The dotted line: an Illustrator in-depth guide

Creating a dotted line in Adobe Illustrator uses three methods, the Stroke panel's Dashed Line option, a custom Scatter Brush, or the Blend Tool, each with different levels of complexity. In Linearity Curve, the same result takes one approach: the Stroke panel with Dash and Gap values, with no brush setup or blend objects required. This guide covers all three Illustrator methods and the Curve equivalent, with step-by-step instructions for each.

Our Adobe Illustrator series is designed to help you learn how to create effects in vector design software.

We’re here to help simplify the design process for everyone, from beginners to veterans! Today we’re focusing on how to create dotted lines.

Adobe Illustrator is a powerful tool used worldwide for graphic design and illustration. It’s packed with features that enable you to design anything you can imagine, but it’s also known to have quite a steep learning curve.

Even professional designers who’ve been in the game for ages sometimes need a refresher on applying some effects. So whether you’re dropping in for a refresher or learning how to create a dotted line in Illustrator for the first time, carry on reading!

In this article, we'll cover the different ways you can create a dotted line in Adobe Illustrator and show you how to make one in Linearity Curve (formerly Vectornator).

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When should you use a dotted line in graphic design?

There are many reasons why a designer might want to use a dotted line in their design. Here are some motives:

A decorative effect that adds texture to an image
To create a dotted design
To show movement and direction, such as flying
To show direction on a map or infographic
To create a graph paper effect
To give directions such as where to cut something on packaging design
To show where something should be written or signed
To provide instructions such as where to fold something

Image Source: Dreamstime

How to create a dotted line in Illustrator

A "dotted line" can take the form of circular dots, squares, rectangles, or any shape at all. Dotted and dashed lines are interchangeable, and the instructions below will cover both.

There are a few different ways to create a dotted line in Illustrator. We'll cover three options below. Why not try them all to see which method you prefer?

Option 1: create dotted and dashed lines with the Stroke Tool

First, start by drawing a line.
Next, open the Appearance panel by navigating to properties-> appearance or using the shortcut F6 for Windows and Shift+F6 on Mac.
Once your appearance panel is open, select "Stroke." This will open the strokes panel and give you various stroke options.
Select the "dashed line" option in the Stroke palette. This will, as you might imagine, create a dashed line.
Now select "rounded cap" to make rounded dashes.

You can reduce the rounded dashes into dots by adjusting the stroke weight and gap values in the stroke window. This gives a dotted line effect.
To create a square dot, select the "Projecting" cap.
You can manipulate the space between your dots or dashes by increasing or decreasing the gap values.

You can edit the color of your dotted line by editing the "Stroke Color." Clicking on this option will open a color panel where you can select your desired color.
If you wish to create a dash pattern or a dash sequence made up of various lengths of dashes or a dashed pattern, you can play around with the dash options and create different sequences by adjusting the dash and gap values.

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Option 2: create a dotted brush with the Brush Tool

For this method, you're going to start by creating a circle.

Select the shape tool in your Appearance Panel on the left. This should give you the options of rectangle tool, rounded rectangle tool, ellipse tool, polygon tool, star tool, and flare tool. You are going to select the "ellipse tool."
Hold "shift" and drag the mouse to create a circle.
You can edit the circle you have created by adding a fill, changing the color, and adjusting the size.
Once you're happy with your circle, navigate to window-> brushes. The brushes window will now appear.
Now, click and drag your circle to the preset section.
A dialogue window will now pop up, saying,"Select a new brush type." It will give you the option to select "Scatter Brush," "Art Brush," or "Pattern Brush.

Select "Scatter Brush" and hit "Ok."
Another window with further “Scatter Brush” options will pop up. Select "Ok."
Now, you're going to go to the line tool and drag the line where you want your dotted line to appear.
Now select the brush you just created.
Voila! A dotted line will appear where you just created your line.

It might not be to your desired specifications just yet, so you’ll want to adjust it. To edit the dotted line, double-click the brush you just used.

A new window will pop up where you can adjust the size, color, and weight of your dotted line and the space between dots. You can adjust these settings by dragging the sliders. You can even randomize the spacing to create a dotted line with irregular spacing between dots.
When you're happy with the edits, hit "Ok" and "Apply To Strokes."

Pro tip - Using this method, you could create a variation of a dotted line by selecting a different shape to "Ellipse" when you"re creating your brush, essentially creating a dotted line out of stars, rectangles, or any other shape you can imagine!

Option 3: Blend Tool

You can also create a dotted line using the blend tool in Illustrator.

Start by creating a line with the line tool.
Now, create a circle using the ellipse tool. Hold shift while drawing your circle to form a perfect circle.
Next, you're going to duplicate the circle. First, switch to the “Selection” tool.
Next, hold down the alt key, click the circle, and drag. This will make a copy of the circle.

Purple circles with purple linea

Now, select both circles and navigate to “Object”-> “Blend”-> “Make.” You could also achieve the same effect by selecting both circles, switching to the blend tool, and then clicking on one circle and then the other to create a blend.

Next, select both the blend and the line with your selection tool.
Navigate to “Object”-> “Blend”-> “Replace Spine.”

