In this exercise, we’re going to draw a vase of flowers using as many CorelDRAW tools as possible. You’ll learn about shape, line and fill tools while seeing how they all interact together.

Are you ready? Here’s the Ellipse Tool.

The Ellipse Tool

At first glance, the Ellipse Tool appears to be a simple, no-frills, shape-creating tool. Adding circles to drawings might seem drab, but not when you consider what these circles can lead to and the possibilities become endless. With the Ellipse Tool, you can add bubbles to a newsletter background, or a simple circle can become ears on Mickey Mouse or tires on a car. You get my point. Circles and other seemingly simplistic figures aren’t just shapes. They’re building blocks. You can find the Ellipse Tool on the Toolbar or you can simply select F7 to access. Now draw some circles!

Ellipse Tool in action

Once selected, place your cursor over the drawing page and then click and drag the cursor to draw a circle. You can vary the shape and size of the circle depending on how you drag the cursor—left to right, up and down, diagonally, and so on. That was easy. On to the Rectangle Tool.

Drawing Rectangles

The Rectangle Tool is a lot like the Ellipse Tool. Simply select the Rectangle Tool from the Toolbox or you can press F6 and then click and drag the cursor over the drawing page.

Rectangle Tool in action

You can vary the rectangle shape and size depending on how you drag the cursor—left to right, up and down, and diagonally, just like the Ellipse Tool.

Pick Tool

You’ve had some practice creating shapes, so now it’s time to learn how to modify these shapes using the Pick Tool. Use the Pick Tool to move, resize, rotate, and skew objects. You also use the Pick Tool to select an object when you want to perform a specific function to that particular object, such as adding color.

Pick Tool

Ready to try out the Pick Tool? Start by drawing a circle or a square with the Ellipse Tool or Rectangle Tool. Select the Pick Tool from the Toolbox, and then move the cursor over to the drawing page. Click the circle or square to select. Finally move the object around the drawing page.

Pick Tool in action 

That’s how you move an object with the Pick Tool. Next, learn how to modify an object with the Control Handles.

Control Handles

Did you notice the tiny black squares around your circle or square after you clicked it with the Pick Tool? Those squares are called Control Handles, and they’re used to stretch, flatten, and resize an object.

Control Handles

A corner Control Handle increases or decreases the size of an object, and the center Control Handle stretches or flattens an object. You may have also noticed that a small X appeared in the center of your object. This X indicates the center of the object. You should always place your cursor over this X when you move an object to avoid accidentally resizing it.

Resizing and Stretching

Ready to try it?

1. Start by drawing a circle and then with the Pick Tool, select the circle.
2. Using the Pick Tool, select a bottom-corner Control Handle, and, as you hold the left mouse button down, move the cursor up and down.
3. This will make the size of the circle increase and decrease.

Resizing and Stretching

When you click an object twice with the Pick Tool, an additional set of Control Handles appear. These are the rotating and skewing Control Handles. The corner Control Handle rotates the object, and the center Control Handle skews the object.

Rotating and Skewing Control Handles

Practice rotating and skewing.

1. Draw a square, select the Pick Tool from the Toolbox, and then click the square twice.
2. Practice rotating and skewing your square.

Rotating and Skewing

Great job! Let’s take a break from Shape Tools and learn about Line Tools, starting with the Freehand Tool.

Freehand Drawing

As you can see below, the Freehand Tool is grouped together with other line tools in the Toolbox or you can simply press F5.

Access from Toolbox or press F5

Drawing freehand might be kind of intimidating to you, especially with a mouse. But don’t worry. You can combine the Freehand Tool with other CorelDRAW tools that shape and form, and you can use it as one of many building blocks to create a drawing. Follow these steps to draw with the Freehand Tool.

1. Select the Freehand Tool from the Toolbox, or press F5.
2. Next, click and hold the left mouse button as you drag the cursor across the drawing page.
3. You can vary the line direction depending on how you drag the cursor—left to right, up or down, diagonally, and so on.
4. To draw a straight line between two points, click the left mouse button once to set the starting point of the line, move the cursor in the direction you want to draw the line, and then click the left mouse button once again.

