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Chapter 4. Creating Basic Shapes

In This Chapter

• Introducing rectangles, ellipses, stars, and polygons

• Resizing shapes after creation

• Creating shapes

Shapes, shapes, shapes — they're everywhere in Illustrator. Basic shapes, such as squares, circles, polygons, and stars, are used in all types of illustrations. With the right know-how and the right shape tools, you can easily create these shapes exactly the way you want. In this chapter, you find out how to use these tools to control a shape's outcome, create shapes based on precise measurements, and change the number of points a star has.

The Basic Shape Tools

The only visible shape tool in the Tools panel is, as a default, the Rectangle tool. Click and hold down that tool and you have access to the Rounded Rectangle, Ellipse, Polygon, and Star tools, shown in Figure 4-1. (Although you see the Flare tool, it isn't a basic shape.)

Figure 4-1. Basic shape tools.

Tip

You can tear off this tool set so that you don't have to find the hidden shapes later. Click and hold the Rectangle tool and drag to the arrow on the far right side. Wait until you see the pop-up hint (Tearoff) and then release the mouse button. These tools are now on a free-floating toolbar that you can drag to another location.

Creating rectangles and ellipses

Rectangles and ellipses are the most fundamental shapes you can create (see Figure 4-2). To create a rectangle shape freehand, ...