Drawing Tools
Logos InkPen provides a comprehensive set of professional drawing and editing tools. Access tools from the vertical toolbar on the left side of the window or use keyboard shortcuts for faster workflow.
Selection & Navigation Tools
Selection Tool
| Shortcut | A |
| Icon | Arrow cursor |
Purpose: The primary tool for selecting, moving, and transforming complete objects. This is your most-used tool for general editing.
How to use:
- Click on any object to select it - selection handles appear around the object
- Drag an object to move it to a new position
- Click and drag from empty space to create a marquee selection box
- Hold Shift and click to add or remove objects from selection
- Double-click to enter isolation mode for groups
- Drag corner handles to resize selected objects
Best for: General object manipulation, arranging layouts, selecting multiple objects for group operations.
Direct Selection Tool
| Shortcut | D |
| Icon | White arrow |
Purpose: Fine-tune the shape of paths by manipulating individual anchor points and bezier handles. Essential for precise path editing.
How to use:
- Click on a path to reveal all anchor points
- Click and drag an anchor point to move it
- Click a point to select it, then drag the bezier handles to adjust curves
- Shift-click to select multiple anchor points
- Drag a path segment between points to reshape the curve
Best for: Refining logos, adjusting letterforms, perfecting curves, fixing path problems.
Hand Tool
| Shortcut | H or hold Space |
| Icon | Hand |
Pan around the canvas without changing the zoom level. Hold Space bar for temporary hand tool while using any other tool.
Zoom Tool
| Shortcut | Z |
| Icon | Magnifying glass |
| Zoom In | ⌘+ |
| Zoom Out | ⌘- |
| Fit to Page | ⌘0 |
| Actual Size | ⌘1 |
Click to zoom in, Option-click to zoom out. Drag to zoom to a specific area.
Path Drawing Tools
Bezier Pen Tool
| Shortcut | P |
| Icon | Pen nib |
Purpose: The professional's choice for creating precise vector paths. Essential for logo design, custom lettering, and technical illustration.
How to use:
- Corner points: Click once to place a sharp corner point
- Smooth curves: Click and drag to pull out bezier handles that define the curve
- Continue path: Keep clicking to add more points to your path
- Close path: Click on the first point to create a closed shape
- End path: Press Escape or switch tools to finish an open path
- Convert points: Hold Option and click a smooth point to convert to corner
Pro tips:
- Use as few points as possible for smoother curves
- Place points at the extremes of curves (top, bottom, leftmost, rightmost)
- Pull handles in the direction of the curve for natural flow
Best for: Logo creation, custom typography, technical drawings, tracing artwork.
Freehand Tool
| Shortcut | F |
| Icon | Scribble |
Purpose: Quick sketching and organic drawing. Perfect for initial concept work and natural, flowing shapes.
How to use:
- Click and drag to draw freeform paths
- Release to complete the path - it automatically smooths
- Adjust smoothing amount in properties before drawing
- Draw slowly for more accurate paths
- Draw quickly for more gestural, loose strokes
Best for: Quick sketches, organic shapes, handwritten signatures, concept drawings, natural elements like leaves or clouds.
Brush Tool
| Shortcut | B |
| Icon | Variable scribble |
Purpose: Create artistic strokes with variable width. Simulates traditional brush techniques digitally, with full pressure sensitivity support.
How to use:
- Select brush size and smoothness in the properties panel
- Draw with mouse or stylus - pressure affects stroke width (with tablet)
- Lighter pressure creates thin strokes, heavier creates thick strokes
- Overlap strokes to build up artistic effects
- Use with opacity settings for watercolor-like effects
Settings:
- Size: Base width of the brush stroke
- Smoothness: How much the stroke is refined after drawing
- Pressure: Sensitivity to tablet pressure (if available)
Best for: Illustrations, calligraphy, artistic logos, hand-lettering, expressive drawings.
Marker Tool
| Shortcut | M |
| Icon | Pencil tip |
Draw with a marker-style stroke that simulates a chisel-tip marker. Great for sketching and annotations.
Convert Anchor Point Tool
| Shortcut | C |
| Icon | Chevron |
Convert between smooth and corner anchor points. Click a smooth point to convert to corner, drag a corner point to convert to smooth.
Transform Tools
Scale Tool
| Shortcut | S |
| Icon | Resize arrows |
Resize objects proportionally or non-proportionally. Hold Shift to maintain proportions. Hold Option to scale from center.
Rotate Tool
| Shortcut | R |
| Icon | Circular arrow |
Rotate objects around their center or a custom pivot point. Hold Shift to constrain to 45° increments.
Shear Tool
| Shortcut | X |
| Icon | Slanted rectangle |
Skew objects horizontally or vertically to create italic or perspective effects.
Warp Tool
| Shortcut | W |
| Icon | Warped grid |
Distort objects with envelope warping. Drag corner and edge handles to reshape the object's bounding box.
Shape Tools
Line Tool
| Shortcut | L |
| Icon | Diagonal line |
Draw straight lines. Hold Shift to constrain to 45° increments.
Rectangle Tool
| Shortcut | ⌥R |
| Icon | Rectangle |
Purpose: Create rectangular shapes for buttons, frames, backgrounds, and structural elements in designs.
How to use:
- Click and drag diagonally to create a rectangle
- Hold Shift while dragging to constrain to a square
- Hold Option to draw from the center outward
- Hold Shift + Option for a square from center
- Click once to enter exact dimensions numerically
After creating:
- Use Corner Radius tool to round corners
- Apply gradients for button effects
- Use as clipping masks for images
Best for: UI elements, business cards, frames, backgrounds, grid layouts, app icons.
