We challenge you to:

Draw Something Reflective

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 30 June 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 "June 2023 Draw Something Reflective 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)

My mission: to find an object to study and see how to draw it (well and also to think to this background). I am tempted to draw my fountain pen for that. The shape will be easy to make, but the decorative pattern...

Nice challenge and your artwork gives us some keys. Thank you.

@Caradjine A fountain pen would be a good object to study. I look forward to seeing what you produce.

Practicing working from my imagination.

Hi. You created a superb challenge and as usual, excellent artwork.

I do not know if these attempts even count for this challenge. You mentioned simple or basic, so here are my starters.

I first imagined a butterscotch colored tubing lettering of sorts. I made my own letters by trial and error using my trusty mouse.

Then I thought to gain a more reflective result, I would use some filters. To make it appear as some reflective lighting from different sources.

Last, I thought how would this look if I tried some multicolored text ... with a kind of tubing effect.

I will see what else I can come up with. One idea, for myself or others, is what about something reflective in water ... either still or moving water.

@Hum Good effort. Thanks for sharing!
If you want to (further) get your head around reflection or lighting, I suggest starting with a simple object and trying to get the lighting as accurate as possible, perhaps using a reference, such as a shiny ball. You could find one on a site like pexels or (even better) take the picture yourself.

Aim to make your artwork look real to you.

My preferred method for lighting is linear or radial gradients (often overlapping and blended) for diffused light and layered shapes (for more irregular light such as the reflections).

The spoon in the graphic above used mostly layered shapes with gradients and blurs applied, as needed.


.

Hopefully that is of some use to you.

Reflections and refraction ... bright shiny stuff ...

@pjschleitwilerfcm Great work. Thanks for sharing.

I wasn't planning on entering this month's competition, but I was looking through my old stuff and found part of an attempt to make a splash screen for Inkscape 1.2. 

I think it is a very effective and easy to use tool.

;)

Okay, little confusion here. Copied the text from the google-translate, and it appear as „code”. Sorry. New on the forum. Still learn. :o

@razr You can edit your own reply or I can do it for you.

Okay, I see. Thank You @Polygon.

@Boxcutter another fine use of gradients. Thanks for sharing.

@razr Stunning! I like that a lot.

An irregular gemstone. I used a reference photo.

Nothing wrong with using reference @razr Beautiful work. Keep them coming!

Something I made for another project, but it is reflective so I'll share it here.

Very interesting how some shape, line and gradient enough to made a photorealistic image:

@pacer  Pretty good piece. Convincing caustics effects.

@razr  I’ve got to say, your work blows me away. I’m always impressed by photorealistic art done in Inkscape. I’m guessing you don’t use gredient mesh for shading. I’m so used to GM that I rarely consider any other method. I really should expand my toolbox. 

@Boxcutter  believe it or not, before last week I tried to make photorealistic vector just once, few years ago:

https://www.deviantart.com/gabro-cornellan/art/Pia-svg-719702237

it was just a practical joke: johnny walker whisky, but in "hungarian" version. Then last week, I see @pacer 's challenge here and I create the wrench-image. And I was also surprised that the result was quite good. So I quickly create the other two. And I found a lot of fun in this. If I have time and idea, I will create more.

@razr I'm not sure if you will get a notification, but I have left you a message in the Challenger Chat thread: https://inkscape.org/forums/competitions/challenger-chat-for-off-topic-ramblings-and-chitchat/

Gem of a butterfly...

@pjschleitwilerfcm That's attractive, Thanks for sharing.

Lights, streaks, caustic, blurs, transparencies and gradients. Just another item for this challenge.

The point is the use of transparency, so the background can mostly be changed freely.

@razr Another beautiful example of a reflective object. Thank you for sharing.

Also, I agree with you that the method you have used for transparency is a productive one. I much prefer adaptable graphics.

Suspiciously reflective frying pan:

Edit: Oops, looks like the background was a little transparent - fixed it.

@KrIr17 I like your frying pan a lot. Thank you for sharing.

I am loving the quality of entries this month!

First work in 1.3 (alpha).

Another one to the challenge. Light up!

And one last to this month (maybe ;)...

Keeping it simple as instructed.

There are no winners means a lot. For me, it is like as many candidates should participate or involve in this towards a common effort to promote Inkscape platform and broaden its scope, community and their ideas as much as possible.

Being new to Inkscape, I wonder if we have any common GitHub or other cloud storage alternative hosted by Inkscape to store, share and serve files from several users.

I feel whether any community member individually wins or not but the Inkscape Team or platform should be WINNER in all means such that comparison shall hardly bother Inkscape platform.

I for Inkscape & I for Inspiration.

#inkscapechallenge

@Kudos Thanks for sharing your award and welcome to the Inkscape forum. What files would you be looking to share?

I edited your post only to mark your attachment as a gallery image, so others could see it.

Pacer
Challenge Admin

I didn't come up with anything this month, but I didn't want to miss out on participating. By the way, this month's entries are amazing, great work! 💯

Playing with tools, mesh gradient, filters, Path effects...

A bolt.   With a nut.  Brand new, never used.

@mrks9 Love the sphere. The reflection beneath is a nice touch. Thanks for sharing!

@Witmer-Art You have captured the reflections in that nut and bolt convincingly. A very strong entry!
Welcome to the Inkscape challenges.

Pacer
Challenge Admin

just a minor update on a previous work. Used gradient mesh on the specular highlight on the left side.

pro: as you can see, much better result than with the blur method

con: the svg file is only displays well in inkscape. And it is 50% larger.

@razr I think your cup is stunning.

The only thing that looks off to me is the background (where the wall and the flat surface meet) looks a bit sharp. A depth of field issue, maybe? That could just be my eyes.

Nevertheless, it's a great entry as it is. Thank you for sharing the update.

@pacer, Thanks for the reply. The background is just -you know- background. Just  a short gradient on the edge of the „table”, to have something there... :)

Some of the stuff by Pacer and Razr is ridiculous, it looks like it was rendered with a 3d program!

@bob93 :) but it's not a render, I didn't use any 3D software for it. Not even for reference. If you think so, download any svg file, open it in inkscape and discover what elements it is made of. Some are quite simple.

Can I download the files? Where are they linked? I'm particularly interested in the cup and the mug as I was trying to draw a mug as an exercise, then I thought perhaps I can give it a 3d effect with gradients and it's not easy, particularly the inside and the rim

Edit: I see, it's on your profile. Thank you

Hi,

@pacer I was looking forward to create and share SVG files for popular cartoon series. Initially  Warner Bros.

Regards.