Act 6
Create with drawing tools
Learn the basics of using the drawing tools in Adobe Illustrator CC, including how to use the Pencil and Curvature tools, and how to edit paths.
1. Understanding paths and curves
What you learned:
Paths and curves
Paths are made of anchor points that connect with line segments.
You select paths for editing with the Selection tool in the Tools panel. A bounding box appears around the entire path for transforming.
The Direct Selection tool in the Tools panel is used to select anchor points and paths.
A curved path is controlled by an anchor point with direction handles. The direction handles control the shape of the curve.
Shapes are closed paths because all the anchor points on the path are connected.
File>Save As your file with name: Last Name + Act 6.1 Done and file type: .ai
AND
File>Export>Export As a .png before moving on.
Discover what shapes and paths are composed of
Act 6 Part 1.mp42. Draw with the pencil tool
What you learned:
Draw with the Pencil tool
Click and hold the Paintbrush tool in the Tools panel and select the Pencil tool in the menu that appears.
Double-click the Pencil tool to set tool options.
Drag in the document to create a path with the Pencil tool.
As you draw, return to the beginning of the path to close it and make a shape.
Position the Pencil tool on the path to redraw part of it. Drag to redraw, ending back on the path.
To draw a straight path with the Pencil tool, Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (macOS).
File>Save As your file with name: Last Name + Act 6.2 Done and file type: .ai
AND
File>Export>Export As a .png before moving on.
Learn how to draw free form and straight paths with the pencil tool
Act 6 Part 2.mp43. Draw with the curvature tool
What you learned:
Draw with the Curvature tool
Select the Curvature tool in the Tools panel.
Click to set anchor points in a path. The anchor points create curved paths by default.
To create a straight path with the Curvature tool, double-click to set an anchor point, or double-click an existing anchor point to make the path straight.
To add points to a path, move the pointer over the path. When a plus (+) appears next to the pointer, click to set a point.
To move anchor points, drag them.
File>Save As your file with name: Last Name + Act 6.3 Done and file type: .ai
AND
File>Export>Export As a .png before moving on.
Discover to draw different types of paths using the curvature tool
Act 6 Part 3.mp44. Edit paths and shapes
What you learned:
Edit paths
Select the Selection tool in the Tools panel. Click or drag across a shape to select it.
Select the Direct Selection tool in the Tools panel to edit the anchor points of a path. Click the edge of a path to show its anchor points. Drag an anchor point to see its effect on the shape. Drag a path to adjust the curve if it’s part of a curved path. Drag a path to move the path if it’s part of a straight path.
Select the Curvature tool in the Tools panel to edit existing paths. Double-click an anchor point to convert from a straight path to a curved path and back. Move the pointer over a path and click when a plus (+) appears next to the pointer to add an anchor point.
File>Save As your file with name: Last Name + Act 6.4 Done and file type: .ai
AND
File>Export>Export As a .png before moving on.
Discover to edit paths with the curvature and direct selection tools
Act 6 Part 4.mp45. Join artwork by combining paths
What you learned:
Join paths
Select two paths and choose Object > Path > Join to join the ends closest to each other.
File>Save As your file with name: Last Name + Act 6.5 Done and file type: .ai
AND
File>Export>Export As a .png before moving on.
Explore joining paths together using the join command
Act 6 Part 5.mp46. Practice with the Pen Tool
What you learned:
Practice with the Pen tool to create artwork
Using your basic Pen tool knowledge, you’ll create a series of shapes similar to those found in final artwork in the practice file. You’ll practice creating a path with straight segments, as well as a path that has a series of straight and curved segments.
Constraining straight lines
When creating straight lines with the Pen tool, by clicking and releasing with the Pen tool selected to make corner points, press the Shift key to constrain the position of the anchor to 45 degrees.
File>Save As your file with name: Last Name + Act 6.6 Done and file type: .ai
AND
File>Export>Export As a .png before moving on.
Practice your pen tool skills by creating new artwork
Act 6 Part 6.mp47. Edit paths you draw
What you learned:
How to edit paths you create using different tools and methods
You can use a host of tools and methods to edit paths you create with the drawing tools. In this tutorial, you learned how to select anchor points, switch selection tools, add and remove anchor points, and more.
Select anchor points
Select the Direct Selection tool and click a path to see its anchor points. Click a point to select it. Shift-click to add or remove points from the selection, or drag across anchor points to select them.
Add and remove anchor points
You can add points to a selected path by clicking the path with the Pen tool selected. To remove anchor points, click directly on an anchor point with the Pen tool selected.
Tip: To select and move anchor points while drawing or editing with the Pen tool, press the Command key (macOS) or the Control key (Windows) to temporarily select the Direct Selection tool. Then drag the anchor points you select.
Convert points between corner and smooth
To convert a corner point to a smooth point or vice versa, in the Properties panel, click either the Convert Selected Anchor Points To Corner or Convert Selected Anchor Points To Smooth option.
Add or remove direction handles with the Anchor Point tool
Another method for converting from a corner point to a smooth point or vice versa is to click and hold the Pen tool in the Toolbar and select the Anchor Point tool. Click a point to remove the handles and make it a corner, or drag away from the point to easily drag direction handles out.
Edit with the Curvature tool
To edit the points, you also can select the Curvature tool in the Toolbar and double-click an anchor point to convert it between a corner and smooth point. Press the Delete key (macOS) or the Backspace key (Windows) to remove a selected point.
File>Save As your file with name: Last Name + Act 6.7 Done and file type: .ai
AND
File>Export>Export As a .png before moving on.
Edit paths you draw with a variety of tools
Act 6 Part 7.mp48. Create artwork with drawing modes
What you learned:
How to create artwork behind other content and inside shapes
Using the drawing modes, you can create, paste, or place content behind other content or within a vector shape.
Add content behind all other content
To create, paste, or place content behind other content on a layer, select the Draw Behind mode towards the bottom of the Toolbar. Then, with nothing selected, create, paste, or place content in the document and it will be behind all other content on the currently selected layer.
Add content directly behind selected content
With content selected while Draw Behind mode is active, you can create, paste, or place content directly behind the selected content.
Add content inside the vector shape
Select the shape you want to put content into, and then select the Draw Inside mode located towards the bottom of the Toolbar. Then create, paste, or place content and it will appear inside the selected shape—essentially, it is masked by the selected shape.
Edit content inside the shape
Double-click the shape to enter Isolation mode. You can then add more content or edit the existing content. To exit Isolation mode, press the Escape key.
Select the Draw Normal mode located towards the bottom of the Toolbar to continue working on other content.
File>Save As your file with name: Last Name + Act 6.8 Done and file type: .ai
AND
File>Export>Export As a .png before moving on.
Use drawing modes to draw inside, and behind to elevate your work
Act 6 Part 8.mp49. Act 6 Quiz
What you should do:
To earn your points
Upload your Last Name + Act 6 Done.png files to the Act 6 quiz on Canvas.
Finish the quiz on Canvas.