MKT 202 Applications in Visual Design | Session 2 | Illustrator

Pin Club

Illustrator shape tools: build enamel pins for made-up campus clubs

Today the whole class builds the same two enamel pins in Adobe Illustrator, one step at a time: Late Shift Coffee Club and Plant Parents. A third pin, Open Mic Club, is a bonus for anyone who finishes early. You will cut and combine shapes with Pathfinder and the Shape Builder tool, make a border with Offset Path, round corners with Live Shapes, and trim artwork to a pin shape with a clipping mask. Every pin is built from basic shapes. No drawing skill needed.

Shortcuts are written Windows / Mac. Example: Ctrl+G / Cmd+G. On a Mac, Option is the key some Windows lists call Alt.

We build together. Follow along step by step. When you finish a step early, wait at the check line or try the optional steps at the bottom.

What you turn in

Midpoint (after Step 4): LastName_PinOne.jpg: a JPEG of your artboard with Pin 1 finished.
Final (after Step 7, or after the bonus): LastName_PinClub.jpg: a JPEG of your finished artboard with two pins, or three if you did the bonus. Keep your LastName_PinClub.ai file for yourself. Do not upload it.

Downloads

MKT202_PinClub_Swatches.ase: the eight class colors. Import it in Step 1.

Rule of the Day

Cut it, combine it, then trim it. Pathfinder and the Shape Builder tool change shapes only when the right shapes are selected. A clipping mask hides what hangs outside its shape, and nothing is deleted.

What we build today

Your artboard has three columns. Pin 1 goes on the left, Pin 2 in the middle, and the bonus Pin 3 on the right, all on the same center line. You place each pin by typing its X and Y numbers.

Pin 1: Late Shift Coffee Club

Steps 2 to 4

Circle pin with a gold border, a smiling mug, a heart, and a counter

Pin 2: Plant Parents

Step 6

Circle pin with a gold border, two leaves, a bowl pot, and a shelf

Pin 3: Open Mic Club (bonus)

Step 8, bonus

Circle pin with a gold border, red curtains, a spotlight, and a crosshatch microphone

What your files should look like

These images were drawn by a script to show the target look. They are an approximation, not an Illustrator file.

Midpoint example

After Step 4

Final example

After Step 7 or Step 8

The class palette

Every color in this project comes from these eight. In Step 1 you build a row of color chips. After that you color every shape by clicking a chip with the Eyedropper tool. Visible artwork gets the Ink outline where it is shown. Some colors look alike on a projector, and the Ink outline is what keeps them apart.

Name	Hex	Used on
Ink	`#2A1B3D`	Every outline, the outline rings, the mug face, the crosshatch bars
Grape Juice	`#88498F`	Pin 1 face, Pin 2 shelf, Pin 3 face and microphone stand
Tomato	`#FF6542`	Coffee mug, handle, and heart, flower bowl, curtains
Carrot Orange	`#F79825`	Pot rim, stage floor, microphone collar
Bright Amber	`#EFCA08`	All three pin borders, mug lip, spotlight
Lime Moss	`#ADBA3F`	Second leaf
Sage Green	`#6BAA75`	Counter, first leaf
Lavender Veil	`#EDDFEF`	Pin 1 glow, Pin 2 face, microphone head, stand base

Quick refresher: Photoshop to Illustrator

You know Photoshop. Here is how the new ideas map over.

Photoshop	Illustrator
Shape layer: Combine Shapes, Subtract Front Shape, Intersect, Exclude	Pathfinder panel: Unite, Minus Front, Intersect, Exclude. Same four ideas, applied to selected objects.
Select, Modify, Expand or Contract	Object > Path > Offset Path. Grows or shrinks a shape and makes a new one.
Clipping mask (Alt or Option click between layers)	Object > Clipping Mask > Make. The top shape becomes the window.
Rounded Rectangle tool with a radius	Live Shapes. Any rectangle has a Corner Radius you can change at any time.
Layer style: Stroke	Every object has a stroke. The Ink outline is that stroke.
Move tool and the X and Y fields	Selection tool `V` and the X and Y boxes in the Properties panel.

