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Adobe Illustrator is 2D vector-based drawing program which has three primary functions. Firstly, it can be used to create graphics for print, such as logos, illustrations and diagrams. Secondly, it can help you build web graphics: buttons, icons; even entire web page designs. As well as drawing, Illustrator can also become a desktop publishing environment where you can create single page layouts such as posters, fliers, book jackets, DVD CD covers, etc.

We often find that delegates attending our Adobe Illustrator training courses have difficulty in getting to grips with the program, finding applications for it and incorporating it into their workflows. One of the main reasons for this is what we sometimes refer to as “Blank Canvas Syndrome”. The thing is: at first glance, Adobe Illustrator often seems a lot less enticing and inviting than, say, Photoshop. To many new users, Photoshop is like a big city with bright lights and lots of exciting things to do and places to go. By contrast, Illustrator can seem like a wasteland; there’s just nothing there when you create a new document; it’s up to you to create everything from scratch.

When we run Illustrator training courses, we accept that our job is not just to show delegates how the program works and how to use its various tools and options. We also need to show them how to get past this idea of the stark blank canvas with nothing on it. There are four main antidotes to Blank Canvas Syndrome. The first is to have a very clear idea of the type of artwork you want to produce with Illustrator. The second is to use the excellent Live Trace facility built into the program. The third technique is to make liberal use of scanned and other bitmapped images as points of reference. And, fourthly, reuse elements that you have already created, both within the same drawing and between different illustrations.

Getting started with Illustrator becomes a lot easier once you have a clear idea of what type of artwork you need to produce. When often run courses for companies who will be using Illustrator in a very specific way, such as fashion companies, architects or cartographers. This type of training tends to be very successful because it’s just a case of showing people which tools and techniques they need to use to create the necessary output.

For those users who are not using the program in a very pointed fashion, we always try to emphasise that creating Illustrator artwork doesn’t have to mean originating every single stroke from scratch. We show users how they can use imported graphics as a starting point for their own artwork. For example, keeping scanned images on a background layer and drawing over them using the pen tool or converting bitmapped images into vectors with Illustrator’s Live Trace utility.

Illustrator’s Live Trace utility was developed from a standalone program called Adobe Streamline and is extremely powerful. It can be used to convert any scanned or bitmapped image into a vector. Naturally, the nature of the resulting vector image depends on the original. However, it’s very fast and the results can be extremely impressive; so it’s always worth trying it out if your feel that it may create something you can clean up and use.

Scanned or other images can also be placed on a background layer and used to provide constant points of reference when originating new Illustrator artwork. Background images can help to ensure that elements within the Illustrator artwork you create are of the correct dimensions have the correct relative proportions and so forth. For example, if you are drawing human figures, placing a photo of some people on a background layer can help to ensure that you don’t end up creating figures with disproportionately large heads or long arms.

Almost all drawings you create will contain elements that either repeat or are variations on the same theme. Naturally, you will not create such elements from scratch each time you need them. Illustrator contains a wide variety of useful techniques for duplication and transformed duplication of existing elements within your drawing. It also allows you to apply multiple attributes such as fills and strokes to the same object. Thus, for example, you can create the appearance of several concentric circles simply by adding several strokes to one circle (using the Offset Path effect to get the right position).

The bottom line is that Illustrator’s blank canvas doesn’t have to stay blank for very long. You just need to formulate a clear idea of what you want to achieve with the program. Wherever possible, find images which you can either trace or use as reference points as you originate your own artwork. And, when creating new elements always ask yourself: “Can I base these new elements on items that already exist within the drawing?” If you use these simple techniques, then Blank Canvas Syndrome will never become a huge affliction for you.

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Tags: Software