In contrast to the Pen tool, the process of drawing with the Pencil tool mimics that of drawing with a real pen on paper. In reality, the Pencil tool is the exact opposite of the Pen tool. With the Pen tool, you define the anchor points, and Adobe Illustrator CS3 completes the paths. With the Pencil tool, you draw the path, and Illustrator creates the anchor points for you.

If using the Pencil tool to draw paths sounds a lot easier than creating anchor points with the Pen tool, remember that the mouse isn’t the easiest tool to control when you’re trying to draw. Although the Pencil tool is easier to use to create paths, it’s not as easy to create exact or precise paths with it. However, if you have a pressure-sensitive tablet available, the Pencil tool is a bit easier to control.

For technical drawing and precise illustration work, including logo creation and letterforms, you’ll most likely find that the Pen tool offers the fine control you need. You’ll find the Pencil tool useful when you’re working with creative illustrations, cartoons, and projects that require a more natural feel. As you’ll see later in this chapter, the Pencil tool proves valuable when you’re working with Live Paint groups.

You can also use the Path Eraser tool to remove parts of a vector path. It’s important to realize that the Path Eraser tool is not akin to the Eraser tool found in paint programs, which you can use to just erase pixels at will (however, Illustrator has an Eraser tool that does just that, which we’ll talk about shortly). You use the Path Eraser tool specifically to erase portions of a selected vector path. As you trace over an existing selected path with the Path Eraser tool, a light path appears to trail the movement of your pointer. When you release the mouse, Adobe Illustrator CS3 deletes the portion of the path you’ve traced.