Square Tool
| Shortcut | ⌥S |
| Icon | Square |
Purpose: Quickly create perfect squares without holding modifier keys. Ideal for icons and grid-based designs.
How to use:
- Drag in any direction - always creates a perfect square
- Size is determined by drag distance
- Hold Option to draw from center
- No need to hold Shift like with Rectangle tool
Best for: App icons, social media graphics, QR code backgrounds, checkerboard patterns, Instagram posts.
Rounded Rectangle Tool
| Shortcut | ⌥⇧R |
| Icon | Rounded rectangle |
Draw rectangles with rounded corners. Adjust corner radius with the Corner Radius tool or in properties.
Pill Tool
| Shortcut | ⌥⇧P |
| Icon | Capsule |
Draw pill-shaped (stadium) objects with fully rounded ends.
Circle Tool
| Shortcut | ⌥C |
| Icon | Circle |
Draw perfect circles. Hold Option to draw from center.
Ellipse Tool
| Shortcut | E |
| Icon | Oval outline |
Draw ellipses. Hold Shift to create a circle. Hold Option to draw from center.
Oval Tool
| Shortcut | O |
| Icon | Filled oval |
Draw elongated ovals with a specific aspect ratio.
Egg Tool
| Shortcut | ⇧E |
| Icon | Egg shape |
Draw egg-shaped objects with one end wider than the other.
Cone Tool
| Shortcut | ⌥⇧C |
| Icon | Triangle |
Draw cone or teardrop shapes with a rounded base and pointed top.
Triangle Tools
Equilateral Triangle Tool
| Shortcut | ⇧T |
| Icon | Triangle |
Draw triangles with all sides equal length (60° angles).
Isosceles Triangle Tool
| Shortcut | I |
| Icon | Filled triangle |
Draw triangles with two equal sides.
Right Triangle Tool
| Shortcut | ⌥⇧R |
| Icon | Right triangle |
Draw triangles with one 90° angle.
Acute Triangle Tool
| Shortcut | ⇧A |
| Icon | Acute triangle |
Draw triangles with all angles less than 90°.
Polygon Tools
Star Tool
| Shortcut | ⇧S |
| Icon | Star |
Draw stars with customizable number of points and inner radius. Adjust properties in the panel while drawing.
Polygon Tool
| Shortcut | ⌥P |
| Icon | Hexagon |
Draw regular polygons with any number of sides. Set the number of sides in properties before drawing.
Pentagon Tool
| Shortcut | 5 |
| Icon | Pentagon |
Draw regular 5-sided polygons.
Hexagon Tool
| Shortcut | 6 |
| Icon | Hexagon |
Draw regular 6-sided polygons.
Heptagon Tool
| Shortcut | 7 |
| Icon | Heptagon |
Draw regular 7-sided polygons.
Octagon Tool
| Shortcut | 8 |
| Icon | Octagon |
Draw regular 8-sided polygons.
Specialty Tools
Text Tool
| Shortcut | T |
| Icon | Text format |
Add and edit text. Click to create a point text object, or drag to create an area text box. Double-click existing text to edit.
Eyedropper Tool
| Shortcut | I |
| Icon | Eyedropper |
Sample colors from any object. Click to pick up a color, then click another object to apply it. Hold Shift to sample only fill or stroke.
Gradient Tool
| Shortcut | G |
| Icon | Gradient circle |
Purpose: Apply and edit gradient fills on objects. Create smooth color transitions for professional effects like buttons, backgrounds, and 3D-like appearances.
How to use:
- Select an object first
- Click and drag across the object to define gradient direction
- Start point = first color, end point = last color
- Drag longer for gradual transitions, shorter for sharp transitions
- Re-drag to adjust angle and length
Gradient types:
- Linear: Straight color transition in one direction
- Radial: Circular transition from center outward
Pro workflow:
- Apply gradient with the tool
- Open Gradient panel (⌘⇧G) to edit colors
- Add color stops for complex gradients
- Adjust opacity for each color stop
Best for: Buttons with depth, metallic effects, sky backgrounds, glossy surfaces, modern UI elements.
Corner Radius Tool
| Shortcut | ⌃↑ |
| Icon | Rounded corner |
Purpose: Dynamically adjust corner rounding on rectangles and other shapes. Create everything from slightly rounded buttons to pill shapes.
How to use:
- Select a rectangle or shape with corners
- Switch to Corner Radius tool
- Drag any corner handle inward to round it
- Drag outward to reduce rounding
- Hold Shift to round all corners equally
- Click individual corners to round them separately
Advanced features:
- Asymmetric corners: Round each corner differently for unique shapes
- Live adjustment: See changes in real-time as you drag
- Precise values: Enter exact radius in properties panel
- Maximum radius: Automatically limits to create pill/stadium shapes
Common uses:
- Modern UI buttons and cards
- App icons (different radius per platform guidelines)
- Speech bubbles with selective corner rounding
- Badges and tags
Best for: iOS/Android UI design, modern web elements, friendly approachable logos, notification badges.
Tool Modifiers
Universal Modifiers
- Shift: Constrain proportions or angles
- Option (⌥): Draw/transform from center or duplicate
- Command (⌘): Temporarily switch to Selection tool
- Space: Temporarily switch to Hand tool
Tool Tips
- Double-click tool icons to access tool-specific options
- Group frequently used tools by customizing your toolbar
- Use number keys for quick polygon sides (3-9)
- Press the tool shortcut again to cycle through tool variants
- Hold down a tool to reveal related tools in a flyout menu