Illustrator From The Ground Up - Part 2: Shape Editing with Jason Hoppe

This session is exclusively available to CreativeLive subscribers. If you're not yet a subscriber, you can subscribe here.

Simple shapes are the building blocks of nearly every Illustrator project. In Part 2, Jason Hoppe shows you how to take those shapes apart and put them back together. You'll learn how the Direct Selection tool gives you control over individual anchor points and segments, and how corner widgets let you round and refine corners with a simple drag.

Next, you'll use the Transform panel and transform tools to scale, rotate, reflect, and position artwork with precision. Jason then shows how grouping keeps related artwork organized, and how the Pathfinder panel and Shape Builder tool turn basic shapes into logos, icons, and custom forms. You'll also learn to join and clean up open paths so your artwork is ready for production.

By the end of this class, you'll be able to build complex artwork from simple shapes quickly and accurately.

This class includes a dedicated 30 minutes of Q&A directly with Jason Hoppe.

What You'll Learn

• Select and edit individual anchor points and path segments with the Direct Selection tool
• Round and reshape corners precisely with corner widgets
• Resize, rotate, and position artwork with the Transform panel and transform tools
• Combine, divide, and build complex shapes with the Pathfinder panel and Shape Builder tool
• Group artwork and join open paths to keep your files organized and clean

Who It's For

• Students who completed Part 1 of the series
• Beginners who can draw basic shapes and want to create more complex artwork
• Designers who want to build logos and icons faster
• Illustrator users who rely on workarounds instead of the Pathfinder panel and Shape Builder tool

How to Join

• The class will be delivered via Zoom Webinars. You'll need access to Zoom through a web browser or the Zoom app in order to participate.
• This class is exclusively available to CreativeLive subscribers. If you're not yet a subscriber, you can subscribe here.
• To reserve your spot, register using the Sign Up form and button above. Space is limited.
• A unique Zoom join link will be sent to registered subscribers, up to the maximum number of participants per class. You'll receive this link one hour before the class start time.

About the Instructor

Jason Hoppe is an Adobe Certified Expert and Adobe Certified Instructor with a graphic design background. For 19 years he has taught Adobe software, including Illustrator, at Seattle's School of Visual Concepts, Luminous Works, and Seattle Central College, and he is the founding instructor at CreativeLive. He breaks complex tools down into clear, practical steps, which helps students of every level build confident vector illustration, logo, and layout skills they can put to work right away.

Jason's teaching draws on 20 years of real production work. He has led electronic production departments at Seattle agencies such as Hornall Anderson and Bozell/FCB, and has built design workflows for clients like Costco and Cascade Designs. That experience means his Illustrator lessons go beyond what each tool does: he teaches how professionals use it to work efficiently, avoid production problems, and deliver polished, print- and digital-ready artwork.