In a loose attempt to imagine an in-between space between fluid drawing and the controlled construction of vectors, we imagine a freehand mode where the drawer does not let the software decide by itself where to place the anchor point, but where she uses her other hand to press a key at certain moments while the rough curve is being drawn by the mouse, the tablet or the trackpad.

First mock up prototype of an in-between mode: Proposal for a drawing mode that is a hybrid between freehand drawing and precise placement of anchor points through pressing a key that shows a live preview of the resulting curve.

This specific key combination could indicate to the software which kind of anchor point to draw:

• 'c' : anchor with curves with 180° tangents
• 'k' : anchor for corners
• 'h' : anchor with horizontal tangents
• 'v' : anchor for vertical tangents

Another key combination could indicate if the current segment must be a curve or a straight line. The relative tension of the curve could also be indicated by activating other key combinations. Even if the learning curve to master many shortcuts seems steep, these gestures could probably be quickly internalised for those practitioners that really need them. Video editing or 3d modelling interfaces are a good example of this.