Section 4 · Vector Construction

Fill and Stroke

Definition

Fill is the color or gradient inside a closed path; stroke is the line drawn along the path itself, with its own weight, alignment, and cap/join settings.

Why it matters

Stroke weight is a design variable, not a default — and strokes behave differently from fills when a file is scaled or exported.

Example

The same path reading as a delicate outline at 0.25 pt and a heavy graphic bar at 12 pt.

Teaching note

Whether strokes should be expanded before handoff depends on the downstream workflow. Decide this before students export, not after — unexpanded strokes scale unpredictably when artwork is resized in a layout.