Shape and Pen Tool Assignment

 

I had a good time working with Illustrator for the first time. It was definitely a bit overwhelming at first because of how many tools and possibilities of options there were, but after watching the explanation and knowing which tools were needed, I felt less overwhelmed and on the right track. I thought it was very cool to see how the pen tool works as I wasn't aware tracing would be line based with curves being possible through manipulation of these straight lines. I enjoyed this because being able to trace using lines instead of fully tracing by hand removes the need for artistic ability and a steady hand which I do not have anyways. I also found choosing a color scheme fun as I was able to choose out of what feels like endless possibilities while still trying to make cohesive decisions. This assignment didn't take me too long, I would say I finished in around 2 hours. I do feel like I gained a decent grasp on how these tools work, but I also recognize how many possibilities there are, as I know I am just at the tip of the iceberg with the software. Another use I can see for the shape and pen tool is tracing out the background of a picture and then being able to then color the individual pieces leading to many more possibilities. For example, in the background of a photo and by using this tool, I can take a picture with the background being of normal trees and then trace and fill them pink and blue to look like a whole different nature scene.