Freehand Tool in action 

Although a mouse may never replace the pen and pencil as a drawing instrument, the Freehand Tool does have an advantage—the Freehand Smoothing slider, available in the property bar.

Freehand Smoothing Slider

Use it to create a smoother line or to give a line a rougher appearance. The Freehand Smoothing slider may be set within a range between 0% and 100%. Lower values apply less smoothing, and higher values apply more smoothing. Next is Outline Tools. The other part of Line Tools.

Outline Tools

Outline Tools offer a variety of functions, from increasing line thickness, to changing line colors or completely removing them. You can find these tools together in the Toolbox, but you also have some of the same features available in certain Property Bars.

Outline Tools

You can change a line’s thickness by selecting one of the presets from the Width menus on the Toolbox or Property Bar, or you can input a different number in the Property Bar menu. If you ever need a broken or dotted line for one of your drawings, you can select different line styles from the Line style menu found on both the property bar and the Outline Pen window. What about color? By default, outlines are black, but you can easily change their color by right-clicking a color swatch from the drawing window.

Outline Pen Window

Are you getting anxious to draw? We have just one more series of tools to learn about and then we can start drawing our vase. So hold on tight.

The Bézier Tool

The function of all of the tools we’ve discussed so far has been pretty self-explanatory based on the tools’ names—the Freehand Tool lets you draw Freehand, the Outline Tools affect lines and outlines, and so on. However, the function of the Bézier Tool isn’t so obvious.

Bezier Tool

This tool gets its name from Mr. Pierre Bézier. In the 1970s, he thought of a formula for a curve that represents 3-D car body forms on computers. Just about all graphics programs use Bézier curves as the basis for standard curves. The Bézier Tool lets you draw lines with more intricacy than the Freehand Tool. This is because lines you create with the Bézier Tool are made up of segments connected by Nodes that you can shape using CorelDRAW’s Curve Handle. A Node is a small black square found within a line segment that allows you to modify the object when you select and adjust with the Shape Tool. The Curve Handle is a dotted line that appears at the end of the line you’re drawing; you can use it to guide and position the line. Try it out!

1. Select the BézierTool from the Toolbox.
2. Click and release the left mouse button to set the starting point of the line. A single Node will appear on the drawing page.
3. Move the cursor across the drawing page and then click and hold the left mouse button. A second Node will appear with a connecting line.
4. Drag the cursor down while still holding the mouse button. As you drag the cursor down, a Curve Handle will appear across the last Node at the end of the line. The cursor controls the crosshair end of the Curve Handle. The farther you drag the crosshair end of the Curve Handle from the Node, the more the line will bend.
5. You can use the other end of the Curve Handle to guide the direction of the curve. Click and hold the mouse button any time you want the Curve Handle to appear, so you can reposition or adjust a line or curve.
6. To end the line, press the spacebar on your keyboard. It may take a little practice to control, but keep trying; you’ll get it.

Drawing a Bézier curve

The Property Bar for the Bézier Tool is identical to the Shape Tool Property Bar, and it will appear when you create an object with the Bézier Tool or when you select the Shape Tool. Some of the functions from the Shape Tool’s Property Bar include adding or deleting Nodes, converting straight lines to curves, and reversing the direction of a curve, along with many other operations. You can execute some of these functions by simply clicking a button; others require that you click a button and then make an adjustment with your cursor or vice versa.

Shape Tool Property Bar

You can access the Shape Tool from the Toolbox menu or by simply pressing F10. If you want to use the Shape Tool on objects you created with the Rectangle tool or the Ellipse Tool (to name two), you must first convert the object to a curve before you can modify it with the Shape Tool. This is easy to do: Simply select the object with the Pick Tool, and then press CTRL + Q.

Thanks for your patience! Ready to put this information into action and start drawing?

Draw!

