Learn to Use the Curve Tool to Make a Heart

Sure, you could use the Heart shape tool that comes with Windows 7 Paint to draw a nice, perfect heart. But where's the fun and challenge in that? Create something with a little more personality by drawing your own funky, not-so-perfect heart.

This tutorial uses the Windows Paint program that comes in Windows 7 which features lots of nice new features and tools. For this tutorial, we stick with very basic techniques using:

• pencil
• line (shapes group)
• curve (shapes group)
• fill
• text

Windows 7 Paint is not as fancy as even some of the most basic free bitmap programs; however, it works in a pinch and for simple drawings it may be all you need. The curve line tool is a little tricky to use and limited in its options, but with practice (such as drawing hearts) you can learn to master this tool. The other tools used in this tutorial are fairly straightforward and similar to comparable tools in other bitmap graphics programs.

1. this page
2. Draw a Line
3. Shape a Curve
4. Complete the Curve
5. Start 2nd Half of Heart
6. Shape 2nd Half of Heart
7. Complete Basic Heart
8. Fine-tune and Close Gaps
9. Fill Heart With Color
10. Draw Arrow
11. Finish Arrow and Add Text

Draw a Straight Line -- With the Curve Tool

Select the Curve tool in the Shapes group under the Home tab. Choose the size you want as well as the color. For this heart I chose a fairly thick black line.

Click somewhere in your drawing space and drag down. You don't have to make your line perfectly vertical.

1. Introduction: Draw a Heart
2. this page
3. Shape a Curve
4. Complete the Curve
5. Start 2nd Half of Heart
6. Shape 2nd Half of Heart
7. Complete Basic Heart

1. Fine-tune and Close Gaps
2. Fill Heart With Color
3. Draw Arrow
4. Finish Arrow and Add Text

Start Making a Curve

Immediately after releasing the mouse after drawing your line, click on or near the line at a point about 1/3rd of the way from the top. Drag your line to the left and slightly up to start creating your curve. Don't worry if it seems to create a rather sharp curve. We'll round it out in the next step.

1. Introduction: Draw a Heart
2. Draw a Line
3. this page
4. Complete the Curve
5. Start 2nd Half of Heart
6. Shape 2nd Half of Heart

1. Complete Basic Heart
2. Fine-tune and Close Gaps
3. Fill Heart With Color
4. Draw Arrow
5. Finish Arrow and Add Text

Complete the Curve

After pulling the curve out at the top place your cursor about a 1/3rd of the way from the bottom of the line and drag again. This will soften your curve and give it a more rounded appearance. Don't release your mouse until you have it like you want it. You only get two clicks (the first part of the curve and the second part). Don't like the result? Undo and try again.

Once you have the curve like you want it and the bounding box is still in place you can click and drag your curve to another spot in the drawing space if you want.

Once you click away the curve will be locked in place and no longer an editable object.

1. Introduction: Draw a Heart
2. Draw a Line
3. Shape a Curve
4. this page
5. Start 2nd Half of Heart
6. Shape 2nd Half of Heart
7. Complete Basic Heart
8. Fine-tune and Close Gaps
9. Fill Heart With Color
10. Draw Arrow
11. Finish Arrow and Add Text

Draw Another Straight Line - With the Curve Tool

Draw another line using the curve tool. Start the line at the top end point of your first curve and end it at the other end of your first curve.

1. Introduction: Draw a Heart
2. Draw a Line
3. Shape a Curve
4. Complete the Curve
5. this page
6. Shape 2nd Half of Heart
7. Complete Basic Heart
8. Fine-tune and Close Gaps
9. Fill Heart With Color
10. Draw Arrow
11. Finish Arrow and Add Text

Drag to Curve the Second Line

As with the first line, click somewhere around 1/3rd of the way down the line and this time drag the line out to the right.

