Creating an Illustration with the Drawing Tools - Adobe Illustrator CC - page 295

6 . How can you change the way the Pencil tool ( ) works?

Review answers
1 . To draw a straight line, click with the Pen tool ( ) and then move the pointer and
click again. The first click sets the starting anchor point, and the second click sets
the ending anchor point of the line. To constrain the straight line vertically, hori-
zontally, or along a 45° diagonal, press the Shift key as you click to create the
second anchor point with the Pen tool.
2 . To draw a curved line with the Pen tool, click to create the starting anchor point,
drag to set the direction of the curve, and then click to end the curve.
3 . To draw a corner point on a curved line, press the Option (Mac OS) or Alt (Win-
dows) key and drag the direction handle on the end point of the curve to change
the direction of the path. Continue dragging to draw the next curved segment on
the path.
4 . To convert a smooth point on a curve to a corner point, use the Direct Selection
tool ( ) to select the anchor point, and then use the Anchor Point tool ( ) to drag
a direction handle to change the direction. Another method is to choose a point or
points with the Direct Selection tool, and then click the Convert Selected Anchor
Points To Corner button ( ) in the Control panel.
5 . To edit a segment on a curved line, select the Direct Selection tool and drag the
segment to move it, or drag a direction handle on an anchor point to adjust the
length and shape of the segment. Dragging a path segment with the Direct Selec-
tion tool or pressing the Option/Alt key and dragging a path segment with the Pen
tool is another way to reshape a path.
6 . To change the way the Pencil tool ( ) works, double-click the Pencil tool in the
Tools panel to open the Pencil Tool Options dialog box. There you can change the
smoothness, fidelity, and other options.