Outline Your Skillshare Class

 

Part 1: Outline Your Class Overview

 

Class Title:

Affinity Designer: Vectors, Shadows and Assets, Oh My!

Class Description:

 

In this class you’ll learn some of the basic features of the Affinity Designer app, beginning with the pen and pencil tools.

 

I’ll show you step by step how to create a vector still life. You’ll also learn how to

• Create a custom color palette
• Use the Shape Tool
• Edit lines and curves using the Node Tool
• Give your composition depth and dimension by using the fx Studio
• Create and use Assets
• Use the Transform Studio

 We’ll draw a still life to practice what we learn - some vases filled with flowers plus one containing pencils. I’ll also show you how to save your images as assets that you can use again and again.

We’ll use both the pen and pencil tool. And then we’ll use the node tool to tame those lines and get them to do what we want.

The fx Studio has a ton of adjustments you can make. We’ll only use two of them in this lesson, but they will make a big difference in how our composition turns out.

When you’ve finished this lesson , you should have all the skills you need to create your project.

The only things you’ll need are the Affinity Designer app and a stylus, although you can use your finger if you don’t have a stylus. No prior knowledge of Affinity Designer is needed.

 

Project Description:

 Your class project is to design a still life, and use the fx adjustments to give it dimension. I encourage you to share your work-in-progress with the class so we can all encourage each other. I can’t wait to see what you all create.

 Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns that you have. I promise I’ll get back with you as quickly as possible.

 

 

Part 2: Outline Your Video Lessons

 

Introduction

Talking Head and 3 slides

 I’ve loved art since I was a small child, and computers since I first set hands on one. I’m a button pusher. I want to know how programs work, what different tools do. So when I discovered Affinity Designer, well…

 

 Affinity Designer

Comparable to Adobe Illustrator

• 90 day free trial
• ½ price
• 9.99/iPad
• 24.99/PC or Mac
• One time fee

In this class I’ll teach you how to

• Create a custom color palette
• Use the Shape Tool
• Edit lines and curves using the Node Tool
• Give your composition depth and dimension by using the fx Studio
• Create and use Assets
• Use the Transform Studio

. When we’re done, you’ll be able to use these skills to create your own image.

Requirements

• No prior knowledge needed
• Need the Affinity Designer app, and a stylus is helpful.
• Stylus or finger

I use the Apple pencil.

 

 

Class Project

Talking Head and Slide for Resources

Class project - Still Life

Create a still life and use Inner and Outer Shadows to give it depth.

Chose this because it is an ideal venue to demonstrate drop shadows

Great beginner project - can draw your own, use my assets, or trace all your elements if you choose

 

Resources

• Pinterest boards
• Pixabay.com
• Assets
• Color Palette

These are also on the project page

 

 

Background

 Screencast and Slide for tools

 Tools

• Shape Tool
• fx Studio
• Outer Shadow
• Inner Shadow

 

Create new document - 11,000x11,000 - 300 dpi

Like to work with this size - good size if I decide to sell on Society6

 Rectangle Tool

Click ? in bottom right corner to see names of all the tools

 Light cream background - rectangle 11,000x11,000. Transform studio to place

 Medium brown rectangle for table- 11,000x2200 - 3 pt. Line. Transform Studio - 11,000-8800 = 2200 - flush with bottom

 fx Studio - click on button, then on actual word.

Menu opens at bottom of screen - when done click the selection tool. If you click elsewhere on screen, you will lose your settings.

Outer Shadow – shadow behind object

Inner Shadow – inside object, creates diffused shadow, in this case roundness

 Shadows Outer - 73-63-270.

Inner - 342-177-270

 I chose a thick inner shadow because I was trying to duplicate an aged rustic feel for the table

 Next lesson - Creating a Vector

 

Creating a Vector

Screencast and Slide for tools

• Pen Tool

Precision

• Pencil Tool

Freehand

• Rope Setting

Difference between pen and pencil tool - precision vs. freehand

Rope setting – 36 works best for me

Good medium setting - gives more control

Trace a vase with pencil tool -

Pencil allows for more variance in your line

 Draw vase with pen tool

Precision – perfectly straight lines, nice curves

Next lesson - Tidying Up with the Node Tools

 

 

Tidying up - Using the Node tools

Screencast and Slide for tools

 

Node tool

2nd tool down on left side

Good for

• Dragging nodes into line
• Dragging handles
• Adding and deleting nodes

 Note: Add stripes to round vase - will extend beyond edges. In Layers - drag stripes onto vase - creates a clipping mask

 Still looks pretty plain, doesn’t it?

 Next lesson - Shadow Land

 

 

Shadow Land - Inner and Outer Shadows

Screencast and Talking Head

 

Demonstrate radius and offset

 Can do in either order. I chose Outer Shadow first so you could see it more clearly. Want it to be subtle. Let Inner Shadow stand out more.

 Pitcher - Outer - 61 - 8 - 135

Inner - 275 - 8 - 270

Tall Vase - Outer - 75 - 11 - 145

Inner - 260 - 6 - 300

 Round Vase - Outer - 67 - 14 - 135

Inner - 300 - 281 - 310

 See how much more interest this adds?

 Next Lesson - Assets

 

 

Assets

 Screencast and Slide

 

Save as Assets

• Add new category
• Rename category

Ex. Jo’s Assets

• Add new subcategory
• Rename subcategory

Ex. Vase

• Select vase
• Add Asset from Selection

 Next Lesson – Flower Power

 

 

Flower Power

Screencast and Slide for tools

Tools

• Pencil Tool
• Edit Menu
• Duplicate
• Transform Studio
• Flip

Trace flowers with pencil tool –

Use same technique as with vases

 Freehand leaves - kind of like spears

Use pencil tool - I will demonstrate

Doesn’t have to be perfect

 Duplicate - flip with Transform Studio

 Save as Assets

 Next Lesson - Mix it Up

 

 

Mix it Up with Pencils

 Screencast

Pencils - good time to use pen tool

Felt it would be too boring with all flowers

Duplicate and change colors

 Shadows - Outer - 22 - 5 - 135

Inner - 81 - 5 - 45

Save as Assets

Next Lesson - Some Background Interest

 

 

Background Interest

Screencast

Use a little bit darker cream than background

Create rectangle 1000x11000 - place at 0, 0

 Duplicate and place at 2000, 0

 Duplicate across image

 Nice little feature. Affinity anticipates where you want to place an object in a series.

And that’s it. We’re done

 

 

Wrap it Up

2 or 3 Slides to review the skills covered in the lesson

 Go over what we learned

• For tools, can always click that ? in the bottom right corner.
• If you need to place an item, such as our rectangles, accurately, use the Transform Studio and type in your numbers
• Pen tool is better for precision
• Pencil better for freehand and tracing
• Node tool is a lifesaver for correcting lines (paths)
• Using the fx Studio, Outer Shadow gives illusion of a light source casting a shadow - be subtle
• Inner Shadow also mimics light source, but main purpose in this lesson is to give dimension, show curves on vases.
• Assets let you save objects to use in other documents
• Tracing is OKAY
•  A little subtle interest in the background adds to the overall image

 

 

Class Project

Talking Head and Slide to explain the Create Project process

See Note

 

Remember, your project is to create a still life, using the pen or pencil tool, or both. Use the Inner and outer shadows to give it dimension

Feel free to use the resources, including my Assets

Share your images in the project gallery. I can't wait to see what you create!

Note: You must be on the website to add your project. Click on Create Project. Cover image can be up to 8 mb. It will be cropped to 4 by 6 in. Other images have a limit of 2 mb.