Pattern fills can liven up objects and text, and patterns inIllustratorare easy to use.
Pattern fills are accessed from the Swatches panel,Window > Swatches.
The Swatch Libraries menu is at the bottom of the Swatches panel.
Sara Froehlich
You’ll also find preset gradients and pattern presets in this menu.
You’ll need Illustrator versionCS3 or higherto successfully use patterns.
The swatches you open will appear in their own floating panel on your workspace.
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They’re not added to the Swatches panel until after they’re used on an object in the illustration.
Click any pattern in the panel to choose it and apply it to the currently selected object.
Changing the pattern is as easy as clicking on a different swatch.
Sara Froehlich
Choose the Scale tool in the toolbox and double select it to open its options.
This will let the pattern fill scale but leave the object at its original size.
check that “Preview” is checked if you want to preview the effect on your object.
Click OK to set the transformation.
Set the angle of rotation desired.
Check “Patterns” in the Options section and see to it “Objects” is not checked.
Check the preview box if you want to see the effect of the rotation on the pattern.
This works best if the stroke is wide enough to see the pattern.
our stroke on this object is 15 pt.
Now just nudge the pattern swatch in the Swatches panel to apply it to the stroke.
Filling Text With a Pattern Fill
Filling text with a pattern fill takes an additional step.
Now just apply the fill the same way you would with any other object.
It can also have a filled stroke if you like.
Using a Custom Pattern
you’ve got the option to make your own patterns, too.
Use it to fill any object or text after using the Create Outlines command.
you might also use seamless patterns created in Photoshop.
Use it as a fill the same as you would with any other pattern.
Start with a high-resolution image for best results.
Layering Patterns
Patterns can be layered using the Appearance panel.
Click theAdd new Fillbutton, pop kick open the Swatch Libraries menu, and choose another fill.
There’s really no limit to the patterns you could create.
