Chapter 3 CC18 - Revision history

Michael: /* Exercise 7: A focal point is defined within symmetric patterning */ Text edits

2018-09-07T21:35:30Z

Exercise 7: A focal point is defined within symmetric patterning: Text edits

Michael: /* Exercise 5: Asymmetry with Imbalanced Visual Weight */ Text edits

2018-09-07T21:32:18Z

Exercise 5: Asymmetry with Imbalanced Visual Weight: Text edits

Michael: /* Exercise 6: Symmetry with patterning */ Text edits

2018-09-07T21:26:25Z

Exercise 6: Symmetry with patterning: Text edits

Michael: /* Exercise 1: Creating Symmetry and Asymmetry With Your Body */

2018-09-07T21:24:02Z

Exercise 1: Creating Symmetry and Asymmetry With Your Body

Michael: /* Exercise 2: Symmetry With Passive Negative Space */

2018-09-07T21:23:13Z

Exercise 2: Symmetry With Passive Negative Space

Michael: /* Exercise 3: Symmetry With Less Passive Negative Space */

2018-09-07T21:22:50Z

Exercise 3: Symmetry With Less Passive Negative Space

Michael: /* Exercise 5: Asymmetry with imbalanced visual weight */ Text Edits

2018-09-07T21:22:37Z

Exercise 5: Asymmetry with imbalanced visual weight: Text Edits

Michael: /* Exercise 4: Balanced asymmetry */ Text Edits

2018-09-07T21:20:05Z

Exercise 4: Balanced asymmetry: Text Edits

Michael: /* Exercise 3: Symmetry with less passive negative space */ Text edits

2018-09-07T21:17:31Z

Exercise 3: Symmetry with less passive negative space: Text edits

Michael: /* Exercise 2: Symmetry with passive negative space */ Text Edits

2018-09-07T21:15:56Z

Exercise 2: Symmetry with passive negative space: Text Edits

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 [[File:Fig3 Ex6 03 CC2018.png]]
-=Exercise 7: A focal point is defined within symmetric patterning=
+=Exercise 7: A Focal Point is Defined Within Symmetric Patterning=
 In the last exercise, the repetition of the sixteen circles created a pattern. In this exercise, the repetition is broken by changing the value and hue of one circle (one part of the whole) in the lower right quadrant of the composition. A focal point is created by the contrast of value and hue. When the contrast between like and unlike forms is as extreme as it is in this exercise, the designer can direct the viewer’s eye to a particular part of the composition. Utilizing contrast to create a focal point is an essential design skill.
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 '''1.''' Select all of the circles in Exercise 6, OPT-drag them to the final composition. Hold SHFT as you drag to move the set of circles along a straight path.
-'''2.''' Once the group of black circles is composed within the last composition, change the fill color of one of the individual circles to set a focal point. All of the black circles are part of a group. If the group is selected and the fill color is modified, all of the circles are modified. While this is useful, it is our current goal. Instead, use the Direct Selection Tool to select just one circle. The Direct Selection Tool can be used to modify a path, an anchor point, or to alter one part of a group of objects. Click inside one of the circles and be sure to click inside the circle and not on the path around the edge of the circle. We do not want to modify the path, we want to modify the color of the whole circle.
+'''2.''' Once the group of black circles is composed within the last composition, change the fill color of one of the individual circles to set a focal point. All of the black circles are part of a group. If the group is selected and the fill color is modified, all of the circles are modified. While this is useful, it is our current goal. Instead, use the Direct Selection Tool, located next to the selection tool, to select just one circle. The Direct Selection Tool can be used to modify a path, an anchor point, or to alter one part of a group of objects. Click inside one of the circles and be sure to click inside the circle and not on the path around the edge of the circle. We do not want to modify the path, we want to modify the color of the whole circle.
 [[File:Fig3 Ex7 02 CC2018.png]]

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 <tr>
-<td>Watch Out: One time I was demonstrating this and my circles were misbehaving. It turned out I had “Align to Artboard” activated within my Align palette. If your distribution seems far off, be sure that this option is not active in the bottom section of the Align palette.</td>
+<td>Watch Out: One time I was demonstrating this and my circles were misbehaving. It turned out I had “Align to Artboard” activated within my Align options palette (accessible by clicking the hamburger menu in the top right of the Align Palette, if not already visible). If your distribution seems far off, be sure that the ‘Align to:’ setting in the bottom section of the Align palette is set to ‘Align to Selection’ and not ‘Align to Artboard.</td>
 </tr>

