This assignment's main OBJECTIVE is to improve your PEN TOOL rendering skills -
including the creation of smooth curves and accurate contours.


SECONDARY OBJECTIVES INCLUDE:

• STROKE
• FILL
• EYEDROPPER TOOL
• SELECTION TOOLS
• ARTBOARD TOOL
• LAYERS PANEL

Using the PEN TOOL...

Your goal is to accurately record the contours OF A BACKGROUND. 

• Choose a HIGH-RESOLUTION image of A BACKGROUND for your self portrait
• THIS BACKGROUND SHOULD BE SOMETHING REAL OR IMAGINED AND SHOULD SUPPORT who YOU are and what YOU like. 
• Use an photograph that you have taken or something searched from the internet
• Any image that you borrow from the internet needs to have some significant changes when you trace it so that you are not STEALING someone else's work (copyright)!
• When you finish your background, you will COPY (CTRL+C) and PASTE (CTRL+V) your SELF PORTRAIT into your new background
• Use your design skill to create an interesting COMPOSITION

STEPS for your BACKGROUND

You will use the same process to create your background as did for your portrait

• Using the PEN TOOL trace the EDGES (Contours) 
• Choose COLOR using the EYEDROPPER TOOL
• Use the LAYERS PANEL effectively to keep your design logical and neat.
• Choose appropriate STROKE WEIGHTS​

SELECT YOUR PORTRAIT

There are many ways to copy content and add to a new file in Adobe ILLUSTRATOR - Here are a few...

Select all the elements

• CTRL + A selects all the elements in a file
• Use your SELECTION TOOL to drag around those elements you want selected
• HIDE or LOCK the layers you DO NOT want to select
• You may want to GROUP the layers you select - this makes it very easy to select all the parts.
• OBJECT > GROUP

COPY the elements in a new file

• Use CTRL C to copy selected elements
• Or go to EDIT in the menu and choose COPY
• EDIT > COPY​

Once you have copied your portrait

• open your background project
• Create a NEW LAYER on the top
• PASTE your portrait into the new LAYER
• HOLD the SHIFT KEY on the keyboard when you resize your portrait so it does not distort!

When you are done

• Export as a JPEG  and turn-in properly
• Both .AI and .JPEG
• FILENAME -  
• PortraitSCAPE_lastname

Grading will be based on:

• ​PEN Technique Details were skillfully rendered using the PEN TOOL & contains SMOOTH CURVES
• COLOR & Stroke Skillful use of COLOR and STROKE WEIGHT is appropriately rendered
• Successful and creative combination of PORTRAIT & BACKGROUND
• FILE File NAME, TYPE (JPEG) correct
• LAYERS Layers are organized and labeled

SELF-PORTRAIT

SELF-PORTRAIT WITH BACKGROUND

SELF-PORTRAIT

SELF-PORTRAIT WITH BACKGROUND

examples