1. Begin with a new page by pressing CTRL + N and then select the Draw a rectangle with a line width of 4.0 points.
2. Next, convert it to curves by pressing CTRL + Q and then select the Shape Tool.
3. Reshape the rectangle to look like a vase by selecting the bottom-corner Nodes and moving them up diagonally, just very slightly.
4. Finally, select the Ellipse Tool, and draw a skewed circle on top of the rectangle.

Draw the Vase

Draw the stems and the buds.

1. Select the Freehand Tool, and change the outline width to 4.0 points.
2. Draw three stems, adjusting the Freehand Smoothing slider if necessary.
3. On top of each stem, draw a bud using the Freehand Tool with a line width of 4.0 points.

Add stems and buds

Adding Solid Colors to Shapes

A splash of color really adds interest to just about any project. You can easily color any of the shapes you just created by selecting one of the color swatches from the color palette with the Pick Tool.

Colors 

Give it a try.

1. Select the vase, and then click the orange color swatch. Voilà! Color just like that!
2. Next, select the skewed circle, and then click the black color swatch.
3. Finally, for the buds. Color one cyan, one yellow, and one red.

Adding color (click the video)

That looks great! Make sure you save your project and call it Vase. 

Vase with Flowers

Next, continue with me over here (Coming Soon!) to add a little flare to your buds.

CorelDRAW is a vector-imaging software program but is versatile enough to work with bitmap images, too. A bitmap image is a series of little squares called pixels. Each pixel is a different color that, when combined into a pattern, assembles an image.

Vector images are composed of lines and curves generated from mathematical descriptions or commands. These determine how the lines of an image are drawn and assembled, including the position, length, thickness, color, and direction of lines.

Take a look below, and you’ll see how a bitmap and a vector file assemble a circle.

The object in the center is a black bitmap circle surrounded by an orange vector circle. As you can see, each format creates the shape of a circle very differently. So when and why would you use either a bitmap or a vector image?

I’ll start with bitmap. As you now know, bitmap images are a collection of tiny squares called pixels, and these pixels assemble an image. This is perfect for depicting the subtle gradient of color in a picture.

However, since color is created using dots, there are obvious disadvantages to bitmaps. Because a bitmap is a series of squares, it’s almost impossible to create a curved line with a smooth edge using a bitmap image. The curve becomes jagged and rough.

Additionally, when you enlarge a bitmap, your software must guess where to put the extra pixels necessary to make it larger, which creates an effect called pixelation. Pixelation means that individual pixels become so prevalent that they distort an image.

Conversely, when you reduce a bitmap, the software has to decide which pixels to throw out. You’ll usually get less pixelation, but you also lose a lot of detail. Below you can see how resizing a bitmap image creates problems in both directions:

On the other hand, software using mathematical equations creates vector images. This means a vector image is always of the highest quality. Moreover, because it’s composed of a series of lines and curves, the angles that form are always smooth.

Another benefit of vector images is that you can resize them to any proportion without causing distortion or losing detail. And the final advantage I’ll point out is that vector file sizes are very small. This means that they take up less space on your computer, and they’re easy to send over email.

At this point, it probably sounds like vector images have many advantages over bitmaps. They’re of the highest quality, you can easily rescale, and their file size is manageable. While all this is true, bitmaps reign supreme in two areas.

Remember when I mentioned the continuous color that is created by a bitmap? This is indispensable when it comes to photographs. Vector imaging can’t approach the realism of a photographic bitmap image. So, all scanned images and digital photos are bitmaps.

Here’s an example of how bitmap and vector images display a photograph:

In addition, bitmap formats like jpgs are still the standard for web design and do not require plug-ins to view like the few vector formats that are currently available for the internet.

You should now have a better understanding of the differences between bitmap and vector images. The software is able to import and export a wide range of file formats and has the ability to convert vector files into GIF and JPEG formats. You can also import these formats into CorelDRAW.

Happy drawing!

When using the CorelDRAW PowerClip effect you can insert one object into another, which, in turn, creates a new and totally different design. The object placed inside an object is the contents object. The object with the contents inside of it is the container object.

