We challenge you to:

Draw a 3D Object

It has been said that Inkscape is not good at 3D illustration. I (pacer), strongly disagree. Inkscape is a tool which can be used to draw just about anything. Think of it like a pencil. Who would say pencils are not suited to 3D artwork?

No more playing safe! For May's challenge, push yourself to do something which challenges you. That could be a simple box (if you haven't drawn in 3D before), a building or even an animal, but focus on doing the best YOU can.

Have a go and feel free to ask if you get stuck. We are all learning!

Let's see what you come up with!

While we know we are going to get some stunning artwork, we also want to encourage beginners. If you are new to Inkscape, feel free to keep it simple.

Multiple entries are welcome, and please do stick around for the chat!

All abilities are invited to get involved. The complexity of your entry is down to you.

Please post your finished artwork below. 

IMPORTANT: If you would like to know what you could do to improve your artwork, add the phrase to your comment: "Brutal Feedback" --- only for those with nerves of steel!

All entries to be submitted by 31 May 2023.

Please spread the word!
#inkscapechallenge

Instructions/Information

• To submit your artwork, scroll to the bottom of the page and while logged in, click the paperclip (bottom-left) to upload your image, add a description in the text box (optional) and click "Submit Reply".
• If you'd like to post work-in-progress artwork, create a thread in the "Work in Progress" section of the forum, and post your images there, with the title "May 2023 Draw a 3D Object WIP - [your artwork title]" (you are welcome to ask for help there if you get stuck). When finished, post the final graphic to this thread.
• There are no winners. These challenges are intended to inspire, to encourage you to share your work and to build a supportive community.
• You're encouraged to discuss and offer feedback/constructive criticism to others, but please be respectful.
• Most importantly, be creative, give your best, and have fun!

We look forward to seeing your entries!

Challenge entries (so far)

Thought I'd have a go at the challenge this time.

Well, this will be a challenge indeed for me. It will stretch me for sure.

I love your pieces here and welcome any instructions as to how to achieve this.

I "assume" one uses gradients and layer blend modes and blurring and changing opacity levels of objects. Maybe even  clipping and/masks. 

Do you use images as references ... perhaps even sample colors from them? Or, do you just go by memory and honed art skills ... with years of experience ? I do not use 3d software nor programs like Blender. Thanks for any sharing you feel inclined to include.

Sword Fireworks, May 2023 Draw a 3D Object

So I have been playing with Inkscape for a little while now, following tutorials, course materials etc, then decided to take the plunge to create my very own design.

No it's not totally original in the sense its a sword, but its completely original as I designed it from various looked at images. Getting the basic structure was fairly easy, but for me the detailing part is the most satisfying aspect of any design, you can literally spend hours upon hours tweaking.

Once I was happy with the finished design, I wanted to add an unusual background, this fire works image really complemented it and reminded me of a childhood cartoon "He-man" lol    

Sorry Mods you can tell I'm new here.....

@Hum Maybe you can take a look at Sketchfab. On the site you can see the models and move around in 3D. If you activate the Wireframe option, it can give you an idea of how to build it in Inkscape. I leave you a screenshot in the Challenger Chat thread to show you what I mean. https://inkscape.org/forums/competitions/challenger-chat-for-off-topic-ramblings-and-chitchat/

@Hum Yes, use reference photos. Pick a simple object first. I used a boring container for the banner as it has few features and I felt it was a suitable choice for a beginner.

I already had one, so I turned off the lights, used a torch for the lighting and took a photograph. This made a more dramatic graphic than one lit by ambient light.

At first, try an object with a matte (as opposed to glossy or metallic) surface as the light is diffused and they are quicker to draw.

Draw exactly what you see, rather than what you think you see. You can trace the highlights or you can go by eye. Focus on the most dominant highlights and shadows first and use a mid tone as the base colour. And, yes, use gradients and small shapes, blur and transparency alongside clipping (clipping group) to depict light and shade.

If you get suck, post your work in WIP showing both your reference and your artwork and I will try to help.

Barring any complaints about the colors, here is A soap in 3D effort.

@AlgotRuneman You have definitely cleaned up your techniques. Thanks for sharing. :)

The Map in a Box, May 2023 Draw a 3D Object

Hi everyone, I'm new here !! 

It's my first time trying to make some kind of 3D. It was very hard and making a cartographic perspective was a cool addition to the challenge.

