- Here we are in chapter four
and it's finally time to get illustrating.
In other words, this is when things get very, very 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
that comprises a bunch of arcing segments.
And these last two,
draw a couple of different kinds of grids,
one rectangular and the other in circular rings,
also known as 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.