How do I draw dots inside text (type) in Adobe Illustrator?

Question

I'm really new to Illustrator but am familiar with Photoshop but it doesn't seem to help! I've already converted the type into outlines but just want to put dots inside the actual type. I tried using the paintbrush to draw the dots but it's inevitable that the dots overlap outside of the type. I don't know how to erase the parts of the dots that extend past the border. Any help would be appreciated!

Answer 1

It's been 5+ years since I had to do anything that complicated on Illustrator.  I hate that program and am in heaven since I discovered what you can do with Inkscape (which is comparable to a point and importable into Illustrator and other programs even when it's one of those subtle things it does better because it does so directly.  Bless Engineers).  

What you want to do though is to take the type outlines and turn them into clipping masks which you layer on top of the dots and clip them.

It's pretty straightforward and I've linked to tutorials on using clipping masks.  Good luck.