Use the Pen Tool in Illustrator CS6
Edited by Freya, VisiHow, Eng, Visihow Admin
You're watching VisiHow. This tutorial will show you how to use "Pen Tool" in Adobe Illustrator CS6 in Windows 7.
Steps
1
You should open Adobe Illustrator and a document
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Click the "Pen Tool" icon in the vertical menu on the left side of the window
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The "Pen Tool" icon is a fountain pen.
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You can draw straight lines by clicking once and then clicking another location on the canvas
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Hover the cursor over the canvas
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Illustrator will suggest where to click to connect your lines and create a geometric shape. In this case, Illustrator shows us how to draw a right-angle triangle.
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Click the "Fill" color box in the toolbar to the left
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The shape will be automatically filled.
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Press "Ctrl" + "Z" to step back
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You will come back to the blank canvas. You can also use "Pen Tool" to create curves.
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To create a curve, click and drag somewhere on the canvas
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This will create handles on either side of the anchor point.
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The handle will be created.
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Click and drag somewhere to create another handle
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You will form a curve between the two anchor points.
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You can keep creating anchor points for a longer curve
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You can easily draw a wavy line. You have to experiment and get used to the tool, which can be quite tricky. You can also create a wavy line with all of the curves facing the same way.
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This will remove the object.
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Click and drag somewhere to create an anchor point with a handle
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Click and drag a point on canvas again to create a convex curve
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Hover over an anchor point at the end of a handle
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Then, before creating your next anchor point, press "Alt" on the keyboard
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This "breaks" the handle.
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You can manipulate the direction and move the line upwards for the next curve
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You can then click somewhere to continue to create your next curve as before
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You can keep creating a wavy line
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This will create a cloud shape or something else with rounded corners.
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Double-click the "Fill" box in the toolbar
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When you click a color in the dialogue box, the area between the curves will be automatically filled. Keep in mind that this action does not close the path.
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Press "Ctrl" + "Z" several times to step back
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You can adjust "Pen Tool" settings at the top of the window by clicking the drop-down menus.
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Click the "Fill" drop-down menu in the upper-left corner
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You will be able to select a color.
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You can also click the "Stroke" drop-down menu to change the stroke color
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You can change your stroke thickness
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You can do that by clicking the up and down buttons next to "Stroke".
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You can click the fourth drop-down menu at the top
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By that, you can also change the line thickness and shape.
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Let's click "Width Profile 2"
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Click several times on the canvas to draw lines
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Some parts of the line will be thinner or thicker.
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Let's increase thickness by clicking the up arrow in the "Stroke" option
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Click the fourth drop-down menu to change the thickness and shape of the line
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Draw a line on the canvas
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You will see how it changes according to the width profile. In this case, there will be a retro effect.
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Click somewhere on the canvas
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The options at the top will be brought up. They will be changed back to the default settings.
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Click the fifth drop-down menu
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This option gives more options with different brushes.
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Click the "Opacity" drop-down menu
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100 % is the default setting, which creates completely opaque lines.
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Click another percentage to create a transparent line
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Alternatively, you can type the value in the input box. Let's type "53".
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If you draw lines now, you will note that their opacity will be changed
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Click the "Style" drop-down menu
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You can choose the style for the line. Continue to experiment with the shapes, styles, and curves.
This tutorial has shown you how to use "Pen Tool" in Adobe Illustrator CS6 in Windows 7. If you have any questions or comments regarding this video, write them into the section below; and we will respond to you soon. Thank you for choosing VisiHow!
Video: Use the Pen Tool in Illustrator CS6
Categories :
Software
Recent edits by: Eng, VisiHow, Freya