Create Negative Space within an object

[natashas12128726]

I am new to Illustrator, so I have probably created this image incorrectly to do what I want to do to it! Forgive me!

I am creating a brain image (for window art) and I want the "folds" in the brain to be transparent and the main portion of the brain is white. 

You can see on the prefrontal cortex that the main brain is white, but so is the fold. The actual object of the fold is transparent, but it's taking on the main white colour. 

What I want to happen is that the fold is almost cut out of the white area. I've tried shape builder, cutting out paths. Everything I try just deletes the fold and still leaves behind it white. 

Any thoughts on how I can make these folds transparent? 

[Ton Frederiks]

There are multiple ways.

One of then is to select your objects and click in the area you want to make transparent with the Shape Builder tool (Shift M) while holding down the Alt key.

Another way is Live Paint,  select your objects and use the Live Paint Bucket (K) to fill with None.

[natashas12128726]

Thanks for the suggestion, I've tried both of those ways. 

When I do the shape builder way, it gets rid of the fold but leaves me with this:

When I do the live paint way, it will make the fold unfilled but it still shows up as white. 

I feel it may have something with the way I've created the shapes. I used a pen tool. Probably wrong. I dragged out the fold from the white background area so you can see what it looks like. 

 

[Ton Frederiks]

With the Shape Builder, did you hold down the Alt key when dragging in the area you want to be transparent?

[natashas12128726]

Shape Builder won't work for me at all now. It has a circle with a line through it and doesn't want to do anything. 

[Monika Gause]

Artwork needs to be selected. Is it?

[natashas12128726]

It was. Selected the object, shift + M, held down Option (I'm on a mac) and drew within the shape. It deleted the shape but didn't leave a transparent void. 

[jodmcc49]

Use your Selection Tool(top arrow in toolbox) and select the fold that is sitting in the white filled area and go to Object>Arrange>Bring To Front. While it is still selected, Shift + Click the main part filled in white and go to Object>Compound Path>Make. This will cut the fold out of the white filled area and you will be able to put another color or anything else behind it and you will see it where the fold is.

[natashas12128726]

Great suggestion, this is the error message I get. 

 

[jodmcc49]

How did you create the fold? Is it a brush stroke?

[natashas12128726]

No, I used the pen tool to create the shape. Is that what is messing me up?

[jodmcc49]

The fold  may not be a closed path. Did your pen tool look like this when you clicked on the beginning point?

[natashas12128726]

Funnily enough, in the section I'm trying to test, there are no open paths... but I checked the rest of the image and there are lots. So that's going to be a problem whenever I find a solution for the rest of the image. 

[jodmcc49]

On your image where you got the error, is the fold and brain matter grouped or are they seperate pieces? If they are group, go to Object>Ungroup. Then click somewhere to deselect. Then select the fold and go to Object>Arrange>Bring to Front and then Shift+click the brain matter so they are both selected and go to Object>Compound Path>Make.

[Ton Frederiks]

I don't think we can help you without seeing the file.

Can you share the part that gives you problems as an Illustrator file?

You can use Dropbox, CC filesharing, Google, WeTransfer for .ai files and post the link here.

[natashas12128726]

Hi! Here is the link to the file. https://www.dropbox.com/s/ub36de4cv9pghge/Logo_White.ai?dl=0 hopefully you can access it and tell me all the things I did wrong! LOL!

[Ton Frederiks]

It is a path above a Live Paint group.

Expand the Live Paint group, select both and use the Shape Builder tool.

[Ton Frederiks · Accepted solution]

Or with the Path and the Live Paint group selected choose Live Paint > Merge to add the path to the Live Paint group and use the Live Paint Bucket to fill the path with none.

[natashas12128726]

You are a genius my friend! That worked! Thanks!

 

[Ton Frederiks]

Good to hear that helped.

[chanaart]

suggestions here are great depending on the file. We need to see the file and annotarte you fold so we can se it clear and we can test it - and give suggestions!

Can you upload the file?