Digital Illustration beginners usually find it hard to get used to the pen tool in Adobe Illustrator. Here is a small list of key tips that will help you master it.
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1) Select the direct selection tool before you choose the pen tool. By holding the command (mac) ctrl (pc) you will have temporary access to the last tool used (Direct Selection) so you can make adjustmens on your anchor points and handles without deactivating the path.
2) Use the spacebar. While holding the space bar you access the hand to navigate your your around your document, again without deactivating the path.
3) Use less anchor points as possible.
4) Click and drag to make a point into a bezier curve
5) (While mouse button is still pressed) Press and hold the option key (mac) or the alt key (windows) to split the bezier curve.
6) It's much easier to draw a curved line if you drag your handle and make its lenght around 1/3 of the lenght of the segment.
7) (While mouse button is still depressed) Press and hold down the space bar to move the point.
