How to Use Pen Tool for Vector Conversion in Adobe Illustrator

If you are a DIY enthusiast or a professional belongs to the screen printing business, then you can’t deny the power of a Pen tool to vectorize the text in Adobe Illustrator. Pen tool works like a magic so that you can traced any image or font, because pen tool is as easy as it sounds.

Also, this Pen tool guide will help you to get master in no time

So let’s get started.

In Adobe Illustrator, Pen tool creates a vector path and allows to draw freehand shapes and lines manually, and it is mainly used for tracing the images and texts manually. You can create or traced any shape by making and connecting anchor points together.

To get access of Pen tool, simply select the pen tool from toolbar (or use short key from keyboard Ctrl + P) and start using Pen tool.

Using the Pen Tool, you can effortlessly generate straight lines by initiating with a click on the artboard and ending with releasing the first anchor point, also referred to as the original anchor point.

• In first step, choose the Pen tool from toolbar.
• Now create the first anchor point, Click and release the point on your artboard.
• To keep the lines perfectly straight, press the Shift

• To create a shape, you need to connect the last anchor point to the original one to close the path. The area between the starting and ending points will be filled with black.
• If you choose not to close the path, simply press, Esc on your keyboard and the path will still be created with the last anchor point as the ending point.

• For making curve lines with pen tool, you need to create the anchor point first.
• When you are making the curve lines, you need to drag the click and release to make your desired curve. Making curve lines is a bit tricky but also essential for making shapes and other graphic designs

• Also, you can move the around to adjust the curve which you make earlier and don’t forget, the more you drag the bigger the curve will be.

• You can also edit the curve or straight line by using the Anchor Point Tool or simply use the short key (Shift + C).

To add anchor points, simply click on point from where you want to add another anchor point.

By clicking on that path you can see a small plus sign appears next to the pen, this sign indicates that you can add the anchor point.

• Choose the point on the path where you want to add the anchor point.
• Now select the pen tool to add the point.
• Now click on the path to add new anchor points,

• Similarly, if you want to delete any anchor point, simple choose the pen tool and click on the existing anchor point, and you can visibly see the little minus sign on the next of your pen tool.
• Delete the anchor points from where you want just like I’ve delete some couple of anchor points from above illustrated shape.

• Also, you can delete it by Delete Anchor Point tool from the toolbar.

The Pen tool works like magic and creates a vector path and allows to draw freehand shapes and lines manually. It plays a vital role in the manual vector conversion process. You can create straight lines and curve lines and simply trace the raster images into crisp vectors for screen printing and other graphical work.

Need to know more about vector conversion process?

See “How to convert Simple Image into Vector Illustration”.