The colors are a bit special, I was trying to make something different ^^

Created with QGIS and Inkscape

Hiya! I'm kinda new to the inkscape community! I just wanted to join in on this challenge because I love to experiment so I thought I would give this a shot!
I pretty much just used gradient meshes on separated parts for the shading, didn't use any references for this one but I was generally going for a quake 3 character model feeling to make this lowpoly girl character. Well I guess she's not an object, so I messed up pretty good! *sighs* Anyways I made it for this occasion so I might as well share it!

Gladiator Girl, May 2023 Draw a 3D Object

@Uzugijin, new to the community is good. Welcome.  I think it is always wise to see ourselves as having room to grow. I like your low poly start.

This one is a take on some of the graphics I've seen which were produced with the popular 3D tools of a rival vector graphics editor. This was done manually, utilising the bezier pen tool, some ellipses, gradients and some clipping masks.

I don't claim to be an expert, but artwork like this requires very little knowledge of Inkscape and only the basic tools.

If you are interested in improving. I strongly recommend taking some time to observe objects around you and their lighting.

Most tutorials for Inkscape and other vector software are near useless in the long term as they don't encourage observation (which is essential).

Useful tutorials/books, in my opinion, are those in drawing (pencil, charcoal) and painting (oils, acrylics).

Potty about paint!

Created using ellipse's, using the bezier pen tool, duplicating lots of the shapes, adjusting the nodes to get different sized shapes.

Using lots of gradients and taking a very thin slice from a sunset photo using the clipping mask function to get this amazing back drop.... 

@pidg

Nice work. I like the bucket and the spilled paint. You are right the method you used for a background is effective.

If you want to improve the 3D effect, you might want to choose the imaginary position of you light source(s) and draw your shadows and highlights accordingly.

If your light source is top left, most objects (excluding transparent objects) will be lit on the side or edge facing the light and the opposite side will be in relative darkness (where the light was blocked). Remember that light spreads out the further it is from the source.

I hope that helps.

Pacer
Challenge Admin

@pacer

Thanks for the feedback really appreciate it. This was the first time trying to get the lighting aspect right I admit its not perfect and its lot more difficult than you think it would be.

I definitely need to use the layer function more to control the more complex detailing, the whole design was basically on one canvas, which made it a little more tricky.... lol

I also wanted to add drips inside the can but that was proving to be rather difficult.... because of the single canvas, plus the shadowing behind the can was rushed which doesn't look that great looking at it now.

Loving the journey regardless and everyday is a learning curve.

@pidg

No problem. I'm happy to help. Not everyone likes to sketch, but I find scribbling down my ideas before I start speeds up my process and helps me to make decisions quickly.

Now you have joined the challenges, I would like to welcome you to our challengers chitchat page where we talk about more general Inkscape topics.

https://inkscape.org/forums/competitions/challenger-chat-for-off-topic-ramblings-and-chitchat/

I hope you join us there also.

A few spaces I worked on this week for a web comic. They are definitely not perfect. Simply constructed for illustration purposes.

I made it last year. I hope it counts 😀

The 3D effect on the windows (the front window is not flat, it is curved) is given by gradients.

(I didn't play last month, because I still don't know how to make a brush and probably a bit lazy to learn it).

Crazy Pumpkin

Be a light to others...

Bread and Roses

Chocolate

Now, that's not fair, @pjschleitwilerfcm . You have made me hungry!

@AlgotRuneman  Whereas you only suggested good, clean fun.

@AlgotRuneman  Since i made you hungry, I guess I have to feed you. Here is a nice soup supper.

As my Prussian grandmother would say,"Und du wirst es genießen!" (and you will enjoy it)

Lots of nice entries here.

This is regarding Mother's Day. My fake 3d text attempt.

That's nice @Hum

It seems that we need some coffee: my contribution, these coffee beans.

The keys for it : obviously Bézier for the drawning, plus stroke effect for the middle curve of the beans, gradients and some blur. To have this 3D effect: a first solid layer then one or more layer of gradient with different shade of the color of the basis. I am not enirely satisfied of the bowl, though.

Brewed for you. Enjoy!

I've been tempted to contribute an entry but mostly passed on them. But this challenge is something I do by default. Nearly everything I do in Inkscape is 3Dish. I've done very little 2D stuff.

Like most of my pieces I start with a hand drawing, (in SketchBook Pro), then redraw it in Inkscape and color it with mesh gradients.

@pjschleitwilerfcm Some interesting deigns. You have many ideas. Thanks for sharing.

@Caradjine I like those beans.
"I am not enirely satisfied of the bowl, though."
I hope you don't mind me doing this. The issue with the bowl is the direction of light. Your beans are lit from the front and your bowl is lit from the side. I have lit your bowl from the front and provided an environment to give the graphic some depth. I hope this is useful.