Both the contents and the container objects can incorporate original CorelDRAW designs, text, and other formats, including bitmaps. I like to use the PowerClip effect to integrate photos into my CorelDRAW drawings. But it’s also a good way to create an intricate drawing by combining complex objects to create an even more elaborate design.

Let’s Draw

I’m sure you’d like to try it out, but before we create our PowerClip, we need an object. Let’s use the photograph below. I need you to save it on your computer, because we’re going to use it as both a contents and a container object.

Save this photograph to your computer

To save the photograph, place your cursor on top of it, and then right-click your mouse. Select Save Picture As from the menu, and name it desert_pic.jpg. Make sure to save it on your computer to a place where you can quickly retrieve it.

Now create the contents and container objects.

1. Start with a new drawing page with a landscape orientation and points as the unit.
2. Select the Text tool from the toolbox, or press F8, and then click the cursor on the upper-left side of the drawing page. For the font selection, you’re going to want to use a very thick and large font, so we can place an object inside. In the example above, I selected Furtura MD BT with a font size of 150. If you can’t find this font style in your font list, select one that’s similar.
3. Next, type the following word: Desert.
4. Finally, open the Import window, and select desert_pic.jpg.
5. Using the import cursor, place the photograph right below the text.

Place photograph below text

Good job! We’re now ready to create a PowerClip.

1. Select the Pick tool, and place the cursor over the photograph, but don’t click it. Instead, hold down the right mouse button, and drag the photograph over the text.

2. When you’ve positioned the photograph over the text, release the mouse button, and then select PowerClip Inside from the menu. The photograph should jump right inside the text. It may take a couple tries to get it to work. Sometimes it helps if you click a blank part of the drawing page with the Pick tool before dragging the contents object. Keep at it; you’ll get it.

PowerClip created from photograph and text (click the video)

You did it! You created your first PowerClip using the photograph as the contents object and the text as the container object.

I like my PowerClip, but I think it would look even better if more of the ground appeared in the text. Luckily, you can easily edit both the contents object and the container object after you’ve created a PowerClip. Simply select Effects > PowerClip > Edit Contents from the menu bar. Those commands open the PowerClip, giving you access to the object inside.

You can edit the object in almost any manner, including resizing, skewing, adding fill, or even applying special effects. After you edit the objects, you’ll need to close the PowerClip by selecting Effects > PowerClip > Finish Editing This Level, and the contents object will return to the container object.

Edit your PowerClip

1. Click the PowerClip with the Pick tool, and then from the menu bar select Effects > PowerClip > Edit Contents. The photograph will then jump out of the text.
2. With the Pick tool, move and reposition the photograph so that mostly the ground appears in the text.
3. When you’re satisfied with your results, select Effects > PowerClip > Finish Editing This Level.

Edit the PowerClip by moving the contents object (click the video)

Nice work! But let’s take it a step further by placing our PowerClip inside an ellipse.

1. Move the PowerClip off the drawing page for now, so you have room to work. But keep it close, because we’ll return to it shortly.
2. Now, select the Ellipse tool, and then draw a circle. I want the ellipse to have a thick outline with a color that closely matches the ground. So, change the outline width to about 8. Then change the outline color to brown by right-clicking the mouse on the brown color swatch.
3. Next, open the Import window, select desert_pic.jpg, and place the photograph below the circle.
4. Select the Pick tool, and place the cursor over the photograph. Hold down the right mouse button, and drag the photograph over the ellipse.
5. When the photograph is positioned over the ellipse, release the mouse button, and then select PowerClip Inside from the menu. The photograph should jump inside the ellipse.
6. Finally, adjust the photograph so that more sky than ground appears in the ellipse by using the menu bar to select Effects > PowerClip > Edit Contents.
7. Resize and move the photograph until you see mostly sky appear in the ellipse.
8. When you’re satisfied with your results, select Effects > PowerClip > Finish Editing This Level.

