Have you ever wondered how to make dotted lines in Adobe Illustrator? It is a useful skill in many applications such as web, signage, and character design. Fortunately, making dotted lines in Illustrator is not as difficult as it seems. It is possible to download dotted lines through third-party applications or designer clipart sites. But unlike Illustrator, they don’t allow any adjustments to the design.
This guide will demonstrate how to create dotted lines in Illustrator. You will also learn tools to help you in the design process.
Make dotted lines in Illustrator
You can use dotted lines to create outlines, custom brush stroke effects, or highlight the edge of a design. They introduce dimensionality and texture to your artwork. This is how you can create a dotted line in Illustrator:
- Make a line or shape using the line segment tool. Enter the desired “Angle” and “Length” and click “OK.”
- To view the styling options, navigate to the “Appearance” panel in the “Properties” tab.
- Select “Stroke” to expand and check the options. Go to the “Weight” option, insert a thickness value of 20 points (pts.) for the line, and choose the “Round Cap” design.
- Check the “Dashed line” box.
- Insert length values for hyphens and spaces. Set the value of the first space to at least 20 points. to create a visible dashed line.
- Select the “dash” value next to “space” and change it to 0 pt. to change the dashed line to a dotted line. Inserting a higher spacing value will help increase the spacing between points.
- Navigate to the box to the far right of the checked “Dashed line” box and select the box. This will evenly align the points at the end of the path and align them to fit the entire path.
- To create a second sequence of dashes for the dotted line, select 0 pt. for the second “dash” and then enter a value of 80 pt. for the second “gap” value.
You can also use the Line or Pen tools to create the line. The Caps layout element you choose determines the shape of the endpoint in scripts. You can always play with the values until you get the dotted line design you’re looking for.
Create dotted lines with the Ellipse tool
- Navigate to the left toolbar (L) and select the Ellipse tool.
- Create a circle using the tool.
- Navigate to the top menu and select “Windows.”
- Select “Brushes.”
- Drag the circle to the Brushes panel.
- A “New Brush” dialog window will appear. Illustrator’s default brush option is “Scatter Brush.”
- Click OK.” Type a name in the “Options” panel under “Scatter Brush Options.”
- Use the “Line Segment Tool” to create a line.
- Return to the “Brushes” panel and select the dotted line brush.
- Open the “Scatter Brush Options” window again. Select the “Preview” box and modify the “Size” and “Spacing” settings until you achieve the dotted line layout you want.
Create shapes using dotted lines
Illustrator allows you to create a dotted line for any layout design. The steps below will help you use dotted lines in different ways:
- Start a new document in Illustrator.
- Select the Shape tool from the drop-down menu.
- Holding the Shift tool, left-click the mouse button, hold, and then drag the dotted line shape you want to create.
- Go to “Window” in your Stroke panel and select “Stroke.” Your dotted line shape is ready.
Remember that the value you assign to a space when making a dotted line in Illustrator must be at least twice the width measurement.
Color dotted lines
Once you know how to make dotted lines, you can explore this design further by applying different transformations. The default color setting for dotted lines is black. The steps below will help you change the color of your dotted line:
- Execute the command Shift + X.
- Navigate to the color panel on your right.
- Select your color option. The color will be applied to the dotted line.
Apply outline to a straight dashed line
This p is useful if you have been looking for a way to create curved dotted lines. This is how you can achieve the outline design:
- Select the “Anchor Point Tool”.
- Use the tool to click and drag the points to which you want to apply a curve.
- Use the curve handles to further refine the contours.
Basic tools for creating dotted lines
Illustrator provides useful tools to help you create dotted lines quickly. Some of the basic tools needed for this design process are listed below:
Ellipse Tool
You can use this tool to make circular shapes. You can find this tool on the left toolbar of Illustrator. It is integrated into the “Rectangle Tool” menu. The shortcut key is (L).
Line Segment Tool
Creating straight lines in Illustrator is easy when you use this element. It can be accessed through the left toolbar. The shortcut key is (\).
Stroke panel
This panel provides several styling options for Stroke design and customization. It is integrated into the Appearance menu.
brush panel
You can find this panel in the right panel of Illustrator. You can use the different brush settings in the panel that you can adjust to achieve your desired design.
All of these tools work together to help you achieve the best dotted line designs.
Frequent questions
Can you copy a dotted line to other shapes?
Yes. Using the eyedropper tool in Illustrator will help you duplicate dotted lines in other shapes. To use the tool, click on the dotted line while your new shape is selected and it will be copied.
Why does your dashed line refuse to work in Illustrator?
You will need to make sure that no elements are locked in the layers panel and that you have selected the correct element. Also, check the Appearance panel to make sure there aren’t too many Stroke style options, as they can create interference.
Improve your creative skills
Learning how to create dotted lines is a great way to improve your creative skills in Illustrator. Adding dotted lines can serve as a guide to other information in your artwork or as an attractive design element. And you can achieve this using the tools built into Illustrator. With some adjustments to the dashed line, you can get the specific design effect you want. Remember, perfecting your dotted line may take a little practice, so be patient and allow for mistakes.
