Marcus Chen
Adobe Illustrator's Live Paint Bucket tool is a convenient way to colour your artwork. It is similar to the paint bucket tool in Photoshop, but with a crucial difference: in Illustrator, you must first convert your artwork into Live Paint groups. This involves selecting the paths, compound paths, or both, then choosing Object > Live Paint > Make. Once you've done this, you can select the Live Paint Bucket tool and choose a colour from the Swatches panel. You can then start painting by clicking on the objects you want to fill with colour. It's important to note that the Live Paint Bucket tool only works on closed paths or when there are small gaps between paths. If you encounter problems with gaps, you can fix them by going to Object > Live Paint > Gap Options.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Live Paint Bucket Tool | Only works on closed paths or when there are small gaps between paths |
| Only works on live paint groups | |
| Live paint groups can only be paths, including shapes that are created from paths | |
| Live paint groups are fully editable | |
| Live paint bucket tool allows you to group together edges and faces | |
| Edges and faces can be stroked and filled | |
| Fills and strokes can be saved in the Swatches panel | |
| Live paint bucket tool can be used to create pixel art on grids |
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What You'll Learn
Convert artwork to a Live Paint group
Adobe Illustrator offers two methods of painting: you can either select a fill, stroke, or both for an object, or you can convert the object(s) into a Live Paint group. The latter option allows you to colour your artwork freely, as you would a drawing on paper or canvas.
To convert artwork into a Live Paint group, you must first select one or more paths, compound paths, or both. Then, choose Object > Live Paint > Make. After that, select the Live Paint Bucket tool and click the selected object.
Once you've made a Live Paint group, each path remains fully editable. Illustrator automatically reapplies colours to new regions formed by edited paths. The paintable parts of Live Paint groups are called edges and faces. An edge is the portion of a path between where it intersects with other paths, and a face is the area enclosed by one or more edges. You can stroke edges and fill faces. For example, if you have a circle with a line drawn across it, you can fill each face and stroke each edge with a different colour using the Live Paint Bucket tool.
It is important to note that certain properties may be lost in the conversion to a Live Paint group, such as transparency and effects. Additionally, certain objects cannot be converted, such as type, bitmap images, and brushes. If you want to convert these objects into Live Paint groups, you must first convert them into paths.
You can save the fill and stroke colours used in Live Paint groups in the Swatches panel. That way, if a change loses a colour you want to keep, you can select its swatch and use the Live Paint Bucket tool to reapply the fill or stroke.
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Save fills and strokes in the Swatches panel
The Swatches panel in Illustrator allows you to store colours for multiple uses in your document. You can save the fill and stroke colours used in Live Paint groups in the Swatches panel. This way, if a change loses a colour you want to keep, you can select its swatch and use the Live Paint Bucket tool to reapply the fill or stroke.
To save a new swatch for your document, first, click on the artboard (the white area surrounding the page) to deselect any objects in your document. You can also use the keyboard shortcut, Shift+Ctrl+A (Windows) or Shift+Command+A (Mac OS). Double-click the Fill colour at the bottom of the Tools panel. When the Colour Picker appears, type the values of C:0 M:70 Y:100 K:0. Press OK. If the Swatches panel is not open, choose Window > Swatches now, then click on the New Swatch icon at the bottom of the panel.
In the Swatch Name text field, type the name of your colour, then check the box to the left of Global and press OK. The colour has been added to the Swatches panel, and has a white triangle in the lower right side of the swatch, indicating that this colour has been defined as Global. Taking advantage of global colours allows you to apply a colour to multiple fills and strokes and make updates to the colours dynamically.
When you create swatches in an Illustrator document, those swatches are only available in that document. However, users commonly repurpose swatches in other Illustrator documents. Instead of recreating frequently used swatches in every document, you can choose 'Save Swatch Library as AI' from the Swatches panel menu. This creates a new file containing the swatches in your current document. To reuse the swatches in another document, simply choose 'Open Swatch Library > Other Library' from the Swatches panel menu. Now, all those swatches are available to apply to objects in your new document.
You can also create colour groups to organise swatches into logical categories. Hold down the Ctrl key (Windows) or the Command key (Mac OS) and select the swatches you want to group. Press the 'New Colour Group' button at the bottom of the panel. In the New Colour Group dialog box, type the name of the group in the Name text field. Choose the 'Selected Swatches' radio button, then press OK.
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Use the Live Paint Bucket tool
The Live Paint Bucket tool is a great feature for colouring closed-path artwork in Adobe Illustrator. It is important to note that the Live Paint Bucket tool only works on live paint groups (objects), and live paint groups can only be paths, including shapes that are created from paths (pen tool paths, strokes, etc).
To use the Live Paint Bucket tool, first, select all the paths that you want to colour. Then, go to Object > Live Paint > Make. This step is crucial, as without it, the Live Paint Bucket tool will not work. Next, select the Live Paint Bucket tool from the toolbar or by pressing 'K' on your keyboard. Finally, choose a colour from the Swatches panel.
