Help with color, please

[Toonicorn]

Hi, all.

Well, I've outlined a figure in Xara, and now I'd like to fill it in with color. Obviously Xara doesn't have a paint bucket as per Photoshop, so could someone give me step-by-step instructions on how to fill the figure with solid color? I'm really at a loss here. The thing is, no matter what I do, the color spills over the lines. I've even experimented with drawing a circle and then trying to fill it with a color. The color spills. I KNOW the lines are closed up, but the color spills anyway! ??????

[wizard509]

Are you certain the object is closed, and is a vector shape? If you are trying to fill a shape made in a raster program such as Photoshop or Gimp it will probably spill out. I can't test this at the moment though that's just what I think.

[Toonicorn]

Are you certain the object is closed, and is a vector shape? If you are trying to fill a shape made in a raster program such as Photoshop or Gimp it will probably spill out. I can't test this at the moment though that's just what I think.

Thanks, wizard! Actually I outlined a scanned pencil image in Xara, not Photoshop, and now I'd like to color it. I've been following the instructions given in one of the instructional videos that came with Xara - that is, I drag a swatch over to one of the figures to color it, but the color spills over the lines every time. I do notice that when I try to undo the spilled color, the message "Undo set page background" appears. What does that mean?

[PhilM]

Hi Toonicorn,

As you are discovering, Xara Designer is a different kind of program than Photoshop and you have to understand the difference to make the most of it. Artists, designers and cartoonists who "get it" can do fantastic things - just look at any in the Designs gallery or any of the online galleries. In simple terms the difference is this:

Photoshop is like painting oil on canvas - once you have laid a colour down it is fixed to the painting and the only way to change it is to scrape it off or paint over it.

Xara Designer is more like making a collage - you create shapes of coloured paper and arrange them on the page. You can re-arrange or remove shapes at any time.

That means that whereas Photoshop only needs to record the colours of the "painting", Xara Designer needs to record the shapes and their positions as well as their colours. To do that XD uses "vectors" which are mathematical descriptions of shapes.

So here's the point: The vector descriptions of shapes have to be correct, it's not enough for lines and shapes to just look right on the screen. Making lines touch so that they appear to enclose a shape does not create a closed shape, it is simply a collection of touching lines! The "Page and Layer" Gallery shows you exactly what is on your drawing and whether lines are separate or joined together. To draw a closed shape you have to tell the program that the end of a line is joined to the start. When you do that the shape will automatically fill in.

The simplest ways to draw closed shapes are to use the quickshape tools or to use the freehand tool and make sure that you end a line at the same point as you started.

Phil

[mg.architect]

Very recent discussion: http://www.talkgraphics.com/showthre...lined-graphic&

[Toonicorn]

Hi Toonicorn,

As you are discovering, Xara Designer is a different kind of program than Photoshop and you have to understand the difference to make the most of it. Artists, designers and cartoonists who "get it" can do fantastic things - just look at any in the Designs gallery or any of the online galleries. In simple terms the difference is this:

Photoshop is like painting oil on canvas - once you have laid a colour down it is fixed to the painting and the only way to change it is to scrape it off or paint over it.

Xara Designer is more like making a collage - you create shapes of coloured paper and arrange them on the page. You can re-arrange or remove shapes at any time.

That means that whereas Photoshop only needs to record the colours of the "painting", Xara Designer needs to record the shapes and their positions as well as their colours. To do that XD uses "vectors" which are mathematical descriptions of shapes.

So here's the point: The vector descriptions of shapes have to be correct, it's not enough for lines and shapes to just look right on the screen. Making lines touch so that they appear to enclose a shape does not create a closed shape, it is simply a collection of touching lines! The "Page and Layer" Gallery shows you exactly what is on your drawing and whether lines are separate or joined together. To draw a closed shape you have to tell the program that the end of a line is joined to the start. When you do that the shape will automatically fill in.

The simplest ways to draw closed shapes are to use the quickshape tools or to use the freehand tool and make sure that you end a line at the same point as you started.

Phil

Thanks, Phil. Well, I don't see how you can do any kind of complex shape that way. If you're drawing circles and squares, sure. The videos make it seem MUCH simpler than it really is. Looks like I made a mistake with Xara and should have invested in full Photoshop...

[mwenz]

Toon, do you have a sample drawing you can upload? It would make the conversation much more taylored to your needs.

Complex shapes are easy. You just need a little coaching.

Take care, Mike

[Toonicorn]

Okay, here's part of what I'm working on. I outlined this figure in Xara. Cannot color it in with Xara, because the color spills over the lines.



Now, I realize that in that drawing, some lines are not closed. (I've been exporting such images to PS because closing lines in Xara is a pain too.) But even in areas where the lines ARE closed, as in Pinkie's tail, the color spills.

[handrawn]

okat - lets get one thing clear - in xara 'closed' does not mean 'no gaps' - in photoshop as long as there are no gaps you can fill, but in xara it is not that simple

as Phil explained - in photoshop your lines are like lines drawn on the page and when there is no gap you have an enclosure - in xara it is like you place lines made of wire or whatever on top of the paper, and its no good them just touching because they will still leak, you have to actually join them as one - in other words tell the program they are now one line and not just two [or more] that happen to be touching - making them touch does not make them join up automatically

the file would be appreciated - then we can help more....
l

[Toonicorn]

okat - lets get one thing clear - in xara 'closed' does not mean 'no gaps' - in photoshop as long as there are no gaps you can fill, but in xara it is not that simple

as Phil explained - in photoshop your lines are like lines drawn on the page and when there is no gap you have an enclosure - in xara it is like you place lines made of wire or whatever on top of the paper, and its no good them just touching because they will still leak, you have to actually join them as one - in other words tell the program they are now one line and not just two [or more] that happen to be touching - making them touch does not make them join up automatically

the file would be appreciated - then we can help more....
l

What do you mean by "file"? Sorry, but I uploaded a file as an attachment. Is that not what you need?