Drawing modes overview

Learn how to use drawing modes to control object placement and stacking order.

Draw Normal, Draw Behind, and Draw Inside are drawing modes that help you control how new artwork interacts with existing objects. These modes determine the stacking order and placement of new objects in your design. You can access drawing modes from the toolbar in the lower-left corner of the workspace or use Shift + D to cycle through the three modes.

Drawing modes also apply to certain commands, such as Paste in Place and Paste on All Artboards, but not to Paste in Front or Paste in Back.

Draw Normal Mode

This is the default drawing mode. New objects are placed on top of the selected object or in front of others on the same layer.

Draw Behind Mode

This mode lets you draw behind existing artwork. If nothing is selected, the object is drawn behind all artwork on the selected layer. If an object is selected, the new object is placed directly beneath it.

Draw Behind mode works with:

• Creating new layers
• Placing symbols or files
• Duplicating objects (Alt + Drag)
• Using Paste in Place or Paste on All Artboards.

Draw Inside Mode

This mode lets you draw inside a selected object, helping you create clipping masks without extra steps. it's enabled only when a single object, such as a path, a compound path, or a text, is selected.

To use Draw Inside mode:

• Select an object.
• Switch to Draw Inside mode.
• Draw or paste your shape. Content outside the object is automatically clipped.
• To exit, press Shift + D or double-click outside the object.