Draw Straight and Curved Lines in Adobe Illustrator CS6

3 Parts:

Steps

Video: Draw Straight and Curved Lines in Adobe Illustrator CS6

Comments

You're watching VisiHow. This tutorial will show you how to draw straight and curved lines in Adobe Illustrator CS6 in Windows 7.

1. 1
   To begin, you should have Illustrator open and a document ready

   .

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
2. 2
   Click the "Pen Tool"

   .

   It looks like the tip of a fountain pen, and it's located on the left-side toolbar.

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
3. 3
   Consider if you want fill and stroke colors

   .

   Please see our other Illustrator tutorials for more information about fill and stroke colors.

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
4. 4
   You can change the thickness of your line by using the "Stroke" horizontal toolbar option at the top of the window

   .

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
5. 5
   Then, click the canvas to create an anchor point

   .

   This is where you start to draw your line.

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
6. 6
   Wherever you click next will be the end of the line

   .

   It will also be the second anchor point.

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
7. 7
   Clicking the canvas again will create another line

   .

   A green smart guide line will appear. It is the way Illustrator predicts where you might want to go next. This is particularly useful when you are trying to align the shapes by their corner or centers.

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
8. 8
   Click the first anchor point

   .

   The shape will be closed at the first anchor point. A linear shape will be created.

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
9. 9
   If you click the canvas again, you will be able to begin creating a new shape, since you have closed the path of your first shape

   .

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
10. 10
    Press "Ctrl" and "Z" several times to clean the canvas

    .

    

    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
11. 11
    Let's create a curved line with the same tool

    .

    Click the canvas to create your first anchor point.

    

    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
12. 12
    Then, when you go to create your second anchor point, hold down the mouse button

    .

    Without letting go of your mouse, you can drag your mouse to create handles, which will determine the angle of your curve. You can see how the curve will look as you move your mouse.

    

    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
13. 13
    Your line will be in place as soon as you let go of your mouse

    .

    

    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
14. 14
    You can continue creating curves from each anchor point in the same way

    .

    It is recommended to become familiar with "Pen Tool", as it can be quite difficult to get used to it. Yet, it is very practical when working in Illustrator.

    

    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

This concludes our tutorial showing you how to draw straight and curved lines in Adobe Illustrator CS6 in Windows 7. If you have any questions or comments regarding this video or the program used, just add them to the comment section below. Thank you for choosing VisiHow!

If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.

Comments