EDUCBA

EDUCBA

MENUMENU
  • Free Tutorials
  • Free Courses
  • Certification Courses
  • 280+ Courses All in One Bundle
  • Login
Home Design Design Tutorials Illustrator Tutorial Pen Tool In Illustrator
Secondary Sidebar
Illustrator Tutorial
  • Tools
    • Adobe Illustrator Tools
    • Selection Tool in Illustrator
    • Width Tool in Illustrator
    • Illustrator Grid Tool
    • Pathfinder Tool in Illustrator
    • Pen Tool In Illustrator
    • Measure Tool in Illustrator
    • Mesh Tool In Illustrator
    • Blend Tool in Illustrator
    • Direct Selection Tool Illustrator
    • Illustrator Free Transform Tool
    • Shape Builder Tool in Illustrator
    • Slice Tool in Illustrator
    • Smooth Tool in Illustrator
    • Eyedropper Tool in Illustrator
  • Basic
    • What is Adobe Illustrator
    • Install Adobe Illustrator
    • Adobe Illustrator For Windows
    • Adobe Illustrator for Windows 8
    • How to Use Adobe Illustrator
    • Adobe Illustrator for beginners
    • Adobe Illustrator for Students
    • Illustrator Shortcut Keys
    • Illustrator Plugins
    • Illustrator Repeat Action
    • Illustrator auto trace
    • Layers in Illustrator
    • Moon in Illustrator
  • Effects
    • Effects in Illustrator
    • Insert Image in Illustrator
    • Crop in Illustrator
    • Remove Background In Illustrator
    • Remove White Background in Illustrator
    • Shapes in Illustrator
    • Text Effects In Illustrator
    • Watercolor Brushes Illustrator
    • Blending Modes in Illustrator
    • Blur in Illustrator
    • Brushes in Illustrator
    • Change Background Color in Illustrator
    • Graphic Styles in Illustrator
    • Change Artboard Size in Illustrator
    • Logo Design in Illustrator
    • Rasterize in Illustrator
    • Resize Image in Adobe Illustrator
    • 3D Effects in Illustrator
    • 3D Text in Illustrator
    • Filters in Illustrator
    • Reflection in Illustrator
    • How to Make Logo in Illustrator?
    • Transparent in Illustrator
    • How to Add Texture in Illustrator?
    • Neon Effect in Illustrator
    • Create Table in Illustrator
    • Paper Texture in Illustrator
    • Stamp Effect in Illustrator
    • Sun in Illustrator
    • How to Warp Text in Illustrator?
    • Metal Effect in Illustrator
    • Action in Illustrator
    • Illustrator Gold Gradient

Related Courses

Illustrator Training Course

Adobe Flash Training Course

3Ds Max Modeling Training Course

Pen Tool In Illustrator

Pen-Tool-In-Illustrator

Introduction to Pen Tool In Illustrator

The Pen Tool is one of Illustrator’s important sketching tools, which helps produce both accurate and freehand artwork. It can also be used for editing vector artwork that already exists. It is considered to be the most solid tool in Adobe Illustrator. It permits the artist to produce forms with freehand curves, most of which are already existing, in reality, can be replicated by utilizing the pen tool. The usage of the pen tool needs to be a little more coordinated than utilizing other Illustrator tools.

With the help of the pen tool, you can produce all types of elements like curves, closed shapes, and straight lines, which you can then integrate into Illustrator:

Start Your Free Design Course

3D animation, modelling, simulation, game development & others

1. Anchor Point: Anchor points can be used to manage the form of an object or a path. They are produced in an automatic way when shape tools are used. By using the pen tool, you can produce anchor points manually by clicking from point to point.

2. Direction Line: These lines can be called the handles you utilize on points curved to regulate the angle and depth of curved paths.

3. Closed Shape: When you produce a path, it turns into a closed shape when the start point connects with the endpoint.

4. Simple Path: A path comprises of one or more curved or straight sections. The anchor points mark the endpoints of the path segments.

5. Bezier Curve: Pierre Bezier originally created the bezier curve in the 1970s for CAM/CAD operations. You can manage the size and the depth of a bezier curve by utilizing direction lines.

How To Use Pen Tool In Illustrator?

You can select the pen tool from the left-hand side toolbar in Illustrator.

Pen tool in illustrator 1.1

1. Pen Tool: The paths you produce by using the pen tool will contain handle points, which you can utilize to alter the form of vectors, and anchor points that remain in a fixed position when the form of a path is being balanced.

2. Add Anchor Point Tool: This tool can be used to include a new anchor point on a path. Extra anchor points permit you to modify the form of path segments between anchor points. For example, you can position the tool on the spot where you want to append the point, then click on the path.

3. Delete Anchor Point Tool: This tool can be used to eliminate an anchor point from a path. Deleting anchor points permits you to produce path segments that are longer between anchor points. You can position the tool on the anchor point you want to delete and click on it.

4. Anchor Point Tool: This tool can be used to transform an anchor point between a smooth point and a corner point. You can position the tool on the anchor point you want to transform and click on it.

Examples of using Pen Tool

Step 1: First, select the pen tool from the toolbar.

Pen tool in illustrator 1.2

Step 2: To drag out all the other pen tools, you can click on the drag out the arrow in the pen tool as shown below.

