Draw a curve

A curved shape can be drawn using the Pen tool, and results in a Path object on the artboard.

To draw a curve

1. In the Tools panel, click Pen .

2. Click on the artboard to position the first node, and optionally drag your pointer to define the initial direction (tangent) of the curve.

3. For each successive node, click on the artboard and optionally drag your pointer to create the desired curve.

4. To close your path, click the first node that you created. The cursor should change to the pen close cursor to indicate that it will close the path.

   If you want to end your path without joining the last node to the first node, click the Pen tool again or click anywhere in the Tools panel or in the Objects and Timeline panel.

Note

Dragging defines the control handle of the node, which describes the tangent of the line at that node. The shape of the curve can be modified during and after the path is drawn by changing the angle and length of the control handles for that node. For more information, see Change the shape of a curve and Redefine control handles for a point on a path. For a quick reference of modifications that you can make to a path, see see Direct Selection tool modifier keys and Pen tool modifier keys.

Send feedback about this topic to Microsoft. © 2011 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.