Skip to main content
thisizR2R
thisizR2R
Known Participant
January 3, 2019
Answered

Imagine making a jaw - teeth is easy, but how to make outline as a gums ?

  • January 3, 2019
  • 2 replies
  • 873 views

Dear sketching lovers,

I stumbled upon a weird idea of cutting out outlines of teeth i just made - heres a picture:


Which method or how to cut outlines of teeth, inside this pink-ish square?

I know how to make it the hard way - with pencil tool, but im just curious is there an easier solution?


Yours Truly

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Spectrim

The first step is to have a simplified shape of the teeth without the mesh shading. If you don't have the original shape for the teeth the quickest way to get a new shape for your teeth is to select the teeth and then: Object >  Path > Offset Path... (Set this value to 0)

The step/trick above will ensure you have a new simple shape that you can remove from your pink-ish rectangle for the gums. Alternatively if you have a copy of your original teeth shape(s) you can use that to knockout the shape. To do this you simply need to use the pathfinder with the shape(s) for the teeth and subtract the teeth from the pink gums. Just make sure the new simple teeth shape is on top of the pink gum rectangle, and then use the second option in the Pathfinder called, "Minus Front".

If you haven't used the pathfinder before I would always recommend saving your work first and work with a copy of both the teeth and gums shape so you preserve the originals. If you make later adjustments to your teeth you'll want to be able to repeat the process again instead of trying to independently adjusting the teeth with the latest contoured gum shape you just made.

2 replies

S
SpectrimCorrect answer
Participant
January 3, 2019

The first step is to have a simplified shape of the teeth without the mesh shading. If you don't have the original shape for the teeth the quickest way to get a new shape for your teeth is to select the teeth and then: Object >  Path > Offset Path... (Set this value to 0)

The step/trick above will ensure you have a new simple shape that you can remove from your pink-ish rectangle for the gums. Alternatively if you have a copy of your original teeth shape(s) you can use that to knockout the shape. To do this you simply need to use the pathfinder with the shape(s) for the teeth and subtract the teeth from the pink gums. Just make sure the new simple teeth shape is on top of the pink gum rectangle, and then use the second option in the Pathfinder called, "Minus Front".

If you haven't used the pathfinder before I would always recommend saving your work first and work with a copy of both the teeth and gums shape so you preserve the originals. If you make later adjustments to your teeth you'll want to be able to repeat the process again instead of trying to independently adjusting the teeth with the latest contoured gum shape you just made.

    thisizR2R
    thisizR2RAuthor
    Known Participant
    January 4, 2019

    IT WORKED! It's great but i still need to make my own shapes to make more natural look of the gums, so idk if it speeds the process or slows it down. Fortunatelly, new knowledge was learnt so i can use it in future examples. Thanks a lot, buddy.

    By the way.. Why i cant colorize (with mesh tool) this tooth:


    and how can i fix this?

    S
    Spectrim
    Participant
    January 4, 2019

    Based on the black outlined shape there appears to be an effect applied to the shape as you'll notice is doesn't contour the actual visible white area of the tooth. Without the actual file it is tricky to pinpoint what is going on, but my guess would be an effect has been applied to distort the shape. I would try to isolate the shape by either double clicking inside this, as it is possibly a grouped effect or try to select one of the nodes/anchors with the direct selection tool before adding colour.

    K
    Katie Houghton
    Inspiring
    January 3, 2019

    1 Add New Stroke Icon

    A mesh object autmatically loses it fill and stroke when it is created. You can add them back in using the Appearance panel. Click on the Add New Stroke icon in the Appearnace panel to add a new stroke to the selected meshes. This will put a stoke around the entire mesh object. Each mesh will be one object with a stroke appearance.

    2 Expand the Appearance

    Go to Object menu> Expand Apperance. This will create a group of each mesh. Each group will include a path with a stroke and the original mesh object. 

    3 Ungroup the Groups

    Go to Object menu> Ungroup. This will separate the stroke paths from the mesh objects.

    4 Move the Stroke Paths

    Move the Stroke paths up to a new layer so you can keep them separate from the  other mesh objects so you can work with them easier

    5 Cut Out What You Do Not Want

    I used the Knife (With the Option/Alt key) and cut across the selected objects and then deleted the straight line. I could have used the Erase tool or the Pathfinder as well.

    Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
    Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices