Once the basic line work is complete, we would add colour to our Illustrator artwork. There are several methods for doing this, all of which we explore in our Adobe Illustrator training courses.
First of all copy the outline twice by pressing Alt (Mac: Option) and moving. You could also go Edit > Copy and Edit > Paste. Then create a new layer called Colours and put the two copies onto it. This can be done by selecting the objects and moving the square dots beside the layer title up onto the appropriate layer.
Next we give these two copies different fill colours, eg. red & purple, and no stroke. This can be done in a variety of ways. The first is to select the object, make sure you are working on the Fill attribute, and simply select a swatch from the Swatches panel. If none of these swatches is exactly what you want, go to the options fly out button on the top right of the panel and choose Create New Swatch. Adjust the sliders or enter RGB values for the colour. Or you can upload Pantone colour libraries from the Swatch options.
Another method is to either click on the colour bar at the bottom of the Colour panel, or enter RGB values as before. Or you can work in CMYK by changing the colour mode in the options list. Yet another method is to double-click on the Fill icon at the bottom of the tool box to open the Colour Picker – again we can enter RGB values or click on the colour bar and field to choose a colour.
Next select all the lineart > right-click > and Group. Lock the Lineart layer and move the Colours layer below the Lineart layer – the rule of layers is that the topmost layer is closest to the eye, therefore your line work should be above your colours. Move the colours into place and note that the line work appears on top of the colours.
Move the second colour into place – then, for example, erase the hood and sleeves with the Eraser tool The result should be two colours under your line work.
Whether you’re a complete beginner or self-taught, our courses will help you gain self-confidence in your Illustrator workflow, as well as adding to your professional skill-set. See many examples of our Illustrator clients’ work on our Facebook page.
Other related Illustrator Blog Posts:
Illustrator workspace
Illustrator basics
Illustrator clipping masks
Illustrator live trace
Illustrator brushes