This Clever Pen Tool Technique Shows You How To Place Anchor Points And Curves In Illustrator

The Pen Tool is one of the most powerful tools in Adobe Illustrator and also the hardest to master. You don’t always know where the anchor points have to go and where the bezier handles are supposed to be directed. Too many anchor points result in choppy curves and can also cause printing errors. The bezier handles need to be in the right direction and at the right length to avoid bumps and distortions.

Designer Will Paterson from Astute Graphics has come up with a handy ‘box method’ technique that shows you how to place your anchor points and how long the bezier handles should be when tracing artworks like hand lettering or other similar curves. Check it out below.

Pen Tool Cheat Sheet

Paul Trani, Senior Worldwide Creative Cloud Evangelist for Adobe, has created a handy ‘Pen Tool’ cheat sheet for Illustrator that shows you how to create straight and curved lines, add/delete/move anchor points and use bezier handles. Check it out below.