• Global community
    • Language:
      • Deutsch
      • English
      • Español
      • Français
      • Português
  • 日本語コミュニティ
    Dedicated community for Japanese speakers
  • 한국 커뮤니티
    Dedicated community for Korean speakers
Exit
9

How to maintain Illustrator pen tool stroke settings (size, brush, etc.) for all new paths?

Community Beginner ,
Jan 07, 2013 Jan 07, 2013

Copy link to clipboard

Copied

I'm a newbie, so this is probably obvious, but I can't find it in any tutorials or documentation.  In Illustrator I want to maintain the stroke settings while creating several paths with the pen tool.  However, every time I start a new path, the stroke settings revert to what must be a default.  E.g. I set 16pt + Variable width profile + Basic and stroke a path.  When I start a new path, the settings revert to 1pt + Uniform + Basic, and I have to reset back to my original. Other art programs I've used maintain the tool settings most recently used until they are manually changed.  How can I get the settings to stay through multiple uses of the pen tool?  Thanks.

Views

70.4K

Translate

Translate

Report

Report
Community guidelines
Be kind and respectful, give credit to the original source of content, and search for duplicates before posting. Learn more
community guidelines

correct answers 1 Correct answer

Adobe Employee , Jan 07, 2013 Jan 07, 2013

Hi Bion_s,

In the course of playing around in Illustrator to find a solution, I found that if you open your appearance panel (Window > Appearance), select the fly-out menu and deselect New Art has Basic Appearance.

Screen Shot 2013-01-07 at 3.16.51 PM.png

I found that with this option unselected, you can select your stroke width and profile and draw multiple times without it reverting to the default stroke!

Please let me know if this works for you. I'm not sure how this might affect your workflow on other projects, but it did result in th

...

Votes

Translate

Translate
Adobe
Community Expert ,
Oct 09, 2019 Oct 09, 2019

Copy link to clipboard

Copied

What exactly is your issue? What exactly does change? Which settings are you referring to?

Votes

Translate

Translate

Report

Report
Community guidelines
Be kind and respectful, give credit to the original source of content, and search for duplicates before posting. Learn more
community guidelines
Community Beginner ,
Nov 16, 2022 Nov 16, 2022

Copy link to clipboard

Copied

yup, same problem. set stroke size and paintbrush and then select a brush and previous size is discarded.

Votes

Translate

Translate

Report

Report
Community guidelines
Be kind and respectful, give credit to the original source of content, and search for duplicates before posting. Learn more
community guidelines
Explorer ,
Jul 08, 2020 Jul 08, 2020

Copy link to clipboard

Copied

Thank you!!! I've been googling this for days now and finding nothing - how does one even express in google-search terms what the problem is!!? anyway, this is probably exactly what I needed. Thank you

Votes

Translate

Translate

Report

Report
Community guidelines
Be kind and respectful, give credit to the original source of content, and search for duplicates before posting. Learn more
community guidelines
New Here ,
Jul 08, 2020 Jul 08, 2020

Copy link to clipboard

Copied

Hello,

Am trying to draw with the pencil tool.but once i draw, everything goes transparent, instead of creating a path

which can show me where to fill colour with the eyedropper tool. Help

Votes

Translate

Translate

Report

Report
Community guidelines
Be kind and respectful, give credit to the original source of content, and search for duplicates before posting. Learn more
community guidelines
Community Expert ,
Jul 08, 2020 Jul 08, 2020

Copy link to clipboard

Copied

Uncheck the option "New art has basic appearance" in the appearance panel menu.

Then apply whatever you would like the stroke to look like. New paths would then have that appearance.

Votes

Translate

Translate

Report

Report
Community guidelines
Be kind and respectful, give credit to the original source of content, and search for duplicates before posting. Learn more
community guidelines
Participant ,
Feb 09, 2021 Feb 09, 2021

Copy link to clipboard

Copied

Evertime I get a new computer I have to search for this and have the hardest time finding it. Thanky you! So, in order to draw brush strokes with the pen or pencil, you have to opeen appearance then cilick the little part in upper right and disselect basic appearance. It is SO hidden, not ony that, but I tried everything to use the brush tool without lag and this actually works. I have no idea why the pencil tool with brush stroke has no lag but brush with brush stroke does or why this setting is so hidden.

Votes

Translate

Translate

Report

Report
Community guidelines
Be kind and respectful, give credit to the original source of content, and search for duplicates before posting. Learn more
community guidelines