The Pen Tool
The Pen places nodes one at a time and lets you shape curve handles as you draw. Use it when you want to decide where a segment begins and ends, whether the next section is straight or curved, and how the contour passes through each node.
Select the Pen in the Toolbar or press P in the editing context. Holding P activates it temporarily; releasing the key returns to the previous tool.
Drawing with the Pen
For the basic Pen behavior, double-click the Pen button to open its toolbox and turn off its four sub-tools. The ordinary click and drag gestures then determine the new node and segment.
A contour is a connected path, and nodes are the points you place on it. Begin in an empty practice glyph with Preview next segment enabled so you can see the next segment before placing it.
Draw straight segments
A simple sans-serif capital L can be drawn as one closed contour. Place a node at each corner of its outline:
- Click on the baseline to place the lower-left corner of the stem.
- Click directly above it at the caps height to draw the left edge of the stem.
- Click to the right to draw the top edge. The distance between these two top nodes sets the stem thickness.
- Click directly below the third node, just above the baseline, to place the inside corner where the stem meets the foot. Its height above the baseline sets the foot thickness.
- Click to the right to draw the top edge of the foot.
- Click directly below that node on the baseline to draw the end of the foot.
- Click the first node to close the bottom edge.
Click without dragging at each corner. You should have a closed L outline with six straight sides. If a side curves, check that the four sub-tools are off and that you did not drag while placing a node.
This works as a line sequence when the preceding node has no outgoing curve handle. A click after a curved section can continue a curve instead, so inspect the preview and existing handles when combining the two.
Draw curves
Click and drag to place a node and pull out handles. The drag gives the curve a direction at that node; its length influences the handle extension. Release when the preview has the intended direction and fullness, then move to the next node position.
A normal drag produces a smooth relationship through the node. Hold Option on macOS or Alt on Windows while dragging to create a corner relationship with an independently controlled handle. Hold Shift to constrain the handle direction to 45° increments.
Begin with a short open curve before a complete letter: drag the first node, drag a second node at another position, and inspect the segment between them. The contour runs through the nodes; the handles determine how it travels between them.
For the upper-right quarter of an O, place a node at the top of the outer outline and drag horizontally to the right. Place the next node at the rightmost point and drag downward. The segment between them forms one quarter of the bowl. Adjust the handle lengths to control its fullness, then continue around the letter. The curve passes through the nodes; the handle endpoints steer its bend without lying on the curve.
Close or stop the contour
Click the contour's first node to close it. You can drag at that closing point to establish its handles as you complete the connection. Inspect the join as well as the filled shape: closure alone does not guarantee a smooth transition.
Press Esc to stop drawing without closing. The path remains as an open contour with two endpoints. This is useful when you want to resume the drawing later, but it still needs closure before it serves as an ordinary filled font outline.
To begin a separate contour at a position on an existing path, Option/Alt-click that position. This starts a new path there rather than treating the click as an ordinary insertion on the existing contour. A drag with the modifier can invoke handle or segment editing instead, so distinguish the click gesture from a drag.
Sub-tools and the Preview Toggle
Double-click the Pen button to show its toolbox. The four sub-tools provide more explicit drawing choices:
| Sub-tool | Main behavior |
|---|---|
| Add corner | A click adds a corner node and a line segment |
| Add curve | A click adds a smooth node and a curve segment |
| Add tangent | A click alternates line and curve segments with a smooth transition |
| Edit handles | Adjusts handles at existing nodes |
The Pen toolbox keeps its point-creation modes and preview toggle together.
For Add corner, Option/Alt-click requests a smooth node and curve instead. For Add curve, it requests a corner and line. For Add tangent, it requests a corner and line. These modifiers let you interrupt the repeated behavior without choosing another sub-tool.
When starting with Add curve, drag the first node if the first segment needs an established curve handle; a plain first click begins without that handle. Use the preview to check the next segment before placing it.
Repeated presses of P cycle through Add corner, Add curve, Add tangent, and Edit handles, then return to the basic Pen with all four off. The toolbox indicates the active state.
Preview the next segment
Enable Preview next segment while learning the basic Pen. It shows what the next click would add at the pointer's current position. A drag can produce a different result because it also sets handles.
The toggle affects more than visibility during a curve sequence. With it on, a clicked curve node receives an incoming handle similar to the preceding outgoing handle. With it off, that incoming handle is retracted. If two click sequences produce different curves, check this setting.
The sub-tools use their own segment preview, so the basic Pen's preview toggle is unavailable while one of them is active.
Adjust handles while drawing
With Edit handles active, drag a node to establish a smooth pair of handles, or Option/Alt-drag to control one handle independently. Watch the preview before releasing.
These gestures can change existing content. Return to the basic Pen or the appropriate Add sub-tool before continuing a sequence if you no longer intend to edit handles.
Continuing and Joining Contours
To resume an open contour, click an endpoint with the Pen, then add more nodes. Click the original starting endpoint when you are ready to close the path. For endpoint editing, see Basic Node and Handle Operations.
The toolbox's Existing contour is editable toggle is shared with Preferences > Editing > Pen and Pencil can modify contour. It enables additional sculpting behavior; turning it off is not a complete lock on existing paths. The basic Pen can still continue an open endpoint and make certain point changes.
Replace a span while drawing
With Existing contour is editable on, this gesture replaces part of the existing boundary. It does not add a separate contour. Turn the toggle off when you want to avoid replacing a span while drawing nearby.
To replace a span:
- Click and drag on a segment to insert a smooth node and begin a break in the contour.
- Draw the replacement section toward the desired return position.
- Click and drag at the return position to close the gap. FontLab removes the smaller intervening portion of the old contour.
- Inspect the join and filled silhouette. Undo if the wrong span was replaced.
After completing the path, choose the Contour tool for broader point selection and refinement. The Pen's construction gestures and the Contour tool's editing gestures operate on the same underlying outlines.