Course Overview
- Basic Illustrator® course (1 day)
- Standard garment design course (2 days – assumes basic knowledge of Illustrator®)
- Bespoke training
Our training course is split into 2 parts to cater for all levels of experience. The full course is 3 days; however the 1st day is designed for beginners who have no experience of working with Illustrator®. During this day they will learn the basics such as the interface, workspace and essential tools. This day is not fashion specific and is designed to get users familiar with the program. Days 2 & 3 are fashion focused in which users will learn all the techniques to produce detailed fashion flats.
Day 1 is optional and is only recommended for users that have no experience of Illustrator®. If your users have some working knowledge of Illustrator then only days 2 & 3 are required.
The course, either full or part, does not need to run in consecutive days. It can be very difficult to find time in the season calendar to take designers away from their design duties for a full 3 days. If your company needs to split the training over a longer period of time we can accommodate to make sure that the day-today business is not compromised.
Basic Illustrator® Course
Day 1 is designed to introduce new users to working with Illustrator®. Being introduced to new computer systems can be daunting, so this day is like a warm up. Although we only focus on the tools and features that are relevant to fashion, this day is specifically tailored to be generic – we want users to understand what Illustrator® is all about and have the opportunity to get a feel for the tools and work environment without the added pressure of having to draw something “recognisable” such as a pair of jeans! For example one of the hardest tools to grasp, but one the most essential, is the Pen Tool or Bezier curve. It is important that users develop an understanding of how this works by experimenting with creating and editing straight lines and curves. It is critical that users feel comfortable with the basic principles of Illustrator before attempting to create complex and detailed drawings such as fashion flats!
An example of the areas covered in this first day are:
- User interface and workspace
- Views and navigation
- Tools, Palettes and Controls
- Creating and manipulating shapes and objects
- Selecting & editing
- Working with colour
- Drawing with the Pen Tool
- Working with Layers
Standard Garment Design Course
Days 2 and 3 of the course are 100% focused on using Illustrator® for fashion. Users are taught how to adapt the standard Illustrator® tools to make drawing fashion flats and components in a fast, efficient way with professional results.
An example of the topics covered during these 2 days are:
- Using a dummy template for consistency and standardisation
- Producing perfectly symmetrical silhouettes
- Topstitching
- Ribbing
- Stripes and patterns
- Technical and stylized flats
- Knits
- All over prints
- Placement prints
- Fabric fills
- Wash effects
- Trim and component libraries
- Black and white and coloured flats
- Drawstrings and tapes
- Ruching and elastic
- Pleats and ruffles
Click through the slideshow below to view examples of what users will be capable of producing by the end of the course
Bespoke Training
If your company has different training needs from the standard course then we can create a custom agenda for you. It may be that your company produces accessories and you would like a course more focused on drawing bags, or perhaps you only need training on how to produce graphics and placements prints. Whatever your needs we can create a suitable training program. Please get in touch with us to discuss your requirements.
