Introduction:
This is a tutorial based on drawing with vectors- the digital equivalent of pencil lines. Drawings are made using BEZIER curves- a fancy name for the way curves are rendered with the pen/pencil tool. Bezier curves are altered or modified from the points you put down when you begin to draw your way around the page- kind of like dot-to-dot drawings in children�s game books but at each dot you get little HANDLES that you can move around to change the curve or direction of the lines on either side of the �dot� you are on. These �dot�s will be called by their
proper name from here on in: NODES.
To start with, when you draw a line using the freehand tool or the bezier tool you will automatically get nodes to edit because the nodes mark points at which a curve can be made/adjusted. If you start with strait lines you generally have to �convert to curves� in order for Draw to allow you do alter the nodes...
Now, having said all that it�s time to get down to business: step one is establishing your working space because this can and should be customized to your style of working which you will eventually discover
for yourself if you haven�t already but in the meantime we will go according to a basic and undistracting set-up for the initial stages-I am doing this tutorial with the default settings that DRAW will usually open with if you haven�t customized yet.
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1. This is the default drawing space which we will be changing:
Go to View>Wireframe Make sure to check where it says Rulers, Grid, and Guidelines.
This will provide a view that doesn�t distract you with colour- we are concentrating on line work.
2. Now you are going to �import� a graphic like a jpeg or a gif or a tiff- those are all �bitmap� formats- not vector formats- so Corel demands that you bring them in this way as opposed to a cdr., Cmx. (Both Corel formats) , Or ai. (Illustrator Format) format.
We are obviously going to be manually �tracing� around those parts of the image that we think are worthy of our time and effort.
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 On that note I will mention before we get any further that you should get used to starting out with a very angular look- meaning that the less nodes you put down to form a shape the less editing you will need to do on those nodes. You could draw in such a way that there are tons of nodes but that will present problems that I�m not going into since I�m showing you my way of doing things. Trust me that you want to keep node editing down to a minimum because the style of the drawing and the success of it is dependent on a smooth, unfussy look.
I sure hope you know how to browse for your files! Once you drop the picture in you want to place it in a good position for editing:
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 3. Go to the ARRANGE menu and pick ALIGN and DISTRIBUTE which will lead you to these boxes:
4. Choose center of page to align the photo squarely in the middle. This is actually a very important step when you are working on a project that will require precise editing. A reminder again that you can
customize this program to have certain buttons (functions) kept together on a separate tool bar which is how I work normally.
5. Choose ARRANGE again and pick LOCK OBJECT- this will keep the photo or graphic from slipping around because it�s very easy to pick on that (it is an object as far as DRAW is concerned) when you are drawing or editing on top of it.
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 By the way, I changed the view from 'Wireframe' to 'Enhanced' at this point.
6. NOW! THE FIRST BIG STEP!!!Grab the BEZIER TOOL and start your dot-to-dot drawing- yipee!!!
7. Start to work your way around the basic shape of whatever face you are using for a reference- do not think about making curves at this point- concentrate on putting a node at points of the face where you start to see a hint of an angle.
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 8. This button will close the curve for you in a snap! This is not a too terribly important of a feature with this project but it can come in very handy in a more complex piece where you may have lost track of your starting point among other things....
9. Now you will grab the SHAPE tool with which you will MARQEE SELECT (grab in a square shape!) That shape which you just drew or whatever else you need to apply a bulk node command on...
10. Now, because this is a shape based on joined up strait lines you will press that button to tell DRAW to CONVERT LINE TO CURVE because you are going to start editing the nodes to push and pull those lines into some semblance of femininity! BUT FIRST...!!!
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 Some Examples of what can happen next on a diamond shape that has been MARQUEE SELECTED and then has these commands applied:
CONVERT LINE TO CURVE. For some shapes you might have to go thru the ARRANGE menu- this is basically a requirement when you use preset shapes ( ones you didn't draw yourself )
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 SYMMETRICAL NODE: the handles pull in exact mirror opposites- very handy for any kind of symmetrical shapes.
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 SMOOTH NODE: I have not yet found any use for this kind of node where the handles move in whatever way they want too it seems.
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 CUSP NODE: the handles pull in whichever direction you want them too- probably the handiest node there is!
NODES WILL DRIVE YOU NUTS: Learn a little about their nature and you will be further ahead of the game!
Also, certain objects such as preset shapes may need to be converted to curves through the ARRANGE menu first and may have to be split up further still- don�t worry about it for this project but it�s good to know!
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 11. You use the SHAPE TOOL to pick on a node's handles which let you tug on the line segments as though they were made out of rubber! You can use the plus and minus buttons to add or subtract nodes or you can gently double click to do the same- that is a little trickier!
By the way don�t panic if you can�t always choose the kind of node you might need right away- DRAW might put up some resistance to certain choices- just play along til you get the go ahead, As far as I can tell, this is normal behaviour.
YOU HAVE TO PRACTICE WITH NODES! A reminder from before:
A cusp node lets you move the lines on either side of it independently- handy for extreme angles.
A symmetrical node will have handles that affect the lines on either side of the node identically- handy for more geometric work.
A smooth node- well, you can spin on it when you get frustrated! I have no use for this node myself. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE
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 Just about all this work is carried out with single clicks of the left mouse button. When it comes to colouring a shape you first click on the object and then a colour in the palette well. You can also drag the colour of your choice to the object.
To colour outlines you use the right mouse button on a colour in the palette well. If you keep your pointer on a colour an additional palette of similar versions of that colour pops up- lighter and darker shades- nifty!
We are almost at step 12. I�ve been outlining in white so that the lines are more visible on the dark background. I�ve been systematically tweaking the nodes to smooth out the excessive angularities from the first pass and I�m pretty happy with what I�ve got right now....
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 12. I�ve been holding off on this part because it is only now becoming truly necessary but here is where you are going to meet your best friend in Draw: The OBJECT MANAGER. You will find it in the menu
Windows...Dockers...Object Manager.
The object manager will keep track of every little thing you draw or do in and it will allow you to organize things in groups and layers and there is a handy little trash can to get rid of things you don�t want anymore.
Make sure you have the default RGB palette out too which is also available from WINDOWS>DOCKERS.
In the image below I am showing you a menu oriented way of shifting bits and pieces around. Play with this a bit and you will figure it out. You can also drag and drop from the object manager but that is not such a reliable way of doing it. Don�t forget to select the item first to apply the change.
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| some degree but you should know about it anyway because it is extremely helpful. The idea is to grab a bunch of nodes (usually in a shape that has been drawn with far to many of them) and then using the slider to decrease their amount. This can produce some really terrible results and be frustrating which is why I stress drawing minimal amounts of nodes in the first place- like anything else here- experiment with the tools and enjoy playing around with them.
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What is �grouping�? Very useful- once you are happy with a group of items you have edited you can select them by using the shift key and grabbing them one by one and then hit the GROUP button (see red arrow). This keeps these items together and you can lock them from editing as well if you want to be extra cautious.
You should be picking out nice colours at this point or fussing about the waves in the hair- the built-in brush strokes can be broken apart thru the arrange menu- the finished picture is at the very top of the page with a few further additions done in Corel Photopaint.
I hope this has been a helpful introduction to Corel Draw!
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