Three how-tos that will help you better understand the Pen tool

The Pen tool which might require some practice to master. I don’t really use it much in InDesign, while I use it all the times in Illustrator. For this reason I will just give you the basic gist on how to use it. I will take up the Pen tool again later writing. Following below are quick how-tos on the use of this often misunderstood tool that is the Pen tool. I advise you to open your InDesign (or Illustrator) and actually do what I say while you go through all the steps. It will be easier to understand them.

Drawing Straight Lines with the Pen Tool

1. Click on the point where the line will start to create the first anchor point.
2. Click on the point the point where the line will end to create the next anchor point. Don’t drag the mouse, just click.
3. Release the mouse.

To draw a closed shape using straight lines, repeat steps 1-3 as desired then click on the starting anchor point to close the shape.

Drawing Curves with the Pen Tool

1. Click on the point where the line will start to create your first anchor point.
2. Click on the point the point where the line will end to create the next anchor point. Don’t drag the mouse, just click.
3. Now, drag the mouse. You can drag in any direction to create any curve you want. The more you drag, the bigger your curve will be.
4. Release the mouse.

To draw a closed shape using curves, repeat steps 1-3 as desired then click on the starting anchor point to close the shape.

Drawing Shapes with the Pen Tool

[1] (Enlarged version)

The animated illustration shows how to make a shape consisting of straight lines and curves. Follow the procedures described in the straight lines and curves tutorials, mixing the line types as you please, or follow the animated steps.

Note this important point when mixing straight lines and curves: After you have created a curve, if you release the mouse button and click somewhere else, InDesign will automatically create another curve. If you don’t want InDesign to create another curve, click on the last anchor point you created. This will remove the handle for that anchor point.Now you can click anywhere and InDesign will make a straight line between those two anchor points. Use this procedure to switch from curves to straight lines within a shape.

To close your shape, click on the first anchor point you created when you started drawing with the pen.

[2] Previous | [3] Next