Build a Character in Illustrator
Exploring Ideas
This section explores the criteria "Explore the visual arts practices and styles as inspiration to develop a personal style, explore, express ideas, concepts and themes in art works(VCAVAE040)Explore how artists manipulate materials, techniques, technologies and processes to develop and express their intentions in art works (VCAVAE041)."
Finding Inspiration
This section explores the criteria "Analyse and interpret artworks to explore the different forms of expression, intentions and viewpoints of artists and how they are viewed by audiences(VCAVAR045)Analyse, interpret and evaluate a range of visual artworks from different cultures, historical and contemporary contexts, including artworks by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to explore differing viewpoints (VCAVAR046)"
Types of drawing
This section explores the criteria "Select and manipulate materials, techniques, and technologies and processes in a range of art forms to express ideas, concepts and themes (VCAVAV042)Conceptualise, plan and design art works that express ideas, concepts and artistic intentions (VCAVAV043)."
Exploring techniques
This section explores the criteria "plan and make their art works in response to exploration of techniques, technologies and processes used in the work of other artists. They demonstrate the use of materials, techniques, processes, visual conventions and technologies to express ideas and convey meaning in their artworks."
Refining project
This section explores all the criteria, reworking, reassessing, considering intent, concept and technique.
Final outcome and character backstory
This section explores the criteria "Create, present, analyse and evaluate displays of artwork considering how ideas can be conveyed to an audience (VCAVAP044)."
VCD Skill building in Illustrator – Fun with the Pen tool!
Learning Intention: Investigate the pen tool and the different qualities of the stroke
Success Criteria: Complete the tutorials including the ‘Exciting Illustrator Pen Tool Exercises’
Now that we have explored the shapes it’s time for the pen tool. Some people find this a bit challenging to master, but it’s really useful. It’s a tool that’s in all of the Adobe Suite of products, it’s also in lots of other image based programs as well as being in 3D programs, and works similarly in all those contexts. Learning the pen tool so you confidently know how to use it will stand you in really good stead moving forward. Here is a short video about it.
Click the link below to download a pdf version of these exercises that you can import into Illustrator and use.
After you have completed these exercises, here is another video about how to cut paths using the scissors tool, always comes in handy. Give it a go.
Note to teachers: You will need to demonstrate this several times to ensure each student has got a grasp of it. An extension of this idea is to ask students to start tracing over an image they may have drawn as a start of one of their characters.
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