How to use the mesh tool in Illustrator tutorial

How to use the mesh tool in Illustrator CC CS6 CS5 etc.

Mesh tool in Illustrator

Select a path in Illustrator
Mesh tool in the toolbar of Illustrator
Click anywhere on the path
Set the color of the node
Click somewhere else on the path with the Illustrator mesh tool
Change the color of the node
Repeat with other nodes

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The tool can be used to add new nodes to an artwork. You can start with a single path such as a rectangle or a more complex path artwork and then click anywhere on the path and then set the color for the node. You can then modify that color. You can always re-select it at a later time and re-change the color as well as the position of the node. You can click off the path to add a node. You can add multiple entries to any artwork. You can also use the tool to select a node and then press the del key to delete the color and intersection of row and column.

You cannot add to the path if it is type. You can expand the type but even then you may have issues as the tool does not appear to like compound paths. You will have to ungroup paths but certain characters cannot be filled with the nodes and color. The resulting rows and columns generated are often a bit of a mess anyway and makes them very hard to edit.

You can then take the result of the generated colorful design and use tool such as the color guide as well as the adjust color balance to modify the color of a single node or multiple selected nodes.

warp You can also use the tool with the same generated artwork or one created via the related menu command to manipulate the physical node points of the design as well as the color. You can also use the direct selection tool to do much the same with the node points.

You can also use the tool with a path warped using the envelope distort using the same functionality. The tool can be used to select the individual nodes and shift them and distort them in all kinds of ways to create some truly abstract designs (also using the color to create an even more surreal artwork as a single color path rarely works as well as a path made of multiple colors)

The tool works better perhaps with the edge of the path more than the central points

There are no options or settings for the tool - it is only for color and shifting of nodes. Double clicking the tool icon shows no additional features

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