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Golden Mean
Monochrome
Click Image for Manual Slides
Go to File > Place and find the Monochromatic Palette template. Place it into the new document. If necessary, Embed it.
Lock the layer with the imported monochromatic template by clicking on the empty box next to the eye on its layer.
Make a new layer by clicking on the Create a New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers window. Make sure the new empty layer is above the layer with the template.
Use the monochromatic template as a guide and fill all the rectangles with the appropriate monochromatic color harmony.
Open the Swatches window and open its Options window by clicking on its upper right corner.
Click on the Open Swatch Libraries then click on Scientific then on Triad. That library set will open in a new swatch window. There should be four folders with three triadic colors in each. Select one of the colors as a fill with None as stroke and draw a rectangle over the Pure Hue slot. Deselect.
Next draw rectangular fills, with no stroke, in the appropriate value slots over the Value Scale at the left of the diagram. You can use the grays in the open swatch library and they can be adjusted, while selected, by moving the slider in the Color Window. It is similar to the first value scale made in the Value Scale exercise. If necessary, adjust the values so that they smoothly transition from white to black in seven grays.
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Draw the white and the black rectangles then Direct Select each and drag them out of the Artboard to the left, separating them vertically by at least eight inches. Deselect and double click on the Blend tool. In Blend Options set spacing to Specified Steps and then to 7. Click OK. With the cursor icon changed to the blend icon, click first on the black rectangle and then on the white rectangle. With the blend group still selected go to Object > Expand. Then, while the group is still selected, go to Object > Ungroup. You can also select the expanded group through the Layers window and then go to Object > Ungroup. Direct Select each of the rectangles and place them in their appropriate slots.
Repeat the procedure with the Blend tool to fill the rest of the rectangular slots. First make the three Tints and the three Shades and then the Tones. Remember to readjust the specified steps in the blend options window. You may have to temporary drag out the rectangles that you're working on to avoid interference from the others or Direct Select the rectangles that are the basis for the blend. After the making of each blend remember to Expand and to Ungroup. That way you can use each swatch independent from the others. Also, remember to Deselect.
Once the Monochromatic palette is filled go to the bottom of Swatches window and click on the New Color Group.
In the New Color Group window type a descriptive name. That will put a new Color Group folder in the swatches window.
Click in the upper right corner of the Swatches window and open the swatches window options.
Select Add Used Colors. This will add the colors in the open document to the swatches window.
Shift Select all the newly added colors and drag them into the new folder.
Repeat the procedure with a new pure hue and create a new monochromatic harmony.
Put each Monochromatic set in its own folder.
Save your color swatches by clicking the swatches window options and selecting Save Swatch Library as AI.
Make sure you save it, first to your desktop and later to your flash drive.
Open a Golden Mean project and go to File > Save As to give it another name.
Open your Monochromatic swatches file by going to the swatches window options and selecting Open Swatch Library then Other Library and find your saved Monochromatic swatches file. Use it to color your Golden Mean design.
You can use it as fills, strokes, gradients, and transparencies and in patterns and textures.
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