Introduction to CorelDRAW X5

About This Course

Let CorelDRAW X5 unleash your creative genius! Whether you're a crafter, student, or professional graphic artist, this software is the perfect choice for your graphic design needs.

CorelDRAW is easy to learn, and you'll be amazed at the professional results you can achieve right from the start. Even if you can't draw a straight line, this vector-based software program will help you draw with confidence as you create professional newsletters, greeting cards, web graphics, and logos. In addition, you'll learn how to turn plain photographs into brilliant works of art.

You'll also delve into graphic design as you learn about line and shape tools, color fills, layers, text tools, page layout, templates, and import and export functions. And you'll discover how to apply special effects including shadows, transparences, 3D effects, distortions, and PowerClips so you can change an ordinary drawing or illustration into a masterpiece.

While the course focuses on CorelDRAW X5, if you're using CorelDRAW X6 you'll get all the support you need in each lesson's discussion area.

Whether you're designing for business or pleasure, this course will give you all the skills you need to create images of the highest quality. So get ready to release the pent-up Picasso inside you!

About The Instructor

This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be John Sadlouskos.

John Sadlouskos has been a CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT user since version 6. For over 10 years, he has applied these skills as a technical writer, and more recently, he has used them as a product label designer and developer. He holds a B.F.A. from the University of Arizona, and he has experience working in both print and electronic media for government agencies, financial institutions, and the transportation industry. John specializes in writing easy-to-follow instructions for software and for educational and consumer applications.

Syllabus

A new section of each course starts monthly. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

Week 1

Wednesday - Lesson 01

We'll get started with a quick tour of CorelDRAW to see how some of the menus and tools are arranged, and then you'll draw simple shapes with the Smart Drawing tool. Next, we'll explore how to use the Zoom tool, the Pan tool, and the Pick tool. Finally, we'll take some time to talk about vector and bitmap formats. Did you know that CorelDRAW is a vector-based imaging software? It differs from other applications, such as Adobe Photoshop, and we'll discuss why.

Friday - Lesson 02

This lesson is all about the meat and potatoes of CorelDRAW: the shape-creation tools. We'll start with the basics—using the Ellipse tool and the Rectangle tool to draw circles, squares, and rectangles. Then you'll practice using the Polygon tool, the Spiral tool, the Star tool, and the Perfect Shape tool to draw more intricate shapes. Afterward, you'll form your shapes into images using the weld function. Finally, you’ll get a chance to practice filling your newly created designs with colors.

Week 2

Wednesday - Lesson 03

We're going to dig a little deeper into CorelDRAW drawing tools as you learn how to create lines. You'll start with the Freehand tool, which simulates drawing with a pen or pencil on a piece of paper, but with an automated twist that makes it much easier to use. Then we'll explore the Outline tools. Outlines are the lines that form and surround shapes and objects, and you'll use the Outline tools to format, shape, and color those same lines. Afterward, we'll move on to curves, and you'll learn how to use the Three-Point Curve tool and the Bézier tool to draw both simple and complex curves. Next, you'll learn about the Artistic Media tool, which enables you to apply effects, styles, and objects to ordinary lines.

Friday - Lesson 04

We're going to concentrate on layers in this lesson. Layers are invisible planes that contain information about each object. You'll use them to organize, edit, and manage your drawings. Just as shapes are the building blocks of a drawing, layers are the frames that support those building blocks. We'll begin by layering one of your designs from a previous lesson, and then I'll show you how to layer as you draw.

Week 3

Wednesday - Lesson 05

Did you know that CorelDRAW supplies you with a complete desktop publisher? In today's lesson, you'll create a two-page newsletter using this feature. As you assemble your newsletter, you'll also learn how to set up a drawing page with the Page tab, apply and use guidelines, input and import text with the Text tool, and import objects into designs.

Friday - Lesson 06

We'll continue our discussion about working with text in this lesson, but this time we'll concentrate on artistic text. You'll learn how to shape, form, and adjust artistic text to follow the path of an object or line. You'll also fill objects with color transitions, patterns, textures, and elaborate designs using CorelDRAW fill tools. Then you'll apply what you've learned to create an original logo.

Week 4

Wednesday - Lesson 07

We're going to take it a step further in this lesson by enhancing your designs with special effects. We'll cover techniques such as casting shadows on objects using the Drop Shadow tool. This is an excellent effect to use when you want to add a little realism to your objects. Then you'll learn how to create see-through objects using the Transparency tool. You'll also practice transforming ordinary 2-D shapes into 3-D objects using the Extrusion tool.

Friday - Lesson 08

In this lesson, you're going to learn how to mold, shape, and adjust your designs using the Knife and Eraser tools and the Smudge and the Roughen Brushes. You'll also get a chance to put all your CorelDRAW skills to work, because we're going to pull together as many different elements as possible from this course and apply them to an apple design. This will give you more insight into how CorelDRAW tools interact while you discover practical applications for these same tools.

Week 5

Wednesday - Lesson 09

Today, we'll continue our exploration of special effects as we discuss PowerClips and the Distort tool. You'll start with the PowerClip effect to contain one object inside of another. This is a great way to incorporate photographs into your designs. Then we'll take some ordinary shapes and completely transform them into amazing objects using the Distort tool. Finally, you'll draw some balloons as you learn how to use the Attributes Eyedropper, which allows you to copy the properties from one object into another object, quickly and with ease.

Friday - Lesson 10

We'll concentrate on page layout for this lesson. You'll create a custom-designed envelope, business card, and address labels while learning to use the Page Size and Label windows. You'll also explore CorelDRAW templates. Not only will you discover how to choose from the selection of available templates, you'll also create your own stationery template to accompany the envelope, business card, and address labels you just designed. Then, to top it all off, you'll design an original greeting card.

Week 6

Wednesday - Lesson 11

This lesson is all about photographs. You'll start by bringing some life into a dull-looking photo using the Crop tool and the Image Adjustment Lab. Then you'll learn how to change ordinary photos into stunning works of art by applying spectacular effects with 3D, artistic strokes, and abstract patterns. You'll also learn how to convert photographs into sleek designs using the PowerTRACE window.

Friday - Lesson 12

In our final lesson, you'll design a presentation using drawings you've created throughout this class. Then you'll learn how to export each of the slides from the presentation into different formats. This will enable you to post your designs on the Internet, insert them into electronic documents, or email them to a friend in an easy-to-open format. We'll start by going over the Export window, which converts CorelDRAW designs into various formats and in turn allows you to view and update these same designs using all types of software. Then we'll focus on specific formats, including JPG, PNG, and PDF. Finally, we'll conclude the course by creating an original web page!

Requirements

You will need one of the following programs:

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5
CorelDRAW Suite X5: Home and Student Edition
CorelDRAW Suite X5: Education Edition

Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

You will need Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7. In addition, you will need Internet access, email, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins (two free and simple downloads you obtain at http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and Get Adobe Reader).

Artistic ability is not required, just a desire to be creative.

Note: This course is not suitable for Macintosh users.

While the course focuses on CorelDRAW X5, if you're using CorelDRAW X6 you'll get all the support you need in each lesson's discussion area.