Make sure more sky than ground appears in the ellipse

Here’s a tip before you continue! You can also open the Effects menus for PowerClips by selecting a PowerClip with the Pick tool and right-clicking the mouse.

That looks great! But if you think a PowerClip inside an object looks nice, let’s see what adding another PowerClip to the design will do.

1. Select the Pick tool, and place the cursor over the Desert text PowerClip. Hold down the right mouse button, and drag it over the ellipse PowerClip. When the text is positioned over the ellipse, release the mouse, and then select PowerClip Inside from the menu.
2. Now adjust the text so that it appears in the sky of the photograph by selecting Effects > PowerClip > Edit Contents from the menu bar.
3. Resize and move the text until you’re satisfied with the results. Select Effects > PowerClip > Finish Editing This Level.

PowerClip inside a PowerClip

Great job! Now save it.

Create PowerClips Balloons

That’s was an excellent design you just drew. Now let’s incorporate a photograph into more of a line drawing using the PowerClip effect.

Start by placing your cursor on the photograph, and then right-click your mouse. Select Save Picture As, and name it balloon_pic.jpg.

Save this photo

1. Create a new drawing page, with a landscape orientation and points as the unit. Select the Ellipse tool, and draw an egg-shaped ellipse with an outline width of 6. Next, copy and paste three more balloons, so you have a total of four.
2. Open the Import window, and select balloon_pic.jpg. Using the import cursor, place the photograph right below the balloons. Pretty easy so far!
3. Select the Pick tool, and place the cursor over the balloon_pic.jpg, but don’t click it. Instead, hold down the right mouse button as you drag it over the first balloon on the left. Release the mouse, and then select PowerClip Inside from the menu.
4. Now open the Attributes Eyedropper tool. Look at the Effects menu, and then make sure the PowerClip box is selected. No other boxes from other menus should be checked. Click the balloon you just updated with the Attributes Eyedropper tool, and then click all of the other balloons. Good job!

Create four PowerClip balloons

5. If you’re using a newer operating system, like Windows 8, your balloons may look like those below. That’s okay. You’ve still created a PowerClip; the photograph just isn’t centered. We’ll take care of that in a moment.

PowerClip balloons for Windows 8 users

6. Now resize and move the photograph inside each balloon. With the Pick tool, select any balloon, and then go to Effects > PowerClip > Edit Contents. When the photograph appears in front of the balloon, move and resize the photograph so that only one of the balloons from the photographs appears in the balloon drawing. The photograph may appear completely outside of the balloon and off to the side. That’s okay. Just move it into position, and resize it accordingly. When you’re satisfied with the position of the photograph, select Effects > PowerClip > Finish Editing This Level.

7. Do the same for each balloon, but make sure you’ve selected a different colored balloon for each drawing.

Resize and move the photo within each balloon

8. If you’re using a newer operating system, such as Windows 8, the photograph may appear completely outside and off to the side of the balloon shapes. Simply move the photograph into position, and resize it accordingly. When you’re satisfied with the position of the photograph, select Effects > PowerClip > Finish Editing This Level.

Editing a PowerClip for Windows 8 users

9. Now select the Freehand tool, and draw a string with an outline width of 6 for each balloon. But don’t draw a straight line. Make it a little more stringy. If necessary, use the Shape tool to add some curvature. When you’re satisfied with your results, group each balloon string. Finally, using the Pick tool, rotate and move the balloons so that the bottoms of the strings meet in a bunch.

PowerClip balloons

Excellent! Now save your balloons.

Drawing Balloons with CorelDRAW

In this exercise we’re going to draw some balloons using the Attributes Eyedropper tool. Remember, save your work throughout (just in case).

Attributes Eyedropper Tool

The Attributes Eyedropper tool allows you to copy the properties from one object to another object, including colors and fills, object sizes and rotations, and even special effects.

Attributes Eyedropper tool

Copying these types of elements can be a real time-saver. You’ll find the Attributes Eyedropper tool on the toolbox.

