# VectorPaint paperclip paths: trace three turns between two endpoints

Language: en
Canonical: [VectorPaint paperclip paths: trace three turns between two endpoints](<https://allluckly.cn/en/guides/vectorpaint-paperclip-continuous-open-wire/>)
中文：[中文 HTML](<https://allluckly.cn/guides/vectorpaint-paperclip-continuous-open-wire/>)
English: [English HTML](<https://allluckly.cn/en/guides/vectorpaint-paperclip-continuous-open-wire/>)
Published: 2026-11-12T00:00:00+08:00
Modified: 2026-11-12T09:43:29+08:00
Author: Bison

Arrange three turns, parallel spacing and two endpoints on one open path, separating wire from surrounding gaps.

English translation of the [Chinese original](<https://allluckly.cn/guides/vectorpaint-paperclip-continuous-open-wire/>), translated on 2026-11-12. Original publication dates, attribution, code and version notes are retained.

A paperclip seems to be several parallel lines, but its structure depends on tracing one end to the other. Invent a double-loop appearance, establish one continuous centreline, then refine its stroke and ends. This is a static icon, not wire-bending instructions, a holding test or a precision copy of a product.

## Write the open-path tracing order

Use a 1200×1800 canvas with a separate centreline layer. In this design, start at the inner lower end, go upward over a small rounded top, descend around a medium bottom turn, rise around the large outer top, then descend to the other end. That gives three turns and two free ends, without an extra closure. The [Smithsonian paperclip record](<https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_1050261>) identifies the object category; these curves and dimensions are invented, not proved by the catalogue title, and no restricted image is copied.

## Give four straight runs separate lanes

Place four vertical runs at x=200, 400, 600 and 800 from left to right, but trace them in the order 400, 600, 200, 800. Mark thin guides first rather than connecting them in left-to-right order. Stop both free ends in the middle-lower area, without appearing to join the same bottom arc. Coordinates are layout references; if precise entry is unavailable, place approximately against references and label that limitation. Check the four lanes before adding turns; thick strokes cannot conceal a wrong connection.

## Join only the specified pair at each turn

The small top turn joins lanes 400 and 600; the medium bottom turn joins 600 and 200; the outer top turn joins 200 and 800. Keep endpoint tangents vertical so each curve meets its straight run smoothly rather than sharply. Start with few nodes and adjust handles, instead of piling up points. Place the outer top highest, the medium bottom lowest and the small top between them, leaving background beyond the stroke width. If a turn crowds a neighbouring lane, repair its centreline rather than thinning all the wire.

## Inspect stroke width and negative space together

After validating the centreline, use a consistent stroke and initially no fill, so an open path does not create a false metal sheet. Choose an available end style; if a rounded end is unavailable, a small circle in a copy can visually cap it, provided it does not look like another joint. Background must remain visible between runs, especially inside the small top and near the medium bottom turn. If reduction produces three heavy bars, adjust gaps or width. Deleting a run for simplicity changes the tracing structure.

## Keep highlights from becoming another wire

Add only a few short highlights inside the visible wire, following its direction rather than placing equally thick silver lines beside every run. Hide them to count the centreline, then restore them to detect a false double wire. Highlights may stop around a turn; they must not bridge background to another run. Upper-left lighting is a pictorial convention, not a verified metal-reflection model. Name cap circles and highlights so later stroke changes do not leave oversized caps resembling welded beads.

## Use a wrongly closed copy to check free ends

In a checking copy, deliberately connect the two free ends and label it wrongly closed. The change is an added connection, not merely colour. Trace from the same starting point: the closed copy no longer has two free ends. Remove that connection rather than cutting a decorative hole to disguise it. Keep the incorrect copy separate from the valid source. Then inspect each intended join; apparent contact can still be two disconnected segments, especially visible after enlarged export. In the checking copy, label the four runs A–D in tracing order rather than left-to-right order. The small top joins A/B, medium bottom B/C and outer top C/D; free ends belong to A and D. Labels add no wire objects.

## Inspect the export beyond its thumbnail

Save the editable original and open a PNG at its intended size, checking two ends, three turns and four straight runs. Enlarge for joins and reduce for negative space. For a white background, inspect background objects and transparency settings; white is not automatically metal fill. For a missing run, check visibility, occlusion and stroke before covering it with a redrawn clip. Hide hand-drawn checking lines if unwanted: ordinary path objects can export with the work. Open other formats separately; an SVG extension alone proves no continuity.

## Accept by endpoints and turns

Hide decoration and trace upward, around the small top, downward, around the medium bottom, upward, around the outer top, then downward to the other end. Extra loops suggest an accidental closure; breaks require checking actual joins; muddiness requires negative-space repair rather than sharpening. Retain two clear free ends, three turns, consistent width and the incorrect-copy explanation. A reader should identify where every run goes next, not merely recognise a clip-like outline. Conclusions concern this drawing, not elasticity, paper capacity, safety or manufacturing precision.

## Related tutorials and sources

[VectorPaint three-link chains: preserve openings and two interlocking joins](<https://allluckly.cn/en/guides/vectorpaint-three-ring-chain-links/>), [Edit Bézier nodes in VectorPaint: smooth curves without adding anchors](<https://allluckly.cn/en/guides/vectorpaint-bezier-nodes/>).

Checked on November 12, 2026: VectorPaint public version 1.0.8, requiring iOS / iPadOS 17.0 or later. Scope follows the [official App Store](<https://apps.apple.com/cn/app/id1587272880>) and [Apple public lookup](<https://itunes.apple.com/lookup?id=1587272880&country=cn&entity=software&timestamp=20261112>). Manual exercises use controls actually available in your installed version; external calculations, written records and diagrams imply no built-in automatic analysis. No step-by-step physical-device, private-file or all-export-environment testing is claimed.