Illustrator
How to Cross Electronic Circuit Wires Properly with Adobe Illustrator
In Adobe Illustrator, one of the most frustrating electronic circuit drawing element is two wires crossing each other likes this: However, there is no Illustrator tool to draw the crossing as above, that is, the elegant way. When you use the Pen, Pencil or Line tool, what is produced is this: Ugh! This is not…
Read MoreHow to Draw an Induction Coil Symbol with Adobe Illustrator
Induction coils are one of the most frequently used components in electronics. If you are documenting any electronics equipment or system, you may have to draw an induction coil symbol at some point. Here is how to do it. 1) Draw a circle. 2) Pick the Selection Tool (V). Press the Alt button (Windows) and…
Read MoreBOOK REVIEW: Excellent Project Guide for Commercial Designers and Technical Illustrators who Draw Graphs
© Ugur Akinci If you’re a beginner or amateur illustrator or designer Adobe Illustrator CS2 @work: Projects You Can Use on the Job is not for you since it does not address the nuts-and-bolts aspects of Adobe Illustrator. This how-to volume assumes that you already know the basics of using the Illustrator. What the author…
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4 Ideas to Organize Technical Document Images
Introduction Organizing technical document images is easier said than done. Most technical documents would have at least a few images to illustrate a point, or screen-shots that accompany the description of a certain step-by-step procedure, etc. Organizing such images can really become a problem, especially when you have dozens and hundreds of them. Finding, editing,…
Read MoreHow to Draw Connecting Shapes with Multiple Strokes with Adobe Illustrator
© 2011 Ugur Akinci Sometimes you will need to draw technical illustrations with shapes that not only connect but also have double or multiple strokes. Think of converging railroad tracks. A shape like this: Follow these steps: (1) Draw your individual overlapping shapes by using any tool necessary (rectangle, ellipse, etc.). (2) Press Ctrl +…
Read MoreHow to Join Two Open Paths in Adobe Illustrator
The PEN is one of the most powerful tools in Adobe Illustrator: You basically can draw anything you like with it. With PEN you can draw both OPEN and CLOSED paths: More often than not, in technical illustration we use CLOSED paths to represent different drawing objects — buttons, circuit boards, capacitors, door bells, car…
Read MoreWhat are the Differences Between Technical Illustration, Information Design, and Editorial Illustration?
© 2010 Ugur Akinci Thanks to a number of responses to an earlier post about Technical Illustration, I had the opportunity to think more about the topic. I now realize that I have not clarified the various niches that exist within the catch-all category of graphic arts that we call “technical illustration.” Here I’d like…
Read MoreHow to Create a Pie Chart with Adobe Illustrator
© 2010 Ugur Akinci Did you know that you can create 3-D pie (and other types of) charts with Adobe Illustrator? Here is how: (1) Select the pie chart tool from the tool bar and double-click it to display the Graph dialog box: (2) Enter 200 px for both Width and Height of the chart…
Read More7 Tips for Drawing Great Labels in Adobe Illustrator
© Ugur Akinci You can enhance the value of your services as a technical communicator and writer if you learn how to draw labels. Thousands of companies out there need labels to market their products. While some of these labels are rather elaborate and require the skills of a trained graphic artist, not all labels…
Read MoreHow to Draw with Illustrator: FILL and STROKE
© Ugur Akinci TOOL 4: Fill and Stroke Every Illustrator object is made up of 2 parts: Fill and Stroke.Or the INSIDE of a shape (Fill) and its BORDERS (Stroke). In the case of a line, there’s only stroke and no fill. If a line does have a fill, it actually becomes a very thin…
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