Illustrator Vector Trace & REcolor
Project Brief
Trace a graphic using vector tools in Adobe Illustrator and recolor using only 3 colors, with one color on each layer.
Copy Illustrator Template
Go to: https://assets.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:5ca2af81-2795-4eb1-b152-0081e7f4c75e?view=difile
If you aren't already signed in to Adobe, click "Sign in" in the top right corner.
Click "Copy to Files"
Open the Creative Cloud desktop app.
Right-click on the template and click "Open"
Go to "Color 1 (Background)" Layer
Go to your "Layers" panel
Select "Color 1 (Background)"
Choose a Fill Color
Double-click on the fill swatch (top left square) to open the Color Picker
Choose a color for your background by adjusting the hue and saturation/value.
Click "OK"
Turn off Stroke/Outline
Click the stroke/outline swatch (bottom right square)
Click the white square with the red line through it to turn off the stroke color.
Shape Tools
Illustrator has 4 pre-made shape tools: rectangle, ellipse, polygon, and star.
If you hold down "shift" on your keyboard while you do this, you can create shape with equal proportions (square, circle, etc.)
Use a Shape Tool
Right-click on the "Rectangle Tool" (5th icon down)
Choose one of the shape options.
Click and drag to create a shape on top of the plant about the size of the mint-green background.
If you hold down "shift" on your keyboard while you do this, you can create shape with equal proportions (square, circle, etc.)
To move your shape, select the "Selection Tool" (first/top icon on your toolbar) then click and drag your shape.
Lock & Hide "Color 1 (Background)" Layer
Go to your "Layers" panel
Click the blank space next to the eyeball to lock your "Color 1 (Background)" layer.
Click the eyeball to hide it.
How to Zoom
To zoom in and out of your artboard:
Zoom in: hold down "cmd" and click "+"
Zoom out: hold down "cmd" and click "-"
Go to "Color 2 (Plant)" Layer
Go to your "Layers" panel
Select the "Color 2 (Plant)" layer
Choose a Fill Color
Double-click on the fill swatch (top left square) to open the Color Picker
Choose a color for your plant by adjusting the hue and saturation/value.
Click "OK"
Curvature Tool
The curvature tool creates curves with one click and points/straight lines with two clicks. You can also:
Adjust path: click and drag (adds a point and adjusts path)
Corner > smooth > corner: double-click the point
Add points to a path: press the “option” key + click
Move a point: click the point and then drag it
Delete a point: click a point and press the “delete” key
Stop drawing: press the “esc” key
Use the Curvature Tool to Trace a Stem
Select your "Curvature Tool" (4th icon down)
Click along the edges of one of the plant stems.
You can go back in the middle of tracing and move points to adjust.
You can also double -click to stop it from curving.
When you finish each stem, go into your "Color 2 (Plant)" layer and lock that path.
Repeat for each plant stem.
Trace the whole stem as one piece, it's ok if your shapes overlap.
Trace Only 1 Leaf
Continue using your "Curvature Tool" (4th icon down)
Click along the edges of a leaf to trace it (remember on the point, you can double click so it doesn't curve)
It's ok for your shape to overlap with your stem.
READ THE NEXT INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE TRACING ANOTHER LEAF :)
Duplicate with "Option" key
Select your "Selection Tool" (1st icon)
Hold down the "option" key on your keyboard.
Click and drag your traced leaf to duplicate it.
Duplicate it enough to have all the leaves for your stem.
Then adjust each of them (rotate, adjust size) so they are relatively similar to the reference image.
When adjusting the size, to constrain your proportions, hold down "shift" on your keyboard
Repeat for Each Stem
Repeat the process of drawing leaves, duplicating and adjusting for each stem until you have all the leaves.
Your leaves do not need to be an exact match to the reference image.
Lock your "Color 2 (Plant)"
Go to your "Layers" panel
Click the empty space next to the eyeball to lock your "Color 2 (Plant)" layer.
Choose a Color
Double-click on the fill swatch (top left square) to open the Color Picker
Choose a color for your pot by adjusting the hue and saturation/value.
Click "OK"
Go to "Color 3 (Pot)" Layer
Go to your "Layers" panel
Select "Color 3 (Pot)"
Pen Tool
Automatically creates straight lines and corners.
Straight Lines & Corners: Click to create a point, then click again
Create on 90degree angle: Hold down shift while clicking
Curves: Click and hold when creating an anchor point (this will create handles)
Delete a point: Go back and click on the point
Add a point: Click on a path
Edit Points/Paths: Use the "Direct Selection Tool" (white pointer), to select the point, then adjust handles or in the "Properties" panel, use the "Convert" buttons
Stop drawing: press the “esc” key
Use the Pen Tool to Trace the Pot
Select the "Pen Tool" (3rd icon down)
Click along the edges of the pot to trace.
If you want your line to be level on the x or y or 45 degree axis, hold down "shift" on your keyboard.
Unhide/Hide Layers
Hide your "Reference Image" layer
Make sure your three color layers are unhid.
Save
Because your file is saved on Creative Cloud, it will be a ".aic" file - this means Illustrator saves your file every 5 minutes.
If you see an asterisk (*), that means there are unsaved changes.
If "Save" is grayed out, it means your file has already been automatically saved.
To save, in the top menu, click "File" > "Save"
Save as a PDF File
Go to "File" > "Save As..."
Click "Save on your computer"
Choose "Creative Cloud Files"
Change the Format to "Adobe PDF (pdf)"
Click "Save"
Turn in PDF to Canvas
Turn in your .pdf file on Canvas
"I'm Done"
Bored? Check out the "I'm Done" activities.