Why is my pen tool not working right?

[sandygirl5]

When I try to draw a straight line in Illustrator, the pen tool won't just draw. The spot you put the tool down on becomes a middle anchor and when you change to the selection tool after drawing it, selected line disappears and only a tiny box remains where the middle anchor point was. I cannot get it to be an actual line. No matter what color or size I try to make the stroke, nothing happens. If I make the line curved, it works. 

[Larry G. Schneider · Accepted solution]

Are you using the Curvature tool and not the Pen tool? To get a straight line from the Pen tool simply click the mouse once and release. Move the tool tip to where you want it to end and single click again.

[sandygirl5]

Thank you so much! That was it!

[Disposition_Dev · Accepted solution]

It sounds like you're trying to use the "Pen" tool in the same way that you'd use the "Brush" tool.

When you use the pen tool, you click wherever you want an anchor point to go, then you click where you want the next anchor point to go, and so on. It's not a "click and drag" kind of tool (although, you can manipulate the curve of the line by clicking to put down and anchor point and then dragging before you release the mouse).

The brush tool (or paintbrush) will probably behave more like what you expect.

Or it's completely possible i'm misunderstanding the problem... can you share some screenshots, or even better a screen recording of the action you're trying to do?

[Mohan5EE6]

The pen is jumping from where I have selected!!

what should I do for that??

[excited_operator5CEB]

Facing same issue from last 5 days.  Did u got the solution? 

[sandygirl5]

Thanks! I am new to Illustrator and am watching a course on it right now. In the video it looked to me like it was being dragged. 

[Disposition_Dev]

No worries at all. This is how we learn.

Glad you got it figured out.

[#9]

hi there ! i have the same issues with the pen tool, would you please share the course you've used to learn how to control it ?

[Disposition_Dev]

I can't speak to the course that the other person was doing. But there's tons of free content on YouTube. Here's a detailed intro to the pen tool.

https://youtu.be/j69a3-shkGE

[doctortomoreau]

Is there a more beginning course than the beginning course?  A new curve seems to automatically pop up each time he creates an anchor but I am not getting that.

[Ton Frederiks]

Is Preferences > Selection & Anchor Display > Enable Rubber Band for ...checked?

[doctortomoreau]

It is. 

I think my issue was one needs to immediately click and drag at each anchor point which I wasn't gathering from any video I watched.  6 hours later, better than never.

Thanks.