Unit 3 | Shape & Color
Introduction
Unit 3 builds on Unit 2’s workspace fluency, adding color theory, a deeper pass on shape tools, Illustrator’s swatch and gradient systems, and precise composition with Align/Distribute/Arrange. Combined into a Vector Self-Portrait built entirely from shape primitives.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Understand color theory and how color modes affect a design
- Draw and edit shapes using Illustrator’s shape tools
- Apply swatches and gradients to fill artwork
- Align, distribute, and arrange objects precisely
Calendar of Events for This Unit
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/12 | 10/13 | 10/14 | 10/15 | 10/16 |
| S | 2 | F | 3.1 | F | 3.1 | F | 3.2 | PD |
| 10/15: Choice Open House; 10/15: By 10/15: PreTest; 10/15: Fall Leadership - 10/15 (unconfirmed -- Delaware DECA hasn't posted 2026-27 date) | ||||
| 10/19 | 10/20 | 10/21 | 10/22 | 10/23 |
| F | 3.2 | F | 3.3 | F | 3.3 | F | 3.4 | F | 3.4 |
| 10/21: Cambron FMLA; 10/23: Report Card grades open in Infinite Campus (MP1) | ||||
| 10/26 | 10/27 | 10/28 | 10/29 | 10/30 |
| S | 3 | S | 3 | S | 3 | S | 3 | S | 3 |
| 10/26: Report Card grade verification window opens (through 11/10) | ||||
Lessons
- 3.1 – Color Theory. Hue/saturation/value, color schemes, CMYK/RGB/HSB
- 3.2 – Shape Tools. Live Shapes, Polygon/Star, keyboard modifiers
- 3.3 – Swatches & Gradients. Process/spot/global swatches, Color Guide, gradients
- 3.4 – Align, Distribute & Arrange. Align panel, Key Object, stacking order, Group
- S3 – Vector Self-Portrait. Summative project
Unit Vocabulary
- Color Mode
- The system a document uses to define color numerically. Most commonly CMYK for print or RGB for screens. A document’s color mode is set when the file is created and affects how colors are mixed and displayed.
- CMYK
- Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and blacK. A subtractive color model used for print, where inks are combined on a white page to absorb (subtract) light.
- RGB
- Red, Green, and Blue. An additive color model used for screens, where light is combined to create color.
- HSB
- Hue, Saturation, and Brightness. A way of describing a color that often matches how humans naturally think about color, rather than raw channel percentages.
- Grayscale
- A color mode using only values of gray, with no hue or saturation at all.
- Hex Values
- A 6-digit code (like
#2C6E49) used to specify an RGB color for web and screen work. Simply another way of writing the same RGB color. - Spot Color
- A single, precisely pre-mixed ink (such as a specific Pantone shade) printed exactly as specified, rather than built from a combination of CMYK dots. Used when exact, consistent color matters more than photographic realism (a brand’s logo color, for example).
- Rich Black
- A CMYK mix that adds some Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow to 100% blacK, producing a deeper, denser black than K alone. Useful for large solid-black print areas.
- Live Shape
- A rectangle, rounded rectangle, ellipse, polygon, or star drawn with Illustrator’s shape tools that remains fully editable (exact dimensions, individual corner radii) until it’s deliberately expanded into a plain path.
- Bounding Box
- The invisible rectangle marking an object’s full width and height, used whenever the object is scaled, rotated, or aligned.
- Corner Radius Widget
- The small draggable control that appears at a Live Shape’s corner, letting you round that corner interactively without changing the underlying path.
- Polygon Tool
- Draws a shape with straight sides, evenly spaced around a center point. Tapping the Up/Down arrow keys while dragging adds or removes sides.
- Star Tool
- Draws a multi-pointed star shape. The same arrow-key trick adds or removes points, and holding Option/Alt while dragging keeps the star’s arms straight instead of curving inward.
- Isolation Mode
- A temporary editing mode (entered by double-clicking a group or object) that dims everything else on the artboard, letting you edit just that item without accidentally affecting the rest of your artwork.
- Process Color
- A standard saved color built from CMYK or RGB percentages. The everyday kind of swatch, as opposed to a spot color or a global color.
- Spot Swatch
- A swatch representing a single pre-mixed ink (see Spot Color). Used in the Swatches panel when an exact brand or print color needs to be called out specifically rather than built from CMYK.
- Global Swatch
- A saved swatch that stays linked everywhere it’s applied. Editing the swatch once updates every object using it, which saves enormous time when a client’s brand color is used across many objects.
- Color Guide Panel
- A panel that takes one base color and generates whole harmonious groups from it (complementary, analogous, triadic, and more). The same relationships from the color wheel, generated automatically.
- Gradient
- A smooth blend between two or more colors, applied as a fill or stroke. Illustrator’s basic gradient types are linear (blends along a straight line) and radial (blends outward from a center point).
- Color Stop
- One colored point along a gradient’s ramp. Drag a stop to reposition it, double-click it to change its color, or lower its opacity to fade it out.
- Gradient Mesh
- An advanced tool that blends many colors across a shape along a flexible grid of points instead of a straight line or circle. Capable of photorealistic shading, but the most complex of Illustrator’s gradient tools.
- Align Panel
- The panel used to line objects up relative to each other, to a key object, or to the artboard. Horizontally (left/center/right) and vertically (top/middle/bottom).
- Distribute
- Spacing a set of selected objects out evenly. Either by equal gaps between them or by equal center-to-center distance. Rather than just lining up one shared edge.
- Key Object
- The one object in a selection, designated by clicking it a second time, that the rest of the selection aligns or distributes relative to.
- Stacking Order
- The front-to-back order in which objects are painted on the artboard. The most recently drawn object sits on top. Changed with Object > Arrange (Bring to Front, Bring Forward, Send Backward, Send to Back).
- Group
- Combining multiple objects (Cmd/Ctrl+G) so they move, scale, and transform together as a single unit, while still remaining individually editable inside the group.
- Arrange
- The Object menu command used to change an object’s position in the stacking order.