Pen tool basics

A vector path is just a sequence of anchor points connected by line or curve segments. The pen tool places those anchors. Master the difference between a corner and a smooth anchor and you can draw anything.

Two kinds of anchor

• Corner anchor — a sharp change of direction. You make one by clicking (no drag). Straight-edged shapes are all corner anchors.
• Smooth anchor — the path flows through it as a continuous curve. You make one by clicking and dragging: the drag pulls out two handles that steer the curve in and out of the point.

Drawing your first path

1. Pick the pen tool and click once to drop the first anchor.
2. Click somewhere else to make a straight segment, or click-and-drag to make a curved one — the further you drag, the deeper the curve.
3. Keep going, point by point. Think in as few anchors as possible.
4. Close the path by clicking back on the first anchor (for a filled shape), or finish an open path with Enter. Esc cancels.

The golden rule: fewer points

Beginners place too many anchors; pros place as few as the shape allows. A smooth curve usually needs an anchor only where the curvature changes direction — not every few pixels. Fewer, well- placed anchors give cleaner curves, easier edits, and smaller files. If a path has gotten noisy (common with traced or AI-generated art), run Simplify to fit a clean curve through it.

Handles steer the curve

Each smooth anchor has two handles. Longer handles make broader, rounder curves; shorter handles tighten them. The handle’s angle sets the direction the path travels through the point. Adjusting handles after the fact is how you go from “roughly right” to “exactly right.”

Editing an existing path

Drawing is half the job; refining is the other half. Switch to the node tool to edit any existing path — including a shape you converted with Object → Path, or an SVG you imported. With it you can:

• drag anchors to reposition them;
• drag handles to reshape the curve;
• convert an anchor between corner and smooth;
• add or remove anchors;
• nudge with arrow keys for pixel-exact placement.

Every edit is exact and reversible — typed values and handle drags produce identical results, and undo steps back through each change.

Practice exercises

1. A triangle — three clicks, close the path. Pure corner anchors.
2. A circle by hand — four smooth anchors (top, right, bottom, left), each with a drag. Notice four is enough.
3. An “S” curve — two or three smooth anchors. This teaches handle direction.
4. A leaf — two corner anchors (the tips) joined by two curves. This mixes both anchor types in one path.

Ready to put it to work? Walk through how to make a logo, or open the editor and start drawing.