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CorelDraw 101: All About Outlines
Calligraphy Outline Effect
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Calligraphy Overview
CorelDraw offers calligraphy effects to add a casual or hand-drawn look
to your objects. This setting mimics the effect of a colored pencil or
paint brush changing angles, and therefore thickness, around a curve or
angle. The effect is best when used on objects with dramatic curves or
angles. The samples above show the thick and thin nature of the calligraphy
outline. The outline for the multicolored oval has been converted to an
object, which is also covered in this tutorial. The options are endless.
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Create Oval and Star
Draw an oval and a star (see Basic Toolbox for Graphics Magic for drawing
tool tutorials). Set outline width to at least 8 pixels in order to see
the effects. Select oval with the Pick Tool and click on the Outline Tool
to open the fly-out. Choose the first icon to open the Outline Pen window.
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Choose Calligraphy Settings
Locate the Calligraphy section of the Outline Pen window. The Stretch
value sets the shape of the brush. A square brush, or 100%, will not vary
line thickness. A lower setting creates a more pronounced effect. The
angle value simulates brush angle. At 0 there is no effect. Click on the
arrows to reduce and increase both angle and stretch, observing the sample
as the numbers change. Note: Negative angle numbers move the brush clockwise,
positive numbers, counterclockwise. Set Stretch to 15 and Angle to -65.
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Results
Click OK to accept the settings and observe your oval. Notice how the
top left and bottom right lines are very thin, and opposite these points,
the line is very thick. If we had used a value of +64, the thin lines
would be at the top right and bottom left. Repeat this exercise with the
star to see how straight lines react.
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Calligraphy Lines
Draw several curved lines using the Freehand tool and apply the same settings
as you did for the star and oval. With lines, the calligraphy tool can
really show off. Experiment with angles and widths to add energy and motion
to your documents. You can easily sketch symbols with a hand-sketched
look, or add a calligraphy outline to display text, symbols and clip art.
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Convert Outline to Object
Select with the Pick Tool, or draw any object and apply a calligraphy
outline. Choose Arrange, Convert Outline to Object. This is a very powerful
tool to allow you to use the unlimited fill options provided with CorelDraw.
Once you have converted your graphic, the outline becomes an object, and
can be filled and manipulated as such. Try fountain fills with a calligraphy
outline for a dramatic effect. Note: Once converted, you cannot change
original calligraphy settings.
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Back to start
CorelDraw 101: All About Outlines Tutorial Index
Outline Tool Overview
Set Outline Width
Set Outline Color
Set Outline Style
Outline Corners/Line Caps
Create Arrowheads
Calligraphy Outline Effect
 
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