Note: If the gradient handles are not visible, simply click the Create and Edit Gradients button from the Toolbox ( Control + F1). Drag the gradient handles on the ellipse to match the picture below. The next thing you need to do is adjust the size and center of the gradient relative to your ellipse. Make sure the Transparency for both colors is set to Opaque (no transparency).

Set the second stop to a darker shade of gray ( b2b2b2ff). Set the first stop to a light shade of gray ( ddddddff). Now you can edit the gradient's Color Stops and their Transparency. We want a gradient with two shades of gray, so click the Edit button underneath the gradient. Inkscape automatically fills your shape with a gradient - normally fading to transparent by default. On the Fill tab (still in the Fill and Stroke window), click the Radial Gradient button. We'll be doing quite a few radial and linear gradients in this tutorial, so pay close attention if you've never done this in Inkscape before. Now we want to fill the ellipse with a radial gradient. On the Stroke paint tab click the 'X' button to eliminate the outline on this shape. Now we need to change the fill and stroke (outline) colors, so select your ellipse and open up the Fill and Stroke dialog window by going to Object > Fill and Stroke ( Control + Shift + F). Then draw an ellipse about the proportions of the one in the picture below. Select the Circle/Ellipse tool ( F5) from the Toolbox.

The saucer will be comprised of five different ellipses, so get ready to draw. Let's start by making the saucer that the coffee cup rests on. If this is your first time using Inkscape, I recommend that you complete a few of the tutorials that come bundled with Inkscape first to get the hang of how the program works (available from the Help menu).īegin by opening up a New document in Inkscape. If you would like to download Inkscape, go to. If you're familiar with Illustrator or a similar program, you should be able to follow along relatively easily. We'll mostly be drawing shapes and using the Gradient Tool to accomplish the desired effect. In this first Inkscape tutorial for Vectortuts+, we'll create a beautiful coffee cup and show off some of Inkscape's features. Inkscape is an open source alternative to Adobe Illustrator and other programs for creating vector graphics.

Image to vector inkscape