ILLUSTRATOR INTRODUCTORY TOOLS AND SKILLS LESSON

Date:

Class/Group:
YEAR 8

Time: 9AM
Room: A9

Topic: Creating Reflective Icons with Adobe Illustrator

Curriculum links:

Specific Objectives/Learning Goals:

ICT General Capability

-Familiarise students with a variety of basic Illustrator

tools, shortcuts and general skills, which can be built
upon in succeeding lessons in more complex
capacities.

Managing and Operating ICT

-Selecting and utilising appropriate software to
complete a creative task for a specific context.
-Understanding ICT systems and the development of
students technical knowledge and fluency in
Adobe Illustrator.
Students are introduced to fundamental
understandings about some appropriate contexts for
the creation and application of creative works
employing Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), and
understand SVGs versatility and purpose vis--vis
other common graphic modes such as Raster
Graphics.
Students are introduced to a selection of Illustrators
basic toolsets and must utilise them to complete a
simple creative task.
Literacy General Capability
-Development of student speaking and listening skills
and familiarization with ICT specific language and
its appropriate usage.
-Decoding online resources

Tools include:
-Rectangle/assorted shape placement tools.
-Gradient construction, adjustment and placement
tools.
-Transformation tools to manipulate placed shapes
-Transparency tools and the creation of an Opacity
Mask in the creation of a reflection
Familiarise students with the calibration of their
documents for publishing to the web.
By the end of the lesson students should understand
that:
-Illustrator is a vector graphics editor designed to
design creative works using Scalable Vector Graphics
(SVG).
-SVG graphics are commonly used for creative works
destined for publication on both the web and in print
that need to be resized and represented across
multiple mediums. For example, a business logo may
need to be large and bold upon a sign at its entrance,
but it needs to be able to be easily reprinted upon its
letterhead too.
-Altering an SVG designs scale will not effect its
quality as it would if a rectangular grid, or dot based
raster graphics image underwent similar rescaling.

Prior Learning:
Due to Illustrators popularity theres a
high chance some students have already
explored Illustrator previously.

-Illustrator is ill-suited for tasks such as photo editing

and realistic drawing or digital painting.
Resources/Materials required:
-Creating Reflective Icons with Adobe Illustrator
Word Document.
-Screenshots for Web Icon Tutorial Word
Document.
Adobe Illustrator
Projector

Lesson Steps
Time:

Procedure
1.

Pre-Lesson
In preparation for students entering the classroom clearly set out
the lesson objectives and other vital information such as the
address of a Weebly page containing the entirety of the lessons
steps on the whiteboard. For the sake of clarification have them
preceeding the instructions on the Weebly page too.

Leave your pieces of paper face down in front of computers that

you randomly select for the students to read from as the class is
completing the task.

2.

Introduction/Motivation
Introduce the structure of the lesson and the objectives students
will achieve by the end of the lesson. Introduce visual impetus.

It would be useful to engage students by showing them some fun

artwork created by professionals using Illustrator.

3.

Group Discussion / Student Activity

Students will read aloud to the class their step. Together we will
identify and discuss the important points contained within the
step, and then proceed to apply what we have learnt together in
reference with the screenshots found in the Creating Web Icons
document. In between steps I will be constantly questioning
where students are, and what they remember.

4.

Class Discussion/Conclusion

Quickly survey the class as to important information delivered in

the lesson such as:

Can anybody tell me what SVG stands for?

Why would somebody choose to use SVG instead of raster
graphics for their artwork?
Name some tasks that Illustrator is suited for, as well as some it
is ill-suited for?

Comment

Evaluation of Student Learning:

Self-Evaluation/Reflection: