Unit 8 | Brushes, Symbols, Patterns & Image Trace

Introduction

Unit 8 multiplies a single object across a whole surface. Brushes, repeating patterns, reusable symbols, converting raster images to vector with Image Trace, and generative AI as a starting point. Closing with a sticker pack or merch pattern project.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

Create and apply brushes and repeating patterns
Build and reuse symbols and graphic styles
Convert raster images to vector artwork with Image Trace
Use generative AI tools responsibly in Illustrator

Calendar of Events for This Unit

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
2/22	2/23	2/24	2/25	2/26
S \| 7	S \| 7	F \| 8.1	F \| 8.1	F \| 8.2
2/24: Interim grades open in Infinite Campus (MP3); 2/24: Grade Correction Deadline (MP2)
3/1	3/2	3/3	3/4	3/5
F \| 8.2	F \| 8.3	F \| 8.3	F \| 8.4	F \| 8.4
3/2: SAT window: 3/2-4/30; 3/3: Interim grades close 4:00pm (MP3); 3/5: Interim Reports Available
3/8	3/9	3/10	3/11	3/12
S \| 8	S \| 8	PD	S \| 8	S \| 8
3/15	3/16	3/17	3/18	3/19
S \| 8	S \| 8	S \| 8	F \| 9.1	F \| 9.1

Lessons

Unit Vocabulary

Brush Types: Illustrator’s five brush categories. Calligraphic (mimics an angled pen nib), Scatter (scatters copies of an object along a path), Art (stretches a single object along the length of a path), Bristle (simulates a real paintbrush’s bristles), and Pattern (repeats a set of tiles along a path, with separate artwork for straight sides, outer corners, and inner corners).
Generate Pattern: A live pattern-making mode (Object > Pattern > Make) that previews your artwork tiled across the canvas as you build it, letting you adjust tile type, spacing, and overlap before saving the result as a swatch.
Pattern Tile: The single repeating unit of a pattern, defined by its bounding box, visible as a dashed rectangle while in Generate Pattern mode. Defines exactly where one repetition ends and the next begins.
Dynamic vs. Static Symbol: A Dynamic symbol allows limited edits to an individual instance (like recoloring it) without breaking its link back to the master symbol. A Static symbol locks every instance identically to the master. Any edit has to be made to the symbol itself, which updates every instance at once.
Graphic Style: A saved, reusable combination of appearance attributes. Fills, strokes, effects, and transparency. Stored in the Graphic Styles panel. Apply the same complex look to any object in one click. Updating the style later updates every object it’s applied to.
Trace Preset: A built-in starting configuration in the Image Trace panel (for example, Black and White Logo, High Fidelity Photo, 3 Colors, Line Art) that sets sensible defaults for threshold, color count, and path handling for a given kind of source image.
Ignore White: An Image Trace option that treats white areas of the source image as transparent instead of tracing them as opaque white shapes. Useful for a logo that needs to sit on a colored background.
Threshold: In Black and White tracing mode, the brightness value (0–255) that decides whether a given pixel becomes black or white in the traced result. Raising it converts more midtones to black.
Expand: The step that converts a live Image Trace result into actual, editable vector paths. Before expanding, the trace is just a live preview linked to the placed raster image, and its individual paths can’t be selected or edited.
Generate Vector (Text to Vector Graphic): An Illustrator generative AI feature that produces original, editable vector artwork directly from a written text prompt, offering several variations to choose from and refine further.
Prompt Writing: The practice of writing a clear, specific instruction for a generative AI tool. Effective prompts usually name a subject, an art style, and a color palette or mood. Vague prompts produce unpredictable results.