Illustrator’s Pen Tool: The Comprehensive Guide

1. Functions Pen tool : Click on artboard to create paths with straight segments, click and drag to create paths with Bezier curves. Add anchor point tool : Click on a path segment to add anchor points. Delete anchor point tool : Click on anchor point to remove from path. Convert anchor point : Click on an anchor point and drag to create bezier handles where there were none, click on an anchor point with handles to a remove them. Scissors : Not part of the Pen tool group, but definitely associated with it. Click on a path segment to divide into two paths. 2. Keyboard Shortcuts Select Pen tool (P) Select Add anchor point tool (+) Select Delete anchor point tool (-) Select Convert anchor point tool (Shift + C) Select Scissors tool (C) 3. The Cursors The pen tool takes on different forms depending on what you’re doing when you’re using it. Each one intuitively makes you aware of the action you are about to perform. (Caps Lock to toggle between pointer and cross hair) Prepared to begin path           Whilst midway through creating or editing a path When mouse is pressed When hovered over path section; to add an anchor point to path When hovered over anchor point; to remove anchor point from path When hovered over begin point of path; to close path  When hovered over endpoint of existing path; to continue path When hovered over existing anchor point 3. Secondary Mouse Controls (with path selected) Pen tool hover over anchor point : changes to Delete anchor point tool Pen tool hover over path segment : changes to Add anchor point tool Pen tool hover over end anchor point : changes to Convert anchor point tool Skellie / aetuts_skellie_2123 5. Keyboard Controls Hold Shift to constrain movements to 45°, 90°, 135° or 180° whilst creating or editing anchor points and handles. Select anchor point with Direct selection tool and click Delete. Anchor and adjoining path segments are deleted leaving two paths. Pen tool + Option (Alt) : changes to Convert anchor point tool. Pen tool hover over bezier handle + Command (Ctrl) : allows editing of bezier curve. Pen tool + Option (Alt) whilst creating bezier curve : splits curve (unhinges handles). Pen tool hover over bezier handle + Option (Alt) : splits curve (unhinges handles). Scissors tool + Option (Alt) : changes to Add anchor point tool. Add anchor point tool + Option (Alt) : changes to Delete anchor point tool. Delete anchor point tool + Option (Alt) : changes to Add anchor point tool. 6. Preferences (Illustrator > Preferences > Selection & anchor display) Tolerance: Radius of the selection area around anchor points. Must be between 1 and 8 pixels, 1px if you’re deadly accurate with your mouse or have a lot of anchors in close range of one another, 8px if you prefer less precision. 3px is the default value. 2. Object Selection by Path Only : When checked, this option allows selection of objects only by clicking their paths. Clicking on their filled areas is ineffective, comparable to working in Outline mode (View > Outline). 3.Snap to Point: Also checkable via View > Snap to Point, though via the Selection & Anchor Display dialogue the tolerance can also be determined from 1 to 8 pixels. This value again represents the radius around anchor points. When lining up two objects, anchor points from one will snap to points of the other should they be positioned within the specified range. 4.Anchor Point and Handle Display: Determines the way in which your path anchor points and handles are displayed. 5.Highlight Anchors on Mouseover: When checked, highlights anchor points when hovered over with cursor. 6.Show Handles When Multiple Anchors are Selected: When checked, this options displays the handles of points when multiple points are selected. Otherwise, handles of multiple selected points are not displayed. 7. Other Shortcuts and Tips Select the Direct Selection tool before selecting the Pen tool. Press and hold Command (Ctrl) to give you access to the last tool selected (in this case the Direct Selection tool) for editing of paths and handles without deselecting the path. With path selected, use the Spacebar to give you access to the Hand tool. Move your screen without deselecting the path or changing tools. While creating or editing an anchor point, click and hold mouse + Spacebar to alter the position of the anchor point you’re working on. With Direct Selection tool select endpoint and starting point of path. Command (Ctrl) + J to Join. With Direct Selection tool select endpoint and starting point of path. Command (Ctrl) + Option (Alt) + Shift + J to join and average simultaneously. To smoothen a path by reducing the number of anchor points open the Simplify dialogue (Object > Path > Simplify) and adjust according to your needs. Conversely, should you want more anchor points to improve manipulation go to Object > Path > Add Anchor Points. A new anchor point will appear after every existing anchor point on the selected path. To prevent the Pen tool from changing it’s function when interacting with other anchor points or paths, open the general preferences dialogue (Illustrator > Preferences > General) and check the Disable Auto Add/Delete option. The Pen tool will now only draw paths. 8. Best Practice Suggestions Drag handles from the first anchor point when beginning a curved path. Drag your handles around just one third of the curve you’re creating for a smooth path. Position anchor points on a curve where the paths begin to change direction, not in the middle of it’s curve. Be sparing with your use of anchor points, fewer points = neater path

