One of the most exciting updates in Adobe Illustrator 2025 (version 29.6) is the new live preview for the Pencil Tool—and it’s a big improvement for anyone who draws directly in Illustrator.

What’s New?

With this update, the Pencil Tool in Illustrator now shows a live preview of your stroke color and thickness as you draw. Gone is the sketchy blue line you used to see—now you can see your artwork take shape in real time, with the actual appearance you've selected.

How to to Enable the Pencil Tool Preview

To make sure this feature is turned on:

Double-click the Pencil Tool to open its settings.
Look for the Live Preview checkbox at the bottom of the dialog.
If you don’t see this option, you may need to update Illustrator to version 29.6 or later.

*Double-click the Pencil tool in the toolbar for options.*

Why This is Better Than the Brush Tool

This update doesn’t just improve the Pencil Tool—it actually gives it an edge over the Brush tool with art, pattern and scatter brushes. Here's why:

When you draw with the Brush Tool, you still see that old dotted preview and only see the brush appearance after you finish the stroke.
With the Pencil Tool + Brushes, you see the full brush stroke as you draw—including Art Brushes, Pattern Brushes, and Scatter Brushes.

It even works with Width Profiles! Just make sure to use this setting…

The Setting that Makes it Work

To make this all work properly with brushes and profiles, go to:

Appearance Panel > Flyout Menu > Uncheck “New Art Has Basic Appearance.”

This tells Illustrator to honor the brush or width profile appearance while you draw, instead of defaulting to basic settings.

*You can open the Appearance panel from the Window menu in Illustrator.*

Final Tip

Want to draw live with a Width Profile? Just select one from the top control bar or the Stroke panel, then start sketching with the Pencil tool. You'll see the profile applied live as you draw—something that wasn't possible before.

Drawing with a live width profile and the Pencil tool in Adobe Illustrator.

Conclusion

This update has already changed how I sketch in Illustrator—it’s faster, more natural, and just plain fun to see my strokes come to life. If you’ve tried it, I’d love to hear how it’s working for you!

For more tips like this and resources to help you learn Adobe Illustrator at your own pace, visit LauraCoyleCreative.com.

Thanks for reading!

-Laura Coyle