1. Introduction: Draw a Heart
2. Draw a Line
3. Shape a Curve
4. Complete the Curve
5. Start 2nd Half of Heart
6. this page
7. Complete Basic Heart
8. Fine-tune and Close Gaps
9. Fill Heart With Color
10. Draw Arrow
11. Finish Arrow and Add Text

Complete the Second Half of Heart

Again, drag the bottom part of the line to round out your curve on the right half of the heart.

Notice while you are dragging that if you drag to the left instead of right you get a whole different look. You might like that. Experiment with dragging the two parts of your curved line in the same and opposite directions.

The two halves of your heart do not have to be identical. If you want perfect and identical, just use the Heart shape tool instead of drawing the heart as described in this tutorial.

1. Introduction: Draw a Heart
2. Draw a Line
3. Shape a Curve
4. Complete the Curve
5. Start 2nd Half of Heart
6. Shape 2nd Half of Heart
7. this page
8. Fine-tune and Close Gaps
9. Fill Heart With Color
10. Draw Arrow
11. Finish Arrow and Add Text

Connect the Lines

Once finished drawing both halves of your heart you might find that the two curved lines don't meet exactly at one or both ends. Zoom in close to make sure both ends meet. If they don't, use the pencil tool to draw a little connecting line. If your ends don't meet to form a closed shape, using the fill tool in the next step won't give the desired results.

1. Introduction: Draw a Heart
2. Draw a Line
3. Shape a Curve

1. Complete the Curve
2. Start 2nd Half of Heart
3. Shape 2nd Half of Heart
4. Complete Basic Heart
5. this page
6. Fill Heart With Color
7. Draw Arrow
8. Finish Arrow and Add Text

Fill Your Heart

Select the Fill (bucket) tool and choose a color you like. Click in the middle of your heart to fill it with color.

If you prefer, you could use one of the Brushes such as Oil, Marker, or Crayon to carefully color in your heart. It will give a whole different look. But be careful. Unlike more sophisticated paint programs, Windows Paint doesn't have masking so you can't protect your heart outline while painting in the middle.

You'll need to paint carefully to keep from painting over your outline.

1. Introduction: Draw a Heart
2. Draw a Line
3. Shape a Curve
4. Complete the Curve
5. Start 2nd Half of Heart
6. Shape 2nd Half of Heart
7. Complete Basic Heart
8. Fine-tune and Close Gaps
9. this page
10. Draw Arrow
11. Finish Arrow and Add Text

Finish the Arrow and Add Some Text

Use the Line tool to draw a couple of straight lines as shown. This is the shaft of your arrow. While you aren't aiming for perfection, try to get the two pieces lined up fairly close so they look like one long line going through the heart.

You could draw the shaft of the arrow with the pencil tool if you have a steady hand.

1. Introduction: Draw a Heart
2. Draw a Line
3. Shape a Curve
4. Complete the Curve

1. Start 2nd Half of Heart
2. Shape 2nd Half of Heart
3. Complete Basic Heart
4. Fine-tune and Close Gaps
5. Fill Heart With Color
6. this page
7. Finish Arrow and Add Text

Use the pencil tool to draw a few lines to represent the feathers on the end of your arrow. Draw and color in a triangle for the point of the arrow. You could use the Line tool if you wanted perfectly straight lines but the pencil tools gives it a more informal feel.

Text is optional but if you want to add some, click on the T(ext) tool and then click somewhere in your drawing. Type your words and use the text attributes menu to change the font and size (as well as color and other attributes).

With the text still selected you can move it around in the drawing.

Save your finished drawing and use it however you want. You may want to use the crop tool before saving to crop out any excess empty space around your heart drawing.

1. Introduction: Draw a Heart
2. Draw a Line
3. Shape a Curve
4. Complete the Curve
5. Start 2nd Half of Heart
6. Shape 2nd Half of Heart
7. Complete Basic Heart
8. Fine-tune and Close Gaps
9. Fill Heart With Color
10. Draw Arrow
11. this page