Help with cutting a shape from another

[Jess22217190lkgj]

Hello, what I have is the green image, i basically want to make it look exactly like the blue image but can't work out how to get the white gap. I have tried using stroke but I don't want the stroke around the whole of the light green part. Please could someone help,

Thanks, Jess

[John Mensinger]

There are several ways to get that. To do it destructively, I'd probably select the fingers shape and use Object > Path > Offset Path to create a larger copy of it, then Use Pathfinder > Minus Front to subtract it from the 'funnel' shape.

[Jess22217190lkgj]

thank you i will try this

[Jess22217190lkgj]

what would my next steps be here?

[John Mensinger]

Deselect the inner fingers shape, leave the outer fingers and the funnel selected, then click the Minus Front button in the Pathfinder panel.

[SJRiegel · Accepted solution]

Do you want white strokes, or to have the black show through? 

For the first - set a thick black stroke around the fingers, put it behind the fill, and set the stoke's opacity to 0%. 

Group the fingers with the blue shape, and check the Knockout Group box for the group.

If you need white behind the outline, set another copy of the blue below the group, and set to to white.

[Jess22217190lkgj]

thank you, i want the gap to be transparant so it will adapt to any background

[John Mensinger]

SJR's first steps would get you that...

For the first - set a thick black stroke around the fingers, put it behind the fill, and set the stoke's opacity to 0%. 

Group the fingers with the blue shape, and check the Knockout Group box for the group.

By @SJRiegel

[SJRiegel]

The Knockout Group does give you that transparency. Below is the same art placed over a green background.

[Jess22217190lkgj]

Thank you everyone, i've got there now.