You can use the property bar’s Attributes menu to select which elements to copy from one object to another. There are three Attributes menus you can use to choose these elements, and it’s as simple as selecting the appropriate box within each menu.

Attributes Eyedropper tool property bar

Properties: Select from this menu to copy the color and thickness of an outline, the color or fill of an object, or the font, size, and format of text.

Transformations: Use selections from this menu to copy object sizes, rotation values, or to relocate an object on the drawing page.

Effects: You can use this menu to copy special effects from one object to another, including PowerClips.

Now that you know a bit about the Attributes Eyedropper tool, let’s put it to work.

Get Ready to Draw

Now let’s draw some balloons with various shapes, fills, and effects while using the Attributes Eyedropper tool. In this instance, I don’t recommend that you veer off too much on your own. Instead, please follow my instructions, so you get the hang of effectively using the Attributes Eyedropper tool.

1. Start with a new drawing page with a landscape orientation and points as the unit.
2. Select the Ellipse tool and draw an egg-shaped ellipse, with an outline width of 2. Now draw a smaller egg-shaped ellipse inside the upper right-hand corner of the ellipse you just drew, also with an outline width of 2.
3. Now, select the Freehand tool, and draw a straight line from the bottom center of the larger ellipse, and set the outline width to 4.
4. You should now have a balloon-shape attached to a string. Convert it to a curve by right-clicking the mouse, and then selecting Convert To Curves from the menu. Now select your balloon and string, and then copy and paste five more, so you have a total of six.
5. Select the Text tool, and below each balloon, number them 1 through 6.

Create six identical balloons

Good job! Now we’re ready for the Attributes Eyedropper tool. We’ll start off nice and easy by rotating and resizing the inner ellipse of each balloon.

1. The first object we’re going to modify is the inner ellipse, so let’s make sure it’s in front of the larger ellipse. With the Pick tool, select each inner ellipse. From the menu bar, choose Arrange > Order > To Front of Page.
2. With the Pick tool, select the inner ellipse from balloon 1, and resize it to one-third of its original size. Then rotate it slightly to the right.

Here’s a tip before you continue! Zoom in really close so that you only select the inner ellipse and not the outer ellipse of each balloon.

3. Open the Attributes Eyedropper tool. Open the Properties menu, check the Outline box, and then click OK. Next, open the Transformation menu, check the Rotation and Size boxes, and then click OK. Make sure no other boxes are selected in any of the other menus, including the Effects menu.
4. Next, with the Attributes Eyedropper tool, click the inner ellipse of the balloon you just updated. Your cursor will change from an eyedropper to a paint bucket. Now, click the inner ellipse of each balloon. As you click each ellipse, it should conform to the size and rotation of the ellipse you originally modified.

Resize and rotate the inner ellipse of each balloon

Not a huge task, but we made quick work of it! Let’s keep going by filling our balloons with colors.

1. Select balloon 6, and then click the blue color swatch. Open the Interactive Fill tool, and select Radial. Choose the white Color marker, and move it to the lower left-hand corner of the balloon. Then move the blue Color marker toward the white Color marker.
2. Next, open the Transparency tool from the toolbox. From the Transparency Type menu located on the property bar, select Uniform. Move theTransparency Mid-point slider to 50. Last, open the Outline Pen tool, and remove the outline.
3. That looks good! Now do the same to balloon 1, but save some time by using the Attributes Eyedropper tool. Open the Attributes Eyedropper tool, and then open the Properties menu. Select the Outline and Fill boxes, and then click OK.
4. Your next step is to open the Effects menu. Select the Lens box, and then click OK. The Lens box is used to copy transparencies. Make sure no other boxes are selected on any other menus.
6. Now click balloon 6 with the Eyedropper tool, and then click balloon 1.

Blue balloons with transparencies

You’re doing great. Our next task is coloring some balloons red.