You can also use the Live Paint Bucket tool to reapply colours to a Live Paint group if the results of your edits are not as expected. To do this, save the fill and stroke colours used in the Live Paint group in the Swatches panel. Then, if a change causes you to lose a colour you want to keep, select its swatch and use the Live Paint Bucket tool to reapply the fill or stroke.
Additionally, the Live Paint Bucket tool can be used to create pixel art on grids. Instead of converting paths to Live Paint groups, you can draw freely on the grids and fill them with colours.
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Identify faces and edges
When working with Live Paint groups in Illustrator, it's important to understand the concepts of "faces" and "edges" to effectively use the Live Paint Bucket tool. Here's a detailed guide on identifying and working with faces and edges in Illustrator:
Identifying Faces and Edges:
In Illustrator, a "face" refers to a closed area or region enclosed by one or more paths or edges. Think of it as the area within the boundaries defined by the paths. Faces can be filled with colours, patterns, or gradients. When you create a Live Paint group, each face can be assigned a different fill, allowing for a diverse range of colours and patterns within your artwork.
On the other hand, an "edge" refers to the portion of a path that connects or intersects with other paths. Edges can be stroked or outlined, and you have control over the width and colour of the stroke. By adjusting the stroke properties, you can create varied widths, dashed lines, or even divide the stroke into multiple pieces.
Working with Faces and Edges:
When using the Live Paint Bucket tool, you can fill each face and stroke each edge with different colours or patterns. This gives you a lot of flexibility in your designs. For example, you can create a circle with a line drawn across it, forming two faces. Each face can then be filled with a different colour, creating a unique design.
Additionally, the Live Paint feature in Illustrator allows you to modify paths within a Live Paint group. When you adjust a path's shape, the colours are reapplied to the new regions formed by the edited paths. This means that you can experiment with different shapes and designs without worrying about manually reapplying colours.
Advanced Techniques:
To create more intricate designs, you can feather the edges in Illustrator. This technique softens the edges of shapes, images, or brushes, creating a blurred effect. To feather an edge, select the object or group, go to the top menu bar, and choose "Effect" > "Stylize" > "Feather". Adjust the Radius value to control the amount of blurriness or sharpness of the edge.
Another advanced technique is modelling the human face in Illustrator. This involves creating anatomically correct human faces using various tools and techniques. You can start by creating guides and using the Ellipse Tool to form the basic shape of the head and face. Then, you can add features such as eyes, hair, and a neck using the Pen Tool and Ellipse Tool. By adjusting the lighting and adding effects, you can create realistic human portraits.
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Create pixel art on grids
Adobe Illustrator offers a range of tools to create pixel art on grids. Here is a step-by-step guide:
Step 1: Create a New Document
Start by creating a new document in Adobe Illustrator and set the dimensions to your preferred size. For example, you can set the width and height to 500 x 500 pixels.
Step 2: Choose the Rectangular Grid Tool
Select the Rectangular Grid Tool from the toolbar. This tool is usually found in the same menu as the Line Segment Tool. If you're using the basic toolbar, you can access the Rectangular Grid Tool from the Edit Toolbar menu.
Step 3: Set Up the Grid
Click on the artboard with the Rectangular Grid Tool selected. Adjust the width and height of the grid to match the size of your artboard. To create smaller grids, increase the number of horizontal and vertical dividers. The higher the number, the smaller each grid will be.
Step 4: Convert to Live Paint Group
Before you start drawing pixels, convert the grid into a Live Paint Group. Select the Live Paint Bucket Tool and click on the grid. This will allow you to colour the individual grids.
Step 5: Draw and Colour Your Pixel Art
Now, you can start drawing your pixel art by clicking anywhere inside the grid. Use the Live Paint Bucket Tool to fill in each grid with your desired colours. You can also use the fill colour drop-down menu to select the colours for your pixel art. Remember that you can always go back and recolour your artwork or scale it for different uses.
Step 6: Hide the Grid (Optional)
If you want to see your pixel art without the grid lines, you can hide the grid by changing the stroke colour to transparent. Select the grid, click on the stroke colour drop-down menu, and set it to transparent. This will make your pixel art clearer and allow you to focus on the individual pixels.
Additional Tips:
- You can align your artwork to the pixel grid to create pixel-perfect art. Select "View > Snap to Pixel" to enable this option.
- When modifying paths in a Live Paint Group, Illustrator automatically adjusts the colours to the new shapes. If needed, you can reapply colours using the Live Paint Bucket Tool.
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Frequently asked questions
To convert something in Illustrator to a paint bucket, you need to make your path or shapes into Live Paint groups. Then, select the Live Paint Bucket tool on the toolbar or activate it using the K key on your keyboard.
Live Paint groups are objects that can be paths, shapes, or pen tool paths. Once you've made a Live Paint group, each path remains fully editable. You can fill and stroke the edges and faces of Live Paint groups.
First, select one or more paths, compound paths, or both. Then, choose Object > Live Paint > Make.
Choose a colour from the Swatches panel. Then, start painting by clicking on the objects you want to fill with colour.
