Inkscape for Beginners Flat Style Calendar Video Lecture - Inkscape Design

this is Nick with logos by Nick comm and
in today's tutorial I'll be
demonstrating how you can create this
simple flat style calendar icon using
Inkscape and at any point in this
tutorial you could look down at the
bottom left hand side of my screen to
see which mouse clicks and keystrokes
I'm using so let me minimize this and
we'll get started here on xscape and by
the way if you'd like to know how you
can make Inkscape appear darkened with
these custom icons as I have here on my
screen a link to that information will
be in the description of the video so
let's get started the first thing we
want to do is make sure the view is set
the custom and then we're going to zoom
in at 1 to 1 and we'll open up our align
and distribute menu with this button up
here we'll want last selected chosen
from that drop-down and then we'll open
up the Edit objects colors gradients and
Stroke menu so we're going to grab the
squares and rectangles tool and hold
ctrl and shift in the keyboard and click
and drag to create a perfectly
symmetrical rectangle like that and then
we're gonna go to the Select tool and we
want to make sure the width of this
let's turn on the lock icon right here
to lock the proportions and let's make
the width of this 300 so just erase
whatever numbers in there highlighted
just hit 3 0 0 and then hit enter and
then it should be 300 by 300 pixels and
then we'll take the opacity and bring
this down about in half and let's go
back to the squares and rectangles tool
and let's grab this little circle mode
right here and drag this down and give
this rounded corners like that and then
we'll finalize that position right there
by going to path object to path now the
next thing we want to do is let's go
back to the Select tool and let's
duplicate this by hitting ctrl D on the
keyboard and we'll take that duplicated
copy and make that red and then we're
gonna create another rectangle so let's
create another rectangle going over the
top of this right here pretty big will
make this blue and we'll click on this
button up here to make the corners sharp
again and we'll go to the Select tool we
want to make sure the height of this is
half the height of the red rectangle so
that was 300 so we'll make this one 150
to change that to 150
and then hold shift and click on the the
red rectangle and we'll make sure it's
centered on the vertical axis and then
align the top edges and then we'll go to
path intersection okay so what we're
gonna do here we're gonna take this
piece right here and make it this darker
blue piece right here that's coming down
and make it look like the calendars
flipping so in order to do that we're
gonna make another rectangle that has
the same width and height as this which
is 300 by 150 so let's come back to the
squares and rectangles tool and we'll
create another rectangle and we'll go
back to the Select tool we'll turn off
the lock icon and we'll make this 300
then hit tab 150 hit enter and then
we'll convert that to a path by going to
path object to path and then hold shift
and click on the red shape and we'll
make sure it's centered on the vertical
and horizontal axis and then click off
and that to deselect everything so let's
click on just this blue shape right here
and we'll go to the Edit path by nodes
tool and we'll click and drag to take
these top two nodes right here and then
hold ctrl on the keyboard and bring
these down click and drag these down to
about here and then we're gonna turn on
this button right here that says show
transformation handles for selected
nodes we'll turn that on and these
little handles these little arrows
should show up here and then we could
hold ctrl and shift and grab one of
these arrows right here and just pull
this out maybe about that much and this
is gonna be a reference for the shape
that the other that the other shape is
going to take so once we have that set
you turn off the hint the transformation
handles and then we can go to the Bezier
pen which is right here we can just
press B on the keyboard and we'll turn
on the snap to custom nodes which is
right up here we'll turn that on and
it's important we're gonna draw a shape
now it's important that we start at the
bottom left corner and go clockwise
otherwise what we're going to do next
will not work so we're gonna start at
the bottom left corner down here and
click then go up to this corner up here
and click and we're going clockwise go
here and then click then to this corner
wait for it to snap and then click and
then back to the starting point and
finish that up and then we can go back
to the select tool we can turn off the
snap to custom nodes and then we could
take this blue shape right here and just
press Delete on the keyboard to get rid
of that and then we'll take this red
shape right here and then hold shift in
