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VCB313 Advanced Computer Illustration

Exercise: Patterns & Symbols

Patterns, brushes and symbols are extremely useful tools; they allow one to make and save small discreet designs ("swatches") which can then be applied and re-used in a surprising variety of ways. Each kind of design has its own strengths and weaknesses. The purpose of this exercise is to familiarize yourself with some of these design types and ways of application.

Procedure

  1. Open Illustrator and create a new document (let's make it 11 x 17 so we have lots of room). Save it as yourName_symbolEx.ai
  2. Create a simple, self-contained pattern (the design is contained entirely within the swatch).
    1. Draw a small (1 inch) rectangle (no stroke) and fill it with a flat color.
    2. Inside the rectangle draw one or more shapes. Note that these shapes must contain no gradients, patterns or brushes (exception—CS2 now allows for gradients in patterns).
    3. Select the entire design (background rectangle and objects) and drag them as a unit into the Swatch window. A new swatch thumbnail should appear.
    4. Draw a 3" rectangle and fill it with your new pattern.
  3. Create a continuous pattern (one that has no visible break between pattern tiles).
    1. As before, start with a small rectangle filled with a solid color.
    2. This time select the rectangle, copy it (command-C) and paste it behind (command-B). Turn both the fill and stroke to none. This lower rectangle defines the edge of the pattern swatch (otherwise the overlapping objects we will draw next would define the swatch edge).
    3. Now draw one or two simple shapes that overlap one edge (left or right) of the upper rectangle.
    4. Copy (option-shift-drag) those objects to the opposite edge so that they appear to be bisected in the same place by this edge of the rectangle.
    5. Do the same thing for the top and bottom edges (draw one or more overlapping shapes along one edge; option-shift-drag them down to the bottom edge).
    6. Now fill the center of the rectangle with more shapes—make sure none of these overlap any edge.
    7. Finally, drag the whole kin'n'kaboodle into the swatch box. Draw a new 3" box and fill it with this new pattern.
  4. Create a scatter brush.
    1. Draw a simple design using multiple shapes. Once again use only flat colors for fills.
    2. As with the pattern swatches above, select the entire design and drag it into the Brushes window. Choose "Scatter" from the list of options.
    3. In the scatter brush dialog change the default settings (experiment). Click Okay.
    4. On you page deselect the design you just dragged. Grab the brush tool and then click on the stroke picker button. In the brush window, select the brush you just created. Click on the fill picker button and choose none.
    5. Paint a little "scribble" with your scatter brush (fill an appx3" x 3" area).
    6. Double-click on the scatter-brush swatch that you just created (in the brush window). Change the settings in the dialog box that pops up. Choose "apply to strokes."
  5. Create an art brush.
    1. Draw a simple design. For best results, draw something long and thin (hint: you can draw a line with a pencil, charcoal or paint brush, scan it, and use live trace to convert it into a design you can use for this).
    2. Select the design and drag it into the brush window. Choose "art" brush.
    3. In the art brush dialog box, make sure the arrow is running parallel to your design (so to the left or right if your design is horizontal, up or down if it's vertical). Click okay.
    4. As above, deselect your design, grab the brush, set your fill to none and stroke to the art brush you just created.
    5. Paint something with your brush.
  6. Create a pattern brush.
    1. Create two more simple designs. Put them both in the regular swatch window as patterns (as in steps 1 & 2 above). Pattern brushes make use of existing pattern swatches (so you can use the swatches you created in steps 1 & 2 as well).
    2. In the brush window, make a new brush. Select Pattern Brush from the list of options.
    3. In the pattern brush dialog box click on the first empty swatch thumbnail (you should see five). Choose a pattern design from the list below (the patterns are listed by name, but when you click on them you will see the design appear in the swatch thumbnail). Click on the next thumbnail and choose a different pattern. Do this for all 5 thumbnails. Click okay.
    4. Draw three shapes on your page: an oval, a rectangle, and an open path of some sort (could be just a straight line).
    5. Apply your new pattern brush to the strokes of each of these shapes. Note how the patterns differ from shape to shape.
  7. Create a symbol.
    1. Draw one last design. This one however can contain gradients, patterns, brushes, even place bitmap images!
    2. Drag the design into the symbols window.
    3. Grab the symbol sprayer and spray a symbol set of your design.
    4. Use the various symbol transformation tools to adjust your symbols' size, orientation, tint, and opacity. You may want to create more than one set to play with.

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