Curvature Tool Fill Help

[matt-M8productions]

Hello, I apologize if this is a simple question but I am a beginner to Illustrator and am having some trouble with the curvature tool. I am creating a character for an app and have come across two problems I can't seem to solve.

1) I made the wing using the curvature tool with stroke set to black and no fill. I want the wing to be on top of the character's body making the line of its main body hidden behind the wing. I brought the wing to the top layer and the problem still proceeds. When I apply a white fill I expected this to be solved but as you see in the second attached picture the white fill goes farther than the strokes in some places and some parts have no white fill. I don't understand why this is.

2) For the red feathers on the back I have a similar problem. I made those with the curvature tool as well, two separate curves that I grouped together and copied 3 times. But when I set fill to red the red color goes outside the curve (as you see on the additional feather i pasted and filled next to my character)

Again apologies if this is a basic fix but if anyone could help it would be much appreciated.

Matt

[Michael Bullo]

I believe much of the problem is that while you think you are dealing with shapes you are dealing more with a series of individual lines with their own individual fills.

Below are a few things which might help but they won't solve all your issues.

Transparency grid

It can be difficult to differentiate what is what when dealing with white fills. While your background may appear white it is actually transparent. To view the transparency grid go to View > Show Transparency Grid. To turn this off to go View > Hide Transparency Grid.

View Outline

With overlapping paths containing fills it can be difficult to know where lines end. To preview just the underlying paths go to View > Outline. To reverse this go to View > Preview.

Joining paths

Using the above tricks you should hopefully have a better idea of what paths might need to be joined. There are many methods for doing this and this is one place you might like to start.

Quickly join and trim paths |

Live Paint

If you have a series of overlapping lines and you are not wanting to apply fills to the individual lines but rather to the "shapes" those lines appear to define, check out this tool.

How to create and work with Live Paint groups in Illustrator

[Ray Yorkshire · Accepted solution]

To add to what Micheal says

For the front main wing

It would be easier to make it a closed shape, but to get the gap in the outline:

Select all the parts

Edit > Copy

Deselect all

1

To Close the gap

With the Direct selectiom Tool ( the white arrow )

Select one of the gaps anchor points

Shift click to select the other.

2

Oblect  > Path > Join

3Select sll the wing parts

open pathfinder Window > Pathfinger

Pathfinder  > Unite

Give a Fill, but no stroke

4

Edit >Paste in front

to paste back in the copy made earlier  above

Give a Stroke no fill

Select all the wings  parts and Object  > Group

In the layers panel rename group to Front Wing.

make a copy rename Back wing etc

For the red feather ,

With what you have  done already, select  all the parts, and click with the ShapeBuilder Tool  to make a single object.

Then use the selection tool to  and colour.

From scratch, with the Curvature  Pen tool Tool,

Click to start, click again (for middle of curve ) double click at end of curve - to make a sharp corner,

Finally move the mouse cursor back to  where you started, and when the tiny icon next to the cursor turns to a hollow circle . double click to close.

Deselect. Select with the selection tool to gice fill  etc

The curvature Pen tool is tricky to use

If you want to place an new  anchor point on an existing line , you can place it near, then not letting go of the mouse, drag it into position.