1. Select balloon 2, and then click the red color swatch. Open the Interactive Fill tool and select Radial. Move the white Color marker to the lower left-hand corner of the balloon, along with the red Color marker.
2. Now open the Transparency tool. From the Transparency Type menu select Uniform, and move the Transparency Mid-point slider to 25. Finally, open the Outline Pen tool, and remove the outline.
3. Open the Attributes Eyedropper tool. Check the Properties menu to make sure the Outline and Fill boxes are selected, and check the Effects menu to ensure that the Lens box is selected. No other boxes should be marked. Click balloon 2 with the Attributes Eyedropper tool, and then click balloon 4.

Red balloons with transparencies

Excellent job! Just two more balloons to color.

1. Select balloon 3, and then click the yellow color swatch. Open the Interactive Fill tool, and select Radial. Move the white Color marker to the lower left-hand corner of the balloon along with the yellow Color marker.
2. Now open the Transparency tool. From the Transparency Type menu, select Uniform, and move the Transparency Mid-point slider to 10. Finally, open the Outline Pen tool, and remove the outline.
3. Open the Attributes Eyedropper tool. Check the Properties menu, and make sure the Outline and Fill boxes are selected. Look at the Effects menu, and be sure that the Lens box is also selected. Again, no other boxes should be marked. Click balloon 3 with the Attributes Eyedropper tool, and then click balloon 5.

Yellow balloons with transparencies

Great work! Let’s finish everything off by turning those inner ellipses into reflections.

1. With the Pick tool, select the inner ellipse from balloon 6, and then click the white color swatch.
2. Remove the outline; then open the Transparency tool. Select Uniform from the Transparency Type menu, and then move the Transparency Mid-pointslider to 75.
3. From here, you know the drill. Open the Attributes Eyedropper tool, and make sure that the only boxes checked are Outline and Fill from the Propertiesmenu and Lens from the Effects menu. Now click balloon 6 with the Attributes Eyedropper tool, and then click the ellipse from each balloon—except balloons 3 and 5.
4. Since balloons 3 and 5 are yellow, let’s tone down the transparency effect, otherwise it would be hard to see. So, change the ellipse from balloon 3, just like you did for all the others, except set the Transparency Mid-point slider to 60. Copy the ellipse from balloon 3 to balloon 5, and you’re done.
5. Finally, remove the numbers at the bottom of each balloon. We no longer need them.

Balloons with reflections

Great job! These balloons look good, but don’t you think they’re kind of stiff, just floating there in space? I can’t resist moving them around a little bit and giving them some highlights.

1. Begin by grouping each individual balloon so that the balloon, the reflection, and the string will move as one unit. With the Pick tool, click and hold the left mouse button, and drag it in a square-type motion completely over the far left balloon, ellipse, and string. Release the mouse, and then select Arrange > Group from the menu bar. Now continue grouping all of the other balloons.
2. Now let’s tie the balloons together. With the Pick tool, rotate and move each balloon so that the bottoms of all the strings meet. Try to keep balloons that are the same color apart. After you have an arrangement you like, group all of the balloons together.
3. Now you’re ready to add a shadow. Select the grouped balloons with the Pick tool, and then open the Drop Shadow tool. Click somewhere about halfway up the strings, and then drag the cursor to the right and up.
4. Adjust the Opacity slider the Shadow Feathering slider to your liking.
5. When you’ve satisfied with the results, make sure to save your balloons.

Balloons rearranged with shadows

That looks really good!

In this exercise we’re going to draw an apple using as many different features of CorelDRAW as we can. That will give you an idea of how the various options interact with each other.

Remember: As you follow my instructions below, there’ll be a few times when you’ll have to use the Freehand tool and the Shape tool to mold and form your apple, so your results might be a little different from mine. Don’t worry about that. Do the best you can. As we add fills, transparencies, and shadows, the best results are always subjective, so use my recommendations as your starting point, and then take it from there.

Let’s begin with a red ellipse. This will be the basis for the apple shape.

Start with a red ellipse

1. Start with a new drawing page, with a portrait orientation and points as the unit.
2. Open the Object Manager by selecting Window > Dockers > Object Manager, and then rename Layer 1 Apple.
3. Now open the Ellipse tool from the toolbox, or press F7. Draw a large circle, and then click the red swatch. Finally, right-click the mouse, and then select Convert To Curves from the menu.

