how to fill pen-drawn objects with color?

[deadbeatbum]

Hi, I've made some fancy letters using the pen tool to make the outline the curve concavity is to the outside of the letter on all the strokes. I want to fill the whole letter with color to make a clipping mask. The paint bucket doesn't allow me to do this, and the pen stroke fill only fills in the concave side of the stroke which is on the outside of the letter. any suggestions?

 

[georgyboy]

have you tried clicking on the fill square on the right side of the screen, same place where yu choose ur stroke color?