Expert: Amy - 1/28/2003

Question
Hi, Im new to illustrator(version 9) and am having a problem controlling one of the tools. I was practicing paths with the pen tool and the darn thing keeps making these HUGE marks everytime I finish clicking. I've noticed also that I have these same large marks everytime I use the brush or pencil tools. In addition the line I get is a sort of calligraphy like line, and I really would like to get just a plain old line that is small enough for me to work with when  I work on my 14 inch home monitor.
Finally, when I try to adjust the tools nothing seems to happen. I hope my question isnt too  

Answer
Hi Elgin,

The drawing tools in Illustrator work a little differently than in other applications you might have used so you'll probably want to practice awhile.

First, I think you should read "About Paths" under your Help menu. It describes (with illustrations) how Illustrator renders lines, which may be very different than what you're used to.

PEN TOOL
The pen tool is designed to draw in a point-to-point fashion, not to hold down and draw a path like you would with a paintbrush.  Click first point, let go, move to where you want the next anchor point in the line and click again.  That creates a line made up of straight segments only.

To create a curved line segment, when you click that second point, hold the mouse down and move your cursor around a bit, then let go and move to the next point.  You'll see "handles" come out of the resulting anchor point. I think the large marks you're talking about are all handles, which are used for adjusting line segments. Read "Adjusting straight and curved segments" under Help.  It explains how to use those handles. And they do not appear in the printed product, by the way.

For more help using the Pen tool, please search for the following topics and sub-topics under Help.  They go into a lot of detail about the tool, which is kind of long and complicated for me to go into here.

Drawing with the pen tool
---------------------------
Drawing straight segments
About direction lines and direction points
Drawing curved segments
Mixing curves, corners, and straight segments as you draw

PAINTBRUSH
The calligraphic result when using the paintbrush tool is because you've got a calligraphic brush chosen in the brush window (hit F5 to view the window). Paint brushes aren't used for drawing simple lines.

PENCIL TOOL
For plain and simple lines, you'll want to use the pencil tool.  Pencil tools can be used in the manner you're used to.  Click down and drag your straight or curvy path, then let go. Assign the resulting line a stroke width of 1 or 2, for practice purposes.  Stroke widths are assigned in the Stroke Window (F10).

Then look for:
Drawing and editing with the pencil tool
and
Setting preferences for tools (this shows you how to control your line a little tighter)

for specific help with those tools. You're probably going to find that everything in AI seems new and different. Perhaps a good thing would be to search for some Tutorials on the internet - I think there may still be some free ones out there!  I'm sure you could find a Beginning Illustrator book in the bookstore.

I promise you, once you understand the basic methods involved, it will not take long for you to become proficient!

Good Luck!
Amy