The standard drawing tools may be all an "artist" needs to create something special. For those of us who are more "artistically challenged", Excel offers a set of pre-drawn shapes. These shapes are called the AutoShapes.
By
clicking on AutoShapes (bottom left corner) you will bring
up categories of shapes.
Highlight the category you want to see the different shapes in that category.
If you find the shape you are seeking, select it by a click.
If you click and drag your mouse in your spreadsheet, the image will begin being displayed on your document. Stop dragging when the size you want has been achieved.
The
object drawn should be a "perfect" replica of the image you selected
with AutoShapes. We know you could draw this cross with a series of straight
lines....but would it look as nice....drawn as quickly?
The object may be re-sized by clicking on the sizing handlebars and increasing/decreasing as you need.
This object is very similar to the Oval and Rectangle objects you may have drawn. That is, you can also control the fill of the object as well as the border attributes.
This
is the cross above filled with Red.
(You would use the Fill Tool to select the appropriate color for your cross.)
The Paintbucket is the
icon to remind you of the Fill attributes.
AutoShapes has other categories you could use for your drawing needs.
If
you can't be satisfied with the objects you can draw with the Arrow tool,
you might want to check into the different arrows in AutoShapes under Block
Arrows.
The selection process and sizing process are identical to the way you draw any of the objects found in AutoShapes...Select, Click, and Drag.
We
find the Callouts to be unique enough to explore. Do you remember the comic
strip characters that talked to each other? They had a "balloon"
in the air above their heads with a pointer indicating who was doing the
talking. Callouts give you different "balloons" to use.
For whatever reason, we tend to use the first three most frequently in our Callouts. The other choices are useful, but we tend to return to our favorites.
Once
you select your Callout, you click and drag to size the
object. When you release the mouse, a textbox appears letting
you enter the text you wish in the Callout.
Simply type your message. The text may be controlled by the Font, Style, Alignment buttons available for text in any spreadsheet cell.
The
really neat part comes when you drag the "yellow tip"
to a new location.
The pointer will follow your drag direction and stop when you stop. In this way you can control the "pointer" of your balloon!
Your text is in the same layer as the Callout object. If you move the object, the text will be a part of the object and will move accordingly.
If you re-size the callout object, the text will flow following the "word wrap" concept. Neat!