How to Create Sketches in Adobe Illustrator

This wikiHow teaches you how to create outlines around lines and text in Adobe Illustrator. Outlining lines and strokes will help preserve contour thickness when vector graphics are enlarged. For text, when you create an outline, the content is converted to a vector graphic. That way, you’ll be able to share text on any computer whether or not the font in the sketch is installed on that computer.

Table of Contents

Create outlines for lines or contours

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Select tools. The toolbar is on the left side of Adobe Illustrator. Use the Line tool to create a straight line. If you want to create curves, you can use the Pen, Pencil or Brush tool. Besides, the Shape tool can also help you create shapes with lines around them.

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Create lines or shapes. After selecting the tool, click and drag the mouse to create a line or shape.

To add a line around the shape, you need to select the shape and then click on the box with the colored square in the upper left corner. Then select the color from the table. You can also use this box to change the color of the line.

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Click the Select tool with the black mouse pointer icon at the top of the toolbar. This tool will help you select objects on Adobe Illustrator.

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Select the line you want to outline. Use the selection tool and click on the line or shape to select.

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Adjust line thickness and style. After creating an outline for a line or contour, you will no longer be able to edit the object’s thickness and style. Therefore, make sure you are satisfied with the drawing before proceeding with the conversion. To adjust the thickness and style of the drawing, you need:

Use the first drop-down next to “Stroke” to choose a line thickness. You can also enter the point size in the drop-down box.
Use the second drop-down next to “Stroke” to choose a variable thickness profile. This drop-down menu shows different variable thickness configurations. You can choose to try to see the results. The thicker the line, the clearer the drawing will be.
Use the third drop-down menu to select the brush type. This menu includes a variety of brushes and lines. Click one of the options to see the results.

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Select a line or shape. Once you’re satisfied, you can use the Select tool to select a line or shape.

Before creating an outline for the line/shape, you can copy and paste the object to one side of the drawing. Thus, the object will have an additional editable version to use if you want to change it later.

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Click Object . This option is in the menu bar at the top of the screen. A menu will drop down under “Object”.

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Select Path . This option is located in the lower half of the “Object” menu. A sub-menu will appear on the right.

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Click Outline Stroke . The line will be converted to a shape. You can edit the existing object like any other shape.

To adjust the line color after the object is outlined, click the color square in the upper left corner and choose a color from the palette.
After creating an outline for the line, you can add a border around the sketch using the second color box in the upper left corner. This operation is similar to when we add a border around the border.

Create outlines for text

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Click the Text option located in the left toolbar. This option has a “T” icon.

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Create text. To add a line of text with the Text tool, click anywhere and start typing. If you want to add a text frame, you need to click and drag your mouse to create a frame. After creating a frame, proceed to import content into that frame.

Use the color frame in the upper left corner to choose a color for the text.
You can also use colored squares to add a border around the text.

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Click the Select tool with the black pointer icon at the top of the toolbar. You need to use this tool to select objects on Adobe Illustrator.

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Select text. Use the Select tool to select text. This tool has a black mouse pointer icon and is located in the left toolbar.

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Edit spelling and typography. After creating an outline for the text, you will not be able to edit it again. So make sure the text is spelled correctly and set the typeface before creating an outline. Follow these steps to adjust the font style:

Use the drop-down menu next to “Characters” to choose a font. This option is at the top of the screen, below the menu bar.
Use the second drop-down menu next to “Characters” to choose a font style, such as: Bpd (bold), Italic (italic), Regular (regular).
Use the third drop-down menu next to “Characters” to choose a font size. You can also enter the point size in the drop-down box.
Click Characters at the top of the screen to reveal more options. This menu allows you to adjust leading, kerning or spacing between characters, line spacing, vertical scale and horizontal scale.
Use the icons with the line next to the “Paragraph” section to align the text left, right, or center.

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Select text. Once you’re satisfied with the object’s appearance, use the Select tool in the toolbar to select the text.

Before converting text to an outline, you should copy and paste the object to one side of the drawing. That way, you’ll have an editable copy ready in case you change it later.

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Click Type in the menu bar at the top of the screen. A menu will drop down.

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Click Create Outlines . The text will be converted to vector graphics. As a vector graphic, the text will appear on any computer even if the font in the sketch is not installed on that computer.

After converting the text to an outline, you can change the color using the small colored square in the upper left corner.
If the font has a border, you need to apply the steps in method 1 to create an outline for the border. You can then add a border to the contour outline just created.

Steps

Create outlines for lines or contours

Create outlines for text

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