Class plan

Start	Minutes	What	How
0:00	2	Opening: cut, combine, trim	Demo
0:02	10	Step 1: Set up your file and color chips	Do along
0:12	6	Step 2: Pin 1, the shape and border	Do along
0:18	11	Step 3: Pin 1, the artwork	Do along
0:29	5	Step 4: Pin 1, the clipping mask	Do along
0:34	3	Step 5: Midpoint turn-in	Gate
0:37	11	Step 6: Pin 2, Plant Parents	Do along
0:48	6	Step 7: Save and export	Do along
0:54	Core ends. Two pins turned in.
0:54	14	Step 8: Bonus Pin 3, Open Mic Club	Bonus, ahead students only
1:08	Bonus ends. Optional steps.

Steps

Step 1

Set up your file and color chips

about 10 min

Open Illustrator and choose File > New.
Set Width to 1800 px and Height to 1200 px. The unit must say px. Leave Artboards at 1. Set Color Mode to RGB. Click Create.
Save right away with File > Save As and name the file LastName_PinClub.ai.
Turn on Smart Guides with Ctrl+U / Cmd+U. A check mark appears next to View > Smart Guides.
Set the reference point. Open Window > Transform and click the center square in the Reference Point grid, the small grid of nine squares on the left. Keep it selected whenever you enter X and Y. Every position in this project is the center of a shape.
Properties panel. The orange box is the Reference Point grid. Click the center square.
Load the class swatches. Download MKT202_PinClub_Swatches.ase from the Downloads box at the top of this page. Open Window > Swatches, click the Swatch Libraries menu at the bottom left of the panel, choose Other Library at the bottom of the list, and pick the file. A panel opens with the eight palette colors. Click a swatch to set the Fill of the selected shape. Swatches carry color only, so you still set the outline yourself (see the ring step).
The class swatch library after import. Eight colors in palette order.
Build your color chips. Press M. Click once on the gray area well above the artboard, enter 80 px by 80 px, and click OK.
Color the first chip by typing hex codes. Double-click the Fill square near the bottom of the Toolbar. In the Color Picker, type the six digits into the # box and click OK. Fill is Ink (#2A1B3D). Double-click the Stroke square and enter Ink (#2A1B3D). Set the stroke weight to 8 pt in the Properties panel. Open Window > Stroke and click Round Cap and Round Join.
Fill popup, color view. Type the six digits in the # box.
Stroke popup. Set Weight, then Cap and Corner to the round choices.
Toolbar Fill and Stroke squares. The orange box is the None button.
Press V. Hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) and Shift, and drag the chip to the right to copy it. Make eight chips in a row above the artboard.
Give each copy a new fill. Click one chip, double-click the Fill square, type the hex code, and click OK. Leave every stroke Ink 8 pt. In order after the Ink chip: Grape Juice (#88498F), Tomato (#FF6542), Carrot Orange (#F79825), Bright Amber (#EFCA08), Lime Moss (#ADBA3F), Sage Green (#6BAA75), Lavender Veil (#EDDFEF).
From now on, to color a shape: select it, press I for the Eyedropper tool, and click the matching chip. The shape takes the chip's fill and stroke. Chips sit above the artboard, so they do not appear in your export.

Check your work: A white 1800 by 1200 artboard with a row of eight color chips above it: Ink, Grape Juice, Tomato, Carrot Orange, Bright Amber, Lime Moss, Sage Green, and Lavender Veil. Every chip has an Ink outline.

What you should see: A white artboard with a row of eight small squares above it, all with the same dark outline.
If not: If a chip looks wrong, double-click its Fill square and retype the hex code. If chips ended up on the artboard, drag them up into the gray area.

No guides today. You will place every pin by typing numbers.
Chips go above the artboard, not on it. Anything off the artboard is not in the exported JPEG.

