need extreme help. Creating Vector outlines

[masque]

Another tip with drawing and closing shapes.
If you select you shape and recolour the line (right click on a colour in the colour bar) and then move round the shape and select any portion of the line that doesn't appear to have been selected first time, select that portion and recolour; carry on doing that untill all portions of line have been selected and coloured you will be able to see more clearly where the breaks in your shape may be. Thats assuming that there is more than one break.

[Firechimp]

OK, after some sleep, coffee, and a smoke...

things are working better today. at least I can post an attachment today, which I couldn't yesterday.

So here are some copies "troop2" where I tried to get a flat fill. Notice on the left that I created a shape with linear fill, so I understand the process as it should be working...

edit: forgot to tell yall, I checked entire line at 8000%. There are no breaks, just one line.
Jay

[handrawn]

Hi
I've just used Dereks excellent suggestion and right clicked color into each segment of your trace - and as you can see, they are visually joined but not joined as one outline - this needs to be done, as Derek described, and then it should fill
EDIT - see next post

[handrawn]

Further thoughts:

Not sure what Derek would do here - he is better at this sort of thing , but my gut reaction here would actually be to redo it and try to get only one line if you can
One thing I would avoid would be overlapping the lines as you have here in places, as that complicates joining them up, as does laying one line over another generally.
I would change the color of the soldier in the bitmap so that there was contrast when tracing - but that's personal preference of course

[Firechimp]

I just did as you said and the entire outline was changed to a single color.

[masque]

I've had a quick look and as far as I can see you have a double outline (?), rather than a single line around your shape. That's quite apart from the fact that its in seperate segments.
Drawing around an object like the shape of the trooper with a mouse is better done with the shape editor tool where you click to start your line and then click a little way away and edit the resulting straight line, again with the shape editor tool to apply a curve to the line segemnt to best fit the shape you wish to arrive at. When that segment of line is as it needs to be click on the end point of the line and then click to make a new segment of line which can then be edited as before to apply curves to the line to follow the shape.
To make this faster you click straightline segments all around the shape which can then be edited afterwards to better follow the shape contour.

I drew quickly around your shape but I'm using the pencil tool with a graphics tablet. I could do it using the mouse and pencil but thats a little harder and takes a while to get used too. (my example 1)

An alternative is to used the shape tool and apply small segements of line sufficiently close together to approximate a curve as in the second example where I've effectively dotted my way around your shape, making sure to close the shape once I get all the way around so it will fill. When you come to a segment such as the gun a point at each end of the straightline of the barrel will give you a straight gun barrel. Tight curves require more clicks to get round.

If you enlarge your original it makes it easier to click your way around it fairly quickly.

[handrawn]

this video gives you an idea
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaNM1FdXlSM

I was looking for Egg's tutorial with the cow but can't find it, I don't know if Derek knows where it is

You got one color because the trace lines were still grouped

Edit: just seen Dereks last post done at same time - like I say he's better at this than me

[Firechimp]

OK. I've managed to redraw shape and work it a little as per some tutorials.

Now I have 2 problems:

1. Can't combine objects into group and move them. Even though it copies them together.

2. Can't alter second color on diamond fill background (see bottom right).

[masque]

Isolate the objects you want to group, perhaps on a fresh page.
Secect all objects in your group by dragging the selector tool diagonaly across the group. This will produce a box around the group encompassing all object in the group. If any seem to be missed do it again. Then with the objects still selected press the group button on the STANDARD TOOL BAR (across the top) or go to the ARRANGE MENU and click on GROUP

As regards your fills. The ones on your attached file I can see is either a FRACTAL FILL or a FOUR COLOUR FILL. I have reproduced those and a DIAMOND FILL on my attachment.
Select each end of the fill handles to apply fill to the respective part of the fill.

A Diamond has two choices / a four colour has four choices and a fractal again has two choices etc.
Derek

[Egg Bramhill]

1: Select both the objects you wish to group by either Shift+Selecting or Drag+Selecting. The text in the bottom left of the screen will say "2 Shapes". Arrange / Group or Ctrl+G. The bottom left text will change to "1 Group"

2: Select the diamond filled rectangle. Select the Fill tool. This will show you the fill handles. Click on the centre fill handle and click a new fill colour in the colour bar. Click on an outer handle and click on a new fill colour in the colour bar.

Out of interest how did you create the soldier in your original troop2.xar?

Whoops! Derek beat me to it.