Gradient Mesh and Compound Shapes

[NickToye]

Hi,

I'm fairly new to the world of Illustrator, that being I used to use it years ago, and do still, but haven't really explored the delights that I am now discovering.

I am having a problem though, I have an image, its basically a set square triangle thing, I created the main triangle, and then using the pathfinder palette I managed to combine the big triangle with a smaller triangle and punched a hole in the middle.

Now I have a Compound Shape, but it is not allowing me to now add a gradient mesh.

Any ideas?

Also while I'm on, how come when you create a gradient mesh over an image that has a colour and a stroke, the stroke vanishes and you can't reapply it?

[Scott Weichert]

Simply put, compound shapes can never contain meshes. You aren't missing anything or doing anything wrong.

The workaround is to place other shapes on top of the compound shape which match the underlying color and apply a mesh to those shapes.

And for the second part, meshes can not contain strokes ever. The workaround is to use the Appearance Panel, add a new stroke and fill that with a color.

[NickToye]

So how would I copy the shape that is the compound shape and add the mesh, or is it just as simple as re-creating the shape using the pen tool?

[Scott Weichert]

Grab the pen tool and create overlying shapes. But you can create shapes however you want really.

Attached is an example. The O is a compound path. I've created 2 shapes on top of the O and applied meshes to those objects. Because the outer edges of the mesh match the color of the O, there's no indication that there are multiple shapes.

[NickToye]

and this works with the triangles too?

This is the icon I am working on.

[The Repro Kid]

By the time you get it that small, would the mesh gradient be effective? You might want to just get in there with a different color line, so it shows up more, or maybe use a regular blend.

These are some of the smallest gradient drawings I've done. Some are Mesh, and some are regular gradients, and some use both. There are instances when a regular gradient works better than a mesh, like on the sides of the pills. But you see that most of the details are simply dark and light lines placed next to each other on a medium background. Your triangle might have more pop with that approach.

[NickToye]

Yeah I see.

The actual sizes of this icon goes from 512px down to 16px. So at the higher size you can see the details. I just couldn't upload the larger sizes.

I just wanted to show the shape. It was a bit rushed.

Here is a larger size, so you can see the shape I have created.

[NickToye]

How would I apply a gradient mesh to that triangle shape. I'm not really looking for a hack or workaround, if there is a more efficient built in method.

[The Repro Kid]

Triangles are flat, so I'm still not convinced that using a gradient mesh is the best possible choice. If you must use a gradient mesh then I'd suggest making a square larger than your triangle and filling your mesh in the square. Then use your triangle shape to mask your gradient mesh rectangle. Afterwards you can draw the black lines on top. that is not a work around. It is just how you might accomplish it.

You could also try Blends or Gradients. Here's two quickies, the one on top is a blend, the one below uses gradients.

I think the one using gradients looks better, but again, that is because triangles are flat. Blends are better at suggesting rounded shapes.

[NickToye]

Yeah, its a learning curve. I have no formal training, totally self-taught. I have been thinking about taking a course in foundation art, learn the basics etc...

[The Repro Kid]

People with formal art training will have an advantage. It is a time consuming investment. Here are two common icons that are flat objects. You can see how simple the shading is to suggest the flat object. And how they both strongly suggest a single light source. Both can easily be made with just gradients, the way my triangle number two is made.

[NickToye]

Time consuming, but ultimately rewarding.

I am a css/xhtml coder at the moment, but I am always looking for good graphical work, and rather than shell out on a designer, I would rather do it myself.

I'm going to have a crack at some of the Icon tutorials on psdtuts.