What you learned: 

Color artwork

• Vector artwork in Illustrator can have a stroke (border) and a fill. The fill or stroke can be a color, gradient, or pattern.

• Find the fill color and stroke color in the Properties panel to the right of the document. Clicking the fill color or stroke color reveals colors saved in a document, called swatches, by default.

• Open the Color Picker by double-clicking the stroke or fill box at the bottom of the Tools panel on the left. Use the Color Picker to create a custom color visually, by entering color values, or by choosing from a library of color.

• File>Save As your file with name: Last Name + Act 4.1 Done and file type: .ai 

AND

• File>Export>Export As a .png before moving on. 

What you learned: 

Create color swatches

• Save custom colors as swatches by clicking the fill color or stroke color in the Properties panel to the right of the document and selecting the Swatches option to reveal the swatches in the document.

• Click the New Swatch button at the bottom of the panel that appears.

• Name the color and set options. Click OK to save the color as a swatch.

• Apply the new swatch by selecting artwork and clicking the fill color or stroke color in the Properties panel, selecting the Swatches option, and selecting the swatch.

• File>Save As your file with name: Last Name + Act 4.2 Done and file type: .ai 

AND

• File>Export>Export As a .png before moving on. 

What you learned: 

Add dashes and arrows

• Select a path or shape with the Selection tool in the Tools panel. Click the Stroke option in the Properties panel to the right of the document.

• In the Stroke panel, you can align the stroke to the path with Align options, select the Dashed Line option to apply a dash, set dash options, select an arrowhead for the start and/or end of a path, and set sizing options.

• File>Save As your file with name: Last Name + Act 4.3 Done and file type: .ai 

AND

• File>Export>Export As a .png before moving on. 

What you learned: 

Create gradients

• Gradients blend from one color to another.

• Apply a default gradient to the fill or stroke of artwork by clicking the fill color or stroke color in the Properties panel to the right of the document and selecting a saved gradient swatch. Click Gradient Options to open the Gradient panel.

• In the Gradient panel, select the fill color. Double-click color stops in the color ramp to edit them.

• Select the Gradient tool in the Tools panel. Drag across artwork with a gradient fill to change the length, direction, and duration of a gradient.

• File>Save As your file with name: Last Name + Act 4.4 Done and file type: .ai 

AND

• File>Export>Export As a .png before moving on. 

What you learned: 

Recolor artwork

• Select the artwork to recolor.

• Click the Recolor button in the Properties panel to the right, to open the Recolor Artwork dialog box.

• Select the Edit tab to view colors in the selected artwork in a color wheel.

• Drag individual colors in the color wheel to edit them.

• Click the eyedropper to get the original colors from the artwork again, if needed.

• Click the Link Harmonies button to edit all of the colors together. Drag individual colors in the color wheel to edit the colors together.

• Click OK to change the color for the selected artwork.

• File>Save As your file with name: Last Name + Act 4.5 Done and file type: .ai 

AND

• File>Export>Export As a .png before moving on. 

What you learned: 

Save the color as a swatch

After sampling a color, save it as a swatch so you can apply it again elsewhere, maintain color consistency, and make it easy to edit the color across all applied artwork.

• • • Click the Swatches option at the top of the panel that’s still open, to show the default color swatches.

    • Click the New Swatch button at the bottom to save the color as a swatch.

    • In the New Swatch dialog box that appears, change the swatch name and click OK to save it.

Create a tint

With the color swatch created, you can apply that color to other artwork and then create a tint, or lighter version, of the color.

• • • Apply the swatch you created to the fill or stroke of artwork.

    • Click the Fill color or Stroke color in the Properties panel and click the Color Mixer option at the top of the panel to show a single tint (T) slider. Drag the slider to the left to make the color lighter.

Save the tint as a swatch

To easily apply the same tint color elsewhere, and to maintain color consistency, you can save the tint as a swatch.

• • • Click the Swatches option at the top of the panel and click the New Swatch button at the bottom to save the tint. The tint has the same name as the swatch; the tint percentage appears after the name.

  • File>Save As your file with name: Last Name + Act 4.6 Done and file type: .ai 

AND

• • File>Export>Export As a .png before moving on. 

What you learned: 

Create, apply and edit both linear and radial gradients to artwork 

What is a gradient?

A gradient is a graduated blend of two or more colors or tints of the same color.

Edit colors in the gradient

After applying a gradient, you can then edit the gradient in the artwork.

• • With the Swatches panel still showing, click Gradient Options to open the Gradient panel.

In the Gradient panel, you can adjust the type of gradient, the angle of the gradient, the colors in the gradient, and more. The gradient shows as a gradient slider toward the bottom of the panel with circles below it, called color stops, that represent the colors in the gradient.

To adjust the colors in the gradient:

• • Double-click any of the color stops (circles) below the gradient slider to show different color options and change the color.

  • To add a color to the gradient, move the pointer just below the gradient slider and click when a plus (+) shows next to the pointer. Drag any of the color stops to adjust how the gradient blends.

  • To remove a color stop, click one and either drag it away from the gradient slider and release, or click the trash can to the right of the gradient slider.

  • File>Save As your 7.2 file with name: Last Name + Act 4.7 Done and file type: .ai 

AND

• • File>Export>Export As a .png before moving on. 

What you learned: 

Apply and create a freeform gradient to artwork

What is a freeform gradient?

In Illustrator, a freeform gradient is used to create a graduated blend of color stops within a shape in an ordered or random sequence such that the blending appears smooth and natural. A freeform gradient can be applied in two modes:

• Points: Select this option if you want to create color stops as independent points in the object.

• Lines: Select this option if you want to create color stops over a line segment in the object. 

Apply a freeform gradient

• Select the Gradient tool in the toolbar on the left and click in the artwork to apply a default White, Black gradient, in this instance.

• In the Properties panel, click the Freeform Gradient button to change the gradient to a freeform gradient. The freeform gradient you see when working on your own artwork may be different. That’s because Illustrator uses Content Aware technology to apply colors based on the surrounding artwork and other factors.

After changing the gradient type, a series of color stops will appear in the artwork. The number and color of those color stops may be different depending on the artwork in your document.

• File>Save As your 8.2 file with name: Last Name + Act 4.8 Done and file type: .ai 

AND

• File>Export>Export As a .png before moving on. 

• What you should do: 

To earn your points

1. Upload your Last Name + Act 4 Done.png files to the Act 4 quiz on Canvas.

2. Finish the quiz on Canvas.

   1. A DAY QUIZ LINK Act 4 quiz

   2. B DAY QUIZ LINK Act 4 quiz

• What you should do: 

To earn your points

1. Complete the extra credit tutorial in Illustrator

2. Show your teacher the completed and saved files from the tutorial.

3. Modify or create on your own.