I f you thought learning to create basic and smart objects in Chapter 8 was fun and a learning experience, hold on: basic shapes will get your work only so far—CorelDRAW’s path-building and editing tools move your cursor toward exactly what you have in mind. The Curve tools group on the toolbox has specific tools for drawing paths of any shape you can imagine, and some you can’t! In the following sections, you’ll work through the process of editing lines and their nodes, so there’s no reason to draw something that’s close to what you need. This chapter is the DRAW part of CorelDRAW. Download and extract all the files from the Chapter10.zip archive to follow the tutorials in this chapter. Introducing CorelDRAW X5’s Curve Tools The most basic shape you can draw in CorelDRAW (and in any vector drawing program) is a line: a line is a path that passes through at least two points, called nodes in CorelDRAW. A line is actually a mathematical equation, and as such doesn’t necessarily need an outline color or a width. It doesn’t even have to be a straight line, but it does have a direction—the direction in which you draw the line. Actually, this is where the fun begins, because you can assign a line scores of different properties: arrowheads, a dotted look for coupons, colors, and varying widths galore. Joining the beginning and end points of a line (a path) closes the path, and if the beginning doesn’t meet the end point, the shape is called an open path. CorelDRAW X5’s Curve tools group is made up of eight virtual pens, shown in Figure 10-1, located between the Zoom/Hand and the Smart tools groups on the toolbox. The tools are task oriented; although they all produce paths, your choice of tool(s) for a task depends upon what you want to draw. For example, do you need to produce an object whose curves are flawless like those of a physical French curve? This task calls for the new B-Spline tool, although other drawing tools can approximate the same set of curves with 264 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide How to Fill an Open Path Depending on how your CorelDRAW X5 options are currently selected, open-path objects—in which the beginning and end points are not joined—might not be available to apply a fill color to the inside area of the path, mostly because it has no inside. This might seem an inconvenience if you’re accustomed to using other applications such as Adobe Illustrator that, by default, normally enable open paths to be filled. In CorelDRAW X5, you can fill an open path, but this option is not turned on by default. a different approach and a little more work. Additionally, the Artistic media tool is prone to producing open paths, not closed ones, and although you can close and fill an artistic media path, if drawing an object you can fill is your goal, you’d choose a tool other than Artistic media. You can also “mix and match”; you can begin an object with one tool, and finish it with a different tool—your choice, or choices, depend on the object you want to create. Some of these tools work similarly, so it’s best to become acquainted with what the cursors look like, as shown in Figure 10-1. CHAPTER 10: Drawing and Editing Objects 265 10 Options are not set to fill open-ended paths, shown next, automatically, but you can change this if you so choose. To change CorelDRAW drawing behavior to specify that all open paths be filled— without the need to close the path first—follow these steps: 1. Open the Options dialog by choosing Tools | Options (CTRL+J). 2. Click to expand the tree directory under Document, and click General to display the associated options on the right side of the dialog. 3. Click to select the Fill Open Curves option, and click OK to close the dialog. After you choose this option, the open paths you draw can have an interior area. Unfilled Filled Using the Artistic Media Tool The Artistic media tool treats a path as though it’s a skeleton to which you can apply any number of CorelDRAW preset “skins.” There are five different types of artistic media “brushes,” some with preset variations (the Preset, Brush, and Sprayer artistic media types) and some without presets (Calligraphic and Pressure artistic media types). It helps to think of a “paintbrush” metaphor; by dragging strokes, you’ll wind up with anything from complex filigree strokes to elegant calligraphic handwriting. The underlying path to artistic media strokes can be changed at any time, which changes the corresponding look of the media—and you can see the dynamic changes for accurate visual feedback as you work. You can draw while an artistic media effect is enabled, and you can also apply these painterly strokes to existing lines. The Artistic media tool is located in the toolbox with other line-drawing tools. 