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Step 5Manipulating paths
Being able to manipulate paths as you color your drawing will make it easier and faster. Here's a few tips.
1. Making Donuts (Follow along with the video below)
When coloring in the skin tone, the skin color covers the eyes in the left glasses lens, which I didn't want. The way to deal with this is by cutting a hole in that path - a donut hole if you will.
A. First trace out the larger area or, in my metaphor, the outside edge of your donut. In illustrator you can join the ends of paths by pressing command J.
B. Then trace out the shape you'd like to cut out - or the donut hole. Again, command J will join the ends of your paths and complete the circle.
C. Select both paths - and only those paths.
D. In Illustrator use the pathfinder window. You have a few options you can try - the icons should be helpful - and if you don't get the effect you want, you can always undo. Hit expand to make the change take effect, and then choose your fill color for your new 1 piece donut shape. For Inkscape users, these options are similar and listed under the Path menu.
2. Joining areas (Follow along with the second video)
I usually trace things while zoomed in to an area and do sections of an image at a time. When doing a skin tone, the result could be 8-10 paths that together fill in the face, but with so many small sections they can become cumbersome to work with. There is a way to connect (not group) them into one giant shape.
A. Draw your two pieces that you want to combine. They need to overlap at some point.
B. Select both areas
C. In the pathfinder window (or path menu in inkscape) join the two areas
D. expand and recolor if necessary.
1. Making Donuts (Follow along with the video below)
When coloring in the skin tone, the skin color covers the eyes in the left glasses lens, which I didn't want. The way to deal with this is by cutting a hole in that path - a donut hole if you will.
A. First trace out the larger area or, in my metaphor, the outside edge of your donut. In illustrator you can join the ends of paths by pressing command J.
B. Then trace out the shape you'd like to cut out - or the donut hole. Again, command J will join the ends of your paths and complete the circle.
C. Select both paths - and only those paths.
D. In Illustrator use the pathfinder window. You have a few options you can try - the icons should be helpful - and if you don't get the effect you want, you can always undo. Hit expand to make the change take effect, and then choose your fill color for your new 1 piece donut shape. For Inkscape users, these options are similar and listed under the Path menu.
2. Joining areas (Follow along with the second video)
I usually trace things while zoomed in to an area and do sections of an image at a time. When doing a skin tone, the result could be 8-10 paths that together fill in the face, but with so many small sections they can become cumbersome to work with. There is a way to connect (not group) them into one giant shape.
A. Draw your two pieces that you want to combine. They need to overlap at some point.
B. Select both areas
C. In the pathfinder window (or path menu in inkscape) join the two areas
D. expand and recolor if necessary.
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