Step 2

Pin 1, the shape and border

about 6 min

Press L for the Ellipse tool. Click once on the artboard, enter 440 px by 440 px, and click OK. Press I and click the Grape Juice chip.
Look at the Transform section of the Properties panel. Type 300 in the X box and 600 in the Y box. The circle jumps to the left third of the artboard. If the box is missing, open Window > Transform and use X and Y there.
With the circle still selected, choose Object > Path > Offset Path. Set Offset to 30 px and Joins to Round. Click OK. A bigger circle appears on top of the first one.
Object > Path > Offset Path. Type the Offset and set Joins.
Press I and click the Bright Amber chip. Choose Object > Arrange > Send Backward. The gold ring now sits behind the purple face.
Press V. Drag a selection box around both circles. Lock them with Ctrl+2 / Cmd+2. Locked shapes cannot be clicked or moved, so they stay put while you build on top of them.

Check your work: A gold ring around a purple circle, both with an Ink outline, in the left third of the artboard. The circles will not move when you click them.

What you should see: A purple circle with a thick gold ring around it, centered about a third of the way across the artboard.
If not: If the gold circle covers the purple one, select it with the Selection tool and send it backward. If you cannot lock, check that both circles are selected first.

Offset Path makes a new shape. It does not change the first one.
X and Y use the center of the shape unless the reference point was changed.

Step 3

Pin 1, the artwork

about 11 min

Glow. Press L, click once, enter 380 px by 380 px, and click OK. Press I and click the Lavender Veil chip. Set X 300 and Y 600. Then press M, click once, enter 600 px by 120 px, click OK, and click the Sage Green chip. Set X 300 and Y 800. That is the counter. Part of it hangs outside the pin on purpose.
Handle. Ellipse 110 px by 110 px, Tomato chip, X 392, Y 650. Ellipse 62 px by 62 px, any chip, X 392, Y 650. The small circle sits exactly in the middle of the big one.
Open Window > Pathfinder. Press V. Click the big circle on its outer rim, away from the small one. Hold Shift and click the small circle. Click Minus Front, the second icon in the top row of the Pathfinder panel. A ring is left.
Pathfinder panel. Orange boxes: Unite, Minus Front, Intersect (left to right).
Mug. Press M. Click once, enter 210 px by 190 px, and click OK. Tomato chip. Set X 270 and Y 650. This covers the left half of the handle on purpose. In the Properties panel, find the Rectangle section and set Corner Radius to 50 px. This is Live Shapes: the corners round off and the rectangle stays editable.
Lip. Rectangle 234 px by 44 px, Bright Amber chip, X 270, Y 556, Corner Radius 22 px.
Eyes. Ellipse 22 px by 22 px, Ink chip, X 240, Y 628. Press V, hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows), and drag a copy to the right. Set the copy's X to 300.
Smile. Ellipse 70 px by 70 px, Ink chip, X 270, Y 672. Ellipse 70 px by 70 px, any chip, X 270, Y 648. Press V, click the lower circle, Shift-click the upper circle, and click Minus Front. A crescent smile is left.
Heart. Rectangle 60 px by 60 px, Tomato chip. Choose Object > Transform > Rotate, type 45, and click OK. Set X 270 and Y 478. It is now a diamond. Ellipse 60 px by 60 px, Tomato chip, X 249, Y 457. Ellipse 60 px by 60 px, Tomato chip, X 291, Y 457. Press V. Click the exposed bottom point of the diamond, the corner that sticks out below the circles. Shift-click the exposed top of each circle. Click Unite, the first icon in the top row of the Pathfinder panel. The three shapes become one heart.

Check your work: On the purple circle you have a pale glow, a smiling red mug with a yellow lip and a ring handle, a red heart above it, and a green counter. The counter sticks out past the circle.

What you should see: A red mug with a happy face and a handle on the right, a yellow lip, a red heart with one clean outline, a pale glow behind, and a green counter along the bottom that overlaps the gold ring.
If not: If the handle is a solid circle, the small circle was not selected or was not centered. Undo and reselect. If the smile is a full circle, the upper circle was not selected for Minus Front. If the heart still shows lines inside it, you did not select all three shapes before Unite.