How To Make an Olympic Gold Medal

Step 1 Start by drawing a circle using the Ellipse Tool (L) approximately 135 px by 135 px and make it a gold color (#D5BB77). Go to Effects > Stylize > Drop Shadow and enter the following: Opacity 30%, X Offset 0 pt, Y Offset 2 pt, and Blur 2 pt. Step 2 Copy the circle (Command + C) and Paste in Front (Command + F). Now go to the Appearance Palette with the duplicated circle selected, and delete its Drop Shadow by dragging the effect into the trash. Then with the Gradient Mesh Tool (U) place a new point directly in the middle of the new circle. Make the new point a lighter gold (#ECE0C2). Step 3 Now for the tricky part. Keep making new points on the circle with the Gradient Mesh Tool, while changing the shade of gold (darker and lighter). Now move and bend the paths of the mesh making the colors form a swirling pattern. Be sure to keep like colors next to each other or else the final outcome will look blotchy. Then set the opacity of the mesh to 75%. This will even out the gold colors you have chosen and show through some of the original circle. It should look something like this. Step 4 Draw the Orca Whale Art pattern on the medal using the Pen Tool (P). Make sure to overlap the edge of the medal. When done, select all of the pieces that make up the whale art and go to Object > Group. Then Copy (Command + C) and Paste in Front (Command + F) the original gold circle. With the new circle selected, go to Object > Arrange > Send to Front. With both the Whale Art Group and duplicated circle selected, go to Object > Clipping Mask > Make. This helps make sure the art goes right to the edge of the medal. Now make the Orca Whale Art is a darker gold or brown (#966D32) and set its Opacity to 80%. Step 5 Duplicated the mesh layer and placed it above the whale art in the Layers Palette. With the duplicated mesh selected, go to Edit > Edit Colors > Convert to Grayscale. Set it’s Transparency Mode to Color Burn and Opacity to 50%. It should look like this. Step 6 Now it’s time to add the logo. Instead of using the Olympic Rings, let’s make this an homage to the design community by using the command icon. Place the icon at the lower right of the medal. Give the icon a Linear Gradient at 45° using two dark gold swatches on the ends (#C5A350) and a lighter gold swatch in the middle (#F2D897). Then go to Effects > Stylize > Outer Glow. Set the Mode to Normal, Color to #724F00, Opacity to 50%, and Blur to 1 pt. Step 7 Now that the medallion portion is done. Let’s make the lanyard. Start by drawing a rectangle using the Rectangle Tool (M) approximately 310 px tall by 45 px wide. Then grab the lower edge and move it to the right about 50 px. Give the new shape a Linear Gradient at 10°. Set the left swatch to #131D35 and the right swatch to #056DBA. Move the shape to the back by going to Object > Arrange > Send to Back. Step 8 Instead of using the Vancouver 2010 logo, let’s continue with our designer homage by using the Pen Tool icon. After making it, shrink it down and place it on an angle parallel to the strap. Give it a Linear Gradient at 10°. Set the left swatch to #96D8E8 and the right swatch to #90D0D6. This Gradient may be subtle, but it helps give some life to the piece. Step 9 Copy (Command + C) the blue strap and Paste in Front (Command + F). With the copy selected, go to Object > Transform > Reflect. Set the Axis to Vertical and click OK. Nudge the shape to the right so that the bottom lines up. Then center the straps with the center of the medallion. Step 10 Copy (Command + C) the right blue strap and Paste in Back (Command + B). Set it’s color to #003253, nudge it to the left 2 px and give it a Gaussian Blur (Effects > Blur > Gaussian Blur) of 3 px. Next, Copy and Paste in Front the left strap. Go to Object > Arrange > Send to Front. Select both the new front-most shape and the blurred shape and go to Object > Clipping Mask > Make. Be sure that the new shape is positioned behind the right strap. This should make it look as if the right strap is casting a shadow onto the left strap. Step 11 Now add some text to the right strap. Make sure to angle the text so that it is parallel to it’s strap. With the text selected, go to Type > Create Outlines. Give it the same gradient you gave the icon on the left, but reverse the colors and set it’s angle to 170°. Step 12 Now make some artistic lines at the top ends of the straps. Set the stroke to 1 pt with a color of #8ED69A. After the lines have all been drawn, select them all and go to Object > Group. Now make copies of both straps using the Copy and Paste in Front method from earlier. With both new shapes selected, go to the Pathfinder Palette and merge the shapes with the Unite option. Move the shape to the front (Object > Arrange > Send to Front). Select both the new shape and the artistic lines and go to Object > Clipping Mask > Make. Finally, set the blending mode of the lines to Overlay. Step 13 Last, but not least, Copy and Paste in Back the gold circle from Step 1, set it’s color to #003253, nudge it up 2 px and give it a Gaussian Blur (Effects > Blur > Gaussian Blur) of 3 px. Make a mask for the blurry circle just like we did before in Step 10. Copy and Paste in Front the right strap. Go to Object > Arrange > Send to Front. Select both the new front-most shape and the blurred circle and go to Object > Clipping Mask > Make. Conclusion There you have it. A gold medal for all you design champions out there. Hope you enjoyed and thank you for reading.

