Marcus Chen
Adobe Illustrator provides two methods of painting: you can select a fill, stroke, or both for an object, or you can convert the object(s) to a Live Paint group. The Live Paint method allows you to paint more like you would with a traditional colouring tool, without regard to layers or stacking order, which can make for a more natural workflow. To use the Live Paint Bucket tool, first select the vector object you would like to colour. Then, select the Live Paint Bucket tool from the tool menu and click inside the area you want to colour. You can also use the Live Paint Selection tool to select an edge in a Live Paint group and apply a stroke rather than a fill.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Use | To select and fill individual faces and edges within a Live Paint group |
| Selection tools | Live Paint Selection tool, Selection tool, Direct Selection tool |
| Isolation | Double-click a Live Paint group to isolate it |
| Selection options | Drag marquee, double-click, triple-click, Shift-click, Shift-drag |
| Fill options | Color, pattern, gradient |
| Fill methods | Click inside the area, drag color onto the object |
| Fill colors | Default is orange, but can be changed in the Control panel, Color panel, Swatches panel, Gradient panel, or a swatch library |
| Stroke options | Stroke color, stroke weight |
| Stroke methods | Drag color from Stroke box, double-click Stroke box |
| Stroke conversion | Convert stroke to compound path to modify outline |
| Other tools | Eyedropper tool, Blob Brush tool, Shape Builder tool |
| Limitations | Does not work with type, bitmap images, or brushes |
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What You'll Learn
Selecting the Live Paint Bucket tool
To select the Live Paint Bucket tool in Adobe Illustrator, click and hold the Shape Builder tool to access and select the Live Paint Bucket tool. Alternatively, you can use the shortcut key "K" to activate the tool.
The Live Paint Bucket tool is used to paint faces and edges of Live Paint groups with the current fill and stroke attributes. The tool pointer will display one to three colour squares, representing the selected fill or stroke colour. The colours adjacent to the selected colour in the swatch library can be accessed by pressing the left or right arrow key.
To use the Live Paint Bucket tool, first, select the area or objects that you want to add colour to. Then, turn these objects into Live Paint groups by going to Object from the overhead toolbar and choosing Live Paint > Make. This will turn the objects into Live Paint groups.
It is important to note that the Live Paint Bucket tool only works on closed paths or when the paths have very small gaps.
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Choosing the object to colour
To choose the object to colour with the Live Paint tool in Adobe Illustrator, you must first create a Live Paint Group. This is a group of objects with the special property that the Live Paint Bucket tool only works with objects inside this group. To create a Live Paint Group, select the overlapping paths you want to colour, then either:
- Execute the Object > Live Paint > Make command
- Use the Live Paint Bucket Tool under the Shape Builder Tool and click once on one of the selected items
You can tell if an object is part of a Live Paint Group by checking if it has the default name "Live Paint" in the Layers panel. You can also notice that when you select any path inside a Live Paint Group, Adobe Illustrator will place a bounding box around all the items in the group. This bounding box will have controls with Xs inside them.
Once you've created a Live Paint Group, you can use the Live Paint Selection tool to select individual faces and edges within the group. To select the entire Live Paint Group, use the Selection tool, and to select paths inside the group, use the Direct Selection tool. When working with a complex document, you can isolate a Live Paint Group to make it easier to select the exact face or edge you want.
To select multiple faces and edges, drag a marquee around the items you want to select. To select all contiguous faces that are not separated by a painted edge, double-click a face. To select faces or edges with the same fill or stroke, triple-click an item. Alternatively, click once, choose Select > Same, and then choose Fill Color, Stroke Color, or Stroke Weight on the submenu.
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Applying the Live Paint method
The Live Paint method in Adobe Illustrator is a powerful tool for adding colour to your illustrations. It is particularly useful when dealing with multiple faces that are not independent shapes, making it easier to fill in these areas with colour. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to use the Live Paint method:
- Select the object or objects you want to work with using the Selection Tool or the Direct Selection Tool. You can select multiple objects at once if you wish to apply the same colour to all of them.
- Choose the Live Paint Bucket Tool from the tool menu. This tool allows you to fill in the selected objects with colour.
- With the Live Paint Bucket Tool selected, hover over one of the faces in the object. You will notice that the individual face becomes highlighted.
- Click on the selected face to fill it with your chosen colour. The colour selection will appear above your cursor, allowing you to easily navigate through the swatches panel to choose your desired colour.
- Repeat this process for any other faces or objects you wish to colour. You can easily switch colours by simply clicking on a new colour from the swatch menu and continuing to paint.
- If you are working with complex artwork that has multiple faces and edges, you can use the Live Paint Selection Tool to select individual faces and edges within a Live Paint group. This allows you to apply different colours or gradients to specific parts of your artwork.
- To select multiple faces and edges at once, drag a marquee around the items you want to select. You can also use the Selection Tool to select the entire Live Paint group, and then use the Direct Selection Tool to select paths or individual objects within the group.
- When using the Live Paint method, it is important to note that certain properties, such as transparency and effects, may be lost in the conversion to a Live Paint group. Additionally, certain objects, such as type, bitmap images, and brushes, cannot be converted.
- Once you have applied your colours and are satisfied with your artwork, you can modify or adjust the paths within the Live Paint group. Illustrator will automatically reapply the colours to the new regions formed by the edited paths.
The Live Paint method in Adobe Illustrator offers a simple and efficient way to add colour to your illustrations, providing a user-friendly solution for filling in multiple faces and objects with your desired colours.
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Using the Selection tool
The Selection tool is used to select the entire Live Paint group in Adobe Illustrator. It is one of the two methods of selecting items in a Live Paint group, the other being the Direct Selection tool, which is used to select individual paths inside a Live Paint group.
To select multiple faces and edges, drag a marquee around the items you want to select. Partial selections are included. To select all contiguous faces that are not separated by a painted edge, double-click a face. To select faces or edges with the same fill or stroke, triple-click an item. Alternatively, click once, choose 'Select > Same', and then choose 'Fill Color', 'Stroke Color', or 'Stroke Weight' on the submenu. To add or remove items from the current selection, Shift-click or Shift-drag a marquee around the items.
To put the group into isolation mode, use the Selection tool to double-click a Live Paint group or click the 'Isolate Selected Group' button in the Control panel. Then, draw another path. Illustrator adds the new path to the Live Paint group. Click the 'Exit Isolation Mode' button when you’re done adding new paths.
When working in a complex document, you can isolate a Live Paint group to make it easier to select the exact face or edge you want. The Live Paint Selection tool pointer changes to the face pointer when it’s positioned over a face, the edge pointer when it’s over an edge, or the x pointer when it’s positioned outside of a Live Paint group.
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Using the Direct Selection tool
The Direct Selection tool is used to select paths inside a Live Paint group. When working with complex documents, isolating a Live Paint group can help you select the exact face or edge you want.
To select multiple faces and edges, drag a marquee around the items you want to select. Partial selections are included. To select all contiguous faces that are not separated by a painted edge, double-click on a face. To select faces or edges with the same fill or stroke, triple-click an item. Alternatively, you can click once, choose "Select > Same", and then choose "Fill Color", "Stroke Color", or "Stroke Weight" from the submenu.
To add or remove items from the current selection, use the Shift key in combination with clicking or dragging a marquee around the items. To select an entire Live Paint group, use the Selection tool. Once you have selected the path or object with the Direct Selection tool, you can then choose the Selection tool to edit it.
Additionally, the Direct Selection tool can be used to individually select vertices and close paths by hitting Ctrl + J. However, this method is more tedious compared to using the "Unite" function.
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