Laney College | Peralta Community Colleges
GRART 34 Adobe Illustrator Basics | ONLINE 

Course: GRART 34 Adobe Illustrator Basics
Units: 3 units, 2.5 hours lecture, 1.5 hours laboratory,
Lecture and Lab: ONLINE.   

Location: ONLINE
Instructor: Daniela Nikolaeva (Pachtrapanska)
Email: dpachtrapanska@peralta.edu
Instructor Availability Outside of Class: Virtual Office hours on Mondays at 5 PM, via ZOOM. If you plan to attend office hours, please email me at least 1 day in advance. As this is an online class, office hours are held via Zoom. The link is on the homepage of this course. 

Course Description
Skill-based approach to vector-based drawing software: Emphasis on graphic design, print and web graphics, and fine arts application; exploration through hands-on projects.
Recommended preparation: computer literacy or GRART 230
This is a required class for certificates and degrees. Acceptable for credit: CSU

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs):

1. Prepare artwork, illustrations, and page layouts in a vector-based environment.
2. Demonstrate an awareness of computer/laser printer operations in manipulating the graphics software.
3. Exhibit an understanding of time-appropriate methodologies in producing print-ready files.

Institutional Outcomes: Computational Skills, Communication, and Information Competency

Important Dates:

Date	Day	Description
August 4	M	Drop for Nonpayment of Tuition and Enrollment Fees
August 18	M	Day and Evening Instruction Begins
August 22	F	Last Day to Add Regular Session Classes in person without a Permission Number or Add Card
August 23	S	Saturday Instruction Begins
August 24	Su	Last Day to Add Regular Session Classes online without a Permission Number or Add Card
September 1	M	Labor Day – Holiday Observance - No Zoom Office Hours. Census Roster Due – Instructors Verify Enrollment Last Day to Add Regular Session Classes with a Permission Number or Add Card Last Day to Drop Regular Session Classes and Receive a Refund, and Without a "W" Appearing on Transcripts.
October 10	F	Last Day to File Petitions for AA or AS Degree/Certificate
October 15	W	Professional Day – No Classes
November 11	T	Veteran's Day – Holiday Observance
November 12	W	Attendance Verification Roster Due – Instructors Verify Enrollment Last Day to Withdraw from Regular Session Classes and Receive a "W". All outstanding Fees are due even if classes are dropped on this day.
November 27-30	Th-Su	Thanksgiving – Holiday Observance
December 6	S	Last Day to File for Pass/No Pass Grading Option
December 7-13	Su-S	Final Examinations
December 13	S	Saturday Instruction Ends. Fall Semester Ends
December 20	F	Final Grades Due

 

Textbook

There is no required textbook for this course. All lectures and links to video tutorials online will be provided in the modules. If you'd like to use a textbook as a supplemental learning tool, you may use any commercially available book of your choice. 

The Laney Library and Laney Bookstore are good places to start. Look there first, then you can check other online sources. 

Links: Laney Library; Laney Bookstore

(You may also find some discounted textbooks for older versions of Adobe Illustrator online. For example, here is a tutorial-based beginning Illustrator book: Beginning Illustrator. This book was developed for earlier versions of the software, but the information for many of the tools is still valid.) 

Materials, Supplies, and Technology

• Internet access
• Laptop or a desktop computer with a digital camera and sound system 
• Adobe Illustrator CC (The latest version is preferable, but you could use older versions too.)
• Two Flash drives to store media - your assignments, textbook, tutorials, etc. You may also use online storage such as Google Drive, Dropbox, etc. 
• Drawing and sketching tools: pencils, pens, white paper. You may use digital sketching tools as well, drawing apps on your tablet or desktop. 
• Optional: Headphones/ headset (highly desirable if your computer speakers/microphones are not optimal, if there is a lot of background sound in your environment, or if you don't disturb other people in your household.)

Open Lab:

We have the Adobe CC applications installed on all of our computers at Graphic Arts, Laney College, Building A, rooms 153 and 154. All graphic arts students are automatically enrolled in the Open Lab class - GRART 501. Being enrolled in this free, non-graded class gives you access to the Graphic Arts labs when a graphic arts instructor is present there. Bring your student ID as proof that you are enrolled in Graphic Arts classes. 