Now, navigate to “Object-> “Blend”-> “Blend Options.”
A dialogue box with options for spacing and orientation will pop up.
Next to "Spacing," select "Specified Steps" from the drop-down menu.
Now, enter the number of dots you wish to have between the first two dots you created to achieve your desired spacing. For example, if you enter "2," there will now only be two circles in-between the original two you created.

You could also select "Specified Distance" from the drop-down to change the gap values and set the distance between the dots, resulting in a larger or smaller gap size between dots.
Once again, you can build your dotted line from any shape you like using this method.

Try an Illustrator alternative

If you’re interested in trying an Illustrator alternative for macOS, try Linearity Curve. It’s designed to be highly user-friendly while maintaining the standard and feature capability of industry-standard software like Illustrator. We’ve put together a guide below on how to create a dotted or dashed line in Linearity Curve.

Check out the. GIF below for a quick tutorial on how to make a Dotted Line in Linearity Curve, and follow the instructions we’ve written out underneath.

First, begin by creating a line with your pen tool. If you need some help learning how to work with the pen tool, you can get the lowdown here.
You can create a straight line, a curved line, or an entire shape.
Once you’re satisfied with the line, go to your Inspector on the right-hand side of the screen and click the toggle next to “Stroke” to switch it on.
The stroke menu will now appear.
You can adjust all your stroke settings inside this menu, from the stroke width to the cap shape and color.
Similar to Illustrator, you’ll select a rounded gap to achieve a dotted line.
To change the stroke into a dotted or dashed line, go to the “Dash” section in your stroke menu.
Insert a value into the box on the left. This will determine the length of each dot or dash. You can choose any value to begin and adjust this as needed as you go.
Now move over to the “Gap” section in your stroke menu and enter a value into the box on the left. This will determine the gap size between your dots or dashes.
To make all dots equal in size, with equal gap distances between them, make both boxes under “Dash,” and “Gap” have the same values.
To create variety in your pattern, you can adjust the values in each box to create different gap sizes and dash lengths.
Once you’ve created your desired dotted stroke, you can select any of the same tools to draw with it. This makes it very easy to create dotted shapes such as a line, square, or circle.

Dotted and dashed lines are one of many Illustrator techniques that translate directly to Linearity Curve. For the full picture of how Illustrator workflows map to Curve — shortcuts, file import, and common tasks — see the switching from Illustrator to Curve guide.

How to create a dotted line in Linearity Curve

Where Illustrator offers three separate methods for dotted lines, the Stroke panel, the Scatter Brush, and the Blend Tool, Linearity Curve uses one consistent approach: the Stroke panel with Dash and Gap controls. It handles circular dots, square dots, and custom dash patterns from the same menu, in fewer steps than any of Illustrator's three methods.

Step 1 — Draw your line. Use the Pen Tool to draw a straight line, curved line, or any open or closed path. The dotted stroke will follow the exact path you draw.

Step 2 — Enable the Stroke. With the path selected, go to the Inspector panel on the right and toggle on Stroke. The stroke settings menu appears.

Step 3 — Set the cap shape. In the stroke menu, select the cap style:

Round cap — produces circular dots
Square cap — produces square dots
Butt cap — produces flat-ended dashes

Cap style controls the shape of each dot, round for circles, square for squares, butt for flat dashes.

Step 4 — Set the Dash value. In the Dash section of the stroke menu, enter a value in the left box. This controls the length of each dot or dash. For circular dots using a round cap, set Dash to 0 — this collapses each dash to a point, producing a perfect circle when the cap is round.

Step 5 — Set the Gap value. In the Gap section, enter a value in the left box. This controls the space between each dot or dash. Larger gap values spread the dots further apart; smaller values bring them closer together.

Step 6 — Adjust stroke weight. The stroke width controls the size of each dot. Increasing the stroke weight makes larger dots; reducing it makes smaller ones. For a line of equally-sized evenly-spaced circles: set Dash to 0, Gap to your desired spacing, and increase stroke weight until the dots are the size you want.

Step 7 — Set colour. Click the stroke colour swatch in the Inspector to open the colour panel. Select any colour, gradient, or use the eyedropper to match an existing colour in your design.

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Comparison: Illustrator vs Linearity Curve for dotted lines

Method	Illustrator — Stroke panel
Steps	8 steps
Result	Circular or square dots, custom dashes
Best for	Standard dotted lines
Method	Illustrator — Scatter Brush
Steps	12+ steps
Result	Any shape as a dot, randomisable spacing
Best for	Custom shapes, organic spacing
Method	Illustrator — Blend Tool
Steps	10+ steps
Result	Any shape as a dot, precise spacing
Best for	Precise dot count or distance
Method	Linearity Curve — Stroke panel
Steps	7 steps
Result	Circular or square dots, custom dashes
Best for	All standard dotted line needs

Method	Steps	Result	Best for
Illustrator — Stroke panel	8 steps	Circular or square dots, custom dashes	Standard dotted lines
Illustrator — Scatter Brush	12+ steps	Any shape as a dot, randomisable spacing	Custom shapes, organic spacing
Illustrator — Blend Tool	10+ steps	Any shape as a dot, precise spacing	Precise dot count or distance
Linearity Curve — Stroke panel	7 steps	Circular or square dots, custom dashes	All standard dotted line needs

For the vast majority of dotted line use cases in graphic design — packaging cut lines, map directions, infographic connectors, decorative texture — the Curve Stroke panel handles it faster than any Illustrator method.