the keyboard and click on that line that
we just drew though that box lines that
we just drew and go to path actually no
it's a extensions no path oh where is it
again it's the perspective filter modify
path extensions modify path perspective
I haven't used that thing and so long
that I forgot where it was ok so there
it is we've made that shape take the
perspective of that box feature so we'll
take that box that we drew and press
Delete on the keyboard to get rid of
that and let's click and drag over both
of these objects right here and let's
bring the opacity all the way up and
then click off of actually no don't
click off of it with them both selected
we're gonna come pick a shade of blue to
color this thing in with I'll just
choose this lighter shade over here and
under the fill tab I'll come to the HSL
tab and down to the H row and slide that
to the right a little bit just to make
that a little more blue leave about that
much and then hold shift and click on
the larger box and deselect that so we
just have this piece selected and I'll
make this one a little darker okay maybe
I'll even slide that to the right a
little more
that's pretty good and then we can click
off of that to deselect everything and
the next step we're gonna have to make
this part of white or like a light gray
to make it appear as if it's paper
beneath that flap right there so let's
take this blue shape right here press
ctrl D to duplicate that and we'll come
down here to the color picker we'll make
that a light shade of gray maybe 20%
gray then we'll lower that one step so
it goes beneath the blue shape and we're
gonna get rid of this bottom portion of
the gray box by drawing another box
going over it right here let me just
turn that green and bring the opacity
down so you can see what I'm doing here
and go back to the Select tool hold
shift click on that gray box and go to
path difference and then click off that
deselect so now you see we have that
setup as it is in the next step we're
gonna do I'm gonna put this little long
shadow
element right here so let's turn on the
snap two pads again snap to custom nodes
rather turn that on again press B on the
keyboard to get the bezzie a pen and
we'll snap the cursor onto this corner
down here click and then hold ctrl and
bring this line straight across like
that then click and we can let go of
control and just finish the shape up
going around the outside snap to this
corner click and bring this going inside
the blue of the dark blue shape and
click and then back to the starting
point and we'll turn the snap to custom
nodes off we'll go back to the Select
tool let's click on this blue shape
right here and hit control D to
duplicate that and then hold shift and
click on that shape that we just drew
and go to path intersection then we can
lower that one step so it goes beneath
the darker blue shape shape and then
we're gonna press f7 on the keyboard to
get the dropper and we're just gonna
click and drag in this blue area right
here to make that the same color and
then we'll go to the L the L row and
just slide that to the left a little bit
to make that little darker let's get rid
of that black outline by holding shift
and clicking on the X down here maybe
that like that that's pretty good and
just to give it the effect of a little
bit of a long shadow and then we'll go
back to the Select tool and the next
step I'm going to do is create this
little shadow
fact going underneath this blue flap
right here so let's take this dark blue
shape and hit control D to duplicate
that and let's make this a little darker
shade of grey than what this is and then
just hold ctrl and click and drag this
up a little bit and then lower that one
step so it goes beneath the blue flap
right there and let's click on that
lighter gray box and hit control D on
the keyboard to duplicate that and then
hold shift and click on the darker gray
and go to path intersection so they have
that it's maybe I'll make that a little
lighter that's pretty good and let me
click off that deselect and I'm gonna
put these little I guess these pinholes
right here as you'd see on a calendar so
let's come over to the circle tool
circles and ellipses hold ctrl and shift
and click and drag to create a perfectly
round circle bring the opacity up make
this a little darker that's pretty good
and I'll go to the Select tool I'm gonna
put this about half way through right
here and then I'll duplicate that hit
ctrl D and then hold ctrl and move this
over to the right and then hold shift
and click on the other circle so we have
them both selected and go to path Union
and then we could hold shift and click
on the lighter shade gray and just make
sure it's centered on the vertical axis
and then we can click off of the
deselect everything so the next thing we
have to do is put the number two in here
and this is a bit tricky because we have
to set it up so that it looks like it's
