Join Deke McClelland for an in-depth discussion in this video Drawing perfectly smooth outlines, part of Illustrator CS6 One-on-One: Fundamentals.
Now that you have a sense for how control handles work inside Illustrator, let me show…you how to draw smooth points using the Pen tool, and you may recall smooth points are…those kinds of points that have opposing control handles that are moving in lock step with each other.…So I've gone ahead and restored the saved version of that file Ellipse exercise.ai,…so we only have the guidelines.…Make sure the ellipse layer is selected, and then go ahead and grab the Pen tool, which…you can get by pressing the P key.…Now notice that we have a little asterisk next to the cursor which is telling us that…we are going to start a new shape.…
And what I want you to do is drag from the intersection of the center guide right there…and the top guide as well.…And notice that the center guides--the vertical and horizontal center guides--are longer than…the other ones, so you cover the entire artboard.…I want you to start dragging there, so click and drag.…And notice now what's happened.…The click point--I'll go ahead and point back at it there--that's the anchor point, and as…
Author
Released
6/1/2012This installment covers subjects such as working with shapes and closed paths, including painting, grouping, and coloring, and placing and adjusting type. Deke shows you how to select fonts, create hanging indents, and tweak the kerning and leading of your text. Additional chapters cover drawing and editing paths (and their points) and moving and transforming objects in your artwork.
- Rotating and duplicating objects
- Grouping and stacking
- Erasing and painting selected paths
- Using the Shape Builder tool
- Reflecting across an angled axis
- Simulating beveled edges
- Creating a network of interlocking paths
- Placing and flowing text
- Creating page margins
- Adjusting type size
- Creating and applying paragraph styles
- Using the Glyphs panel
- Inserting and removing anchor points
Skill Level Beginner
Duration
Views
Q: I'm following along with Chapter 5 movie, "Creating compound paths." Why can't I get the second shape to compound properly? The Object menu doesn't seem to work.
A: This problem is due to a bug in Illustrator that has developed since this movie was recorded. To work around it, click off the Object menu (or press the Escape key); take another action, such as opening and closing the drawing layer; and revisit the Object menu.
Related Courses
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Deke's Techniques
with Deke McClelland120h 18m Intermediate -
Illustrator: Rethinking the Essentials
with Mordy Golding5h 7m Intermediate -
Illustrator CS6 One-on-One: Intermediate
with Deke McClelland11h 8m Intermediate
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Introduction
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Welcome to One-on-One2m 13s
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1. Making a Document
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Creating a new document4m 50s
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Advanced document controls4m 43s
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Modifying your document3m 6s
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Saving changes6m 4s
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2. Working with Artboards
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Auto-arranging artboards3m 25s
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Artboards and rulers4m 35s
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3. Getting Around
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Panels and workspaces5m 17s
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Cycling through screen modes3m 25s
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4. Making Line Art
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Meet the line tools2m 8s
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Creating custom guides4m 13s
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Adjusting control handles4m 35s
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Using the Spiral tool3m 29s
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Tracing existing spirals5m 2s
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Now, we draw39s
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5. Drawing Geometric Shapes
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Meet the shape tools2m 8s
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Using the Ellipse tool6m 33s
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Creating compound paths7m 5s
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Drawing a multi-point star7m 28s
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Drawing rounded rectangles7m 35s
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Reflecting across an axis5m 29s
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Using the Flare tool6m 25s
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6. Tracing an Image
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Opening an image to embed it3m 49s
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Auto-tracing and resolution5m 48s
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Adjusting layer previews3m 3s
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Flipping and fusing shapes5m 54s
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7. Scaling and Rotating
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Creating a tracing template4m 50s
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Dragging and duplicating2m 55s
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Using the Scale tool6m 50s
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Using the Rotate tool5m 6s
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Rotating and duplicating5m 52s
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The realm of transformations1m 24s
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8. Painting Freeform Shapes
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Using the Shape Builder tool6m 16s
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Simulating beveled edges7m 34s
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The best tools for painting1m 12s
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9. Working with Type
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Creating page margins6m 1s
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Placing and flowing text5m 39s
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Working with point text4m 53s
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Redefining paragraph styles6m 16s
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Using the Glyphs panel8m 37s
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Spell-checking your text4m 41s
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10. Using the Pen Tool
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Faking simple spline curves6m 49s
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Conclusion
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See ya46s
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Video: Drawing perfectly smooth outlines