Adding a background to my vector within the object

[AmandaMc14]

Hi hopefully my screenshot explains what I am trying to do.  I am unable to select the insides of my object only the object itself.  Thanks a million.

[Ton Frederiks]

You can try Live Paint:

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/live-paint-groups.html

[AmandaMc14]

Thanks but as I dont know how to use it I think I would have to spend considerable time learning how to use it.  I have looked at the link you provided and if theres no easier way then I will just use photoshop .. thanks for the tip 🙂

[Ton Frederiks · Accepted solution]

It is actually very easy.

Select your objects.

Choose Object > Live Paint > Make

Select the Live Paint Bucket (K)

Select a color and click on the areas you want to fill.

When done select Object > Live Paint > Expand. 

[AmandaMc14]

Oh wow thank you so much for suggesting I perservere.  It is really easy when you know the K and the object>Live paint>merge.

[Ton Frederiks]

Good to hear that worked for  you!

[AmandaMc14]

Would you mind please advising me on how to make these lines thinner?  Where is the setting for this?

[Doug A Roberts]

Those are not lines, but shapes. Try Object > Path > Offset path, and enter a minus number.

[AmandaMc14]

Yes I have tried that but it made no difference.  Thanks so much for your help

[Doug A Roberts]

Depending on the scale of your object, -10px may be too large an offset. Try reducing it.

[AmandaMc14]

This is -1 .. what do I do now lol?

[Doug A Roberts]

Delete the part you don't need.

[AmandaMc14]

Hi deleting the parts I dont need is proving problematic.  If I use the direct selection tool, select the path, and press delete, at one point, it deleted the path, subsequent attempts did not delete the path.  If i use the pen tool to delete the point, I get the asterisk?  What am I doing wrong?

Thanks so much for guiding me along 🙂

[Doug A Roberts]

When you say 'subsequent attempts did not delete the path', what happened instead? There is nothing else you should need to do.

[Ton Frederiks]

It looks like you want to add a stroke to the combined result (I may guess wrong).

In that case try this after Object > Live Paint > Expand.

[broomeGirl]

Wow thanks so much for your very detailed answer with diagrams.  I think I am almost there.  I followed your instructions and have deleted the outside strokes and fills but now have this little bit that I am trying to fix.

How do I fix this extra bit that is outside of the main lines?

Thanks 🙂

[Ton Frederiks]

Sorry, but looking at your last image with all the overlapping strokes, I think I did not understand what you wanted, so forget my explanation above.

[broomeGirl]

Well I persisted with the delete, sometimes I had to do the delete up to 4 times to make it delete, with reselecting it, delete, reselect, delete until it actually deleted and the expand live paint worked, so all good except for this last bit 🙂

[broomeGirl]

I have sent the vector back to the designer to fix was just trying to hone my limited skills.  I will sit down soon and do some tutorials .. thanks for teaching me what you did 🙂

[Ton Frederiks]

Take your time doing some tutorials, it is a good investment. You won't regret it. 🙂