: How do you add color to objects that don't close on illustrator How do you add color to objects that don't close on illustrator. I'm trying to fill in the pathways with color in illustrator.

@Angela777

Even open paths can be filled in Illustrator using the normal method. However, you may not like the result when Ai treats the path as if the endpoints are connected with a straight line.

The best way to correct this is draw a closed path of the whole region where your open paths should be filled (ie draw a rectangle of the whole artboard). Then move that path behind your open paths, select them all, and use the Divide Pathfinder tool. This will use the open lines to divide the larger path into closed shapes that can be color filled.

Note that this often creates additional unwanted shapes in the group that you'll want to delete. If you make the large path a unique color, you can use Select Same Fill Color to easily remove these items.

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@Nimeshi706

Select All

Grab the Live Paint Bucket Tool

Pick a Color

Start clicking.

(This will created closed object where necessary to apply color fills.)

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@Odierno310

What @Dub Scrib said but duplicate your art first:


Your top copy has the unclosed lines - add a stroke to those paths.
Your bottom copy - join and close the lines using the Join Tool, then
remove the stroke and add a fill color.

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@LarsenBagley460

If those lines are vectors, you could join the open ends using the pen tool. Then just select a fill colour (and maybe remove the stroke so it's seamless at edges). Does that do what you mean?

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