Minus Front cuts the front shape out of the back shape. Select both first.
The heart only becomes one object after Unite. Check for lines inside it.
Anything hanging outside the pin is fine. The mask handles it next.

Step 4

Pin 1, the clipping mask

about 5 min

Press L. Click once, enter 440 px by 440 px, and click OK. Press I and click any chip. Set X 300 and Y 600. This circle is the window.
Press V. Drag a selection box around the pin. Keep the box on the artboard, away from the color chips and away from the other pins. Because the gold ring and purple face are locked, only the artwork and the new circle are selected.
Choose Object > Clipping Mask > Make, or press Ctrl+7 / Cmd+7. Everything outside the circle disappears. It is hidden, not deleted.
Put the outline back. The mask removed the outline from its window circle, so we draw a new circle that is only an outline. Ellipse 440 px by 440 px, X 300, Y 600. Click the Fill square in the Toolbar, then click the None button, the small white box with a red slash. Double-click the Stroke square, the hollow square in front of the Fill square, type 2A1B3D in the # box, and click OK. In the Properties panel set the stroke weight to 8 pt. The circle is now a hollow Ink outline and the pin shows through.
Fill popup. The orange box is the None swatch.
Toolbar: Fill square, Stroke square, and the None button.
Stroke popup. Weight is the orange box.
Choose Object > Unlock All, or press Ctrl+Alt+2 / Cmd+Option+2.
Press V. Drag a box around the whole pin and group it with Ctrl+G / Cmd+G. Open Window > Layers. Double-click the name of the group and rename it Coffee Club.

Check your work: Pin 1 is one group named Coffee Club in the Layers panel. The counter no longer sticks out. The pin has a clean Ink outline all the way around.

What you should see: A finished circle pin. The counter ends at the circle edge. A dark outline runs all the way around.
If not: If the pin looks cut in the wrong place, the window circle was not at X 300, Y 600. Release the mask with , fix the circle, and make the mask again. If nothing was trimmed, check that both the artwork and the circle were selected.

The window circle must sit on top of the artwork. It does, because you drew it last.
After the mask is made, the window circle has no fill and no outline. The new circle gets Fill None and an Ink stroke at 8 pt, so only the outline stays.

Step 5

Midpoint turn-in

about 3 minturn-in

Save with Ctrl+S / Cmd+S.
Choose File > Export > Export As. Name the file LastName_PinOne.jpg. Set the format to JPEG and check Use Artboards. Click Export.
In the JPEG Options box, set Quality near the high end, Color Model to RGB, and Resolution to Screen (72 ppi). The slider scale differs between dialogs, so go by what your slider shows. Click OK.
Upload LastName_PinOne.jpg to Canvas as your midpoint.

Check your work: Your JPEG shows one finished pin on a white background. The file name starts with your last name.

What you should see: A white image with one circle pin on the left. Most of the artboard is empty on purpose.
If not: If the image looks cropped or the wrong size, check that Use Artboards was checked in the export dialog, then export again.

You keep building in the same .ai file. The JPEG is only a snapshot, and the JPEG is the only thing you upload.

