How can I draw dots in Illustrator?

Question

I haven't been able to find the help I'm looking for online. I'm trying to place dots on my drawing - ideally just clicking the mouse / pressing the tablet pen where I want the dot to be.

The dot itself could be a very short stroke object, or a small circle with a fill - it doesn't matter - but should be visible. I tried using the Paintbrush tool, the Pen tool, and the Pencil too. I do not want to use the Ellipse tool and have to drag the tool each time.

This is a good example of what I am trying to do. I also prefer placing the points myself as I draw them rather than drawing lines or shapes and filling them with points.

Answer 1

I recommend using the 'Blob Brush Tool'(Shift+B) to get the stippling effect. It creates a circle each time you click or tap with your tablet pen. For small dots it might create irregular 2-point shapes.

Answer 2

You can save a Symbol with varying size dots. Then use the Symbol Sprayer tool to your desired effect. However, Illustrator native tools will only get you so far.

I would suggest to try Stipplism plug-in from Astute Graphics. That will give you the result I guess you are really looking for. (It isn't free, but they do offer a 14 day free trial)

Answer 3

Another way to do it:

1 - Create a circle the size you need.

2 - Drag it to the Brushes panel and choose Scatter Brush.

3 - Increase its space to avoid muitiples dots close to each other.