# Manually Closing Gaps

To manually close gaps in your artwork so that you can paint the zones, use one of these two tools:

- You can use the Stroke tool to close zones manually, without adding line art.

The Stroke tool adds contours, which you can use to close zones that you can fill with color.

- You can use the Close Gap tool to create closed zones you can fill with color.

The Close Gap tool automates gap closing. It finds the end points closest to the line you draw with the Close Gap tool and draws straight lines to connect the points. You can use this tool to close small gaps that are difficult to see.

To close a gap using the Stroke tool:

1. Select View > Show Strokes so that you can see the contours that make up the zones you want to close. Every line and shape should display a thin blue line with occasional contour points.

2. To activate the Stroke tool, select the Tools > Drawing Tools > Stroke or select the Stroke tool from the Drawing Tools toolbar.

3. Drag the Stroke tool across the open gaps to close any open zones. After you close all of the gaps in a zone, you can fill the zone with color.

To close a gap using the Close Gap tool:

1. Select View > Show Strokes so that you can see the contours that make up the zones you want to close.

Every line and shape should display a thin blue line with occasional contour points.

2. Select the Close Gap tool from Drawing Tools toolbar. Your pointer becomes a crosspoint when the Close Gap tool is active.

3. Drag the Close Gap tool near the areas on your drawing where there are gaps.

Toon Boom Studio finds the closest end-points and draws a straight contour line to connect them. After you close all of the gaps in a zone, you can fill the zone with color.

See Also
Painting Zones in Your Drawings
Closing Gaps in Your Drawings
Auto Gap Close Options
Drawing Line Art