Creating a Realistic Curtain

Adobe Illustrator has an amazing feature that allows us create many realistic illustrations. Today we will have the opportunity to practice with the Mesh Tool once again. We will use it to create an interesting damask curtain. The Mesh Tool will help us to create the illusion of the silk look of the curtain with a nice floral design. You can use this simple technique to create similar illustrations (a waving flag, for example). So, let’s get started on this new Adobe Illustrator tutorial. The final result should look something like this. [Note: Have you already ordered your copy of our Printed Smashing Book #3? The book is a professional guide on how to redesign websites and it also introduces a whole new mindset for progressive Web design, written by experts for you.]  Creating the Floral Pattern There are numerous patterns you can create to apply to the curtain. We will make a nice and interesting floral design. Creating the floral design is actually very simple. The only thing you have to pay attention to is creating smooth paths and symmetrical shapes. We will be using the Pen Tool (P), Ellipse Tool (L), Blend Tool and some other very useful Adobe Illustrator features. First we will prepare a few brushes that we’ll apply to some simple shapes. Grab the Ellipse Tool (L) from the Tool Panel and create a circle. Duplicate it (Ctrl / Cmd + C, Ctrl / Cmd + F) and place it as it’s shown on the picture below (hold the Shift key on the keyboard for straight dragging).  With the Ellipse Tool (L) create an ellipse and place it in the middle. Select all the elements and under the Pathfinder Panel hit the Unite button. It will unite all the elements into one shape. Create another circle and place it as shown in the picture below. Duplicate (Ctrl / Cmd + C, Ctrl / Cmd + F) the red circle and move it to the right. Make sure to align the elements properly. Under the Pathfinder Panel hit the Minus Front button.   Grab the Ellipse Tool (L) again from the Tool Panel and create a small circle. With the Direct Selection Tool (A) grab the lower anchor point and drag it downwards (hold the Shift key on the keyboard to ensure straight dragging). Drag and drop the shape we have just created to the Brush Panel. The New Brush window will pop up. Make sure to check the Art Brush box. In the Art Brush Options window make sure to set the Colorization Method to Tint. It will allow you to change the color of the brush directly, without expanding the objects. This way we have created the brush that we will use a little bit later. Now, grab the Pen Tool (P) from the Tool Panel and create the path as pictured.  Set the Stroke to 5pt. Now we are going to turn the path into an editable shape. This is going to allow us to adjust the positions of some anchor points. Under Object select Expand. Grab the Direct Selection Tool (A) from the Tool Panel and try to adjust the shape as it’s shown. This is also one of the shapes we will use a little bit later. Now, let’s create a small leaf. To do that we will be using the Ellipse Tool (L). Create a circle (hold the Shift key on the keyboard for the proper circle). With the Direct Selection Tool (A) select the upper anchor point and drag it upwards (Shift for straight dragging).  With the Convert Anchor Point Tool (Shift + C) turn the top of the shape into the sharp corner.  Grab the Pen Tool (P) from the Tool Panel and create the shape shown below.  Select both shapes and under the Pathfinder Panel hit the Minus Front button. For the next floral element we will use the Pen Tool (P). Draw the path as it is shown on the picture below. Set the Stroke to 5 pt and expand the path under Object > Expand. With the Direct Selection Tool (A) adjust the positions of the anchor points and the angle of their handles. Try to create something like this. There are numerous shapes we can create this way. Just use your imagination and make sure to create smooth shapes. Let’s put our elements together and try to create a nice looking floral pattern. Grab the Arc Tool from the Tool Panel and create the arc as shown in the picture below.   Reflect the arc by using the reflecting feature under Object > Transform > Reflect. Set the Axis to Vertical and hit the OK button. Make two more copies (Ctrl / Cmd + C, Ctrl / Cmd + F) of the arc and place them like they are below.   With all arcs selected, choose the brush from the Brush Panel that we made earlier. You should end up with something like this.    Continue arranging the shapes we have already made.   Each time we add a new shape to our illustration we will use Reflection to create a mirror image in order to create a symmetrical illustration. In the same time make sure to align all of the elements to be centered. Grab the Ellipse Tool (L) from the Tool Panel and create a circle . With the Add Anchor Point Tool (+) add one anchor point like we’ve done below. With the Direct Selection Tool (A) select the new anchor point and remove it by hitting the Delete key on the keyboard.   