How to Draw a Circle in Illustrator With Pen Tool
Hello once again. Nice to see you back for some Illustrator Pen tool goodness.
So in the previous post, we looked at how to utilise the Illustrator Pen tool to draw straight line segments. Continuing on from at that place, let's look at how to describe curves with the Pen. This tends to be the office where people become a bit frustrated with the Pen tool and notice their paths flight off in (what seems like) random directions. Nonetheless, with a piddling chip of understanding, combined with a little bit of do, you'll find drawing curves go intuitive and your paths start to become where You desire them to go.
Cartoon curved paths
Unlike straight paths which are created by but clicking where you want to place an anchor point, curved paths are created past clicking with the mouse (or pen tablet) and dragging. The first time y'all click, you prepare a starting signal for the curved path. Then as you concord and elevate, you determine the management of the curve. Every bit you continue to drag, a curved path is fatigued between the previous point and the electric current point.
Two things happen when yous click and drag with the Pen tool.
i. An ballast point is placed on the art board when you click.
2. Direction lines and direction points are fatigued when you drag.
We use the direction lines and points to make up one's mind the direction and shape of the curved path nosotros're drawing. Let'southward go going with some curved paths:
1. Select the Pen tool from the toolbox or hit P as a shortcut.
two. Click and immediately drag your mouse downwardly.
When you lot release the mouse push, an anchor point appears where you first clicked and two management lines extend higher up and below the ballast signal.
iii. Continue the curve, by clicking and dragging in the opposite direction to add some other signal.
Notation: If yous make a mistake while you're drawing, choose Edit > Undo New Anchor Betoken (Ctrl +Z / Cmd + Z) to undo the last point you drew, and try again. In the next mail nosotros'll look at how to edit paths.
4. Practice the same once more to add another curve.
If yous hold down Shift as you click and drag, yous constrain the slope of the directional line to 45° increments. Continue creating curves and then you accept a moving ridge something similar the one below.
5. To finish your path, just Ctrl + Click / Cmd + Click or click on another tool in the toolbox.
Drawing a airtight circular curved path
And so far we've created an open curved path. Remember an open up path is one where the kickoff and end points are different. If you want to create a airtight path, the idea is the same whether it's a directly or curved path, i.e. the beginning and terminate points are the aforementioned. .
Hither's how to draw a closed path, in this instance a circle, using the Pen. Don't forget you always want to use every bit few anchor points every bit possible to create squeamish smoothen curves.
1. Click and elevate downwards (or upwardly – the direction you lot drag is the direction the curve will become).
2. Click to create a new anchor indicate directly opposite your starting betoken then drag up.
3. Close the path by positioning the pointer over your starting signal and clicking and once more than dragging downward until you have the curve you want.
Combining curved and straight path segments
At present that you've learned how to draw direct and curved paths individually, you'll need to be able to put them together. You'll be combining paths that combine corner points and smooth points. Smooth anchor points accept directional lines that are contrary each other, 180° apart. Corner points either accept no directional lines, only i directional line, or 2 directional lines that are at an angle that is not 180°. ( A footling bit confusing, I know!)
Probably the virtually hard combinations you'll practise is joining up ii curves on a corner point. If yous can do this, and then you tin do any type of cartoon with the Pen. Let'south say y'all want to create something that looks like this;
This is a picayune bit different than drawing the open up wave path we created earlier. In the moving ridge, i curve goes upwards, then goes down. In this example, each bend goes downward and to create that we need to convert anchor points as we become. It'due south pretty easy once you know how, of grade.
i. Select the Pen tool.
2. We're starting with a straight segment, which is expressionless easy, so click in one case for your starting signal (don't drag) and the click again to put downwards your 2nd anchor.
3. Now we're going into a curve. When you move the pointer over the last anchor point, the cursor changes to testify what looks like an upside downwards "v". This indicates that you are going to convert the signal from being a direct point to a curved signal. Click and elevate downwards in one motion to start the curve. Then click to add an anchor betoken opposite your second anchor point and drag upwards to end the bend you started.
Now we need another curve. Still you volition find that if y'all only click and elevate a new point, information technology is non going to get where you want. Yous might get something similar this;
Or something like this if yous elevate both anchor points the same direction.
4. To preclude this happening, nosotros need to starting time a new bend past holding down Alt / Option + Clicking on the last anchor signal. You will over again see the little upside downwards "five" indicating that you are converting the ballast point. Holding down Alt/Option, drag downwards to create a new bend going downward. You won't see whatsoever change to your existing curve, but when you click to add your next anchor point and elevate up, the curve will go down.
5. Repeat step 4 to create a third "downwards" curve.
half-dozen. To cease up, we need to convert from a curved point to a direct point. Once again, hold down Alt / Option and click one time on your last anchor point only don't drag. Release the Alt/Option key and and so click once again to put down your last anchor signal. Yous should now take made a path that looks similar this;
7. Ctrl / Cmd + click anywhere to complete the path.
Ok, so that'due south definitely 1 you need to practice. It might take a piddling while to go your caput effectually converting from curved to direct points and vice versa but the best style to figure it out is practice in Illustrator.
Practise
A really practiced manner to practice combining curves and straight points with the pen tool is to attempt drawing the outlines of letters. In Illustrator (or Photoshop if you're using the Pen tool in Photoshop) add together some text to your art lath and increase the size then the letters make full your document. Lock the layer with letters and trace them with the pen tool on a new layer above. Offset with easy letters like I and Z which merely have straight segments, then try lowercase T, S, P and then on. This is an exercise I requite to my classes and they find it useful.
In the side by side mail service in this series I'll evidence you how to edit your anchor points and paths and share some tips and tricks to speed up and refine your Pen tool usage. In the meantime continue practicing. Delight feel complimentary to enquire questions in the comments section beneath.
Illustrator Pen Tool Series
Role one
Office 2
Role 3
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Articulate hither to read more than well-nigh the Animate being ABC iBook.
Source: http://www.laughing-lion-design.com/2012/06/how-to-use-the-pen-tool-in-illustrator-part-2-curved-paths/
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