Colours in patterns

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rinbad
Posts: 31
Joined: Sat Apr 19, 2014 6:48 pm

Colours in patterns

Postby rinbad » Mon Jan 30, 2017 8:58 pm

Inkscape's patterns include "Ermine", and this is the heraldic symbol for ermine in black on a white ground. It is easy to change the colour of the black spots, but is there any way to change the colour of the white background? (I've also created an ermine fill of my own and added it to Patterns, but exactly the same problem applies, as it seems to with the built-in fills as well.)

There are three heraldic variants on the basic black-on-white that I'd like to be able to get: white-on-black, black-on yellow, and yellow-on-black. But all of these depend on being able to change the background. Is it possible, or with two-colour patterns does the background always have to be white? (It is white, not transparent, because if I start with a shield with, say, a blue fill and change the fill to ermine, I duly get the black on white, not black on the blue.)

tylerdurden
Posts: 2344
Joined: Sun Apr 14, 2013 12:04 pm
Location: Michigan, USA

Re: Colours in patterns

Postby tylerdurden » Mon Jan 30, 2017 10:42 pm

The pattern does seem to have a transparent background. When you change the original fill, you are substituting the pattern for the blue, not putting the pattern over.

To put the pattern over the blue, I'd duplicate the area e.g. the blue area, and then fill that duplicate with the ermine pattern... then you will see the blue (or whatever color) behind it.
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Moini
Posts: 3381
Joined: Mon Oct 05, 2015 10:44 am

Re: Colours in patterns

Postby Moini » Tue Jan 31, 2017 11:08 am

Additional:
You can create patterns with background colors by grouping the foreground with the background, and only then converting this to a pattern. Use a rectangle in the desired background color. You may then get issues with gaps between the tiles, though, so putting the pattern over a colored object, as tylerdurden suggested, is a good way to proceed.
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rinbad
Posts: 31
Joined: Sat Apr 19, 2014 6:48 pm

Re: Colours in patterns

Postby rinbad » Wed Feb 01, 2017 7:23 pm

Grateful thanks to both of you. Putting the pattern over the coloured object is doing just what I wanted. I must now have a go at creating a pattern with grouped foreground and background, though it sounds from what you say about the gaps between tiles as though I'll probably stick to pattern over colour.


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