266 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide FIGURE 10-1 For visual reference while you work, each of the different drawing tools has a unique cursor. Freehand tool Bézier tool Artistic media tool Pen tool Polyline tool 3-point curve tool 2-point line tool B-Spline tool With the Artistic media tool selected, the property bar offers five different line-drawing modes to choose from, shown in Figure 10-2, each of which has its own options. You have additional options on the property bar, directly to the right of your choice of artistic media, and the options change, depending on the media type you choose. Applying Presets to Lines Artistic media is an evolutionary result of CorelDRAW’s Powerlines feature. Veteran users will be the most comfortable with the improvements over Powerlines—now called Presets— and everyone will be delighted with the new diversity of media types. The Artistic media tool surrounds your drawn lines with specific preset vector objects, which are dynamically linked to the underlying path; you choose from the Preset stroke list in the property bar after CHAPTER 10: Drawing and Editing Objects 267 10 FIGURE 10-2 The property bar offers five different line-drawing modes, each of which has its own options. Options for current artistic media type Preset Brush Sprayer Calligraphic Pressure Preset Brush Brush Sprayer Calligraphic Pressure Path guiding shape of stroke choosing a media type. The smoothness and width of the applied effect is set according to the Freehand Smoothing and Width options in the property bar, as shown here: If you’ve used previous versions of CorelDRAW, you’ll notice that the smoothness with which you draw artistic media strokes has been refined quite a bit; you might not need to adjust your strokes for smoothness at all. Set the shape using one of the styles in the Preset stroke list. Smoothing is based on percent values between 0 (no smoothing) and 100 (maximum smoothing). Width can be set on a unit measure ranging from 0.03 to 10 inches. As you draw, a path is created in freehand style and immediately applied to your line. Ready to take the Artistic media tool out for a spin? The following steps walk you through the completion of an illustration—adding cartoon “reaction lines,” the sort of emanations a character has when they’re struck with a revelation—just to get a feel for how the artistic media’s Preset brush works and feels. Painting with a Drawing Program 1. Open Cartoon Reaction.cdr in CorelDRAW. 2. Choose Tools | Object Manager to make sure Object Manager is checked. In the Object Manager docker, click “add lines here” to select it as the current editing layer if it’s not already highlighted. The underlying layer containing the cartoon is locked so it cannot accidentally be moved. 3. Choose the Artistic media tool, then click the Preset icon, the far left button on the property bar. 268 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide Freehand Smoothing Artistic Media Tool Width Preset stroke list 4. Click the Preset stroke list and choose a style. For this example, choose a style that has a rounded head and that tapers at the end to a point. 5. Think of how you’d draw a cartoon sun; drag strokes so the “sun” is the cartoon fellow’s head. The target width for the strokes is about 0.35". If your current stroke width is something different, more’s the opportunity to become familiar with artistic media features—while the stroke is highlighted, increase or decrease the width on the property bar. 6. The head of the Preset stroke begins where you begin your click-drag. If you drew a stroke backwards, this is easily fixed. Press F10 to choose the Shape tool, click to select the stroke (you’ll see the red underlying path when the stroke is properly selected), and then right-click and choose Reverse Subpaths from the context menu. 7. Click the Artistic media tool of the toolbox, and you’re ready to continue stroking. The Artistic media tool is persistent—it “remembers” your last-used stroke settings, styles, and all that good stuff. 8. The preset strokes you create are a special instance of an object surrounding a path. You can, therefore, recolor the default black fill. With a stroke selected, try clicking a color well on the Color Palette. The cartoon fellow’s excitement is now in color, as shown in Figure 10-3. CHAPTER 10: Drawing and Editing Objects 269 10 FIGURE 10-3 While a Preset stroke is selected, you can change its width, smoothness, and color. Click a color well while the stroke is still selected. 9. Let’s say you want to get adventurous and change the preset for one of the strokes. If the stroke is selected, you choose a different Preset stroke from the drop-down list…and every subsequent stroke you make will have its style. If you’ve deselected a stroke and want to change it, choose it with the Pick tool, and then use the drop- down list. It’s important that you click the edge of a stroke on the page and not its center. The center of the drawn stroke is the parent—the control curve to which the stroke is applied—and it has no properties like the artistic stroke does. Alternatively, you can click (don’t click-drag, though) a stroke on the page to select it, and then change the Preset stroke. Class dismissed, go answer that doorbell. If you’re experimenting and turned the Freehand smoothing down to 0 while painting with the Artistic media tool, the result might be a stroke that has more nodes than you’d like, to create a smooth arc or straight line. At any time, you can choose the Shape tool, click the stroke to reveal its nodes, and then marquee-select all the nodes. Then use the Reduce Nodes spin box on the property bar to remove superfluous nodes along the path that is driving the artistic media stroke. 