Anchor Points & the Pen Tool: Drawing Custom Paths

Chapter 1 introduced anchor points and paths as vector graphics' own building blocks; Chapter 2 introduced the two tools that work with them. This chapter puts both of those ideas into practice — actually drawing custom paths with the Pen tool, the single most important instrument in either application.

The Pen Tool: Vector Drawing's Core Instrument

The Pen tool (identically named in Illustrator, and called the Bezier tool in Inkscape's own toolbox, though functionally the same instrument) places anchor points one click at a time, connecting each new point to the last with a path segment. Every custom shape that isn't a simple rectangle or ellipse ultimately gets drawn this way — it's the tool that turns Chapter 1's abstract "paths and anchor points" description into an actual drawing skill.

Placing Anchor Points: Corner Points vs. Smooth Points

A simple click places a corner point — the path meets at a sharp angle on either side, useful for straight edges and sharp corners. Clicking and dragging instead places a smooth point, pulling out a curve handle on both sides of the point that controls how the path flows through it, useful for rounded, flowing shapes. Choosing the right point type at each click is the difference between a shape that looks deliberately drawn and one that looks like it fought the tool the whole way.

Bezier Handles: Controlling Curve Shape

Each smooth point's curve handles can be dragged independently to reshape the curve on either side of that point — longer handles produce a broader, more gradual curve, shorter handles produce a tighter one, and the handle's angle controls the curve's direction as it enters and leaves the point. A small number of well-placed smooth points with carefully adjusted handles almost always produces a cleaner curve than many corner points trying to approximate the same shape.

Open vs. Closed Paths

A path is open if it has a distinct start and end point that never connect — useful for a line, an underline, or a decorative squiggle. A path is closed if its last anchor point connects back to its first, forming a continuous loop — necessary for any shape that needs a fillable interior, like a logo mark or an icon. Clicking back on a path's own starting point while drawing is what closes it in both applications.

Editing Existing Paths: Adding, Removing, and Adjusting Points

A path is rarely perfect on the first attempt. Both applications let existing anchor points be selected and repositioned, new points added along an existing segment, and unwanted points deleted — all without needing to redraw the whole path from scratch. Learning to edit an existing path confidently is just as important as drawing one in the first place, since real vector work is mostly refinement, not one perfect unbroken pass.

Hands-On Exercises