I have imported graphics from other formats such as a *.AI formatted file that was a depiction of Southpark's "Butters" character. In the imported file, I noticed that the eyebrows were straight lines that consisted of only two points. I could edit the line but I cannot figure out how to recreate it. Every straight line I try to make ends up wanting to be some sort of triangle or some such thing. I just want to create a stroke path without having to close the ends into a loop. How can I do that?

You should be able to do that with the Pen Tool .
Click once at the point where you want to start the line, then click twice at the point where you want the line to end.

I think I know what's been happening, because I've had the same problem. If I only click once where I want the line to end, it isn't technically an end. (Technically it's a point along a path which is still in the process of being drawn.) Notice how you still have the red line connected to the Pen Tool and the last point (the one you wanted to be the end of the line). That's how you can create a more complex path -- a single click creates a node, the next single click creates the next node, and so on. But you always have to double click to end a line So what's been happening, I'm guessing, is that you click once in an attempt to end the line, but it doesn't end, so you click again. That doesn't end the line either, but it puts another node right on top of the other.

Yup! That did it. I actually did that but was confused. It created an object but it was invisible so I was like "what's this?" It should have occurred to me that the stroke wasn't turned on!

So I did what you said, got the same results but then turned on the stroke and Bingo! Thanks. I'm not an artistic user... like some others here, I'm more of an engineer type of user. So if I post anything here, it will not be the results of anything artistic unless it is a copy or reproduction of something. But I've got to say, I have been browsing here and have seen some REALLY impressive things. I do wish people would upload the SVG files instead of PNG or JPG... I rather want to take the images apart to see how it was done.