@Boxcutter Stunning! Your lighting is excellent and your colors contrast effectively. I'm pleased you decided to take part in the challenge. Thanks for sharing. I hope to see more artwork from you in the future.

Pacer
Challenge Admin

@Boxcutter Impressive!, great work. It looks like hard-surface modeling. How do you manage to make those bevels so believable with Inkskape? 💯🤯

I use a few techniques in this piece, but the main one is the use of gradient mesh. At one point I considered making a tutorial on how I use mesh but I'm not sure how it would be received. Gradient mesh doesn't seem like a popular tool that Inkscape users are clamoring to use. There are beginner tutorials but they leave much to be desired, by me at least.

After the comment about using gradient mesh by @Boxcutter, I began fiddling with it and, while I am still cloudy about the full details of how to make it work, thought that this "object" might be both sufficiently 3D and display a use of the gradient mesh technique.

@Boxcutter If you are willing to produce a tutorial on the gradient mesh tool, it would be well received. I would be very interested to see it. You are right that the tool appears to be rarely used, but better tutorials will, likely, motivate more users to try it and it will encourage our devs to give the tool some attention.

Some time ago I made a similar model with Blender and I have tried to remake it with Inkscape. I'm not quite satisfied with the result but I didn't want to miss the challenge 😉

@Boxcutter "Gradient mesh doesn't seem like a popular tool that Inkscape users are clamoring to use."

Probably because the Inkscape gradient mesh is not supported by major web browsers. Partly this is because SVG has very low priority to the browser developers. However, images created with gradient mesh and exported as PNGs do display OK. 

I've made a small adjustment in the center, as someone suggested. I think that simple touch gives it a little volume 🤔

This second entry was something I started working on a year ago. It was meant to be an entry for the Inkscape splash screen for 1.2 but I started too late. So if figured I make it for 1.3 but I left it unfinished. It was one of a few splash screens I was working on. My post featuring a 3D Inkscape logo was part of another attempt.

Oh @mrks9 the glass sections look great. I like the scene too. Thanks for sharing.

@Boxcutter I like the car. I imagine getting the logo in perspective was tricky?

My attempt at a glass marble.

My attempt at a spoon (no reference).

Fantastic @pacer It shows that you have dominated this type of illustration 💯

@mrks9 I still feel I have lots to learn, but thank you for your reassuring comments. :)

Still experimenting with glass balls...

Wrapped text...

Text wrapped around a 3D square/rectangle for a project I'm involved with. Really enjoyed doing this one, getting the text to look right was the most challenging part along with the colour scheme.... 

@pidg I like it. Nice effect in the background too. Thanks for sharing!

I’m migrating from CorelDraw to Inkscape and I’m loving it. Inkscape is very powerful and delivers really incredible tools for vectorizing. After an intense month of using Inkscape, I feel more comfortable now using it than Corel. I hope you like my training art.

PSone Joypad Realistic - Inkspace the Inkscape Gallery | Inkscape

@Aless Bittencourt That's pretty good!

@hbaless Welcome to the challenges. Wow, stunning work, thanks for sharing it 💯

Wow, @hbaless that is some fine work. You will inspire me through these challenge entries, for sure.

Thank you to all who took part in this month's challenge. There have been some great entries indeed.

June's challenge has been posted and will be open for posting soon.

Our next topic is REFLECTIVE OBJECTS / SURFACES.

Glass, metal, water, oil... the choice is yours.

See you on the next challenge page!
https://inkscape.org/forums/competitions/inkscape-challenge-1-june-2023-30-june-2023/

@AlgotRuneman @Boxcutter @Caradjine @foreverNoob @hbaless @Hum @mrks9 @pidg @pjschleitwilerfcm @Uzugijin @XCANT

A lot of nice contributions again for this month.

Sorry @pacer to be that late (I probably have some more or less bad reasons for that) to thank you for the work you did on my coffee beans and for your suggestions. You are perfectly right, I should pay more attention to the background (well, I should make backgrounds instead of letting them blank). I learnt a lot with these challenges and I can't thank you enough for these. You and the other members.

Oh and the next challenge will be, hum something like a mountain to climb for me. Well, we'll see.

@Caradjine I'm glad the coffee bean 'remix' was helpful to you. If you choose where the light is coming from and stay consistent, you will find your lighting and shadow work a lot easier.

I'm looking forward to seeing your entry/entries in the next challenge. I feel strongly that if you push yourself to do what challenges you, something will click and you will soon find it easier. For the next challenge, I recommend that you find a reflective object and study it. That's what I do.

My one. F22-Raptor