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 </table>
-=Exercise 6: Symmetry with patterning=
+=Exercise 6: Symmetry with Patterning=
 Gestalt psychology is important to visual creators because it provides a theory for the way humans perceive groups of shapes in a composition. While there are four distinct properties and six laws (termed, Pragnanz), one of the main themes is the understanding that viewers see a group of like objects as a whole unit before seeing the individual parts. Termed the law of similarity, the individual circles will be read only after the viewer sees the entire pattern presented here as a square. It’s nearly magic: a group of circles becomes a square.
-'''1.''' Select all four of the circles in the row in Exercise 5. Click Object > Group. Grouping objects is convenient as the separate objects maintain their autonomy while acting as part of a set that moves, transforms, and receives color information together. Grouped objects can always be ungrouped (Object > Ungroup).
+'''1.''' Select all of the four of the circles in a row in Exercise 5. Click Object > Group. Grouping objects is convenient as the separate objects maintain their autonomy while acting as part of a set that moves, transforms, and receives color information together. Grouped objects can always be ungrouped (Object > Ungroup).
 <table class="infobox">
 <tr>
 <td>Hotkey: CMD+G is the hot key for grouping objects. CMD+SHFT+G is the hot key for ungrouping objects.</td>
 </tr>
 </table>

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 Symmetry is achieved in Adalpertus' book painting across both the x and y axes.
-=Exercise 1: Creating Symmetry and Asymmetry With Your Body=
+=Exercise 1: Creating Symmetry and Asymmetry with Your Body=
 Before touching the pencil or mouse, one can exercise these design principles as lessons in weight distribution.

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 In the following exercises (2 – 7) the compositions will each be created within one of six individual squares (illustrated here). All of the exercises are created in one single document, established in Exercise 2. For these compositions the grid is simple: the horizontal and vertical intersection at the middle of each square is the grid. See and "feel" the visual weight that is constructed between the four quadrants (upper left, right, lower left and right) in each composition.
-=Exercise 2: Symmetry With Passive Negative Space=
+=Exercise 2: Symmetry with Passive Negative Space=
 In this exercise, the black circle in the center of the composition is the positive space and the white surrounding area is the negative space. The negative space is not active, it is dictated by the active positive form. The circle is evenly distributed within the composition. It is perfectly symmetric in relation to both the x and y axes, from the left to the right and the top to the bottom.

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 [[File:Fig3 Ex2 11 CC2018.png]]
-=Exercise 3: Symmetry With Less Passive Negative Space=
+=Exercise 3: Symmetry with Less Passive Negative Space=
 In this exercise, the two new circles in the top right square create a balanced, symmetric composition. The visual weight is the same in the four quadrants created by the intersection of the x and y axes; and the circles are reflective over a diagonal line. However, notice the tension between the two circles at the middle of the page. This tension is created when the two active forms are so near to each other that the eye cannot help but notice the negative space between them. The negative space fights for the viewer’s attention. Therefore, the negative space is slightly less active than it was in the first exercise.

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 '''3.''' Scale the circle down using SHFT with the Selection Tool.
-=Exercise 5: Asymmetry with imbalanced visual weight=
+=Exercise 5: Asymmetry with Imbalanced Visual Weight=
-In this exercise, the negative space is the white area surrounding the four black circles. The four black circles are asymmetric in regards to the overall composition. The negative space creates more mass than the positive space, and the four black circles pull the viewer’s eye to the bottom of the composition. What is also noteworthy about this exercise is that the four black circles are read as a line by the gestalt law of similarity, where like elements (four circles) are read as a whole line before being perceived individually.
+In this exercise, the negative space is the white area surrounding the four black circles. The four black circles, in the center right square, are asymmetric in regards to the overall composition. The negative space creates more mass than the positive space, and the four black circles pull the viewer’s eye to the bottom of the composition. What is also noteworthy about this exercise is that the four black circles are read as a line by the gestalt law of similarity, where like elements (four circles) are read as a whole line before being perceived individually.
 '''1.''' Copy the smaller circle in the third square and move it to the empty composition to the right.

