Pencil Tool
The Pencil Tool is used to draw freeform paths.
Activate the Pencil Tool
To activate the Pencil Tool, simply tap the Pencil ~ic-pencil~~ic-pencil~ in the Toolbar or press ~key~W~key~ on your keyboard.
As soon as you have activated the Pencil Tool, a slider appears to the right of the Toolbar with which you can control the smoothness (A) of your path. Additionally, the Smoothing Slider can be found on the right side of your screen in the Appearance Section of the Inspector (B).
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Then, use your cursor (Mac), stylus (iPad), or finger (iPad or iPhone) to draw on your artboard, just as you would with a pencil on paper.
When you start drawing with the Pencil Tool, you'll create a vector path that follows the path of your hand. It can follow it precisely, or follow it with a more consistent line, depending on the Smoothness you set.
How to Change the Pencil Smoothness
At the right of the Pencil Tool, you’ll find a slider to control the Pencil Smoothness (A - image above)
If you want your path to be exactly as you draw it, you can simply set the value to 0%. Setting the value higher will increase the level of smoothing that the Pencil Tool will apply to the line that you draw.
When you’ve finished drawing, Vectornator will smooth the curve and simplify the path you’ve just created.
The smoothness of your path can also be adjusted after drawing (B). Select your path and the smoothness slider will appear inside the Style Tab.
If you choose this option, the smoothing operation will be almost imperceptible, so we recommend you to select your path with the Node Tool so you can better see how the anchor points will be affected by smoothing the path.
How to Create Shapes with the Pencil Tool
The Pencil Tool allows you to also create shapes and fill them with a color or gradient.
To do that, you simply need to switch the Fill Color on.
Note – Remember to close your shape if you want to combine it using Boolean operations or Masks.
Video Recap
Watch the video below for a complete overview of how the Pencil Tool works in Vectornator when working on your iPad. Especially if you're an illustrator who loves the freedom of a free-hand tool, the Pencil Tool is exactly what you're looking for.
