There are many ways to make shapes in Adobe Illustrator and there are even some premade shape tools that you can use to draw regular shapes with no effort. Even though Illustrator doesn’t come with a heart shape tool, creating a heart shape is a simple process and can be done using multiple methods.
My name is Aly, I am a graphic designer with over five years of experience in Adobe Illustrator. In this article, I’ll show you three easy ways to make a heart in Adobe Illustrator.
Contents
Key Takeaways
- Using the shape builder tool will get you the most accurate shape results.
- Turn off strokes using the shape builder method so it doesn’t interfere with the overlapping of shapes.
Method 1: Rounded Rectangle Tool
Follow the steps below to create a heart using the rounded rectangle tool.
Step 1: Create a new document in Illustrator. Do this by going to File > New.
Step 2: Select the Rounded Rectangle Tool from the shapes in your toolbar.
Step 3: Click on your artboard and drag until you create a rounded rectangle. It can be any size you prefer. Once you have created your shape, we will need to edit the radius value to as high as it can go. This will ensure that the corners on the rectangle will be as rounded as they can be. Make sure the link icon is clicked as well, this makes sure that all corners will be the same.
Step 4: Select the Selection Tool and click on the rounded rectangle. While holding down Shift, rotate your shape around 45 degrees clockwise. Then by clicking and dragging the rectangle while simultaneously holding the Alt key, we’ll duplicate the shape.
Step 5: Rotate the copy of your rectangle 45 degrees counterclockwise and place it over the existing rectangle so that they overlap. It should look something like my image below. You can see the heart shape starting to form at the top.
Step 6: Now we will need to cut off the excess shapes so that the remaining shape will just be a heart. Find and select the Shape Builder Tool from your toolbox or use the shortcut Shift + M.
Step 7: Select both shapes, then click on the extra sections while holding Alt to remove them. The remaining pieces may then be joined together by simply drawing a line between them.
You can see that now you created a heart shape! Make sure you turn off any stroke that may be on as this will show in between the two rectangles. From here, you can move the shape around or resize it if you want to adjust the way your heart looks.
Method 2: Rectangle Tool and Anchor Point Tool
Follow the steps below, to use only two tools to create a heart shape in Illustrator.
Step 1: Create a new document by going to File > New.
Step 2: Create a square using the Rectangle Tool in your toolbar. Hold down Shift to create it. You can place the square in the middle of the artboard and rotate it 45 degrees so it looks like a diamond.
Step 3: Now that you have a rotated square on your artboard, select the Anchor Point Tool from your toolbar.
Step 4: With the anchor point tool selected, hold down the Alt key and click on the middle of the left side of the square and drag upwards and out.
Step 5: Your square should now look like my image below. Next, you will want to do the exact same thing to the right side to make the top part into a heart shape.
Step 6: This part can be a little tricky to make the other side look even, so you will want to make sure your smart guides are turned on by going to Illustrator > Preferences > Smart Guides. This will ensure that the two sides are identical by locking them into place.
You might also want to adjust the top of the heart by using the handles. The handles will pop up once you select the Direct Selection Tool and click on the shape. You can move them around to better shape your heart.
Step 7: Select the Shape Builder Tool and select the heart shape, then draw a line from the inside top left of the heart through the middle into the right side to merge them together as one shape.
Method 3: Drawing a Heart
Follow the steps below to learn how you can create a heart by drawing it yourself!
Step 1: Select the Pencil Tool from your toolbox. Or use the shortcut N.
Step 2: Before you start drawing, at the top of your artboard will be the pencil tool’s settings. You can change the width of the pencil, add a stroke, or change the opacity.
Step 3: Click on your artboard and start drawing a heart shape. Make sure to have the ends touching so the paths connect. From here, you can add a fill or stroke color.
Final Thoughts
With these three different methods creating a heart is very easy to do! Personally, my favorite way is using the shape builder tool for a more accurate shape, but drawing your own heart can be fun as well! I hope this article helped you to better understand creating a heart shape in Illustrator.
Any questions about making a heart in Adobe Illustrator? Leave a comment and let me know.