270 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide Drawing with Brushes In Brush mode, you can simulate the look of traditional, natural media, that looks very similar to the brushes in Corel Painter, with a notable exception. Because beneath an artistic media stroke lies a skeleton path, the strokes you make can be edited ad infinitum. In contrast, bitmap paint programs such as Corel Painter and Adobe Photoshop feature brushstrokes that can’t be edited after making them—it’s a done deal after you paint a stroke. As with the Presets category, artistic media brushes extend the full length of every path you create. Here’s what the property bar looks like, and what your options are, when you choose the artistic media brush: The Brushstroke list box offers a variety of different styles, only six of which are shown in Figure 10-2. Freehand Smoothing and Stroke Width options are used to change the appearance of the graphical object—the “skin”—applied to the underlying path. As with all trash-can-shaped Delete icons and buttons, don’t click the Delete brush button unless you truly understand the consequences of deleting something (and your decision-making ability can be verified by friends). You can draw using a brush style, or alternatively, apply one to an existing line. To draw using a brushstroke, choose the Artistic media tool, and use property bar options to choose a brush style. Begin drawing by click-dragging on your page in a stroking motion. To apply a new brushstroke to an existing line, select the line using the Artistic media tool, choose the Brush mode, and use property bar options to choose a width and brushstroke style. You can load saved brushes by clicking the Browse button in the property bar, and save your own objects as brushstrokes and add them to the existing Brushstroke list. This is fun and useful stuff, as the following steps walk you through how to create, save, and use a custom brush. By default, saved brushes can be found in C:\Users\(Your user account name)\ AppData\Roaming\Corel\CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5\Draw\CustomMediaStrokes. CHAPTER 10: Drawing and Editing Objects 271 10 Delete Brush Mode Freehand Smoothing Tool Width Category Brushstroke List Save Selection as Brush Open Collection Scale Stroke Width Creating and Saving Your Own Brushstroke 1. Open Toothpaste ad.cdr. The layer with the image is locked, and the current editing layer should be above it—check Object Manager to ensure this before you begin. 2. Take a look at the light purple grouped object at the lower left of the page. This is a simple example of using the blend effect and then adding a few objects for highlights. Create something similar to this for these steps. See Chapters 8 and 21 if you don’t already know how to build such a drawing; you can use the grouped objects to get right to these steps. 3. Select the shape(s) and then choose the Artistic media tool. Click the Brush button on the property bar. 4. Click the Save icon; save the stroke to whichever folder CorelDRAW offers (to make it easy to find later), give the stroke a name, and then click Save, as shown in Figure 10-4. Brush objects are saved using Corel’s standard presentation file format (CMX).The next time you choose the Artistic media tool’s Brush, a thumbnail preview of your custom brush is at the top of the drop-down list. 5. After you click Save in the Save As dialog, your new brush is immediately available for use. Try slowly click-dragging the brush above the toothpaste to write “New”; try stroking a daub of toothpaste on the toothbrush. The only thing you should watch out for is creating sudden changes in direction with your stroke, especially when the brush contains several small objects, as this toothpaste custom brush does. The brush has a difficult time negotiating sudden direction changes in the underlying path, and you might find unappealing corners in the resulting brushstroke. 6. Tutorial’s done. Don’t forget to brush twice a day. 272 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide Applying the Sprayer The Artistic media tool’s Sprayer mode is used to pepper the drawing page with a sequence of drawings, either by using your own that you save as a brush, or by choosing a preset from CorelDRAW’s Sprayer collections. The Sprayer is quite like the Image Hose in Corel Painter, except changes to the underlying path and the objects used in a spray can be dynamically made at any time. The Sprayer objects repeat uniformly or randomly across the full length of a path. The Size/Scale, Spray Order, Dabs, Spacing, Rotation, and Offset values can be set using the property bar, shown in Figure 10-5. CHAPTER 10: Drawing and Editing Objects 273 10 FIGURE 10-4 The easiest part of building a custom brush is saving it. Save objects as brush Blend group with a few highlights . for the new B-Spline tool, although other drawing tools can approximate the same set of curves with 264 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide How to Fill an Open Path Depending on how your CorelDRAW X5. accidentally be moved. 3. Choose the Artistic media tool, then click the Preset icon, the far left button on the property bar. 268 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide Freehand Smoothing Artistic. you can also apply these painterly strokes to existing lines. The Artistic media tool is located in the toolbox with other line-drawing tools. 266 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide FIGURE 10-1 For