Grading

Grade Point Average. Letter Grade and Percentage:

A                         90 -100                                                   

B                         80 – 89

C                         70 - 79                                                                      

D                         69 - 51                                  

F                          50 or below 

 

Canvas and ZOOM etiquette:

Canvas:

• Be polite in your comments and feedback to your classmates.
• Be helpful, and share your knowledge with other students (you earn class points from me and get good karma from the universe)

ZOOM:

Although there are no required Zoom meetings for this course, if you would like to attend office hours via Zoom, please follow these rules:

• Mute your sound when not speaking or use headphones to eliminate background sounds.
• Post a profile picture on your Zoom account.
• Use your built-in video camera during sessions (recommended) 
• Do not eat, chew gum, smoke, vape, or engage in distracting behaviors. 
• Non-alcoholic beverages are allowed during sessions. 
• Pets are generally not allowed, except for service pets.
• Only students enrolled in the class can attend our Zoom sessions. Exceptions: sign language interpreters, designated notetakers, or personal assistants for disabled students.  

• No use of cell phones and playing loud music is allowed during meetings.
• No use of recording devices is allowed unless authorized by the instructor.
• Upon request, the instructor may record the Zoom session and make it available to the class. 

Classroom Policy:

Attendance:

• Attendance is recorded based on your participation on Canvas. Attending office hours is optional and not part of your grade. 

Participation and Conduct
Actively participating in class, showing a positive attitude, and being supportive of the students and the instructor, on Canvas, as well as arriving on time and not being disruptive during Zoom sessions, contribute to a positive class atmosphere and will count as 10% of your grade.

Conduct: Rude behavior, foul language, vulgarity, offensive racial, sexist, or homophobic remarks and projects, and will not be tolerated in class. Acting disrespectfully, or in an intimidating manner toward the instructor or a student in class or outside the class, may result in removal from the class.

If you have complaints, comments, or personal questions, please do not post in Discussions or disrupt the classwork on ZOOM.

Email me privately to voice your concerns or email me to schedule a private Zoom session.

Assignments

• You must satisfactorily complete assignments on time; deadlines will be strictly enforced.
• The instructor will not grade any assignments submitted via email or through links to external websites. 
• Assignments turned in late will be penalized 10% off or 20 % off, depending on how late they were submitted. Up to 2 weeks late - 10% off; up to 2 months late - 20% off
• Late quizzes will be penalized by 1 point.
• Incomplete assignments will be graded accordingly - if you completed only half of the assignment (50%), you will be awarded an F (see the grading policy above).
• You may redo an assignment for a better grade and resubmit it to Assignments. 
• You may retake a quiz one or 2 times, depending on the allowed attempts for that quiz.
• Each assignment will cover an area of technical understanding. Some assignments will require only a few hours to complete; others may take more time.
• The instructor may collect and use all work completed for this course, as student examples for future classes, and for inclusion in handouts and textbooks, unless the student requests otherwise in writing.
• This is a software class. It is the student's responsibility to acquire the proper equipment and software to be able to complete their assignments.  
• Absolutely no work will be accepted after the final class meeting.

Academic Honesty:
Students are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic honesty while pursuing their studies.  Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to plagiarism and cheating; misuse of academic resources or facilities; and misuse of computer software, data, equipment, or networks. Sanctions include, but are not limited to, course failure and academic probation. Digital handouts received in this class, such as lectures, articles, assignment outlines, step-by-step tutorials, eBooks, video tutorials, images, and samples of student works, may be copyrighted and therefore must not be duplicated or distributed freely outside the class. 

Disability Statement:
If a student has a documented disability, special arrangements could be made with the Laney College Disability Coordinators. Please submit your accommodation letters to your instructor by the second week of class. You may arrange a private meeting with your instructor during her office hours to discuss your disability and special needs.

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WEEKLY COURSE OUTLINE:

All lectures, assignments, quizzes, and links to video tutorials will be posted in the Modules. Each week a new module will open up, and new information will be presented to you. Each module contains several pages. You have an entire week to learn the material and to practice. 

The modules are designed to be read sequentially. This means you may not skip ahead without reading/viewing each page of the modules. You may not bypass a module to go to the next one.

The best way to access the information is to start with the first page of Module 1, read and view the videos, and then click the "NEXT" button at the bottom of the page to open the next page. Once you have completed a module, you may go back and open its pages again in any order. 