Now we’re ready to shape the circle to look like an apple.

1. Begin by opening the Shape tool. Click the node that’s on top of the circle. Next, select the Cusp node button, which is located on the property bar. Now move the control handles attached to the top node upward.
2. Next, select the node located on the bottom of the circle, and then click the Cusp node button again. Now move the control handles attached to the node downward.

Move the top nodes up and the bottom nodes down (click the video)

Excellent work! Your circle should now look like an apple. Next, we’ll create a topper for our apple by drawing a triangle and shaping it to look like a stem.

1. Create a new layer, and name it Stem.
2. Open the Polygon tool from the toolbox or by pressing Y. On the property bar, in the Points or Sides field, input 3. Then draw an upside-down triangle just above the apple. On the color palette, find and select a brown color swatch.
3. Convert the triangle to a curve; then open the Shape tool. Click the Select all nodes button, and then click the Elastic mode button.
4. Using the Shape tool, select nodes along the triangle, and shape the triangle to look like a stem.
5. You can add extra nodes if you need to by double-clicking any line from the triangle, or you can remove nodes by using the Shape tool to select the node and then pressing DELETE. When you’re satisfied with how your stem looks, use the Pick tool to resize it if necessary, and then move it to the top of the apple.

Shape a triangle into a stem

Nice work! Now we’re ready to add a leaf, which we’ll create with the Freehand and the Shape tools.

1. Create a new layer, and name it Leaf. Select the Freehand tool. Draw a basic leaf shape, similar to an upside-down teardrop. Don’t worry about accuracy or drawing the perfect shape, because we’re going to fine-tune the leaf with the Shape tool.
2. Next, convert your leaf to a curve, and then open the Shape tool. Begin shaping the leaf by selecting nodes and adjusting the control handles. When you’re satisfied with how the leaf looks, use the Pick tool to resize it if necessary, and then move it to the top of the apple, next to the stem.
3. Click the green color swatch.

Create a leaf with the Freehand and Shape tools

That turned out nice! Now we’ll give our leaf a little more detail using the Roughen Brush.

1. Open the Roughen Brush tool. Set the property bar functions to the following values: Size: 15, Frequency of Spikes: 1, Dryout: 5, Tilt: 40.
2. Use a click-and-drag action to apply the Roughen Brush to the left side of the leaf. I recommend you apply the brush to small sections of the apple at a time. Remember, it may take a couple tries before you get it right, so select Edit > Undo if you need to, and then try again.

Leaf with Roughen Brush applied

You did it, and it looks great! You should now have an apple sitting in front of you, ready for highlights and effects. Let’s start by adding a shine to the base using a fountain fill.

1. Select the apple, and open the Interactive Fill tool. From the Fill type menu, select Radial.
2. Next, choose the white Color marker, and move it to the lower, right-hand corner of the apple. Adjust the markers so that the glare or shine reflects on about the bottom third of the apple.

Apple with Radial fountain fill

We’re almost there! Our next steps will add depth to the apple by placing a transparency over the leaf.

1. Open the Ellipse tool, and then draw a long, oval ellipse and place it over the top portion of the leaf.
2. Click the white color swatch, and then remove the outline by opening the Outline Pen from the toolbox and selecting No Outline.
3. Now open the Interactive Transparency tool from the toolbox, and from the Transparency Type menu select Uniform. Next, move the Transparency Mid-point slider to 65.

Leaf with transparency

One more effect to go. Let’s add a shadow to the apple.

1. Select the apple, and then open the Drop Shadow tool.
2. Click the center of the apple, and then drag your cursor to the left and slightly up.
3. Next, move the Drop shadow opacity slider to 60. Then move the Shadow feathering slider to 13.
4. When you’ve finished, make sure to save your apple.

Completed apple with shadow

That looks really good! You did an excellent job!