a part of this top flat that's coming
down but uh that's not it's not
impossible so let me show you how we
will do that so let's come over to the
text tool and click on the canvas to get
the cursor blinking and I'm just going
to type in number two I'll go to the
text editor up here and the font I'm
going to use is called Leto if you'd
like to use that font as well I'll have
a link to that in the description click
apply close out of that go back to the
Select tool and let's put this number
two over here and hold ctrl and shift
and scale this thing up maybe about that
much put it out maybe I like that a
little smaller that's pretty good and we
just want to hold shift and click on the
blue shape right there and just make
sure it's centered on the vertical axis
and then click off to deselect
so we're gonna have to break this number
two up into two different pieces the top
part which is up here in the bottom part
which is up here so down here so let's
take this number two and let's duplicate
that we'll hit control D and we'll take
the darker shade blue we'll duplicate
that as well we'll hit control D and
then hold shift and click on the number
two right there and go to path
intersection so we have the top part
right there what we need now is the
bottom part so let's click on this blue
this dark blue shape again hit control D
to duplicate that again and then hold
shift and click on this number two and
instead of doing intersection we're
gonna do path difference so now we have
this number two broken up into two
separate pieces as we need so let's
click off of that to deselect everything
and click on just the lower portion of
the number two we'll make that white and
I'll click on the top part of the number
two and I'll make this a little darker
than white maybe a dark shade of gray
like that and then we can click off and
that's and deselect now what I have to
do is change the perspective of that
number two to make it look like it's
following the perspective of this top
blue shape up here so what we could do
here is let's click on this top portion
in the number two and right click it and
go to copy and then let's grab the
rectangles and squares tool click and
drag to create a rectangle
we'll make this green bring the opacity
down in half and we want to make this
the same width and height at the top
part of this number two is but instead
of typing in the width and height
manually we could just go to the Select
tool and we'll go to edit paste size and
then go to paste size and that'll make
it the same width and height that this
is if you click on it you'll see this is
the width this is the height and you
click on this same width same height so
let's click on this green box and then
hold shift and click on the the top
portion of the number two and make sure
it's centered on the vertical and
horizontal axis and then click off with
the deselect and let's zoom in a little
bit on this so we could get a better
view of what we're doing I'm just gonna
press plus in the keyboard a few times
to zoom in then I'll click on this green
box I'll go to the edit path by nodes
tool and I'm gonna convert that to a
path so I
knows to work with we're gonna Pat
object the path and then I'll click and
drag over these top two nodes and then
hold ctrl and just click and drag these
down to about here and let me zoom out a
little bit I'm gonna press the minus
once twice and then I'll turn the
transformation handles back on and then
hold ctrl and shift and scale this box
out about that much so it's running
about parallel to the edge of this
doesn't have to be precisely exact but
somewhere something close like that that
shouldn't that should work pretty good
in right there
let me turn those transformation handles
off and we'll go to the bezzie a pen by
pressing B on the keyboard turn on the
snap to cusp nodes one more time and
again we want to start at the bottom
lower corner and work clockwise so let's
start at the bottom left and click go to
this corner click over here over here
and back to the starting point then
we'll go back to the Select tool let's
take this green box and delete that
press Delete on the keyboard to get rid
of that and then we'll turn off the snap
to cuff nodes let's click on the top
portion of the number two and then hold
shift and click on the box we just drew
and we'll go to extension modify path
perspective and never be happy it didn't
change much but it changed enough for it
to for it to work and make sense so we
could take this box that we drew press
Delete on the keyboard to get rid of it
press 1 on the keyboard to zoom back out
to a hundred percent and I think that's
it is there anything I'm missing now
that's that's pretty much it that's how
you can create that of a very simple
flat style calendar icon using Inkscape
so if you have any questions let me know
and as always thank you for watching