Of the Illustrator tools, using the pen tool is an essential part to learn Illustrator! This lesson is designed to give students lots of practice through some pen tool exercises so that in future lessons they can use it and not be afraid of it. They will learn how to make lines and shapes with the pen tool and learn how to use the color picker to fill those shapes with color. They'll even get to play a fun "Bezier game" to get them started in the process!
Lesson Resources
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- Lesson plan (PDF)
- Presentation (PDF)
- Assignment example (AI)
- Assignment (PDF)
- Bee image (JPG)
- Fleur-de-lis image (JPG)
- Pen tool exercises (AI)
- Cartoon grading rubric (PDF)
- Drawing grading rubric (PDF)
- Pen tool exercises grading rubric (PDF)
- Terms Cheat Sheet (PDF)
- Test (PDF)
- Test Key (PDF)
Videos
Pen Tool in Illustrator CC Unit Overview Video
1. Pen Tool Basics: Straight and Curved Lines
2. Add, Delete, or Change Anchor Points with the Pen tool
3. Using Alt and Command keys with the Pen tool
4. Using the “Click and Adjust” method with the Pen tool
5. Using the Reflect Tool and Smart Guides
6. Pathfinder vs Shape Builder tool options
7. Using Shapes with the Pen Tool
8. Using Curvature Tool and Grouping Objects
9. Using the Width Tool and Manipulating Strokes
10. Creating Shadows with the Width Tool