Simple question (maybe for you...)

[sabos]

I'm not quite a novice, but not a pro. Here's my question: Lets say I have 2 lines at right angles to each other (2 legs of a square) and another two lines that are 2 legs of a square. If I put them together and try to change the color of the inside (the fill) of the square, I don't get a complete fill. How do I "merge" all of the points of the lines so that the square is 1 object, to which I can apply a fill?

Thanks,

sabos@basf-corp.com

 

[hohriver]

Maybe I'm going about this all wrong, sabos, but when I duplicate your problem and goal in Illustrator, and group the 'lines' of the resulting square, I can apply a 'fill' only to the lines ('paths').
I think you are confusing the resulting appearance of a shape with the fact that it's actually four paths in the form of a square, rather than a 'shape' which can act as container for a fill.

Not to beg the question, but wouldn't it be easier to just make a square or rectangle with the shape tool and fill it?
If you wanted to change independent thicknesses ( strokes ) of the lines that form it, you could always incorporate those steps?

You just might be working too hard....

 

[sabos]

Well, the square is a simple example. I'm looking at the same issue with something like a cloud: a bunch of arcs that are intersecting (with some of the ends of the arcs "inside" the cloud). How do I make it so that I can select the "cloud", and I can have it filled with a color, texture, etc.? It seems like when I select all of the arcs and fill them, I end up with an area in the middle of the cloud that is without fill.

Scott

 

[GeorgeMack]

Illustrator will fill an "open path", like an arc, as if the endpoints were connected. You may have to have 2 kinds of objects -- a background fill shape, and one or more open-ended stroke shapes. This is can be handy if you want more calligraphic strokes, like a pressure-sensitive pen shape that's thicker in the middle than at the ends.

Otherwise, you might explore the brush styles that show up with Illustrator 8 & 9 -- you might define someting that gives you simple flexibility for shapes with incorporated fills. I haven't had a reason yet to play with this very much, so I can't give you a step-by-step on this.