One of the fundamental skills every designer should possess is the ability to create shapes in Adobe Illustrator. Understanding the process of shape creation not only expands your creative possibilities but also streamlines your design workflow.
My name is Kerry and in this article, you’ll learn two ways to make shapes in Adobe Illustrator and explore why designers should master this skill. By following some easy steps, you will be able to create shapes from scratch.
Are you ready to learn how to make shapes? Here we go!
Contents
Key Takeaways
- Users can create shapes through freehand drawing or by utilizing some of the premade tools that exist in Adobe Illustrator
- If you don’t see the different shape buttons in your workspace, search for them in the search bar or right-click on the ellipse button and they should pop up in a new window.
- Users can create symmetrical shapes by using the Shaper tool button, which allows them to draw a specific shape and it will automatically fix itself to be symmetrical.
Shapes in Adobe Illustrator
Shapes serve as the building blocks for countless design projects.
Versatility: From basic geometric forms to intricate organic shapes, the possibilities are virtually limitless.
Scalability: Illustrator’s vector-based approach ensures that shapes can be scaled up or down without any loss of quality. This scalability is particularly beneficial when working on projects that require output in different sizes, such as logos, icons, or infographics.
Editability: Shapes created in Illustrator are fully editable, you can make adjustments, fine-tune details, or experiment with different variations effortlessly.
Precision: Illustrator’s robust toolset allows you to create precise shapes using grids, guides, and alignment features that are essential in fields like logo design, iconography, or typography.
Time Efficiency: Once you grasp the techniques for creating shapes in Illustrator, you can leverage its powerful features like the Shape Builder tool, and Pathfinder operations, and align/distribute options to speed up your design workflow significantly.
2 Easy Ways to Make Shapes in Adobe Illustrator
Now that you know some of the benefits of learning how to create shapes in Adobe Illustrator, it is time to learn two different methods to do so!
Method 1: Shape Tools
Follow these steps to make shapes in your Adobe Illustrator projects:
Step 1: The first thing that you will want to do is launch Adobe Illustrator on your device. Once you do that, you can create a new document or open an existing one to begin your project that will include those created shapes!
Step 2: Go to the toolbar and select the Shape Tools option. Adobe Illustrator provides a variety of shape tools that are located in this Tools panel, so you may only see one shape option displayed. These tools include the Rectangle Tool, Ellipse Tool, Polygon Tool, Line Tool, and more.
Choose the appropriate shape tool based on your design requirements. You can right-click on the default shape (in this case the ellipse tool), and other options will appear.
Step 3: Once you have selected the type of shape that you want to include in your project, it is time to draw it! Click on that shape option and with the desired shape tool selected, click and drag on the canvas to create the shape.
Tip: You can hold down the Shift key on your keyboard while dragging out your shape to maintain its proportionality or hold the Alt/Option key to draw the shape from its center.
Step 4: Adobe Illustrator also offers options to adjust and modify the attributes of your shape, such as stroke color, fill color, stroke width, and corner radius. Utilize the Color panel that appears on the right side of the screen when you click on the shape to customize these attributes to match your design vision.
Step 5: To refine or edit the shape, you can use various Illustrator tools and features. Examples of these include the Direct Selection Tool (A), which allows you to select and modify individual anchor points, and the Pen Tool (P), which enables you to create custom shapes by adding or removing anchor points.
You can also add effects or transform shapes to enhance your shapes further. Experiment with scaling, rotating, skewing, or applying gradient fills, shadows, or 3D effects to add depth and visual interest to your designs.
Once you are satisfied with your shape creation, save your Illustrator document and export your design in the desired format, such as SVG, EPS, or PNG, for further use in other design applications or for web display.
Method 2: Shaper Tool
Another method that you can use to create shapes in your Adobe Illustrator project is by utilizing the Shaper Tool.
Step 1: Once you open a new or existing project, navigate to the “More” options in the main toolbar so that you can find the Shaper tool. (You can also use that search term in the search bar and it will bring you to it easily!)
Step 2: Click on the Shaper tool and your cursor will be turned into a drawing pencil. Draw the shape that you want to include on your canvas.
Step 3: Once you have finished drawing your shape, let go of your cursor and the technology will identify your shape and automatically make it symmetrical! It is a great option for those who want to manually draw a shape but want that precision and professionalism!
Pro Tip: You can also create shapes by combining shapes using the Shape Builder Tool or Pathfinder tools.
Final Thoughts
Mastering shape creation in Adobe Illustrator is a crucial skill for designers. By understanding the steps involved and exploring the various tools and features available, designers can unlock endless creative possibilities. So, dive into Illustrator, experiment with shapes, and elevate your design projects to new heights!
We would love to hear from you! Do you have any tips on creating and using shapes in your Adobe Illustrator projects? Comment down below with any tricks to utilizing this function or additional questions that you might still have about this topic!
