Chapter 6: Draw with the Pen Tool

Overview

The unique power of vector drawing programs such as Illustrator lies in their ability to generate perfect curves. It s amazing how much freedom you have to create illustrations by combining straight lines and curves. And the ultimate curve tool in Illustrator s arsenal is the Pen tool.

The Pen tool isn t easy to master, and it isn t intuitive. When you draw in real life, you don t consciously think of generating paths controlled by anchor points that define the curvature of a path. But that s how the Pen tool works. You don t click and drag with the Pen tool as you do with the Pencil tool (or a real pencil). Instead, you click to define the location of anchor points, and then manipulate control points associated with those anchors to define the curvature of your path . All this takes much practice.

Few digital artists sit down and free-flow design with the Pen tool. Instead, it s more often used to trace scanned artwork or generate exact curves based on a template or model. That said, the Pen tool is the single most effective, fine- tuned , and essential resource in Illustrator.