While working with the Pen Tool, be aware that after a path is complete, you can still continue to edit the points with your Direct Selection tool using the Control panel as well as some related tools found in the Toolbars panel.
When a point is selected on a path, you can, as mentioned earlier, return and convert the point from straight to curved. Refer to Figure 7-39.
Figure 7-39. Convert a point from straight to curved using the Control panel
Rather than using the Delete Anchor Point Tool, instead, from the Control panel’s “Anchors” section, you can choose the “Remove selected anchor points” icon but keep the path closed. This will work if several points have been Shift-clicked. Refer to Figure 7-40.
Figure 7-40. Use the control panel to remove selected anchor points
If two points of an open path are selected, you can use the “Connect selected end points” icon. Refer to Figure 7-41.
Figure 7-41. Use the Control panel to connect selected anchor points
Or use from the menu Object ➤ Path ➤ Join (Ctrl/CMD+J). This is also similar to using the Toolbars panel Join tool. However, the Join tool requires that you paint over the path, and the points need to be fairly close together. Refer to Figure 7-42.
Figure 7-42. Toolbars panel Join tool used to connect a path on the artboard
The other icon option in the Control panel is the “Cut path at selected anchor points.” When two points are Shift + Click selected with the Direct Selection tool, you can click this icon to remove that part of the path from the rest of the path. Refer to Figure 7-43.
Figure 7-43. Use the Control panel to cut a path selected anchor points
Then with the Direct Selection tool, drag a marquee to select it, and press the Backspace/Delete key twice to remove the line segment and points entirely.
Another similar tool that you can use is the Path Eraser tool which you can use to split or erase parts of a path when you paint from point to point so that part of the path is removed. Refer to Figure 7-44.
Figure 7-44. Use the Toolbars panel Path Eraser tool when you want to erase part of a path
Though not required for this book, you should explore on your own other tools within this collection. This includes the Shaper tool (Shift+N) which allows you to create basic shapes such as square, circle, and triangle quickly using your freehand drawing skill. The Pencil tool (N) also can be used for freehand drawing of a path that can be closed or opened. The Smooth tool can later be used when dragged over the selected path to remove extra anchor points and make the path less complex. Refer to the menu Object ➤ Path submenu in Illustrator if you need to make any further edits to anchor points on a path.
For more details on these tools, you can refer to these pages:
https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/building-new-shapes-using-shape.html
https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/drawing-pen-curvature-or-pencil.html
Tip Instead of using the Smooth tool, you can also use the newly updated Object ➤ Path ➤ Smooth slider to adjust your paths. It has more control on the path overall rather than just sections of the path for maximum smoothing and auto smooth.