Step 6

Pin 2, Plant Parents

about 11 min

Ellipse 440 px by 440 px, Lavender Veil chip, X 900, Y 600. Offset Path 30 px, Round. Bright Amber chip. Send Backward. Press V, drag a box around both circles, and lock them with Ctrl+2 / Cmd+2.
Shelf. Rectangle 560 px by 90 px, Grape Juice chip, X 900, Y 815. It hangs outside the pin on purpose.
Leaf. Ellipse 260 px by 260 px, Sage Green chip, X 850, Y 540. Hold Option or Alt and drag to copy it. With the copy selected, set X to 1000. The two circles overlap in the middle.
Press V. Click one circle and Shift-click the other. In the Pathfinder panel, click Intersect, the third icon in the top row. Only the overlap is left, and it looks like a leaf.
Pathfinder panel. Intersect is the third orange box.
Choose Object > Transform > Rotate. Type -30 and click OK. Choose it again, type 60, and click Copy. You now have two leaves, one on each side. Press I and click the Lime Moss chip while the copy is selected.
Click the Sage Green leaf that leans left and set X 855, Y 530. Click the Lime Moss leaf that leans right and set X 945, Y 530. Their bottom tips almost touch above the middle of the pin.
Bowl. Ellipse 220 px by 220 px, Tomato chip, X 900, Y 650. Rectangle 220 px by 110 px, any chip, X 900, Y 595. The rectangle covers the top half of the circle. Press V, click the circle, and Shift-click the rectangle. Press Shift+M for the Shape Builder tool. Hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) and drag one line across the three top pieces: the top half of the circle and the two corner pieces beside it. They disappear. Press V. A half circle is left. That is the bowl.
Shape Builder tool in the Toolbar. Long-press the tool above it if you do not see it.
Rectangle 230 px by 38 px, Carrot Orange chip, X 900, Y 634. This is the rim. It covers the leaf bottoms and the flat top of the bowl.
Window: ellipse 440 px by 440 px, X 900, Y 600. Press V, drag a box around the pin on the artboard, and press Ctrl+7 / Cmd+7. Keep the box on the artboard, away from the color chips and away from the other pins.
Put the outline back. The mask removed the outline, so draw a hollow circle on top. Ellipse 440 px by 440 px, X 900, Y 600. Click the Fill square in the Toolbar, then click the None button, the small white box with a red slash. Double-click the Stroke square, the hollow square in front of the Fill square, type 2A1B3D in the # box, and click OK. In the Properties panel set the stroke weight to 8 pt. The circle is now a hollow Ink outline and the pin shows through.
Unlock All with Ctrl+Alt+2 / Cmd+Option+2. Drag a box around the whole pin, group it, and rename it Plant Parents.

Check your work: Two groups in the Layers panel: Coffee Club and Plant Parents. Pin 2 shows two leaves in a bowl-shaped pot on a shelf that ends cleanly at the circle edge.

What you should see: A lavender circle with a gold border, a green leaf and a lime leaf above a red-orange bowl with an orange rim, and a purple shelf at the bottom.
If not: If the leaf is a full circle, only one circle was selected for Intersect. If both leaves lean the same way, the second Rotate used the wrong sign or the wrong angle. Undo and try the opposite sign. If the bowl is a full circle or the corner pieces are still there, the Shape Builder drag missed a piece. Undo, hold Option or Alt, and drag across all three in one stroke.

Intersect keeps only the overlap. Select both circles first.
The second Rotate has Copy checked. That is how you get a second leaf.
Shape Builder with Option or Alt held deletes the pieces you drag across. Without the key it merges them.

Step 7

Save and export

about 6 min

Save with Ctrl+S / Cmd+S. Your file is LastName_PinClub.ai.
Choose File > Export > Export As. Name it LastName_PinClub, choose JPEG, and check Use Artboards. Click Export.
In the JPEG Options box, set Quality near the high end, Color Model to RGB, and Resolution to Screen (72 ppi). Click OK.
Check the size. On Windows, right-click the JPEG and choose Properties, Details. On Mac, select it and press Ctrl+I / Cmd+I, then look under More Info. It should be 1800 by 1200 pixels.
Open the JPEG. Look for two pins with clean outlines and no color chips. If the chips show, they were on the artboard. Drag them above it and export again.
Upload LastName_PinClub.jpg to Canvas. Do not upload the .ai file.

Check your work: Your .jpg is uploaded to Canvas, named with your last name, is 1800 by 1200 pixels, and shows two pins. Your .ai is saved for yourself.

What you should see: A white image with two pins on the same center line and an empty right third.
If not: If the picture is cropped or the wrong size, check that Use Artboards was checked, then export again.

