144 Drawing
To adjust points or tangent handles on a curve:
1. Select the Subselection tool, and select an anchor point on a curved segment.
A tangent handle appears for the point you selected.
2. To adjust the shape of the curve on either side of the anchor point, drag the anchor point,
or drag the tangent handle. Shift-drag to constrain the curve to multiples of 45°. Alt-drag
(Windows) or Option-drag (Macintosh) to drag tangent handles individually.
Painting with the Brush tool
The Brush tool draws brushlike strokes, as if you were painting. It lets you create special
effects, including calligraphic effects. You can select a brush size and shape using the Brush
tool modifiers.
Brush size for new strokes remains constant even when you change the magnification level for
the Stage, so the same brush size appears larger when the Stage magnification is lower. For
example, suppose you set the Stage magnification to 100% and paint with the Brush tool
using the smallest brush size. Then, you change the magnification to 50% and paint again
using the smallest brush size. The new stroke that you paint appears 50% thicker than the
earlier stroke. (Changing the magnification of the Stage does not change the size of existing
brush strokes.)
You can use an imported bitmap as a fill when painting with the Brush tool. See “Breaking
apart groups and objects” on page 222.
If you have a Wacom pressure-sensitive tablet connected to your computer, you can vary the
width and angle of the brush stroke by using the Brush tool Pressure and Tilt modifiers, and
varying pressure on the stylus.
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