The idea behind this is to help you learn in a structured and guided way. Your instructor decides when to unlock each module. Usually, two or 3 modules are open ahead of time. For larger modules, you may have two weeks to study.

Tentative Schedule:
(This schedule is subject to change based on class needs.)

 

Week 1.  Class Introductions. Schedule and Procedures. Canvas orientation.

Introduction to the course outline. Overview of the course and procedures most relevant to the class. Discussion regarding the class. Introduction to Canvas.

Homework: Read the lectures in Module 1. Take the quiz. Complete the "Meet and Greet" assignment. 

Week 2. Introduction to Adobe Illustrator.  Read the lectures. Take the quiz. Complete the assignment. 
Lectures: Introduction to Adobe Illustrator. Zoom and Pan. Creating a new document. Saving a document.
Practice: Follow the video tutorials and practice working with Adobe Illustrator on your own computer.  Watch the videos, read the lectures, and answer the questions listed in the instructions.

Homework: Take the quiz and complete the flyer assignment. Answer the discussion prompt. 

Week 3. Selection tools: Selection, Direct Selection, Group selection, Lasso. Drawing tools: Pencil, Pen. Anchor points and paths. Tracing images.
Lab: Drawing simple shapes in Illustrator. Layers, tracing images
Homework: Project 1: Exercise 1 is due. 

Week 4. Lecture: Working with the pen tool. The “Zen on Pen” exercises. Drawing curves and modifying paths.
Lab: Introducing Project 2: Logo/Symbol Design
Homework: Project 2: Exercise 2 is due. 

Assignment: Logo project. Create 10 thumbnail sketches for your logo. Enlarge 2 roughs and provide 3 color versions.

Week 5. Lecture: Good logos vs. bad logos. Preparing images for print. Working with Type. Graphic Styles. Font considerations.
Lab and Homework: Participate in discussions and give feedback to your classmates. Finish your logo project. 

Week 6. Lecture: Working with color gradients and transparency. Gradient panel and gradient tool.
Lab: Exercise: Planet Gradient. Introducing Project 3: T-shirt Design
Homework: Project 3: The logo project is due. Presentations, Critique.
Work on Project 4: Sketch a T-shirt design.

Week 7. Lecture: Working with Layers and Artboards. Creating illustrations for T-shirts.
Lab: Layers exercise.
Homework: Project 4: Post your sketches and give feedback. Finish your t-shirt design digitally.

Week 8. Lecture: How silk-screening works. Color separations. Combining and dividing shapes with the pathfinder.
Lab: Exercise: POP color separation
Homework: Create a color separation for your t-shirt design.

Week 9. Lecture: Creating mock-ups for presentation to a client. Using templates in Illustrator and modifying them.  
Lab: Exercises. Introducing Project 5: Digital Illustration
Homework: Project 4 T-shirt is Due. Presentations, Critique. Work on Project 5. Sketch on paper your dreamscape illustration.

Week 10. Lecture: Different drawing modes. Working with Brushes.
Lab and Homework: Reading and practice.  Work on Project 5.

Week 11. Working with the Blob Brush
Lab and Homework: Reading and Practice. Work on the dreamscape project.

Week 12. Lecture: Being creative with color. Working with Blends and meshes.
Lab and Homework: Reading and practice. Finish your dreamscape project.

Week 13. Lecture: Working with symbols. Modifying symbols.
Lab: Exercise: An Underwater scene. Introduction to the Final Project.
Homework: Project 5: Digital Illustration Due. Presentations/Critique. Create a proposal for your final project.

Week 14 -15.  Homework: Reading and practice. Work on your Final project. Submit part 1 and part 2 of your final project to the designated discussions 

Weeks 16 -17. Lecture/Lab: Final Project and final exam. Complete the final module. Submit your final project. Take the final exam. Complete the exit survey and any other work assigned by our instructor. 

Instructors will submit grades online through the Peralta system. Please allow at least one week before final grades appear on your record.

(Schedule subject to change based on class need.) 

 

© Copyright 2010-2025 by Daniela Nikolaeva Pachtrapanska
For permission to use for any other classes or any other purposes, please contact the author at dpachtrapanska@peralta.edu. Unauthorized use and distribution of any portion of this syllabus in printed or digital format is not permitted and will be reported as a copyright violation.