How to use the pen tool in Illustrator

Today I have a video tutorial for you on how to use the pen tool, one of the most essential tools for digital illustration within Adobe Illustrator. Enjoy!

EDIT:

After making this video and learning more about the pen tool, I realized that I was doing something wrong in this video. You see me clicking on points as I make them to delete one of their anchor points. I never explained why I was doing this, but it was so that Illustrator would allow me to make larger, more flexible curves.

DON'T DO THIS!

While deleting anchor points does give you more flexibility, it also limits the smoothness of your curves, and creates "kinks".

This is an example of an illustration I made - can you see the kink? One side of the flame is very smooth; the other side has a jagged angle.

You don't want your illustrations to look like this!! :-)

Only delete anchor points if you want a jagged angle like that, if you're making a sharp corner or point. (For example, the tips of the flames in the above illustration.) If you're trying to make smooth arcs, practice making more points and smaller curves. This will eliminate the problems that come with making curves that are too large.

A word of caution: Don't use too many points. You want enough that you can make your shapes look natural, but you don't want any more than you need. The more points, the larger the file size. Just something to keep in mind.

Well, now you know how to do it correctly... so, happy pen-tooling!

A Tale of Two Chocolates

 

Once upon a time, there were two packages: Package Modern, and Package Exotic. These packages contained the exact same ingredient: Organic cacao powder. However, not all organic cacao powder packages are created equally. These two rivals each told a different story.

Package Modern, as indicated across the top of his groovy bag, tried to appeal to the "modern lifestyle"; to busy moms and families seeking a powerful health boost as they rushed between sports practices, classes, and workouts at the gym. His appearance shouted a message loud and clear, even if his beholders only perceived the message in their subconscious: I am modern; I am pure. The plain block shapes, the basic sans-serif fonts, the limited color scheme, and the simple silhouette illustrations all contributed to this message.

Package Exotic whispered another tale. Her design spoke of other lands, sparking connotations of places rustic and wild. The loose "Dagoba" title, the strong serif fonts, the seemingly stained and ripped banners, the calm and earthy color scheme, and the faintly seen, elegant, detailed illustrations all suggested a message of exotic value, as if the contents were obtained through careful trading with natives in a country far away. Package Exotic invited her beholders to travel to an adventurous place of their imaginations, and to partake in something old and clean of unhealthy modern pollutants.

Two packages told a different tale, yet each had the same audience and the same mission: To convince a consumer to purchase one of them, and not the other. Which package design do you think was successful?

If you were walking through a store, which would you buy?