How to Create Custom Fountain Fills in CorelDRAW

This guide provides a step-by-step walkthrough on creating, modifying, and saving custom fountain fill gradients in CorelDRAW. You will learn how to apply multiple color stops, select different gradient styles, adjust smooth color transitions on your canvas, and save your custom presets to streamline your vector illustration workflow.

Step 1: Select Your Object and Choose a Tool

Select the vector object you want to fill using the Pick Tool. To access fountain fills, you have two primary methods:

  • Interactive Fill Tool (Shortcut: G): Best for visual, on-screen adjustments directly over your artwork.
  • Edit Fill Dialog (Shortcut: F11): Best for precise numerical input and advanced settings.

Click the Fountain Fill icon on the Property Bar at the top of the screen (or inside the Object Properties docker).

Step 2: Choose a Fountain Fill Type

CorelDRAW offers four fountain fill geometries. Select the one that fits your design:

  • Linear: Transitions colors along a straight line.
  • Elliptical: Radiates colors outward in concentric circles or ovals.
  • Conical: Wraps colors in a 360-degree sweep around a central point, resembling a cone seen from above.
  • Rectangular: Transitions colors outward in concentric rectangles.

Step 3: Add and Customize Color Nodes

By default, CorelDRAW applies a two-color transition. You can add multiple colors to create complex gradients:

  1. Add a Color Node: Double-click anywhere along the gradient line that connects the start and end nodes. A new color square (node) will appear.
  2. Change Colors: Click any node to select it, then choose a color from the pop-up color swatch or eye-dropper tool. You can also drag a swatch directly from your document palette and drop it onto the gradient line.
  3. Adjust Color Positions: Click and drag any color node along the slider to change where the color transition begins and ends.
  4. Remove a Color Node: Double-click an existing node to delete it.

Step 4: Fine-Tune the Blend and Angle

  • Midpoint Slider: Between any two color nodes, you will see a small slider bar. Drag this marker left or right to control how quickly one color blends into the next.
  • Angle and Spread: Using the Interactive Fill Tool, click and drag the outer control handles on your object to rotate the gradient, change its length, or shift the origin point. Alternatively, enter exact degree values in the Angle box on the Property Bar.
  • Smooth Blend: In the Fountain Fill dialog, toggle the Smooth button to prevent banding and ensure seamless color transitions across large objects.

Step 5: Save Your Custom Gradient

Once you are satisfied with the gradient, save it for future projects:

  1. Open the Edit Fill dialog (F11).
  2. Click the Save as New button (the small disk icon next to the fill preview).
  3. Enter a name and add optional tags for easy searching.
  4. Click OK. The custom fountain fill is now stored in your Personal Asset library and can be applied to any object in future documents.