From Lidka's Articles:

Five Rules for mastering Béziers

1. To draw STRAIGHT lines, place anchor points by CLICKING only.

2. To draw CURVES, place anchor points by CLICKING AND DRAGGING directional handles out of an anchor point.

3. PLACE ONE ANCHOR POINT FOR EACH CHANGE OF DIRECTION. Imagine the shape in your head before you start drawing. If you are a beginner, draw a little sketch on paper first and mark all changes of direction. Then, draw it on the computer, looking at your sketch and placing anchor points where your marks are.

4. USE AS FEW ANCHOR POINTS AS POSSIBLE. Place them only where the path changes direction. This will assure that your paths are smooth and that they will print faster.

5.DIRECTIONAL HANDLES SHOULD BE ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF THE DISTANCE BETWEEN ANCHOR POINTS. One-third left in the middle is for averaging the force pulling from each handle.

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