Using the pen tool

[KaossKid]

I am knew to Illustrator, and every time I try to draw using the pen tool it creates effects I am not wanting, it won't let me us select normal pen!! Help!! I don't want an elipse tool I want a pen!

[HW@Acme]

BLESS YOU,  DOUG A ROBERTS!!!!! 

I wasn't aware of the Rubber Band option and frankly have never used it. I was honestly flabbergasted at that behavior. I was preparing to revert to an earlier version of Illustrator. I never turned this on and can't understand why it is suddenly turned on as the default. 

I fear the Rubber Band functionality being automatically turned on is going to frustrate a LOT of people accustomed to not having it on.

Thank you so much!

[Doug A Roberts]

I believe it is turned on for new installations, but it shouldn't turn itself on if you are migrating preferences when updating. I've had the same computer for a while now so turned it off once in 2015 and forgot about it.

[jane-e]

KaossKid  wrote

The answer is quite simple, if the tag on an option says "Pen" then it SHOULD act like a real pen simply and easily as the main default.

Hi Kaoss,

The Pen tool for drawing curves is named after Pierre Bézier, who popularized them in the 1960s when he worked for the Renault car company. He died in 1999. In recent years, Adobe has added other methods to draw in Illustrator for newbies, but if they changed or took aways the Pen tool, those of us who use it daily would be unable to work. There is a learning curve, but once you learn it, you don’t look back.

You will probably be happier and work faster if you take a little time to learn Illustrator fundamentals. Otherwise it‘s like putting on skis for the first time at the top of the slope and then blaming the skis when they don’t work and you fall down.

Here are two courses that you might like:

This course by Mordy Golding came out in 2011, but it is still valid and it shows how to draw without the Pen tool.

Illustrator: Drawing without the Pen Tool

Or try the Essential Course with Tony Harmer

Illustrator CC 2019 Essential Training

And come back here to ask questions. This is a user forum and we don’t work for Adobe, but we can help when you get stuck.

Best,

Jane

[twinbrush]

No, but I think the point that @kaosskid is trying to make (using your acrylic painting analogy), is that the blue paint shouldn't be in a jar, under the easle and marked as 'red chalk'; or changed so that its no longer the paint you were used to, this is now powdered pigment....theres a new learnign curve you'll have to master. ..Instead of just keeping it the way it was. Adobe have an uncanny knack of 'updating' software and for the most part it involves moving tools and shortcuts around, or altering the behavior of tools (for little reason other than they need to justify changing sometihng to charge us for a subscription), so that all the familiarity people have gained over years of use is then rendered meaningless. 

Yeah I guess users should read the documentation, but the developers should also be designing and updating the software based on user needs, not what they 'think' the users might like, ya know?  

Not ranting at you, just venting my frustration that, having used Adobe's software since way back in the late 90's, this wohle CC suite is a joke.  Currently getting to grips with affinity and waving goodbye to adobe. Light at the end of Adobe's self-created tunnel.

[Doug A Roberts]

What do you think has changed about the pen tool?

[CitrusBookBindery]

As others have pointed out to you - the pen tool has existed for like 30 years. It's entire intent is bezier curves - this is a vector program, which means everything you do has a mathematical origin, even if raster effects are applied over it.

You are screaming at the devs for not making it do what YOU want it to do...but it does exactly what it is SUPPOSED to do.  You can still draw naturally - the pencil tool is right underneath. PENCILS for sketching, PENS for precision? In any case, any one of thousands of youtube videos will show you how this works if you werent shown in an educational environment, but dont expect the behaviour to change any time soon.