Weave through text as vector?

Question

I need some help with a strategy. I am using CS2 and need to create an effect as vector. I am trying to get a ribbon-like object to appear to weave between letters. I know that if I rasterize the layers and make dups, I can create the effect by erasing portions, but I need it to be vector. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

(((You'll have to forgive my caveman-edness...I'm still using AI 8, and some of the features in AI CS3 may obviate some of the steps below, or they may be slightly or very different. And Duuuude!!...take the time to get friendly with Illustrator. I GUARANTEE you won't regret it...the options for path manipulation are so much more comprehensive! :) )))
I apologize for the length of the directions, but it's easier than it reads. As a beginning exercise, do this:
→ "D" reverts Fill & Stroke to White & Black.
→ Text tool("T")...Choose a reasonably fat font. Click in your document and type a capital "O" It'll be black by default.
→ Go to Type Menu⇒Create Outlines... Group the shapes that are created (CTRL + A, CTRL + G)
→ Click on the "Fill" swatch in the Toolbox, and select a contrasting color---say orange. Click on the "Stroke" swatch, and tap the "/" key to creat a condition of "no stroke."
→ Rectangle Tool("M")...drag out a horizontal skinny rectangle, positioned so it bisects the outlined "O", and expends to the left and right of the "O" shape.
→ Select all, go to the Pathfinder Palette and click on the "Divide" button.
→ Now with the Group Selection Tool ("A", white arrow with a little plus sign next to it) you can select the now sub-divided parts of the combine rectangle plus "O" shapes.
→ With one of the overlapped sub-sections selected, you can change the color to match the color of the object underneath. it not looks like it's on top.
Hopefully, that gets you through the basic process, and you see how it works. Apologies for leaving anything out, or for not understanding the differences between AI8 and AI CS3.
Now, to the main feature. Go get a pop and a snack.
Create your text. Track/Kern/Size as needed. Doing this later will be possible, but more difficult, since you'll be manipulating objects and not text, per se.
Duplicate this layer, and lock & hide the original text layer in case you want to return to it and start over.
Go to Type Menu⇒Create Outlines... of the text. If you have any compound paths (letters with "holes," like an "O" or "A") Use the Group Selection Tool ("A"--it's a white arrow with a little plus sign next to it) to select just the components of that letter, and group them (CTRL + G) individually, one letter per group.
Select all outlined text objects and lock (CTRL + 2) (or just lock that outlined text layer).
Create a new Layer, set opacity to 50% or so, so you can see the text underneath.
Brush Tool--Select a calligraphic (oval, angled) brush tip. You'll have to experiment with the size and angle in order to get the desired ribbon width and the appearance of wide/narrow width where the ribbon changes direction.
Wacom tablet may work best here--Create a nice flowing ribbon, over top of the text. Tap the "A" key, then tap "P" to bring up the Pen Tool. Using the Pen Tool (hold CTRL to access the "Direct Selection Tool"), tweak the ribbon's path as needed.
When you have the ribbon reasonably positioned, Go to Object Menu⇒Expand...brush stroke. You can select the original stroke and delete it (it appears as a "center line" in the expanded stroke). Or, you can keep it by hiding/locking it or moving it to its own layer and hiding it. (I'd think about keeping it, so you can back up and start again, if you want to)
Unlock the outlined text (CTRL + ALT + 2) or the layer it's on.
Select the outlined ribbon, and move it onto the same layer as the outlined text.
On this layerwhich now holds the outlined text shapes AND the outlined ribbon shape, select all.
In the Pathfinder Palette, click on the "Divide" button.
Use Group Selection Tool to select the individual sub-shapes as we did in the exercise. Recolor them to give the illusion of overlap/underlap.
There are finer points to all of this, but that should get you started.
(You can email me if you'd like to contract it out to meet your deadline, or ask me any questions that are specific to the project you're doing this for.)