The JPEG has a white background. That is expected.
The empty right third is the bonus pin's space. It is correct for now.

Step 8

Bonus: Pin 3, Open Mic Club

about 14 minbonus

Ellipse 440 px by 440 px, Grape Juice chip, X 1500, Y 600. Offset Path 30 px, Round. Bright Amber chip. Send Backward. Press V, drag a box around both circles, and lock them with Ctrl+2 / Cmd+2.
Spotlight. Click and hold the Rectangle tool in the Toolbar and choose the Polygon tool. Click once on the artboard, set Sides to 3, and click OK. Unlink the proportions in the Properties panel, then set W 244 px, H 422 px, X 1500, Y 554. Press I and click the Bright Amber chip. The point is at the top.
Polygon tool is in the Rectangle tool group. Long-press the Rectangle tool.
Stage. Press M. Rectangle 540 px by 160 px, Carrot Orange chip, X 1500, Y 845. Ellipse 112 px by 24 px, Lavender Veil chip, X 1500, Y 774. That is the base of the mic stand.
Mic stand. Rectangle 36 px by 122 px, Grape Juice chip, X 1500, Y 710, Corner Radius 18 px. Ellipse 127 px by 127 px, Lavender Veil chip, X 1500, Y 582. That is the mic head.
Crosshatch bars. Rectangle 1 px by 160 px, Ink chip, X 1442, Y 582. With it selected, set the stroke weight to 4 pt. Choose Object > Transform > Transform Each. Set Horizontal Move to 29 px, Vertical Move to 0, Angle to 0, leave Scale at 100, and click Copy. Press Ctrl+D / Cmd+D three times. You have five bars. Press V, drag a box around only the bars, and group them with Ctrl+G / Cmd+G.
Transform Each dialog. Set Move, then click Copy.
Choose Object > Transform > Rotate, type 45, and click OK. Press Ctrl+C / Cmd+C, then Ctrl+F / Cmd+F to paste a copy in front. Rotate the copy by 90. The bars now cross in a diamond pattern.
Grille mask. Ellipse 127 px by 127 px, any chip, X 1500, Y 582. Press V, click one bar group, Shift-click the other bar group, and Shift-click this new circle. Press Ctrl+7 / Cmd+7. The bars are trimmed to the head. Draw one more ellipse 127 px by 127 px, X 1500, Y 582. Set the Fill to None, set the Stroke to 2A1B3D, and set the stroke weight to 8 pt, the same as the pin ring, so only the outline is left.
Collar. Rectangle 88 px by 32 px, Carrot Orange chip, X 1500, Y 650, Corner Radius 16 px.
Curtains. Rectangle 170 px by 520 px, Tomato chip, X 1315, Y 600. Ellipse 400 px by 400 px, any chip, X 1575, Y 500. This circle bites into the right edge of the rectangle. Press V, click the rectangle, Shift-click the circle, and click Minus Front. Now a second circle: ellipse 400 px by 400 px, Tomato chip, X 1225, Y 694. It bulges past the right edge lower down, and it touches the first bite at the middle of the edge. Click the curtain, Shift-click this circle, and click Unite. The edge is now a smooth wave. Hold Option or Alt and drag a copy to the right. Choose Object > Transform > Reflect, choose Vertical, and click OK. Set the copy's X to 1775.
Reflect dialog. Choose Vertical, then click Copy.
Valance. Build this high above the artboard so nothing else gets selected. Ellipse 88 px by 88 px, Tomato chip, X 1260, Y -383. Choose Object > Transform > Transform Each, set Horizontal Move to 80 px, Vertical 0, and click Copy. Press Ctrl+D / Cmd+D five times. You have seven circles. Rectangle 548 px by 73 px, Tomato chip, X 1500, Y -420. Press V, drag a box around all eight shapes, and click Unite. Set the new shape's X 1500 and Y 402. It drops onto the top of the pin.
Window: ellipse 440 px by 440 px, X 1500, Y 600. Press V, drag a box around the pin on the artboard, and press Ctrl+7 / Cmd+7. Keep the box inside the right third.
Put the outline back. The mask removed the outline, so draw a hollow circle on top. Ellipse 440 px by 440 px, X 1500, Y 600. Click the Fill square in the Toolbar, then click the None button, the small white box with a red slash. Double-click the Stroke square, the hollow square in front of the Fill square, type 2A1B3D in the # box, and click OK. In the Properties panel set the stroke weight to 8 pt. The circle is now a hollow Ink outline and the pin shows through.
Unlock All with Ctrl+Alt+2 / Cmd+Option+2. Drag a box around the whole pin, group it, and rename it Open Mic.
Save. Export again with the same name, LastName_PinClub.jpg, and upload it to Canvas to replace the first one.

