Fill, Stroke, and Color

This chapter is from the book

Learn Adobe Illustrator CC for Graphic Design and Illustration: Adobe Certified Associate Exam Preparation

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This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book 

Learn Adobe Illustrator CC for Graphic Design and Illustration: Adobe Certified Associate Exam Preparation

Learn More Buy

In this chapter, you will learn how to apply color and patterns to basic shapes. You will combine skills learned in this chapter with the skills you learned in Chapter 3 to create your own custom shapes and assemble them into a recognizable image—a robot.

Working with Fill and Stroke

• ACA Objective 3.6

• Video Project 01-02 Basic Shape—Fill and Stroke

You can apply a variety of attributes to every object drawn in Illustrator. The two most basic attributes are the fill color (inside color) and stroke color (edge color) of the object’s path. The stroke can have other settings to control its attributes, such as the width and exact placement of the color on the path.

Change the Fill and Stroke Color

You can modify the color of your newly created shapes at any time. You can use the following methods to change the fill and stroke colors.

Apply Colors via the Color Panel

1. Using the Selection tool (V), click an object in your document to select it.

2. On the Color panel, select a color model from the panel menu:

   • To define colors for print output, select CMYK (Figure 4.1). In this case, your Illustrator document should have an output profile for print. You can define specific process colors in this color model.
   • To define colors for video, web, or mobile device output, select RGB.
   • To specify a shade of gray, select Grayscale.
   

   Figure 4.1 The Color panel

3. Click the Fill square. Drag the color sliders to mix a color, or click the color spectrum bar.

   TIP

   To apply a fill or stroke of [None] to a selected object, click the [None] button or press / (slash).

4. Click the Stroke square (or press X), and select a color using the color sliders or spectrum bar.

Apply Colors Using the Swatches, Control, or Appearance Panel

You can also apply colors to objects by using the Swatches, Control, or Appearance panel.

1. Using the Selection tool (V), click an object in your document to select it.

   TIP

   To display a temporary Color panel from the Control or Appearance panel, Shift-click the Color square.

2. Do any of the following:

   • On the Swatches panel, click the Fill square, and click a color swatch. Click the Stroke square (or press X), and click a color swatch (Figure 4.2).

     

     Figure 4.2 The Swatches panel

   • On the Control panel, click the Fill square or its menu, and on the temporary Swatches panel, click a color swatch. Click the Stroke square or its menu, and on the temporary Swatches panel, click a color swatch.

   • On the Appearance panel, click the Fill listing, and click the Color square or its menu. On the temporary Swatches panel, click a color swatch. Click the Stroke listing, and click the Color square or its menu. On the temporary Swatches panel, click a color swatch (Figure 4.3).

     

     Figure 4.3 The Appearance panel

   • On any of these three panels, to apply a transparent fill or stroke, click the [None] swatch.

Apply Stroke Attributes

You can only see the stroke (edge) of a path if it has a weight applied. The weight is expressed in points. Once you can see the stroke, you can change how it aligns with the path, select caps for its endpoints, and change the corner style.

Apply a Stroke Weight

You can modify a path’s stroke weight (width) using the Stroke, Control, or Appearance panel. Modifying the stroke weight on one of these panels updates the setting on the other two panels automatically.

1. Using the Selection tool (V), click an object to select it.

2. Do either of the following:

   • On the Stroke panel, enter a value in the Weight field or click the up and down arrows to increase or decrease the current stroke weight (Figures 4.4 and 4.5).

     

     Figure 4.4 The Stroke panel

     

     Figure 4.5 Stroke Weight changed

   • On the Control panel, enter a value in the Stroke Weight field or click the up and down arrows to increase or decrease the current stroke weight.

Change the Stroke Alignment

You can position a stroke on the inside, outside, or center of a path.

1. Using the Selection tool, click an object with a closed path (not a line) to select it.
2. Display all the areas on the Stroke panel by clicking the vertical arrow on the panel tab two or three times.

3. Click the Align Stroke To Center, Align Stroke To Inside, or Align Stroke To Outside icon (Figure 4.6).

   

   Figure 4.6 Align stroke to inside (left); align stroke to outside (right).

Change the Stroke Cap or Corner Style

You can apply different styles to the corners of a path (where it bends) and the endpoints on a line or open path (Figure 4.7).

Figure 4.7 Path with a butt cap and miter corner (left); path with a round cap and round corner (right)

1. Using the Selection tool, click an object to select it.
2. Display all the areas on the Stroke panel by clicking the vertical arrow on the panel tab.

3. To modify the corner points (not curved points) on a path, click one of the Corner icons:

   • Miter Join creates a pointed corner.
   • Round Join creates a rounded corner.
   • Bevel Join creates a beveled (cut-off) corner.

4. To modify the endpoints on a line or open path, click one of the Cap icons:

   • Butt Cap creates a square end.
   • Round Cap creates a rounded end.
   • Projecting Cap creates a square end that extends beyond each endpoint.

Apply Gradients and Patterns to Fills and Strokes

Applying a gradient or pattern to a selected object is a straightforward process. On the Swatches panel, click to make the Fill or Stroke square active, then click a gradient or pattern swatch on the panel to apply it.

Explore Swatch Libraries

If the Swatches panel does not currently display any gradient or pattern swatches, you will need to open a swatch library to add those types of swatches to the panel.

1. On the Swatches panel, click the Swatch Libraries menu . From the Gradients or Patterns submenu, select a library (Figure 4.8).

   

   Figure 4.8 Swatches panel library menu

   A floating panel will open in the document window. The library name will appear in the panel tab (Figure 4.9).

   

   Figure 4.9 The Sky swatches library in the panel tab

2. Click a swatch or Shift-click multiple swatches. From the floating panel menu, select Add To Swatches to add the gradients or patterns to the Swatches panel.

3. Do one of the following:

   • At the bottom of the panel, click the left or right arrow to display the previous or next swatch library that is listed on the Swatch Libraries menu and its submenus.
   • On the floating panel, click the Swatch Libraries menu, and from the Gradients or Patterns (or any other category’s) submenu, select another library. That library will display in the current floating panel or in a new floating panel.