Rectangle tool: –

Rectangle tool lets you draw a square or rectangle shaped object.

  • Click on Rectangle tool
  • Click and drag on to the artboard
  • Press Shift key to draw square from the corner
  • Press Alt + shift key to draw square from the center.

Rounded rectangle tool: –

Rounded rectangle tool lets you draw a rounded rectangle or rounded square shaped object.

  • Click on the rounded rectangle tool
  • Click and drag on the artboard
  • Press up and down arrow key to define corner radius before releasing the cursor.
  • Click on a radio button, close to corner and drag it to change rounded rectangle shape

Ellipse tool (L): –

Ellipse tool lets you draw a circle or oval shaped object.

  • Click on Ellipse tool
  • Click and drag on the artboard
  • Use alt +shift key to draw a perfect circle.

Polygon tool: –

This tool lets to draw different shaped object e.g. (Triangle, square etc)

  • Click on Polygon tool
  • Click and drag on to the artboard
  • Press up arrow down arrow key left and right arrow key to define the sides of the object. or
  • Just click on the artboard
  • Define radius and sides

Star tool: –

Star tool lets you draw a star-shaped object.

  • Click on the star tool
  • Click and drag on the artboard do not release the mouse press up arrow down arrow and left and right arrow key to defining the number of points.

Line tool (\): –

Line tool lets you draw a line.

  • Click on line tool
  • Click and drag on to the artboard
  • Press shift key to draw a straight line
  • Press tilde key (~) from the keyboard to draw multiple lines or
  • Just click on the artboard
  • Define the length and the angle.

Arc tool: –

Arc tool lets you draw a concave or convex arc.

  • Click on arc tool
  • Click and drag on to the artboard
  • Press up arrow and down arrow key to define concave and convex
  • Press (~) key of the keyboard to draw a multiple arc or
  • Click on the artboard
  • Define length, type—- (open/closed) concave /convex

Spiral Tool: –

Spiral tool lets you draw a spiral-shaped object.

  • Click on spiral tool
  • Click and drag on the artboard
  • Press up and down arrow key to define its decay or
  • Click on Artboard
  • Define its option
  • Press ok.

Rectangular grid tool: –

Rectangular grid tool lets you draw a table.

  • Click on rectangular grid tool
  • Click and drag on to the artboard
  • Press up, down, right, left arrow key to defining a number of rows and column
  • Press X, C, V, F key to define left, right, top, bottom skew or
  • Just click on the artboard
  • Define its option click on ok.

Polar Grid: –

Polar grid tool lets you draw a polar grid object.

  • Click on polar grid tool
  • Click and drag on to the artboard
  • Press up, down, left, right arrow key to define concentric and radial dividers
  • Press X, C, V, F. key to defining in, out bottom, top skew. or
  • Just click on the artboard
  • Define its options
  • Click on ok.
  • Eg
  • Concentric dividers —– 3
  • Radial divider    ——– 4

Making a 3D box: –

  • Draw a square shaped object with the rectangle tool (Press Alt key and drag)
  • Duplicate it (press Alt+shift key and drag.
  • Select the anchor point with the direct selection tool
  • Again, duplicate the original square object.
  • Select the anchor point with the direct selection tool
  • Click and drag the anchor point
  • Fill any color
    • Window >swatches
    • Swatches pallet will appear at the right-hand side of the screen
    • Select a different color for a different box.

Pen tool (P): –

This tool is a very important and powerful tool in illustrator. Pen tool lets you draw straight and curve (smooth) path.

Types of paths: –

  • Open path
  • Closed path

Draw Straight line with Pen tool: –

  • Click on pen tool (P)
  • Click on the Artboard from where you want to start
  • Click and again click on the other side continue…….
  • (Press shift key to draw a straight line)

To draw a curvy (smooth) Path: –

  • Click on pen tool
  • Click on the artboard at the required place
  • Click on the other side and drag the mouse.
  • By the same way, we can make different shaped objects
    with the help of pen tool.
  • Note # (Press shift key to draw straight path)

Add anchor point tool: – (+)

  • This tool lets you add the anchor point on the path segment.
  • Select the path
  • Click on the add anchor point tool (+)
  • Click on the path segment.
  • Now you can move the anchor point, click on direct selection tool (A) select the added anchor point, click and drag or use up or down arrow key from the keyboard.

Remove anchor point tool (-)

  • This tool lets you remove the anchor point.
  • Select the path
  • Click on remove anchor point tool
  • Click on the anchor point which you want to remove.

Convert anchor point: –

This tool lets you convert the curvy (smooth) path into corner or corner path into curvy path

  • Select the path
  • Click on the convert anchor point tool
  • Click on the anchor point and drag
  • To move the individual handle
  • Select anchor point (curvy path)
  • Click on convert anchor tool
  • Click and drag the required handle

Pencil tool: –

Pencil tool lets you draw a path freely

  • Click on pencil tool
  • Fill >none; stroke > black
  • Click and drag on the artboard freely

Pencil tool Options

  • Double click on the pencil tool
  • Fidelity_
  • To add /remove anchor point
  • More value ——-    less anchor points
  • Less value ——–    More anchor points
  • (Note: – more anchor points take more memory)

Smooth tool: –

This tool lets you make a path smooth

  • Select the path
  • Click on a smooth tool
  • Click and drag on to the path to make the path smooth

Flares tool

The Flare tool creates flare objects with a bright center, a halo, and rays and rings. Use this tool to create an effect similar to a lens flare in a photograph.