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 '''3.''' Hold down OPT and SHFT and click on the circle with the selection tool, then drag to the bottom right corner of the square. This will duplicate the circle and move the new square at an exact 45 degree angle.
-=Exercise 4: Balanced asymmetry=
+=Exercise 4: Balanced Asymmetry=
-In this exercise the two circles create an asymmetric composition. The weight distribution between the four quadrants of the composition is not even, as most of the visual weight is felt in the upper left quadrant. The composition does remain balanced, as the negative space between the two circles activates the viewer’s attention and becomes part of the visual weight on the page. The white area is still the negative space; however, the white area between the two circles is within the path of the viewer’s eye movement from the top (larger) circle to the bottom (smaller) circle.
+In this exercise the two circles create an asymmetric composition. The weight distribution between the four quadrants of the composition is not even (see image below), as most of the visual weight is felt in the upper left quadrant. The composition does remain balanced, as the negative space between the two circles activates the viewer’s attention and becomes part of the visual weight on the page. The white area is still the negative space; however, the white area between the two circles is within the path of the viewer’s eye movement from the top (larger) circle to the bottom (smaller) circle.
 '''1.''' Copy the second circle from the previous exercise and drag it into position in the third square.
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 [[File:Fig05_Ex4_01_CS6.png]]
 '''3.''' Scale the circle down using SHFT with the Selection Tool.
 =Exercise 5: Asymmetry with imbalanced visual weight=

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 In the following exercises (2 – 7) the compositions will each be created within one of six individual squares (illustrated here). All of the exercises are created in one single document, established in Exercise 2. For these compositions the grid is simple: the horizontal and vertical intersection at the middle of each square is the grid. See and "feel" the visual weight that is constructed between the four quadrants (upper left, right, lower left and right) in each composition.
-=Exercise 2: Symmetry with passive negative space=
+=Exercise 2: Symmetry With Passive Negative Space=
 In this exercise, the black circle in the center of the composition is the positive space and the white surrounding area is the negative space. The negative space is not active, it is dictated by the active positive form. The circle is evenly distributed within the composition. It is perfectly symmetric in relation to both the x and y axes, from the left to the right and the top to the bottom.
-'''1.''' Create a new document in Illustrator (File > New) using the default settings pull-down menu to create a letter size page in RGB color mode.
+'''1.''' Create a new document in Illustrator (File > New) using the default settings pull-down menu on the right to create a letter size page in RGB color mode.
 '''2.''' Click on the rectangular shape tool to create one square that has a white fill and a black stroke. Set the fill and stroke colors before drawing the rectangle. The fill and stroke icons are stacked on top of each other at the bottom of the Tool Palette (see chapters 1 and 3 for working with the fill and stroke). Double-click the icon that is on top and select the color you want to use from the Color Picker. Once you set the color for the top icon (fill or stroke), click once on the bottom icon (if you took care of fill first, now you will set the color for the stroke) and define this color by using the Color Palette (Window > Color).
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 </table>
-Hold the option key (OPT) and click on the original square with the Selection Tool, then drag the mouse to the right.  In Adobe CC 2018, Smart Guides are active by default. Smart Guides help to easily align and center objects with other objects and also the artboard. Hold the shift key to keep the movements restricted to a 0, 45, 90, or 180 degree motion (in other words, you'll position the new square along the same baseline or x-axis to the right of the original square)
+Hold the option key (OPT) and click and hold on the original square with the Selection Tool, then drag the mouse to the right.  In Adobe CC 2018, Smart Guides are active by default. Smart Guides help to easily align and center objects with other objects and also the artboard. Hold the shift key to keep the movements restricted to a 0, 45, 90, or 180 degree motion (in other words, you'll position the new square along the same baseline or x-axis to the right of the original square)
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 '''6.''' Grouped objects can be moved, transformed, and have their colors edited as one unit while their individual properties are maintained. In this case, the squares will be copied and positioned together.
-'''7.''' Copy the two squares two more times, moving down the page.
+'''7.''' Copy the two squares two more times, moving down the page. The goal is to create 6 squares, 3 pairs, aligned in the center of the page.
 '''8.''' Use the Select Tool to position the squares into place. Be attentive to the space between the margins of the page and the space between the outlines of the squares.
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 [[File:Fig3 Ex2 09 CC2018.png]]
-'''10.''' Once the layer is locked, create a new layer to work on by clicking the “Create New Layer” icon at the bottom of the Layer Palette. Layer 2 will appear above Layer 1. This is the layer that will contain the rest of the vector art objects in this chapter. Be sure that it is active (it will be highlighted) before proceeding.
+'''10.''' Once the layer is locked, create a new layer to work on by clicking the “Create New Layer” icon, which looks like a piece of paper with one corner folded up, at the bottom of the Layer Palette. Layer 2 will appear above Layer 1. This is the layer that will contain the rest of the vector art objects in this chapter. Be sure that it is active (it will be highlighted) before proceeding.
 [[File:Fig3 Ex2 10 CC2018.png]]