How to Apply Colors and Gradients in Adobe Illustrator

Posted on 20th June 2023

In this article

• Part 1: Adding colors to your artwork
• Part 2: Adding gradients to your artwork

Part 1: Adding colors to your artwork

There are a variety of ways to add colors to your artwork in Adobe Illustrator. You can use the Fill and Stroke commands in the Tools panel, the Swatches panel, or the Color panel.

Using the Fill and Stroke commands

To add colors to your artwork using the Fill and Stroke commands:

1. Select the object or objects that you want to color.
2. Do one of the following:

• To change the fill color only, click the Fill button in the Tools panel.
• To change the stroke color only, click the Stroke button in the Tools panel.
• To change both the fill and stroke colors, click the Fill and Stroke buttons in the Tools panel.

The Fill and Stroke commands are located in the same spot regardless of which button you click.

The Fill and Stroke commands open the Color panel. You can use the Color panel to select colors for your artwork.

Using the Swatches panel

To add colors to your artwork using the Swatches panel:

1. Select the object or objects that you want to color.
2. Do one of the following:

• To change the fill color only, click the Fill box in the Swatches panel.
• To change the stroke color only, click the Stroke box in the Swatches panel.
• To change both the fill and stroke colors, click the Fill and Stroke boxes in the Swatches panel.

The Fill and Stroke boxes are located in the same spot regardless of which button you click.

The Fill and Stroke boxes open the Color panel. You can use the Color panel to select colors for your artwork.

Using the Color panel

To add colors to your artwork using the Color panel:

1. Select the object or objects that you want to color.
2. Do one of the following:

• To change the fill color only, click the Fill color box in the Color panel.
• To change the stroke color only, click the Stroke color box in the Color panel.
• To change both the fill and stroke colors, click the Fill and Stroke color boxes in the Color panel.

The Fill and Stroke color boxes are located in the same spot regardless of which button you click.

Part 2: Adding gradients to your artwork

A gradient is a gradual blend of colors or shades. You can add gradients to your artwork in Adobe Illustrator.

Using the Gradient tool

To add a gradient to your artwork using the Gradient tool:

1. Select the object or objects that you want to color.
2. Click the Gradient tool in the Tools panel.
3. Do one of the following:

• To change the fill color only, click the Fill button in the Tools panel.
• To change the stroke color only, click the Stroke button in the Tools panel.
• To change both the fill and stroke colors, click the Fill and Stroke buttons in the Tools panel.

The Fill and Stroke buttons are located in the same spot regardless of which button you click.

The Gradient tool opens the Gradient panel. You can use the Gradient panel to select colors for your gradient.

Using the Gradient panel

To add a gradient to your artwork using the Gradient panel:

1. Select the object or objects that you want to color.
2. Click the Gradient button in the Tools panel.
3. Click the Gradient panel.
4. Do one of the following:

• To change the fill color only, click the Fill color box in the Gradient panel.
• To change the stroke color only, click the Stroke color box in the Gradient panel.
• To change both the fill and stroke colors, click the Fill and Stroke color boxes in the Gradient panel.

The Fill and Stroke color boxes are located in the same spot regardless of which button you click.

The Gradient panel also has options for changing