WEEK 2 - THE TEXT EFFECT

Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics program, which means that, because it relies on vectors to mathematically describe lines and shapes, you can change or modify graphics without compromising quality or clarity. It is great for graphic style artworks, logos and in particular text; which we will explore in this lesson.

Please refer to the online help manual for Adobe Illustrator CS4, this will be a particularly useful resource not only for today's class, but as you continue to create and finish off your works for the semester (particularly if you are considering printing off large graphics, etc).

Before heading straight on into creating text art, have a look at the drawing basics. Learning the specificities of drawing in Illustrator will aid in you being able to produce more creative text art. For example, your text can follow a line or be in the form of a shape, but you need to know how to create a line or shape before you can float the text. Along with the basic lines, you can use the pen or pencil tool, and even edit, move or manipulate the lines you have already drawn (known as paths) using various methods.

You have several options of adding text to your artwork. Select the Type tool [T]. You can add point type, by clicking anywhere on your page, and begin typing. The text field expands as you type, and will only return to a new line if you direct it to by hitting the enter/return key.

Area type allows you to create boundary (usually square or rectangular) in which the text will wrap into. If you hold down the Type button you will have the option of selecting the area type tool. If you now click to being to type inside a shape or object, the text will wrap to the object.

Type on a path allows you to follow an existing line or path that you have already drawn within the artwork.

Continue to be creative with text by changing the colour, rotating, duplicating, mirroring, and all sorts of effects. Just select the text with the direct selection tool [A] and experiment with different tools from the tool box or effects from the menu bar.

CONCEPT

After experimenting with the different effects and looks of the text, now you must create an artwork based on text. But what will you do?

Do you want to write a poem, Ern Malley style?

Do you want to concentrate of the aesthetic values of individual letters or words?

Do you want to make bold or political statements, a la Jenny Holzer or Barbara Kruger?

And be sure that the way you use text and illustrate it reflects what you want to say, the message you want to convey and what you want your artwork to mean.