Gradient Mesh help please

[KathrynPadawan]

After years of Photoshop I am attempting to learn my way around Illustrator. Purchased a set of training DVDs - going great but, there is always the odd question that is not covered. Please can someone tell me why when I apply a gradient to a mesh to a drawn object [B]without expanding it first I get a beautifully created mesh but in grayscale, and there apparently no way to apply a gradient of choice to this mesh after the fact.

Expaning, and then applying a gradient mesh is kinda OK, but then has to be manipulated whereas sometimes the "perfect fit" works and is all that is needed.
Thanks

[Lukas Engqvist]

Having a hard time to visualise what you have and what you want.

The gradient mesh gives you mesh points, and you apply the colurs to the mesh points. A gradient is slightly different because the colurs that the gradient will go through are described in the gradient. This means that the gradient cannot easily be matched up to the grid.
If you want to fill a grid, sometimes adding just a few points at first to make the overall colour, and then adding additional points as you want to add details might be the way to go. You can also select multiple points by shift-direct selectioning them or useing the lasso selection around the points.

[KathrynPadawan]

a. Shape (any shape) drawn with pen tool and filled with a solid colour.
b. Without going to object expand and then going to create gradient mesh, just go directly to object > create gradient mesh.

What you get is a mesh which fits the contours of the image but has a gradient of black to white. Yes - I can add colour to the points, but if I instead do -

a. Shape > fill with gradient > expand to gradient mesh. I then get a rectangular mesh box to which I can add colums or rows and thus the additional points, which I then use to move, shape and colour the image.

I was just puzzled as to why when a gradient mesh is added to a shape
without using the "expand" command the result was this beautifully shaped albeit grey scale mesh?
I will however just keep keeping on as they say, and see if I can work it out by trial and error. Thank you for responding.

Curiosity killed the cat,
but satisfaction brought it back.
:D

[KathrynPadawan]

a. Shape (any shape) drawn with pen tool and filled with a solid colour.
b. Without going to object expand and then going to create gradient mesh, just go directly to object > create gradient mesh.

What you get is a mesh which fits the contours of the image but has a gradient of black to white. Yes - I can add colour to the points, but if I instead do -

a. Shape > fill with gradient > expand to gradient mesh. I then get a rectangular mesh box to which I can add colums or rows and thus the additional points, which I then use to move, shape and colour the image.

I was just puzzled as to why when a gradient mesh is added to a shape
without using the "expand" command the result was this beautifully shaped albeit grey scale mesh?
I will however just keep keeping on as they say, and see if I can work it out by trial and error. Thank you for responding.

Curiosity killed the cat,
but satisfaction brought it back.
:D

[Lukas Engqvist]

When you expand you are not expanding the object but the gradient.

If you look at your abstract gradient that is masked into the shape, that then is what you expand to a mesh. which is why it is square. In the instance of making an object into a mesh, it is warping the mesh into the object shape… wich brings the alternative method.
Make a gradient behind the shape, works best if the gradient has one or more control points, not just a start and end colour. Expand the gradient to a mesh. Select the shape and the gradiend and use the envelope distort to warp to top object.

btw, can't get no…*satisfaction ;)