- Here we are in chapter four
and it's finally time to get illustrating.
In other words, this is when things get exciting.
Illustrator offers five line tools.
One draws a straight line from one anchor point to another.
Another draws a smooth arc that you can even flip
back-and-forth by tapping a key.
This one draws a spiral,
complete with 10 arcing segments by default.
And these last two draw a couple
of different kinds of grids,
one rectangular and the other polar.
What I love about these tools
is that they split the difference
between ease of use and artistic expediency.
Your job is to draw one basic line after another.
In the business we call these primitives,
because they can serve as building blocks
to more complex path outlines.
One line builds incrementally on another,
and before you know it you end up with something
that's not the least bit primitive at all.
Let me show you the most basic tools
that Illustrator offers, and how even
the most basic things in Illustrator
are secretly very powerful indeed.