Check your work: Three groups in the Layers panel: Coffee Club, Plant Parents, and Open Mic. Pin 3 shows red curtains with a scalloped top, a yellow spotlight, and a crosshatch microphone on a stand.

What you should see: A circle pin with red curtains on both sides, a purple gap, a yellow spotlight on an orange stage, and a lavender crosshatch microphone.
If not: If a curtain edge is straight, the Minus Front or the Unite was not applied to both shapes. If the edge has a notch instead of a smooth wave, the second circle is not at Y 694. If the bars show outside the mic head, the grille mask was made with the wrong objects selected. Release it with and select the two bar groups and the new circle again. If the valance has seams inside it, not all eight shapes were selected before Unite.

The valance is built above the artboard so a box select cannot grab anything else. Move it down by typing its X and Y.
Ctrl or Cmd D repeats the last transform. Press it only after the Transform Each Copy.

Final checklist

Two pins: Late Shift Coffee Club and Plant Parents, both built from basic shapes. Open Mic Club is the bonus
Visible artwork uses Ink outlines where shown, and every color comes from the class palette
Each pin has a border made with Offset Path
Each pin's artwork is clipped inside its pin shape. Nothing hangs outside
The mug and the lip have rounded corners made with Live Shapes
The mug handle and the smile use Minus Front, the heart uses Unite, the bowl uses Shape Builder, and the leaf uses Intersect
Every pin is grouped and the group has a name in the Layers panel
The pins share a center line and the color chips are not on the artboard
LastName_PinClub.jpg uploaded to Canvas
LastName_PinClub.ai saved for yourself (not uploaded)
If you did the bonus or the optional steps, you saved, exported again, and uploaded again
LastName_PinOne.jpg was uploaded at the midpoint

Optional steps

Finished early? Do these in any order.

Optional A

Sunburst with Transform Each

about 7 min

Draw a rectangle 36 px by 220 px, Bright Amber chip, X 900, Y 160. It sits in the empty space above Pin 2, with its center at the middle of the future burst.
Choose Object > Transform > Transform Each. Set Angle to 30, leave Scale at 100 and Move at 0, and click Copy.
Press Ctrl+D / Cmd+D four times. Each press repeats the last transform. You get six rays.
Ellipse 150 px by 150 px, Lavender Veil chip, X 900, Y 160. Press V, drag a box around the sunburst, group it, and rename it Sunburst.

Check your work: A starburst above Pin 2 with twelve points, a lavender circle in the middle, and a group named Sunburst.

Optional B

Hard shadow behind a pin

about 4 min

Press L. Click once, enter 500 px by 500 px, and click OK. This is the size of Pin 1 with its gold border.
Double-click the Fill square, type 2A1B3D, and click OK. Click the Stroke square and click the None button, the small white box with a red slash. The circle is solid Ink with no outline.
Set X 314 and Y 614. That is 14 px right and 14 px down from the center of Pin 1. Choose Object > Arrange > Send to Back. The Ink circle peeks out from behind the pin like a shadow.
For another pin, use its center plus 14. Pin 2 is X 914, Y 614. Pin 3 is X 1514, Y 614.

Check your work: The pin has a solid Ink offset shadow.