Pen tool in illustrator 1.3

Step 3: Now, select the pen tool. To put the first anchor point, you just need to click once. By moving the mouse to the following position and then clicking again produces the second point. The two anchor points will be joined together. Continue doing it to produce a triangular shape.

Make sure there is no stroke, and you have a solid color for a fill.

Pen tool in illustrator 1.4

Step 4: Now, complete the triangle by selecting a third anchor point and connect it. In total, we have three points now.

Triangle

Step 5: Now, to add a point to this object, we can add it by selecting the add anchor point tool. Then we select a path in the object as shown below:

Adding A Point

Now we have four points. By selecting the direct selection tool and clicking on the point that you created, and dragging it will change the shape of the object you created.

Step 6: You can change the Shape by direct Selection Tool

Now, if you want this object to have only three-point and remove the one you created, you can select the delete anchor tool and delete the point.

All in One Design Bundle(280+ Courses, 100+ projects)
AutoCADHoudiniAdobe Premiere ProPhotoshop
SolidworksVFX Visual EffectsCorelDrawUnreal Engine
Price
View Courses
280+ Online Courses | 100+ projects | 2000+ Hours | Verifiable Certificates | Lifetime Access
4.6 (64,612 ratings)

Completed Shape

Step 7: Removing The Anchor Point Using The Delete Anchor Point. If you want your object to have a curve to it, you can do it using the anchor point tool(convert). Select one of the points, hold down and drag out. This produces a bezier curve.

Anchor point

Step 8: Bezier Curve Using The Anchor Point Tool. You can create a bezier curve by using only the pen tool. Select the pen tool, press, hold down, and drag out. This creates a point which now has a bezier curve.

Bezier Curve

Step 9: A Point With The Bezier Curve. Now make a point directly below it and drag it out, which makes another bezier curve.

Completed Shape

Now you can see the Completed Final Shape by using the Pen Tool.

Conclusion

The advantage of the pen tool is it gives you complete command over the curve. By sketching a complete bunch of points, you can hope for the curve to appear good. By manipulating the curve, you can get the outstandin1g details. It is considered as a vital tool for producing anything other than squares, circles, and other shapes like polygons. You can surely utilize the paintbrush or the pencil tool, but you cannot expect clear-cut, even and crisp shapes. The pen tool is very important because gradients, strokes, and blends all started with describing bezier paths and the application of features. It is the prime tool for sketching something that requires accuracy, for example, lettering or a map.

Even though there have been some significant improvements to the pen tool, it still remains a tool that is very complex and menacing for new graphic designers and artists. In order to make it more convenient, Adobe included various tools to assist in vector production. The pen tool still remains the chief production tool in Illustrator, but there are some extra tools that can be utilized to achieve the same outcomes when producing vector art.

Recommended Articles

This is a guide to Pen Tool in Illustrator. Here we discuss a basic concept, how to use the pen tool in Illustrator and its steps with Screenshots. You can also go through our other suggested articles to learn more –

  1. Illustrator Free Transform Tool
  2. Eraser Tool in Photoshop
  3. Selection Tool in Illustrator
  4. Smooth Tool in Illustrator
Popular Course in this category
Illustrator Courses (1 Courses, 2+ Projects)
  1 Online Courses |  2 Hands-on Projects |  12+ Hours |  Verifiable Certificate of Completion
4.5
Price

View Course

Related Courses

Adobe Flash Training (2 Courses, 1+ Projects)4.9
3Ds Max Modeling Training (5 Courses)4.8
0 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Primary Sidebar
Footer
About Us
  • Blog
  • Who is EDUCBA?
  • Sign Up
  • Live Classes
  • Corporate Training
  • Certificate from Top Institutions
  • Contact Us
  • Verifiable Certificate
  • Reviews
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  •  
Apps
  • iPhone & iPad
  • Android
Resources
  • Free Courses
  • Photoshop Tutorial
  • 3ds Max Tutorial
  • All Tutorials
Certification Courses
  • All Courses
  • Design Course - All in One Bundle
  • Photoshop Course
  • Maya Course
  • Unreal Engine Course
  • Unity Course
  • DaVinci Resolve Course
  • Pro Tools Course

ISO 10004:2018 & ISO 9001:2015 Certified

© 2022 - EDUCBA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE CERTIFICATION NAMES ARE THE TRADEMARKS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

EDUCBA
Free Design Course

Banner Creation, Object Selection, Sky Replacement, Advance Filters & others

*Please provide your correct email id. Login details for this Free course will be emailed to you

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

EDUCBA Login

Forgot Password?

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

EDUCBA
Free Design Course

3D animation, modelling, simulation, game development & others

*Please provide your correct email id. Login details for this Free course will be emailed to you

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

EDUCBA

*Please provide your correct email id. Login details for this Free course will be emailed to you

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Let’s Get Started

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

This website or its third-party tools use cookies, which are necessary to its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the cookie policy. By closing this banner, scrolling this page, clicking a link or continuing to browse otherwise, you agree to our Privacy Policy

Loading . . .
Quiz
Question:

Answer:

Quiz Result
Total QuestionsCorrect AnswersWrong AnswersPercentage

Explore 1000+ varieties of Mock tests View more