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Adobe Illustrator Blank Canvas Syndrome

12th February 2008

Adobe Illustrator is 2D vector-based drawing program which has three primary functions. Firstly, it can be used to create graphics for print, such as logos, illustrations and diagrams. Secondly, it can help you build web graphics: buttons, icons; even entire web page designs. As well as drawing, Illustrator can also become a desktop publishing environment where you can create single page layouts such as posters, fliers, book jackets, DVD CD covers, etc.

We often find that delegates attending our Adobe Illustrator training courses have difficulty in getting to grips with the program, finding applications for it and incorporating it into their workflows. One of the main reasons for this is what we sometimes refer to as "Blank Canvas Syndrome". The thing is: at first glance, Adobe Illustrator often seems a lot less enticing and inviting than, say, Photoshop.  To many new users, Photoshop is like a big city with bright lights and lots of exciting things to do and places to go. By contrast, Illustrator can seem like a wasteland; there's just nothing there when you create a new document; it's up to you to create everything from scratch.

When we run Illustrator training courses, we accept that our job is not just to show delegates how the program works and how to use its various tools and options. We also need to show them how to get past this idea of the stark blank canvas with nothing on it. There are four main antidotes to Blank Canvas Syndrome. The first is to have a very clear idea of the type of artwork you want to produce with Illustrator. The second is to use the excellent Live Trace facility built into the program. The third technique is to make liberal use of scanned and other bitmapped images as points of reference. And, fourthly, reuse elements that you have already created, both within the same drawing and between different illustrations.

We find that some of the most successful Adobe Illustrator courses that we run are for organisations that have a very clear idea of the type of artwork that they need to produce with Illustrator. For example, fashion companies using Illustrator to create drawings showing off their designs and products; or people like architects and cartographers who are using the program to generate some of the less technical illustrations required in their line of business.

For users who are using the software in a less clear-cut and focused way, we always try to point out on our Adobe Illustrator training courses that you don't have to start with a blank canvas. We always recommend that wherever possible you import relevant graphic material such as scanned images, keep them on a background layer and use various Illustrator tools and techniques to either trace the images or simply to use them as guides and points of reference as you are creating your own original artwork.

Illustrator's Live Trace function is a powerful built-in utility which converts bitmapped images into editable Illustrator vector images. It contains a series of presets for tracing specific types of image, such as colour or black and white logos, line art, charts or technical drawings. As well as these presets it is also possible to create your own customised settings. The artwork produced by the Live Trace function will almost always need to be cleaned up and modified before becoming useable as Illustrator artwork. However, it can be a huge time saver and can be a welcome alternative to drawing elements from scratch.

Scanned or other images can also be placed on a background layer and used to provide constant points of reference when originating new Illustrator artwork. Background images can help to ensure that elements within the Illustrator artwork you create are of the correct dimensions have the correct relative proportions and so forth. For example, if you are drawing human figures, placing a photo of some people on a background layer can help to ensure that you don't end up creating figures with disproportionately large heads or long arms.

Another way of getting past Illustrator Blank Canvas Syndrome is to base new elements that you create on elements that already exist within your drawing. The program has a rich range of tools and techniques for doing this. You can create simple copies of an original element and you can also create transformed copies of the original. Illustrator also has the facility of applying multiple attributes to the same object. For example, you can give the same circle, say, five borders rather than creating five overlapping circles.

The bottom line is that Illustrator's blank canvas doesn't have to stay blank for very long. You just need to formulate a clear idea of what you want to achieve with the program. Wherever possible, find images which you can either trace or use as reference points as you originate your own artwork. And, when creating new elements always ask yourself: "Can I base these new elements on items that already exist within the drawing?" If you use these simple techniques, then Blank Canvas Syndrome will never become a huge affliction for you.

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