Intertwining text through an object

[Jette Ellis]

I've been using AI for a while now but am hoping you can point me in the right direction for this task.  I want to have a word with a spring wrapped around it, well an image of coiled wire to be exact.  I've seen very simple text woven in and out of a very simple image, like a flower stem, but I want text with effects applied to appear inside a metal spring/coil.  I'm thinking it must be a number of copies of the images to show in front and behind each other but I really don't know where to begin.  Any tutorials out there for me to start with and then expand what I learn?

thanks.

[Kurt Gold]

I can probably imagine what you are looking for, but I think it could be pretty useful if you were providing an example/sketch that may illustrate the desired appearance.

Also, which version of Illustrator are you using?

[Jette Ellis]

Kurt and Jacob,

I'm using 25.2.1

So (not exactly this because I'm working on someone's logo) it's an image of let's say a metal spring, which I've image traced and expanded.  Then the text needs to appear as if inside the spring, but the text has effects applied, gradients etc. See very quick made up snip of work...

I've been thinking, as Jacob says, that it's probably going to be the text put over the spring and then a copy of the spring laid in parts over the text.  Just not sure of the tidy way to do this!  I have to admit I am self taught and just concerned I'm taking the very long way around something which could be simple.  Perhaps I need to literally go back to the drawing board!

Many thanks for your help .

[Jacob Bugge · Accepted solution]

Jette,

You can proceed as follows:

0) Make the last two grey areas transparent, above and below the very end of the spring to the right;

1) Place the word SPRING (presumably a Group of double letters or something) as desired on top of the spring;

2) Select everything and copy to the front, so you have the stacking order SPRING spring SPRING spring (top to bottom);

3) Hide everything but the top SPRING Group and turn it into a Compound Path with the combined shapes of the double letters;

4) Show the topmost spring and make a clipping set which will give you spring parts in the combined letter shapes;

5) On top of each unwanted hind/rear spring shape (set) create a (preferably but not necessarily) closed path that covers it (you can use the Pen Tool throughout or start out with the Ellipse Tool to fit the crucial part(s)), then Group all of them and give them a black fill and remove the stroke;

6) Select 4) and 5) and make a (n Opacity) Mask with both Clip and Invert Mask unticked;

7) Show the hidden SPRING and spring, and Group everything (before you accidentally ClickDrag something and make a mess).

Hopefully that gives you what you are after.

[Jacob Bugge · Accepted solution]

Jette,

In addition to what Kurt said, it would also be nice to know whether the coil(ed wire) is a raster image or vector artwork.

Depending on the (im)possible ways it could be imagined, I imagine it could be as simple as cutting the coil into front and rear parts and have the former parts above the word and the latter beneath the word in the stacking order; or (much) more complicated.

[summert24526103]

Personally, I'd just use a clipping mask on photoshop.