# Drawing with the Polyline Tool

The Polyline tool is great for drawing vector shapes that consist of many continuous points that form different angles. As you draw with the Polyline tool, you can be sure to close your line art so that you can fill it with color without having to worry about gap closing.

To draw a shape with the Polyline tool:

1. From the Tools > Drawing Tools menu or Drawing Tools toolbar, select the Polyline tool.

2. Select a pen style from the Pen tab in the Properties window. The width of your line is based on the Maximum Size value of the pen you select.

3. Select a solid color swatch from the Color Palette tab. You cannot use a gradient or texture color swatch to draw with the Polyline tool.

4. Click to add points to the line you draw.

5. After you add a point, keep the mouse button pressed, and shape the line using the handles.

- Press [Shift] to move the handles at 15 degree increments.
- Press [Command] to detach the motion of one handle from the other.

6. To close a shape so that there are no gaps:

- Place your pointer over a point and click. An “o” appears when you are adding a point that will close a shape.
- Place your pointer over any location on the shape you are drawing and click. A plus [+] sign when your pointer is over a spot that Toon Boom Studio can use to create a closed shape.

7. To remove a point on the line, press [Shift] and click the point. Toon Boom Studio recalculates the shape with the point removed. When over a point that you can delete a minus [-] sign appears.

See Also
Setting Up Your Pens
Drawing Straight Lines, Ellipses and Rectangles
Working with Selections
Modifying the Shape of Vector Lines
Sequencing and Timing Drawings and Images
Protecting Drawings