About Drawing with the Pen Tool (1)

In this lesson, I will try to explain how to work with the pen tool if you want to draw an imported image.

The correct way to obtain an image into Illustrator for drawing on this image it by “Place”.

Just click the “File” button in the menubar and select “Place …” from the drop-down menu.

In the dialog that opens, navigate and select the image, select the check boxes “Link” and “Template” and click the “Place”.

Illustrator puts this picture in the middle of your document (1), it makes a new layer for you below the existing layer, gives this layer a name and locks it (2).
If this is not correctly aligned for you, click the lock icon (3), so that the layer is unlocked.

You select the “Select” tool in the toolbar and you click and drag over the image or part of the image.

This places a red box around the image (4).

Then click the “Align” button (5) in the options bar, and click the “Align to” button (A).

Select “Align to Artboard” (B), if it is not already selected.

Then click again on the “Align” (5) in the options bar and click the “Horizontal Align Center” button (C).

And then click the “Align” button (5) in the options bar and click the “Vertical Align Center” (D).

That would make the image in the middle of the document.

If everything is aligned as desired, you can re-lock the layer by pressing the lock-icon.

 

As you undoubtedly have noticed,, the template layer where our image is placed, is dim.
This is only when you insert a pixel-based graphic, not when you insert a vector-based illustration.

To change the dim rate, double click the template layer. In the dialog that appears, change your rate.
If you wish to change the name of the layer, you can do so in this dialog.

If you’re wondering why this template layer is dimmed.
Well this makes it easier to see what you draw, we will do that in the next lesson.
More information about the “Places” of images can be read in Lesson 41.

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