Drawing freeform paths with the Pencil tool


    The Pencil tool lets you draw open and closed paths as if you were drawing with a pencil on paper. It is most useful for fast sketching or creating a hand-drawn look. Once you draw a path, you can immediately change it if needed.

    Anchor points are set down as you draw with the Pencil tool; you do not determine where they are positioned. However, you can adjust them once the path is complete. The number of anchor points set down is determined by the length and complexity of the path and by tolerance settings in the Pencil Tool Preferences dialog box. These settings control how sensitive the Pencil tool is to the movement of your mouse or graphics-tablet stylus.

To draw a freeform path with the Pencil tool:

  1. Select the Pencil tool Pencil tool .
  2. Position the tool where you want the path to begin, and drag to draw a path. The Pencil tool Pencil tool with small X next to it displays a small x to indicate drawing a freeform path.
  3. As you drag, a dotted line follows the pointer. Anchor points appear at both ends of the path and at various points along it. The path takes on the current paint attributes, and the path remains selected by default.

  4. To continue the existing freeform path, make sure the path is selected, and then position the pencil tip on an endpoint of the path and drag. (You can tell you're close enough to the endpoint when the small x disappears.)

To draw a closed path with the Pencil tool:

  1. Select the Pencil tool.
  2. Position the tool where you want the path to begin, and start dragging to draw a path.
  3. After you've begun dragging, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS). The Pencil tool Pencil tool with small O next to it displays a small o to indicate you're creating a closed path.
  4. When the path is the size and shape you want, release the mouse button (but not the Alt or Option key). After the path closes, release the Alt or Option key.

To connect a new path to an existing path:

  1. Select both paths.
  2. Select the Pencil tool.
  3. Position the tool where you want to begin from one path, and start dragging toward the other path.
  4. After you've begun dragging, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Option (Mac OS). The Pencil tool Pencil tool with anchor point next to it displays a small icon of an anchor point to indicate you're adding to the existing path.
  5. Drag onto the endpoint of the other path, release the mouse button, then release the Ctrl or Option key.
  6. Note: For best results, drag from one path to the other as if you were simply continuing the paths in the direction they were created.

To add a new path to an existing path:

  1. Select the existing path.
  2. Select the Pencil tool.
  3. Position the tool where you want the path to begin, and start dragging to draw a path.
  4. After you've begun dragging, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Option (Mac OS). The Pencil tool Pencil tool with anchor point next to it displays a small icon of an anchor point to indicate you're adding to the existing path.
  5. Drag onto the existing path, release the mouse button, then release the Ctrl or Option key.

To change a path with the Pencil tool:

  1. Select the path you want to change. (See Selecting objects.)
  2. Position the Pencil tool on or near the path to redraw. (You can tell you're close enough to the path when the small x disappears from the tool.)
  3. Drag the tool until the path is the desired shape.
  4. Using the Pencil tool to edit a closed shape
    Using the Pencil tool to edit a closed shape

    Note: Depending on where you begin to redraw the path and in which direction you drag, you may get unexpected results. For example, you may unintentionally change a closed path to an open path, change an open path to a closed path, or lose a portion of a shape.

To set preferences for the Pencil tool:

  1. Double-click the Pencil tool Pencil tool .
  2. Set any of the following options, and click OK:
    • Fidelity to control how far you have to move your mouse or stylus before Illustrator adds a new anchor point to the path. For example, a Fidelity value of 2.5 means that tool movements of less than 2.5 pixels aren't registered. Fidelity can range from 0.5 to 20 pixels; the higher the value, the smoother and less complex the path.
    • Smoothness to control the amount of smoothing that Illustrator applies when you use the tool. Smoothness can range from 0% to 100%; the higher the value, the smoother the path.
    • Keep Selected to determine whether or not Illustrator keeps the path selected after you draw it.
    • Edit Selected Paths to determine whether or not you can change an existing path with the Pencil tool.
    • Within: _ pixels to determine how close your mouse or stylus must be to an existing path in order to edit the path with the Pencil tool. This option is only available when the Edit Selected Paths option is selected.