  • Flares include a center handle and an end handle.
  • Use the handles to position the flare and its rings.
  • The center handle is in the bright center of the flare—the flare path begins from this point.

Draw a flare

  • Select the Flare tool.
  • Press the mouse button down to place the center handle of the flare, then drag to set the size of the center, the size of the halo, and to rotate the angle of the rays.
  • Before releasing the mouse, press Shift to constrain the rays to a set angle. Press Up Arrow or Down Arrow to add or subtract rays. Press Ctrl to hold the center of the flare constant.
  • Release the mouse when the center, halo, and rays are as desired.
  • Press and drag again to add rings to the flare and place the end handle.
  • Before releasing the mouse, Press Up Arrow or Down Arrow to add or subtract rings. Press the tilde (~) key to randomly place the rings.
  • Release the mouse when the end handle is in the desired location.
  • Each element (center, halo, rings, and rays) in the flare is filled with color at different opacity settings.

Eraser tool: –

This tool lets you erase the selected path.

  • Select the path
  • Click on erase tool
  • Click and drag on to the path segment where you want to erase.

Drawing modes

Illustrator  provides the following drawing modes:

  • Draw Normal
  • Draw Behind
  • Draw Inside

Making glove: –

  • Draw a perfect circle (alt +shift)
  • Copy the circle and pest in front (Ctrl+c) (Ctrl +F)
  • Press alt key and drag (resize)
  • Again, copy the circle and paste in front (Ctrl+C) (Ctrl+F)
  • And resize it
  • Draw an oval-shaped object
  • And cut at the required place with scissor tool
  • Select the upper part of the oval-shaped object and delete it.
  • Add other lines and complete it.

Live Trace

If you want to base a new drawing on an existing piece of artwork, you can trace it. For example, you can create a graphic based on a pencil sketch drawn on paper or on a raster image saved in another graphics program by bringing the graphic into Illustrator and tracing over it.

Perspective drawing

You can easily draw or render artwork in perspective using a feature set that works on established laws of perspective drawing. Perspective grid allows you to approximately represent a scene on a flat surface, as it is naturally perceived (by the human eye). For example, a road or a pair of railway tracks, which seem to meet or vanish in the line of vision.

  • Utilities to define or edit one, two, and three vanishing point perspectives in a document.
  • Control different perspective-defining parameters interactively.
  • Create objects directly in perspective.
  • Bring existing objects in perspective.
  • Transform objects in perspective (move and scale objects).
  • Move or duplicate objects toward a perpendicular plane (perpendicular movement).
  • Define real work objects and draw objects with the specified real-world measurements in perspective.

Define perspective grids

  • Click View > Perspective Grid > Show Grid.
  • Press Ctrl+Shift+I to show/hide the Perspective Grid.
  • Click the Perspective Grid tool from the Tools panel.

Symbol: –

Symbol palette lets you store your object in it later on you can insert replace the symbol instantly.

To create a new symbol

  • Design something eg flower fish tree etc
  • Window >symbol
  • Select your object
  • Click on a new symbol from the symbol palette
  • Drag into symbol palette.

To break symbol: –

  • First, insert your symbol
  • Select symbol in an artboard
  • Click on break (break link) from symbol palette.
  • Object >ungroup (Ctrl+Shift+G)

To redefine Symbol: –

  • Select symbol in artboard
  • Select required symbol in symbol palette to redefine
  • Click on redefine symbol from symbol menu panel.

To place symbol: –

  • Select required symbol
  • Click on place symbol from the symbol palette.

Symbol spray tool: – (Shift+S)

  • This tool lets you spray the selected symbol on the artboard
  • First, select the required symbol
  • Click on symbol spray tool
  • Click and drag on the artboard

Symbol Shifter tool: –

  • This tool lets you move the required symbol
  • Click on symbol shifter tool
  • Click and drag the required symbol on the artboard

Symbol Scruncher tool

  • This tool lets you collect the symbol together.

Symbol seizer tool: –

  • This tool lets you change the size of the symbol.
  • Click on the required symbol to increase the size
  • Press Alt key and click on the symbol to decrease the size.

Symbol spinner tool: –

  • This tool lets you rotate the symbol.

Symbol stainer tool

  • This tool lets you fill the selected color on to symbol
  • First, select the required color
  • Click on symbol stainer tool
  • Click on the symbol.

Symbol Screener tool: –

  • This tool lets you make the symbol transparent
  • Click on the symbol with this tool to make the symbol transparent
  • Press Alt key and click on the transparent object to make it opaque (normal) symbol.

Symbol Styler tool: –

  • This tool lets you fill the selected style on the symbol
  • First, select the required style from the style palette. (window >Style)
  • Click on the symbol

For more symbol

  • Window >Symbol library >click on the required symbol (library eg maps, nature, etc)