Each week you will need to respond to two questions posted. Your response should be a minimum of 300 words for both questions. You should also include at least one response to your fellow students. The responses are a requirement for participation part of your grade.
Question 01 –
What are the elements of Illustrator and Photoshop will you begin to use in your artwork?
Question 02 –
What was the best part of this class for you?
There are a plethora of different art elements and tools within Adobe’s Illustrator and Photoshop programs. I learned a lot about the tools necessary to build a solid design project. But the ones that I will probably be using the most in Illustrator would be the pen tool, the brush tool, the rectangle and ellipse tool, the gradient tool, blending options, and definitely the layers panel. In Photoshop, some of the tools that I will be utilizing to create artwork will be the crop tool, object selection tool, select and mask, and layer masking tools. All of these design elements and tools have really enabled me to create artwork that I’ve always wanted to do but just didn’t know how. The Edvard Munch ‘Scream’ parody composite that I did was a prime example of this. It was the first time I did something artistic in photoshop and I was really proud of it. I will be using all of these tools and more going forward.
One thing that really stood out in Raster & Vector Graphics as one of the best parts of the class to me was the retouching. I was beyond amazed at how powerful it was within the photoshop toolbox and what it could enable designers to do. In week 9, Prof. Brown showed us a photo that she retouched and restored of a little girl for one of her clients. I was just blown away that something like that was even possible and moreover, how it could affect the person or people it was intended for. Being mindful that this may be the last and only photo of their mother, father, sister, friend or other relative who may have even passed; you really get a sense for how important the work we do really is. And I’m grateful to have learned even a modicum of this skill. Although, I still need a lot more practice, lol. I really enjoyed using the healing brush, spot and patch tools to retouch and remove blemishes and stains in the photo. I thought that was truly remarkable.
I’m glad the course was helpful to you and that it was an intro to something new for you.
Since I’ve already been using these programs I am going to continue to use their various tools to my advantage. I’ve used Illustrator to set up prints, create logos, and do other work that would look better in vector like emotes for twitch channels. The pen tool, various shape tools, Pathfinder, and many others will come in handy for this. Photoshop will continue to be the place where I draw with my Wacom Tablet. I’ve recently started using Adobe Fresco on my iPad and those files sync with photoshop on the computer so I can manipulate art in both programs seamlessly. The brush tool will be invaluable in that and the various selection tools will make my life easier when coloring or adjusting specific aspects of the art. The Paint bucket tool will likewise be very useful for coloring as I can fill a large area with color in a single click.
My favorite part of this class was being able to contribute the bit of knowledge that I have from my experience to help others. I hope that the tips I’ve given can help others in the class get used to this software because once you get the hang of it, it is really fun to play around with it and come up with stupid or even professional pieces of work. I never wanted to be a designer, but my experience in Illustrator and Photoshop got me a job doing it…and I loved it. Being creative is fun. I hope everyone is able to express their creativity whether that’s in these programs or by hand or with whatever means they have and really enjoy doing it.
Question 01 – What are the elements of Illustrator and Photoshop will you begin to use in your artwork?
I’ve been using both Photoshop and Illustrator for many years now, so I will still use all of the tools to create compositions for class and work. I use my laptop as a drawing pad as it comes with a drawing stylus and touchscreen. My favorite tools in Illustrator are the pen tool, the shape builder tool, and the gradient tool. My favorite tools in Photoshop are the dodge/burn tool, the brush tool, and the use of layers.
Question 02 – What was the best part of this class for you?
My favorite part of the class was practicing the skills I had coming into the class. I also liked seeing everyone else’s work and growth since we were all starting on different playing fields. Overall, I liked the refresher on Illustrator and Photoshop.
I have came into this class not really knowing how to work with any other these. This was more of digital work and I found it interesting. I’ve learned how to used different tool and how to even be more organized when it came to my work. The element of illustration and photoshop that I would use to work on my artwork are the pen tool, brush tool, using the mask and even working on layers. How to also use the gradient tool when wanting to combine more than one picture to crest a poster card. It’s good to know that I can even finally make my own invitations.
I enjoyed everything about the class the professor really showed us how to work with abode illustration and photoshop. What I had found intending in illustration is how you are able to just use the pens and curve tool to wouldn’t a image and also being able to even color your own drawings into illustration just having to scan one of your own drawings. And also in photoshop being able to just erase all the rips and dirt patched in the photo even giving a black and while or washed out photo color. I can say through the semester I have learned a lot on how to use these programs and by looking at my work I have also gotten better and my designs.