Leo Martínez
The Live Paint Bucket tool in Adobe Illustrator is a handy feature for colouring closed-path artwork. It is similar to the traditional paint bucket tool in Adobe Photoshop. To use it, you must first select the vector object you want to colour. Then, choose the Live Paint Bucket tool from the toolbar or by pressing 'K' on your keyboard. Next, select a colour from the Swatches panel. You can now start painting by clicking on the objects you want to fill with colour. You can switch colours easily by clicking on a new colour from the swatch menu. If you encounter issues with gaps, you can adjust the Gap Options in the Object menu.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Tool | Live Paint Bucket Tool |
| Use | Coloring closed-path artwork |
| Toolbar | Selection Tool, Direct Selection Tool, Live Paint Selection Tool, Live Paint Bucket Tool, Blob Brush Tool |
| Steps | 1. Select the Live Paint Bucket Tool or activate it using the K key. 2. Choose a color from the Swatches panel. 3. Start painting by clicking on the objects you want to fill with color. |
| Tips | 1. Make a color palette to switch between colors using the arrow keys. 2. To fill gaps in the path, go to Object > Live Paint > Gap Options. 3. To fill in areas with gaps of a certain value or less, click "Custom" in the box that appears and choose the pt size gap. 4. To color a stroke, open the Live Paint Bucket Options and check the Paint Strokes box. |
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What You'll Learn
Selecting the Live Paint Bucket tool
Once your artwork is in Live Paint groups, you can select the Live Paint Bucket tool. The shortcut key for this tool is "K" on your keyboard, and you can also find it on the left toolbar.
The Live Paint Bucket tool is used to fill faces and stroke edges within Live Paint groups. An edge is the portion of a path between intersections with other paths, and a face is the area enclosed by one or more edges. You can fill each face and stroke with different colours using the Live Paint Bucket tool.
The Live Paint Bucket tool is a quick and easy way to fill your Illustrator art objects with colour. It is important to remember that the Live Paint Bucket tool only works on closed paths, so ensure your artwork has closed paths before attempting to use the tool.
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Choosing a colour
The colour selection process is simple. The user can choose a colour from the Swatches panel, Gradient panel, or a swatch library. Alternatively, the user can double click the Fill box and select a colour from the Colour Picker. The Eyedropper tool can also be selected, and this will apply the current attributes, including the current fill and stroke.
The user can switch colours easily by clicking on a new colour from the swatch menu. The current fill and stroke colours appear in the Tools panel, the Control panel, and the Properties panel.
The Live Paint Bucket tool works on closed-path artworks. However, it can also be used to paint on grids without converting paths to Live Paint groups.
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Painting with the tool
Painting with the Live Paint Bucket Tool in Adobe Illustrator is a quick and easy way to add colour to your artwork. The Live Paint Bucket Tool works for closed-path artwork, and you can also use it to create pixel art on grids.
To get started, select the Live Paint Bucket Tool from the toolbar or use the K key on your keyboard to activate it. Next, choose a colour from the Swatches panel. You can also create a colour palette and switch between colours as you paint using the arrow keys on your keyboard.
Now, simply click on the objects you want to fill with colour. You can fill multiple vector objects at the same time. You will notice that some areas cannot be filled with colour, and the live paint bucket will show a "prohibit sign". This is because the path is not closed. To fix this, go to Object > Live Paint > Gap Options to see where the gaps are and fill them in.
Additionally, you can use the Live Paint Bucket Tool in conjunction with the Blob Brush Tool to add the illusion of a light source and shadows. To apply paint attributes such as effects or transparency to the Blob Brush Tool, select the brush and set the attributes in the Appearances panel before you start drawing.
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Fixing gaps in artwork
The Live Paint Bucket tool is a great feature in Adobe Illustrator for colouring closed-path artwork. However, it can be frustrating when gaps in your artwork cause unwanted colours to bleed into other areas. Here are some ways to fix gaps in your artwork and get the results you want when using the Live Paint Bucket tool.
Firstly, it is important to understand the paintable parts of Live Paint groups, which 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 fill faces and stroke edges with colour using the Live Paint Bucket tool. When you modify a path in a Live Paint group, Illustrator will automatically apply colours to the new faces and edges. If the results are not what you expected, you can reapply the colours you want using the Live Paint Bucket tool.
Gaps are small spaces between paths. If paint leaks through and colours faces you did not intend, you can fix this by creating a new path that closes the gap, editing existing paths to close the gap, or adjusting the gap options in the Live Paint group. To access Gap Options, go to Object > Live Paint > Gap Options. Here, you can adjust the size of the gap that the Live Paint Bucket tool will fill.
If you are working with type objects, you can convert the text to outlines by choosing Type > Create Outlines. Then, ungroup the text so that each letter is a compound path. Right-click on each letter and choose Release Compound Path. Now you can select the individual parts of the letter and colour each one.
If you are still having issues with gaps, you can try using the blob brush tool on a separate layer to colour in your artwork. Remember to duplicate your original "ink" layer first. This technique will only work in CS4 or higher versions of Adobe Illustrator.
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Using the Blob Brush tool
The Blob Brush tool in Illustrator is used to draw expanded brush strokes and filled shapes. It is activated by pressing Shift-B. The size of the brush can be adjusted by pressing the left or right square bracket keys ( [ or ]), or by adjusting the Size value in the Blob Brush Tool Options window. The Angle value in the Options window determines the angle of the brush, while the Roundness value determines the shape of the brush. A lower number than 100% for Roundness will produce a flatter brush, while 100% will give you a perfectly round brush.
To use the Blob Brush tool, simply click and drag to draw a brush stroke. When you release the mouse, the expanded brush is added to your design. You can also use the Blob Brush tool to merge paths created by other tools. To do this, make sure that the existing artwork doesn't have a stroke, and then set up the Blob Brush tool to have the same fill colour. Draw a new path that intersects with the paths you want to merge. If the paths don't merge, check that the Blob Brush tool's attributes match the existing path attributes, and that neither uses a stroke.
The Blob Brush tool is a versatile feature in Illustrator, useful for creating line designs, character designs, and sketches, as well as icons, custom letter designs, and intricate vector portraits.
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Frequently asked questions
To use the paint bucket tool, or Live Paint Bucket tool, in Adobe Illustrator, follow these steps:
- Select the vector object you want to colour.
- Select the Live Paint Bucket tool from the toolbar or press 'K' on your keyboard.
- Choose a colour from the Swatches panel.
- Click inside the area you want to colour.
If the Live Paint Bucket tool doesn't fill in some areas, it's because the path is not closed. Go to Object > Live Paint > Gap Options to see where the gaps are and fix them.
To add the illusion of a light source and shadows, duplicate your original "ink" layer first. Then, use the Blob Brush tool to merge paths created by other tools. Ensure the existing artwork doesn't have a stroke, and set up the Blob Brush tool to have the same fill colour. Draw a new path that intersects all the paths you want to merge.
To colour inside line art without colouring the whole layer, you can use the Direct Selection tool (CTRL + J) to individually select verts and close those paths. Then, select the entire thing and choose the Shape Builder Tool. Click inside the white area to fill it with your active colour.
