Some of the best visual ideas can come about by setting up some boundaries — a color palette, choice of a typeface or two, some starting idea of line weight, scale and proportion of elements — and running wild within the system.

Working out a visual system with code is a great way to explore new ideas: computers love repetition and can quickly make hundreds of variations on a theme, and mistakes in the code can result in something that often times looks better than what was originally intended.

With no programming experience necessary, workshop participants will learn the basics of the Python programming language while working in the free DrawBot application for the macOS. A quick sketch made with code in DrawBot can be saved as a PDF as a starting point to be finished later in Illustrator, or, with a little bit more work in the code editor, an entire book, magazine or animation can be built without even launching Illustrator or InDesign.

Using the fundamentals of the Python programming language, students will sketch to create vector art with code and use the basic principles of design to turn their sketches into PDF zines and animated gifs.

Required materials:

• A Laptop with macOS 10.9 (Mavericks) or newer

Meets Tuesdays 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Registration for summer classes begins on May 7. Join the mailing list to receive updates and reminders about upcoming events, classes, and workshops.