Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
This technique will help you with Chapter 1, Exercise 3: Creating a dynamic composition.
It helps to see the painting you are basing your composition on while you work. You can
place a reference image into Illustrator and create a template to draw on top of. Here's
how:
When you begin Exercise 3, you'll see a hyperlink to a photo on flickr.com. Click it.
On Flickr, look for the “All Sizes” link above the image and click it.
A page will open with a large version of the image showing. To download this image, right-click
on it and select the option to save it. I'm using the Firefox web browser. Different browsers
may have different menu wording.
Look at the file nam e and make sure you know where you're saving the image.
I'm using Command + Tab to switch to Illustrator, where I have already created a new print document
as instructed in Exercise 2.
From the menu bar, select File and choose the Place command.
Navigate to the file you downloaded. You should see it; if you're using Column View, you'll
get a preview. When you find the file, select it to highlight it, and press the Place button.
The image is placed right into your Illustrator document in the center.
To turn it into a template, show the Layers panel. You can either go to the Window menu
and choose Layers, or you can press the Layers button at the bottom of the right panel..
Double-click on Layer 1 to access its options. Place a checkmark next to the Template checkbox.
You will see the other layer options change. While this dialog box is open, rename your
layer “template” - naming your layers descriptively is a really good habit to develop.
When you're finished, click OK.
Changing the layer to a Template locks the layer - notice the lock icon. This means you
can't accidentally move or delete your reference artwork. You also can't draw on this layer.
You can see how my pencil icon now has a line through it. And, it dims the layer. All you
can do with the layer is show or hide it by toggling the template icon.
Since the template layer is locked, you need to add a layer so you can begin drawing your
dynamic composition in Exercise 3. Click the fly-out menu on the Layers Panel and choose
New Layer.
Give your new layer a descriptive name and click OK. Now you're ready to start Exercise
3.