Page 66 - CC 2019 GD Look Inside

Draw with the Pencil Tool

As you might already realize, not all artwork can be created from basic shapes Note:
and lines. Illustrator includes everything you need to create artwork in any form,
including irregular shapes. Th e Pencil tool is one method for creating custom shapes. If you have a digital
Like a regular pencil on a piece of paper, the Pencil tool creates lines that follow the drawing tablet, the Pen-
path of your cursor. cil tool can be particu-
larly useful for drawing
1. With icons.ai open, make sure the Icon Art layer is selected in the Layers custom artwork.
panel. Zoom in to the campfi re template artwork.

2. Choose the Pencil tool (nested under the Shaper tool) in the Tools panel,
and click the Default Fill and Stroke button in the Tools panel.

Pencil tool

3. Double-click the Pencil tool in the Tools panel.
Double-clicking certain tools in the Tools panel opens an Options dialog box, where
you can control the behavior for the selected tool. Th e Pencil tool options include:
• Fidelity. Th is option determines how far apart anchor points are added as
you drag. Smooth results in fewer points and smoother curves, but also less
accuracy matching the path you draw. More accurate means more anchor
points and a path closer to what you draw (this can make the lines appear
choppy).
• Fill New Pencil Strokes. By default, pencil paths are not fi lled, regardless of
the fi ll color defi ned in the Tools panel.
• Keep Selected. If this option is checked, the line you draw is automatically
selected when you release the mouse button.
• Option Key Toggles to Smooth Tool. As the name suggests, this allows you
to quickly and temporarily switch to the Smooth tool while drawing with the
Pencil tool. Th e Smooth tool can be used to remove unnecessary points along a
pencil-drawn path, removing small or jagged jumps in the path.
• Close Paths when Ends are within __ Pixels. When this option is active,
dragging back near the original starting point creates a closed path when you
release the mouse button. If this option is not checked, dragging near the
original point does not create a closed path.
• Edit Selected Paths. If this option is checked, drawing near a selected path
(based on the Within value) can change the existing path. Th is is an important
distinction — especially when Keep Selected is checked — because you can
accidentally edit the fi rst path instead of creating a second shape.

92 Project 1: Campground Icons