1. envato-tuts+
  2. Home
  3. Design & Illustration
  4. Drawing/Illustration
  5. Vectors

How to Curve a Line in Illustrator

Scroll to top
Andrei Marius
• 2 min read
Drawing/Illustration Vectors Graphic Design Techniques & Workflow

In the following tutorial, you will learn how to draw a curved line in Illustrator using different techniques.

Once you've learned how to curve a line in Illustrator, you can head over to Envato Elements where you can get unlimited downloads of stock videos, music, graphics, photos, fonts, and more.

What You'll Learn in This Tutorial

  • How to draw a curved line in Illustrator
  • How to curve a line in Illustrator using effects

1. How to Draw a Curved Line in Illustrator

Step 1

Select the Pen Tool (P), click once to add the starting point of your line, and then click and drag to curve the line.

make curved line pen toolmake curved line pen toolmake curved line pen tool

Step 2

Alternatively, you can use the Curvature Tool (Shift-Tilde) as it automatically creates curved lines. Use simple clicks to create a curved line in Illustrator.

make curved line curvature toolmake curved line curvature toolmake curved line curvature tool

Step 3

Another tool that you can use to curve lines in Illustrator is the Arc Tool. Select it from your Toolbar, and simply click and drag to easily create a curved line in Illustrator.

make curved line arc toolmake curved line arc toolmake curved line arc tool

2. How to Curve a Line in Illustrator

Step 1

To curve an existing line, you'll need the Anchor Point Tool (Shift-C). Select it and simply click and drag your line to curve it.

how to curve a line in illustratorhow to curve a line in illustratorhow to curve a line in illustrator

Hold down the Shift key as you click and drag to constrain the curvature of your line.

constrain curvature line illustratorconstrain curvature line illustratorconstrain curvature line illustrator

You can also click individual anchor points to turn a line into a curved line in Illustrator.

curve line anchor point curve line anchor point curve line anchor point

3. How to Curve a Line in Illustrator Using Effects

Step 1

Select your line and go to Effect > Warp > Arc, and then play with those settings to add the curviness. Feel free to try some of the other Warp effects to apply different curvatures.

curve line illustrator warp effectcurve line illustrator warp effectcurve line illustrator warp effect

Step 2

Select your line and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Zig Zag, and then play with the settings to add the curviness.

curve line illustrator zig zag effectcurve line illustrator zig zag effectcurve line illustrator zig zag effect

Congratulations! You're Done!

Now that you've learned how to curve lines in Illustrator, feel free to use these techniques in your future projects.

You can find some great sources of inspiration at Envato Elements, with interesting solutions to improve your design portfolio.

Want to Learn More?

We have loads of tutorials on Envato Tuts+, from beginner to intermediate level. Take a look!

Drawing/Illustration Vectors Graphic Design Techniques & Workflow
Andrei Marius By