Edit shape and fill inside certain paths

Question

I'm trying to edit a shape I didn't create. I'd like to fill a specific shape inside another more complex shape.

Problem is, when I do this, the entire shape switches color... How can I 'separate' the one shape I need to perform change only on it ?

EDIT : Ok, maybe I'm making some progress here. I dragged and dropped the path outside of the shape to edit it. I could then apply everything I wanted to and it only applied to that specific path.

But now, if I want to replace the path inside the shape it messes everything (the entire shape takes the color I applied to the path). What I did then is group the path I changed with the shape... I don't know if it's correct to do that (added another screenshot).

Even with that I don't really WHY it worked and if it's a good practice... I read the shape but I still don't understand why I had to do this...

Answer 1

It wouldn't work before because it was a single shape and a single shape can only have a single fill (well it can have more but they overlay eachother).

If you want to color the areas differently then the solution is to have two shapes. Every area you want to style differently, wether that is fill or stroke or add effects to, needs to be a distinct shape. As you did, simply take the subpath you want to seperate out of the shape. You now have two shapes—problem solved!

There is no need to place the shape back inside—you don't want a single shape.