Optional C

Exclude and Divide

about 5 min

Draw two overlapping circles, 200 px each, in the empty space below Pin 2. Select both. In the Pathfinder panel, click Exclude, the fourth icon in the top row. The overlap becomes a hole.
Undo. Select both again and click Divide, the first icon in the bottom row. Press Ctrl+Shift+G / Cmd+Shift+G to ungroup. Press V, click empty space, and click each piece in turn.
Give each piece a different chip with the Eyedropper. Group the pieces and rename the group Experiment.

Check your work: Three pieces in three colors from two circles, grouped and named Experiment.

Optional D

Give Plant Parents a face

Eyes: two ellipses 22 px by 22 px, Ink chip, at X 870 and X 930, Y 700.
Smile: two ellipses 70 px by 70 px, Ink chip, one at X 900, Y 730 and one at X 900, Y 706. Select the lower one, Shift-click the upper one, and click Minus Front.
Select the bowl, rim, eyes, and smile and group them. If the pin was already grouped, double-click it first to go inside.

Check your work: The plant bowl has two eyes and a smile.

The reference sheet shows the finished look of all three pins. It is an approximation drawn by a script.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
I pick a color and nothing changes.	Check what is selected. Click the shape first.
I cannot select a shape.	Possible checks: it may be locked, or it may be inside a group (double-click to go in). Choose Object > Unlock All and look in the Layers panel.
My pin is not in the middle of its third.	Select it, then check the X and Y boxes in the Properties panel. Pin 1 is X `300`, Pin 2 is X `900`, the bonus Pin 3 is X `1500`. Y is `600` for all of them.
The X and Y boxes are not showing.	Open Window > Transform. The same boxes are there.
Minus Front did nothing.	Check that both the back shape and the front shape were selected. Open Window > Pathfinder.
The clipping mask hid everything.	The window circle probably is not centered on the pin. Choose Object > Clipping Mask > Release, set the circle to X, Y from the steps, and make the mask again.
The mask took the face and the border with it.	You unlocked before making the mask. Undo to before the mask, lock the face and border, and try again.
A shape is hidden behind another shape.	Select it and use Object > Arrange to bring it forward or send it back.
The Eyedropper did not copy the stroke or the right color.	Check that your shape was selected before you clicked the chip. If it still looks wrong, double-click the Fill or Stroke square and type the hex code from the palette table.
The Eyedropper copied the color but not the outline.	Select the shape. Double-click the Stroke square in the Toolbar, type `2A1B3D`, click OK, and set the stroke weight to `8 pt` in the Properties panel. Do the same on the chips if they have no outline. Double-click the Eyedropper tool to see what it picks up and make sure Stroke is checked.
Two colors are hard to tell apart.	Check that both shapes have the Ink outline. The outline is what separates colors that look alike.
My panels vanished.	Choose Window > Workspace > Essentials, or Window > Workspace > Reset Essentials.
I cannot find a tool.	Tools hide in groups. Click and hold a tool that has a small triangle in its corner.

What this project was actually about

In Session 1 you made shapes. Today you changed shapes: you cut one out of another with Minus Front, glued several together with Unite, kept the overlap with Intersect, grew a border with Offset Path, rounded a corner without redrawing, and hid the extra with a clipping mask. You also put things where you wanted by typing numbers, and you saw that a dark outline can hold a set of similar colors together. Those habits are the base for the Pen tool next session and for the drink can in Session 7.

Tools used

Selection tool V and Lock and Unlock All
Rectangle and Ellipse tools, and the X and Y boxes in the Properties panel
Pathfinder panel: Unite, Minus Front, and Intersect (optional: Exclude and Divide)
Shape Builder tool Shift+M
Bonus: Polygon tool, Transform Each with Copy and Transform Again, Reflect
Live Shapes: Corner Radius
Object > Path > Offset Path
Object > Clipping Mask > Make
Eyedropper tool I and a row of color chips
Layers panel and group naming
File > Export > Export As (JPEG, Use Artboards)