and styling should all remain unchanged. Figure 3.27 shows a simplified example.

Congratulations! You've just been exposed to the concept of "live" in Illustrator. Basically, what the term means is that you can change the appearance of an object without changing the object itself. In this case, we used the various tools to alter the appearance of the symbols, but the symbols themselves remained unchanged. When we replaced the first symbol instance, the second instance assumed all of the live appearance changes. You'll learn more about how this works in Hour 18, "Working with Filters and Live Effects."

Figure 3.27 On the left are the original symbols. In the center, they've been fine-tuned with the symbolism tools. On the right, the symbol instance has been replaced, and the changes applied to the symbols remain.

Defining a Symbol

You can easily create your own symbols. Create a vector object, color it, even apply a style to it (which you'll learn about later), and use the Symbols palette menu command, New Symbol. Try it using the basic creation tools you learned at the beginning of this hour. Create a spiral symbol, a circle symbol, and a five-pointed star symbol. Test them using the Symbol Sprayer.

Saving Your Work

If you really like the results of your efforts, you can save the illustration and perhaps later print it to hang on the refrigerator. The command File, Save is the basic method.

Choosing a File Format

For now, you'll want to save your files in the native Adobe Illustrator file format (.ai). (The pop-up menu in the Save dialog box offers a couple of other formats, as shown in Figure 3.28.) The native Illustrator format is the only one that is sure to preserve all the features of your document.

If your work will be printed on a commercial printing press, using the Export command to create a TIFF (.tif) file or saving as an Encapsulated PostScript (.eps) file might make more sense. For the World Wide Web, you'll need .gif, .jpg, or.png (all of which are available through the Save for Web command), or SVG from the Save dialog box. We'll look at file formats more closely in Hour 20, "Understanding File Formats and Platform Issues." The various print and Web formats will also be discussed in Hours 21, "Printing Your Illustrations," 22, "Creating Web Graphics," and 23, "Animating the Web."

Figure 3.28 PDF can be opened with Adobe Acrobat Reader. EPS is used for print. SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) is designed for the Web.

Picking a Location, a Name, and Some Options

Where you choose to save your file is up to you. Perhaps in the My Documents folder in Windows, in your Documents folder in Mac OS X, on the Mac OS 9 Desktop, or perhaps even on a removable disk.

Most modern computer systems recognize long file names, so you can basically choose any name you want. Some characters shouldn't be used (and will be listed in Hour 20). It is a good idea, even for Macintosh-based operations, to use the filename extension. (You can have Illustrator automatically add the extension by selecting that option in the Preferences, Files & Clipboard window.)

After you click OK, you're presented with the dialog box in Figure 3.29.

Figure 3.29 The second dialog box allows you to choose what data to include in the file.

Choosing Illustrator 10 for compatibility ensures that everything will be editable later. For now, as a general rule of thumb, if a box isn't grayed out, check it. The file might be somewhat larger, but you'll be retaining all of the information.

Summary

We've covered a lot of ground this hour. If it hasn't all sunk in, don't worry. We'll be reinforcing the basics throughout the rest of the book. Some of the more advanced concepts to which you were introduced while learning about symbols will be reintroduced later.

The highlight of this hour was learning to use the various object creation tools. You've created shapes, such as rectangles, circles, spirals, grids, and the list goes on. You've created advanced designs using symbols. And to top that off, you've started using some of Illustrator's palettes, including Swatches and Styles. Quite a list of accomplishments for a single hour!

Workshop

Now that you've got basic creation skills and some more advanced concepts, let's get in a little practice time.

Q&A

Q Can two objects be created on top of each other?

A Sure! Multiple objects can overlap in Illustrator without any problem. In a later hour, you'll learn all about the Layers palette, but for now just think of objects being stacked on the artboard.

Q What is the difference between a rectangle and a rounded rectangle?

A There are a couple of ways of looking at the difference. For right now, let's just say that one object has square corners and the other has curved corners. In Hour 6, when you learn about editing paths, you'll recognize the difference in the paths and anchor points that make up the objects.

Q A spiral is an open path. Is it an object or a line?

A Because it's an open path, a spiral is a line, just like an arc.

Q Why is my computer so slow when working with symbols?

A A set of symbols is a whole lot of little vector objects, some of them rather complex. (Think about all of the little pieces that are required to construct an American flag.) Making changes to each of those little collections of objects takes a lot of computational power. Patience!

Quiz

Which of the following is a line, rather than an object?

a. Circle
b. Rounded rectangle
c. Arc
d. Star
When working with spirals, a wind is how big?

a. One quarter of a turn
b. One quarter of a circle
c. Ninety degrees
d. All of the above
How many of the eight symbolism tools can place symbols on the artboard?

a. One
b. Two
c. Three
d. Eight
Which file format retains all of Illustrator's features?
a. .eps
b. .ai
c. .tif
d. .png

Quiz Answers

c. Arcs are lines rather than objects because they have end points.
d. All of the above. These are several ways to say the same thing.
a. Only the Symbol Sprayer actually adds symbols to the artboard. The rest of the symbolism tools are used to edit the appearance of the symbol sets.
b. The Adobe Illustrator (.ai) file format is the only one of these formats that supports all of the program's features. (PDF, EPS, and SVG can also produce files that retain al Illustrator information.

Exercises

Practice using the modifier keys with the object creation tools. Try to remember what Shift does for each tool. Don't forget Option (Mac)/Alt (Windows), either.
Create a number of grids. Use the dialog box to skew them horizontally, vertically, or both. Try to determine the highest skew percentage that results in a useable grid. Also see if you can create some 3D effects with skewed grids.
Double-click on each of the symbolism tool icons in the Toolbox. Take a look at each tool's options. Experiment with the settings to see how they work.