Silhouette Tool

The Silhouette tool is a free hand drawing tool, similar to the brush and pencil but it modified to compose a filled silhouette. It is especially powerful when used with a stylus and tablet, but it is fully functional with a mouse or any other pointing device.

The Silhouette tool always operates in the stick-mode, when clicked it remains active until another tool (such as the default-arrow tool) is clicked.

The Silhouette tool is found on the main tool palette that is accessed from the top item on the View main menu.

Activate and use the tool in the same method as the brush and pencil.

Successive shapes are automatically combined as a Union graphic. Drawing is accomplished with a multitude of successive small shapes which combine and grow into the end result of a single filled silhouette.

Successive applications of the tool have two modes, additive and subtractive. Hold down the shift key while drawing to activate the subtractive mode. In subtractive mode, the most recent drawn shape is subtracted from the cumulative shape.

The tool is used with rapid fluid drawing motions. The silhouette of a graphic is built by adding (or removing) successive detail to the shape. For example, starting with an oval for a "head" next a swooping-el-shape would add the "nose", then subtractive triangle sweep above the nose would indicate the bridge-of-the-nose.

It is advised to first learn the Pencil and Brush tools before using the Silhouette tool.

A fun exercise with the Silhouette tool "cloud watching". Turn on the Silhouette tool with a large blank page ready for drawing. Start scribbling - the more random the better. As you scribble, the union building will generate clouds similar to puffy clouds on a warm humid afternoon. Relax your vision and look for "shapes in the clouds" . Once something interesting is spotted, progress to more overt additions and subtractions to build, refine, and "pull" the silhouette image out of the clouds.

This tool and technique is a useful creative starting point. A strong silhouette is often the mark of a good composition or illustration concept.