If you’re finding it hard to create the perfect curve for the design you’ve been working on for days—or maybe you’re just lost on how to draw a simple heart—there’s no need to smash your laptop to bits in frustration. We’ve all been there, but thanks to interaction designer Mark MacKay, we have The Bezier Game to help us master the pen tool in a fun and intuitive way.

While the pen tool in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop allows you to draw precise graphics and shapes, using it is often a little more difficult than just clicking and dragging. That’s why MacKay created The Bezier Game, which trains newbie designers to use this often-overlooked essential tool.

The game starts with a step-by-step tutorial on how to use the pen tool. It allows you to watch the demonstrations over again until you feel ready to begin drawing. First, you practice drawing basic lines and then applying that skill to specific shapes.

Once you have perfected straight lines, the game advances in skill, moving onto curves.

After you have completed your circle, combining curves and straight lines, the next challenge is drawing a heart–even if you’re feeling more frustrated than loving towards the pen tool at the moment.

Finally, using all the skills you just learned, the game ends with having you draw a car. Don’t worry though, you can repeat any shape over again until you feel ready to take on this feat.

The only caveat is that the game gives you a limited number of of nodes to draw your shape. So use your lines wisely!

Want to explore more illustrations? Here are a few already-made favorites from our library. If you’re short on time, these royalty-free stock graphics will save you from having to start drawing from scratch.

• Tags:
• Adobe Illustrator,
• Adobe Photoshop,
• images,

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