I've created a pattern using a succession different size/colour rectangles I want to lay a ellipse over that then cut out the ellipse so that every thing from the pattern that's inside the ellipse remains and anything outside the ellipse is removed. How would one do this?

Thanks in advance.

Welcome to InkscapeForum!

Hhmmm....if the outcome should be a circle with a pattern fill, then it won't be necessary to cut out the circle. Just draw a circle with the Ellipse tool. Hold Ctrl key while dragging mouse, to make perfect circle. If you haven't already, select the objects that will be the pattern, and do Object menu > Pattern > Objects to Pattern. Next, select the circle, then Object menu > Fill and Stroke > Fill tab > Pattern fill button (blue and white checkered button).

Now, if more of the pattern than you want shows up inside the circle, then you can make the pattern larger, until it looks like it's been cut out. After you apply the pattern to the circle, switch to the Node tool. Now you can see the handles by which you can adjust the pattern. Note that you will also see the handles of the circle, so it might take some careful observation, to discern the pattern handles. That's because the pattern handles might be right on top of the pattern. Although depending on how your document is set up, the handles could be anywhere on the canvas, so that you might have to look around to find them.

The pattern handles are a tiny X, tiny square and tiny circle. By dragging the X with the mouse, you can move the handles closer to the object, to make it easier to see the adjustments, as you make them. Notice how the pattern moves, as you drag the X. The tiny circle adjusts the angle of the pattern, and the tiny square adjusts how large or small the pattern is (or how many repetitions of the pattern fit inside the circle). But sure to hold the Ctrl key when dragging the square, to make sure the pattern stays in proportion....unless you want to distort it. Since it sounds like you want the pattern to appear to be cut out, I'm guessing you might want to make the pattern larger. But it depends on the original size of the pattern, and of the circle.

Let us know how it goes. If this doesn't do exactly what you want, pleast explain why, and we'll try to come up with another way

Thank you very much Byrnn

Object to pattern sort of worked by not perfectly. Firstly the pattern inverted when I applied the fill to ellipse secondly the pattern was altered (streched/shrunk) to fit the ellispe now the pattern handles may have fixed that but I am not sure that's what I want.

Basically I am designing a spray job for a surfboard. The spray pattern I want will fill about half the board. As mentioned I created the pattern using rectangles with stroke/fill. I then created a surfboard shape using the ellispe tool with a stroke and placed it over the pattern in the position I wanted so if I 'cut' around the shape I would have the correct sub pattern if that makes sense?

I've been trying to do it by grouping the rectangle objects then selecting the resultant grouped object, then the ellipse object, then doing path > intersect but to no avail.

Complete nooob when it comes to drawing tools I'm afraid and I don't seem to be able to find a good tutorial to learn the art.

mpd wrote:I've created a pattern using a succession different size/colour rectangles I want to lay a ellipse over that then cut out the ellipse so that every thing from the pattern that's inside the ellipse remains and anything outside the ellipse is removed. How would one do this?

Probably you just want to make sure your ellipse is on top of everything that you want 'inside' it, select everything (including the ellipse), and then do object>clip>set.

Path>intersect only works on two objects at a time. You would have to copy your ellipse and paste it, select it and one rectangle, do the intersect, and repeat this for each rectangle. Alternatively you could path>combine the rectangles into one path(they will all become one color) do the intersect with the ellipse, then path>break apart and re-color the rectangles.

What druban suggests will work, if you only want one copy of the pattern on the surfboard. But you said you wanted to spray the pattern? Do you mean that you're going to spray the paint on the board, making rectangles? Or do you plan to use the Spray tool in Inkscape, to spray one or more copies of the pattern on the Inkscape canvas?

Sticking with my original instructions for the moment, you can use the square handle to drag the pattern back into the proper proportions. But it's hard to be precise that way, if precision is needed.