Need help transitioning from CorelDraw to Illustrator

[gigasaurus]

I have used CorelDraw my entire life, and I need to transition to Illustrator. My problem is the drawing techniques I've always used in Corel don't resemble the way the pen tool tutorials for Illustrator instruct you to do. All the tutorials have you draw, pull out handles on nodes as you draw, and make decisions (alt key) about what lines will be straight and which lines will be curves as you go. Whereas in Corel I simply click my dots (nodes), convert lines to curves, adjust paths and handles.  I know Illustrator is a comprehensive program and probably allows me to use these same techniques (but I don't know how to do them, and all the tutorials I find seem to demonstrate one method of drawing).  I have posted a video below that demonstrates how I typically draw in Corel.  I'm hoping someone with experience could please look at this video and tell me what steps I need to take to do this same thing (or a similar method) in Illustrator.  All help/advice is appreciated.

Here is the video:

Need help transitioning from CorelDraw to Illustrator - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrlaEKO_US8

[Monika Gause · Accepted solution]

Does this answer the question?

Dropbox - Corel2illy.mov

[gigasaurus]

Terrific. Thank you

[Monika Gause]

You're welcome.

[TAKI1 PCSS]

Great help! I will never understand why Illustrator has to be so complicated when it comes to curves drawing and editing... I have to use more than one tool or key to do things I draw in Corel with one, base tool. Same about linear gradient... Eh. Thank you again!

[Monika Gause]

Every application does it slightly differently. And that is mostly historically happening. The user base is used to it and then when you want to change something, there will be an uproar.

Also: it's not just the pen tool. There is a general philosophy behind the usage of tools and changing one of them will mean that you probably have to change some more.

When switching to different applications, Illustrator users feel the same pain as you do. It's not about ease of use, but about muscle memory.