Mastering the Pen Tool

The Pen tool is used in many different programs to create vector logos, graphics, icons, custom type, illustrations, masks for animations, and much much more. It’s tricky to get the hang of, but over the course of this workshop, we’re going to focus in on mastering this powerful tool.

How do I vectorize a raster image? Where do I put beziers for clean curves? How in the heck do I make a letter S from scratch? These questions and more will be answered. This course will focus on the pen tool in Illustrator, but we’ll also touch on unexpected use cases in Photoshop and After Effects.

We’ll also explore overall best-practices, hotkeys, and ways to speed up your workflow!

For this workshop, bring a laptop with Adobe Illustrator CC installed.

During the workshop we will: — Overview the pen tool & capabilities — Vectorize a low-res logo — Make a vector mask to crop an image — Utilize Masking / Compound & Clipping Paths — Selection tool/grouping tricks — Pathfinder Tips — Live corners

What can I do next? — Laser-cut or engrave your design onto things! — Animate your designs in After Effects! — Export SVGs to animate/modify in code!