In Illustrator, arrows perform numerous attention-getting tasks in an information network. This is also along with their roles as literal symbols in other types of illustrations. Now, drawing pointers and “feathers “, and getting them aligned to the path objects that form arrow shafts, is quite a laborious task. This happens especially when a project requires several arrow graphics of different types and sizes. When creating your artwork in Adobe Illustrator, the program’s arrowhead options will help you save the time and effort involved in crafting your own arrowheads and tails from scratch.
How do you make an arrowhead in Illustrator? – How to Make an Arrow in Illustrator
To make an arrowhead in Illustrator:
- Start by drawing a path object with any Adobe Illustrator tool which produces curved or straight lines. Also includes the Pen, Pencil, Line Segment, Arc, and Spiral. You also have the option of creating the basis for an arrow out of any open path, including segments from objects you draw with the Rectangle and Ellipse tools.
- Then press “Ctrl-F10” to open the Stroke panel. Open the fly-out menu which is at the top right corner of the panel. Then choose “Options” in order to view all the attributes you can set, including the features which create arrows.
- Next, apply a stroke weight to your path object.
- Click open the unlabeled arrowhead Start and End drop-down menus in the Stroke panel in order to choose a style for either or both ends of the path. Adobe Illustrator identifies the start and end of a path depending on the direction in which you draw it or the order in which you click on your artboard to create the anchor points that define it. If you want to switch arrowheads relative to the path’s start and end, tap on the unlabeled Swap Start and End Arrowheads icon.
- Thereafter, set the scale of each arrowhead – start and end – independently in the Stroke panel’s Scale fields. The scale percentage maintains a relationship between arrowhead size as well as the thickness of the stroke weight you apply to a path. Thus, to set the scale for one end and apply the same scale to both, just click the unlabeled Link Start and End of Arrowhead Scales icon.
- Tap on the “Align” icons in order to establish how each arrowhead is to position itself relative to the end of the path on which it appears. An arrowhead will either become part of the overall length of the path or attaches to the end of the path and extends the length.