When Pages’ pre-existing shapes don’t cut it, create your own with the Pen tool

We all know about the Shapes menu in Pages that offers us anything from speech bubbles to triangles and arrows. The chances are you probably use circles and rectangles the most when it comes to the Shapes menu; but have you noticed the Pen tool, bottom of the list?
 
This useful option allows you to create custom shapes by plotting points to draw lines between them. Once you have plotted your points and joined the lines you can then drag each point to further develop your shape and even add curves.

By using the control handles, you can apply smooth curves to your shape that can make for some very interesting designs and provide more flowing lines than hand drawing would normally allow.

Use the Pen tool to create custom shapes in Apple Pages.

In this tutorial we’re going to apply a curved shape to a poster heading which will sit on top of an existing rectangle shape. We’ll then apply the title text on top of the shape. Given the ease with which you can create wave-like shapes with the Pen tool, we’ll be applying our design to a surf school poster; however you’re free to make any kind of shape you like. We’ll also look at ways in which you can make use of opacity to blend your shape into the background color for a more seamless and polished effect.

Creating shapes with the Pen tool and applying curves to them opens a number of design opportunities and can be a great way to create unique logos or interesting pieces of page furniture for your documents.

For this tutorial you can choose to start from scratch to practice working with the Pen tool, or apply the design to an existing document you have created in Pages. Once you’ve got used to the way the Pen tool works you’ll be able to return to it for more interesting shapes the next time you start a project.

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Create Custom Shapes with the Pen Tool

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  New Template

  Pick an existing Pages document or start from scratch with one of the blank page templates found within the Template Chooser. Once your document is loaded, pick a spot for your new shape. Here, we’re making a banner at the top of a poster for a surf school.

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  Begin with a Box

  Now select a rectangle from the Shapes drop-down menu and drag it to fit the width of your page. Now click the Inspector button at the top and click the Object tab to adjust the fill color to your liking. You can also remove the line around the shape from this menu if needed.

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  Reach for the Pen

  From the Shapes menu, select the Pen tool. Click at the top-left of your rectangle, then the bottom-left, followed by the bottom-right. Finally, click the center of the rectangle and on the first point you added at the top-left. This joins the lines to create a triangle shape.

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  Shape Adjustments

  Click on one of the lines of your new shape to select it. You will notice that each point appears as a red dot. Click on the red dot in the middle of your rectangle (the second-to-last point you added) and drag it downward and slightly to the left to put a bend in the line.

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  Create a Curve

  Double-click on the point you just moved to show two handles on either side of it. These handles can be rotated and dragged to form a curve within your shape. Here we’ve dragged one handle out and rotated it to create a wave-like shape for our logo.

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  Remove the Line

  Click the Inspector button and select the Object tab and choose a color fill for your shape. You can also add a gradient fill to your shape if you wish. Now change the Stroke setting from the drop-down menu to None to remove the border from your shape.

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  Opacity Changes

  In order to show the color of your rectangle through the wave shape we’ve created, select the shape and click the Inspector button. Under the Object tab, slide the Opacity setting to around 40 or 50% to blend the shape into your rectangle’s color.

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  Finishing Touches

  With your shape in place you can now add text to your design by clicking on the Text Box button and expanding the box to fit it. Now enter text and select your font from the tool bar. Here we’ve added the name of our school to fit the wave. Surf’s up!

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  Quick Tip

  You can adjust a number of shapes in Pages including the speech bubble and arrow shapes, which all have control points. These can be dragged to make adjustments or create new shapes. The star shape offers a slider that allows you to determine how many points are shown.

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