Remove the Fill color and apply the brush we have made earlier.  Place the new shape as it shown on the picture below.  You can also add three flowers to make this part more interesting.  Duplicate (Ctrl / Cmd + C, Ctrl / Cmd + F) the curved path with the brush and scale it down little bit.  Grab the Ellipse Tool (L) one more time and create a circle. With the Pen Tool (P) create a path as you can see done on the picture below.   Select the circle and the red path and under the Pathfinder Panel hit the Divide button. Ungroup the (Shift + Ctrl / Cmd + G) divided circle and remove one part by hitting the Delete key on the keyboard. Place the new shape as it shown on the picture below. Select the new elements on the right side of the floral design and under Object select Transform > Reflect. Set the Axis to Vertical and hit the OK button. Place the copies on the left side.  Using techniques from previous steps create new elements. Let’s create one more interesting detail for our floral design. Grab the Ellipse Tool (L) from the Tool Panel and create a small circle. Duplicate it (Ctrl / Cmd + C, Ctrl / Cmd + F), scale it down and move it to the right. Select both circles and under Object select Blend > Make. To set the number of the circles that are going to appear between these two circles under the Blend Tool set the Spacing to Specified Steps and the value to 15. It will create 15 circles in the middle. Now we are going to use the Arc Tool again. Create the arc, select it within our line of descending circles and under the Object select Blend > Replace Spine. It will arrange the circles to follow the path of the arc.  Using the same technique, create a few more interesting details and complete our floral design. Creating the Curtain Now when we have our floral design ready and set, we can move on and create the illustration of a fancy curtain. First of all we are going to grab the Rectangle Tool (M) from the Tool Panel and to create an arbitrary rectangle. Duplicate (Ctrl / Cmd + C, Ctrl / Cmd + F) the rectangle and lock the layer with the original rectangle. We are locking it to make sure not to distort it during our creation process. Now grab the Mesh Tool (U) and make sure to add new anchor points to the rectangle by clicking exactly on the edge of the rectangle.  Keep applying new anchor points randomly.   Now we are going to apply different tones of gray color to the anchor points. Select the Direct Selection Tool (A) from the Tool Panel and by selecting each individual anchor point apply the gray color. Just make sure to apply the same tone of the gray color to the opposite anchor points. With the Direct Selection Tool (A) try to adjust the angle of the handles of each anchor point. Just feel free to play around until you create smooth folded parts of the curtain. When you are satisfied with the result unlock the layer we locked earlier and set the Fill color of the rectangle to #8DC63F. Now we are going to change the Blend Mode of the layer with the Mesh to Hard Light. This will change the color of the curtain to a nice green. Feel free to try out other Blending Modes until you achieve a nice result. At this moment we will add the floral pattern we created earlier. Duplicate (Ctrl / Cmd + C, Ctrl / Cmd + F) the floral shape we made earlier and place it as shown on the picture below. Don’t forget to align the shape by using Vertical Align Center. Select both shapes and under Object select Blend > Make. It will create a few more floral elements in the middle. To set the exact number of the floral elements we need to bring up the Blending Options box. To do that go to Object > Blend > Blend Options. Set the Spacing to Specified Steps and the value to 3.  Turn the result into an editable shape by selecting Object > Expand.  Duplicate (Ctrl / Cmd + C, Ctrl / Cmd + F) the row of floral elements and place them as they are below. Repeat the previous step. To make sure to create equal distance between the rows select all the elements and under the Align Panel hit the Vertical Distribute Space.   Group (Ctrl / Cmd + G) all the elements and place them on the top of the curtain we already created. Make sure to set the Fill color of the floral elements to #58595B and under the Transparency Panel set the Blending Mode to Overlay. Feel free to try out a combination of Fill colors (make sure to use a gray color, just change the tone) and different type of Blending Modes. You should end up with something similar to this. Select all the elements we have created so far and Group them (Ctrl / Cmd + G). Grab the Rectangle Tool (M) from the Tool Panel and create the rectangle. Remove the Fill color and the Stroke color of the rectangle. Select all the elements and under Object select Clipping Mask > Make. It will hide all the elements outside the new rectangle.  This is actually the final result of our vector illustration.  Feel free to use different colors, shapes and angles. The results can be very interesting.