Horitexan
12-21-2007, 02:50 PM
I am trying to recreate several geometric cloth patterns from Japan, using Illustrator. But I'm having a few problems drawing them with the pen tool:
Problem 1: When I draw two right-angles that overlap, the second right angle seems to delete or cover part of the other lines! It's as if Illustrator creates an invisible line between the two ends of the right angle I draw and then covers or deletes anything that lies under the resulting triangular shape- this INCLUDES the graph that I have turned on under the "window" menu. How do I stop this and just have the lines I draw show up?
Problem 2: Is there a way to combine lines into one single shape or object that can still be 'selected' so that I can play with the stroke width? For example: Can I draw a single horizontal line and then draw a second, vertical, line and then combine them into a single object that is a + sign; and still be able to play with the stroke width?
Problem 3: How can I move a drawing other than using the arrow keys? To create a pattern I've taken a shape and then "duplicated" the layer and moved the shape in one layer to allign with the other layer. However, the only way I've been able to get the shape to move is with the arrow keys! When I try the "selection tool" it just draws a boundary box and the hand tool just moves the entire page around- NOT the shape in the particular layer I have selected. The arrow keys work, but they're AWFULLY slow! There has to be a quicker way to move a shape/layer around!
Any help yall can give a newbie like me would be REALLY appreciated!
Thanks in advance!
Nick Anderson
Austin, TX
Problem 1: When I draw two right-angles that overlap, the second right angle seems to delete or cover part of the other lines! It's as if Illustrator creates an invisible line between the two ends of the right angle I draw and then covers or deletes anything that lies under the resulting triangular shape- this INCLUDES the graph that I have turned on under the "window" menu. How do I stop this and just have the lines I draw show up?
Problem 2: Is there a way to combine lines into one single shape or object that can still be 'selected' so that I can play with the stroke width? For example: Can I draw a single horizontal line and then draw a second, vertical, line and then combine them into a single object that is a + sign; and still be able to play with the stroke width?
Problem 3: How can I move a drawing other than using the arrow keys? To create a pattern I've taken a shape and then "duplicated" the layer and moved the shape in one layer to allign with the other layer. However, the only way I've been able to get the shape to move is with the arrow keys! When I try the "selection tool" it just draws a boundary box and the hand tool just moves the entire page around- NOT the shape in the particular layer I have selected. The arrow keys work, but they're AWFULLY slow! There has to be a quicker way to move a shape/layer around!
Any help yall can give a newbie like me would be REALLY appreciated!
Thanks in advance!
Nick Anderson
Austin, TX