I’m sure you know that you can easily draw lines, curves, ellipses, circles, squares, rectangles, stars, polygons and more with CorelDRAW®, but what about other shapes? What if, for example, you wanted to draw a heart? How would you go about doing so? CorelDRAW doesn’t provide a “heart-shape” drawing tool. The only option is to roll up your sleeves and do some node editing.
Nodes are the foundation of any drawing program. Every line, even a simple straight line or curve, contains nodes. Figure 1 shows a diagonal line with a node at each end.
Figure 1 – A straight line with a node at each end
Shapes drawn with the Rectangle, Ellipse, Polygon, Spiral and Grid tools contain nodes, too. These nodes, though, behave a little differently than nodes in curves. To create various shapes by editing nodes you really need to start with a curve. Fortunately, you can create a curve from any object you create with the various shape tools. The exceptions would be a spiral (which is already a curve) and a grid (which can’t be converted to anything else).
Between the nodes are what is known as segments. Segments can be either lines (straight segments) or curves (curved segments). Each type can be converted into the other type if need be.
There are several different types of nodes and the type of node determines how the associated segments will be shaped and how they will react as you push and pull at the control handles. The control handles are similar to nodes and they are stationed at the end of control lines that are drawn through each node. Normally you won’t see the control lines or the control handles; they only become visible when you click on a line, or shape, or select a node with the Shape tool.
This isn’t true in all cases, though. For example, if you draw a straight line with the Freehand tool as I did to create figure 1, and select one of the nodes with the Shape tool you won’t see any control line or control handles.
On the other hand, if you draw a curved line with the Freehand tool (or convert the line to a curve) and then click one end of that line with the Freehand tool, you’ll see the control line and the control handles (see figure 2).
Figure 2 – A curved line with the control line and control handles visible
Note that the control lines are one-sided at the ends of the curve (with only one control handle) and that the node in the middle of the line has a two-sided control line with control handles at each end.
Clicking and dragging a node with the Shape tool will change the position of the node as well as changing the shape of the curve. Clicking and dragging a control handle will change the shape of the curve without moving the associated node.
If you haven’t already, fire up CorelDRAW and draw a curve with the Freehand tool. After drawing the curve, select the Shape tool and play around with the nodes. Move the nodes around and then try dragging the control handles. You can move the control handles inwards and outwards from the node they’re connected to as well as moving them around the node. Moving a control handle inward as you move it around will decrease the curved-ness of the curve while moving it outwards will accentuate the curve.
Note that you can move a selected node using the Arrow keys. You can’t move a control handle in this manner, though.
Different Types of Nodes
Earlier, I mentioned that there are different types of nodes. These are Cusp, Smooth and Symmetrical.
A symmetrical node has control handles that move in unison. The control lines on each side of a symmetrical node are always the same length. As you move one control handle toward the node, the other handle will move inward as well. This is equally true if you move one of the control handles away from the node. If you move one control handle of a symmetrical node upward, the other handle will move downward and vice-versa.
All of the above causes the curve that runs through a symmetrical node to be, well… symmetrical. That is, the curve will be similar on both sides of the node (see figure 3).
Figure 3 – A curved line with a symmetrical node
A smooth node also has a straight control line that runs through it. This control line also has two control handles. However, unlike the symmetrical node, the sides of the control line can be of different lengths. Consequently, the curve, while smooth, will not necessarily be symmetrical (see figure 4).
Figure 4 – A curved line with a smooth node
Cusp nodes are quite interesting. Not only can the control lines be of different lengths, the control handles at each end can move in different directions totally independent from each other. This allows the curve to bend sharply at a cusp node (see figure 5).
Figure 5 – A curved line with a cusp node
The cusp node is just the thing we need to create a heart shape from a curve.
Drawing the Heart Shape
To get started with drawing your heart, open a new file in CorelDRAW and, using the Ellipse tool draw a vertical ellipse (see figure 6).
Figure 6 – Start with a vertical ellipse
Choose Arrange, Convert to Curves (CTRL + Q). Optionally, click the Convert to Curves icon on the Property Bar.
Doing so will convert the ellipse into a curve and enable you to select and edit the nodes.
Select the Shape tool, then click and drag a rectangle that encompasses the nodes at the top and bottom of the ellipse.
Press the Down Arrow key ten times. You’ll notice that the two nodes move downward. You’ll also notice that this changes the shape of your ellipse; in fact, it may start to resemble a shield.
Click and drag a rectangle around the leftmost node. Press the Left Arrow key six times.
Click and drag a rectangle around the rightmost node. Press the Right Arrow key six times.
You should start to see the beginnings of a heart shape (see figure 7).
Figure 7 – Starting to take shape
Right-click the topmost node and choose Cusp from the Property Bar.
Press the Down Arrow key six times.
Click and drag the right control node straight up so that the curve on the right of your shape rounds upward to form the top right curve of the heart. Do the same with the left and you should have something that resembles figure 8.
Figure 8 – Almost there
Note how changing the node to a cusp enables you to have that sharp point where the top halves of the heart meet.
Right-click the bottom node and choose Cusp from the menu.
Click and drag the right control handle up toward the control handle of the rightmost node.
Do the same with the left control handle, dragging it toward the control handle of the left node.
You should end up with a (nearly) perfect heart shape (see figure 9).
Figure 9 – Final node editing
In figure 10, you can see my final shape. I moved the left and right nodes outward a little more and filled the shape with red.
Figure 10 – Final heart shape created by node editing an ellipse
There’s a lot more you can do by editing nodes. I encourage you to play around and see what you can come up with.