How to Fill a Rectangle with Color in Illustrator

Filling a rectangle, or any shape, with color in Adobe Illustrator is a fundamental task. The simplest way to do this is by selecting the object and choosing a color from your Swatches panel.

Just like using the paint bucket tool in Photoshop, once you have your rectangle selected, picking a Swatch will fill it with color. This method is quick and intuitive for applying solid colors to your shapes.

Steps to Fill a Rectangle with Color

Here’s how to fill a rectangle with color in Illustrator:

1. Create or Select your Rectangle: Use the Rectangle Tool (M) to draw a rectangle or select an existing one using the Selection Tool (V) or Direct Selection Tool (A).
2. Access the Swatches Panel: Navigate to Window > Swatches if the panel is not already visible.
3. Choose a Swatch: With the rectangle selected, click on a desired color Swatch in the Swatches panel. The selected color will instantly fill the rectangle.

This process directly applies the selected color to the object's Fill property.

Understanding Fill and Stroke

In Illustrator, objects have two main properties related to color:

• Fill: This is the interior color of the shape.
• Stroke: This is the outline or border color of the shape.

You can see and control these in the Tools panel or the Properties panel. There are two color squares, one solid for the Fill and one with a hole in the middle for the Stroke. Clicking on either square brings it to the front, indicating whether you are currently applying color to the Fill or the Stroke.

Quick Tip: Ensure the Fill color box is active (in the front) before selecting a swatch to color the inside of the rectangle.

Other Ways to Apply Color

While swatches are the most common method mentioned, you can also fill a rectangle using:

• Color Picker: Double-click the Fill color box in the Tools or Properties panel to open the Color Picker for custom color selection.
• Color Panel (F6): Manually adjust color values (like RGB, CMYK, or Hex) using sliders or input fields.

Using Swatches remains the most straightforward and frequently used method, especially when working with a predefined color palette.