How to draw a complex custom shape

How to draw a complex custom shape with MyDraw

Although MyDraw comes well equipped with hundreds of ready-to-use shapes, if none of them fits your needs, you can as well easily draw your own.

Drawing a shape in MyDraw is done via using the Tools section of the Home tab in the ribbon.

Here is a step by step guide on how to draw a complex custom shape in MyDraw:

Open MyDraw and choose a Blank Drawing.





Step 1 Open My Draw Choose Blank Drawing
Choose a tool to start drawing the shape you’d like to create. For this example, we will design an olive tree branch. First we need to build the main twig of the branch – to do so we are using the Arc Tool.

Step 2 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools

Drawing the main twig

Start with drawing a long curved line.




Step 3 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools
Hover the mouse over the end control point of the first line, until it shows you a tooltip “Extend geometry” and draw a second one almost up to the end of the first line.

Step 4 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools
Step 5 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools
Extend the geometry one more time and close it. Once the geometry is closed, MyDraw automatically fills it up.




Step 6 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools
To edit this shape and make it look like a twig – select the Pointer tool and then select the Edit Geometry tool. This allows you to modify each control point separately. Continue editing each control point until you achieve the desired look.

Step 7 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools
Step 8 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools

Drawing the leafs’ petioles

Once the main twig of the branch is ready, it’s time to build the leafs’ petioles. To do this we use the Cubic Bezier Tool.

Step 9 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools
To make a nice 2D petiole start drawing from the twig-out.


Step 10 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools
Then from the end of the first line, extend the geometry by drawing a second line very near the beginning of the first one.

Step 11 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools
Use the Line tool to close the geometry and form a 2D shape.


Step 12 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools
In the end, modify the control points of the newly created shape by using the Edit Geometry tool.


Step 13 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools
Copy and paste this shape as many times as necessary to match the number of petioles you want the branch to have.

Step 14 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools
Position and modify the petioles by using the functions from the Action tab in the ribbon (for rotating and reflecting) and the Edit Geometry tool to modify them.

Step 15 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools
Step 16 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools

Drawing the fruits’ stalks

To finish the skeleton of the branch - draw the stalks of the fruits in the same manner as the petioles.

Step 17 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools

Drawing the leaves

To create a leaf draw a line using the Cubic Bezier Tool.



Step 18 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools
From the end control point of the first line draw a second one with the same length and opposite direction to close the geometry.

Step 19 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools
To reveal the 2D nature of the shape, modify the control point via using the Edit Geometry tool until you achieve the desired shape.

Step 20 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools
Use Copy-Paste to multiple the leaf shape and position each one to match a separate petiole.


Step 21 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools
To arrange the display order of the leaves – select a leaf, go to the Arrange tab in the ribbon, and press “Send to Back”.

Step 22 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools

Drawing the olive fruits – last in this example we draw the olive fruits

Using the Arc tool we draw a line.


Step 23 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools
Extend the shape via drawing a second line and closing the shape.

Step 24 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools
Modify the control points to create an oval.



Step 25 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools
Once you have the final structure of your desired shape the only thing left to do is add some style formatting to make it look more realistic.

Step 26 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools
Start again with the skeleton of the branch (the twig, petioles, and stalks) – select them and go to the “Geometry fill” located in the Geometry formatting section in the ribbon. Select it and press “More Options”.

Step 27 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools
From the drop-down menu select the type of color filling you’d like to apply. In our case, we choose the Hatch fill.



Step 28 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools
Choose the desired colors and styling you’d like to apply and then press the “OK” button.




Step 29 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools
Once the filling color is applied you should also change the stroke color – in the Geometry formatting section press the “Geometry stroke” and either thick “None” to remove the stoke or choose the color you’d like the shape’s stroke to be. Press “OK”.

Step 30 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools
Repeat for every geometry you’d like to format.

Step 31 Drawing Custom Shape Using Tools
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