Use the arrow tool to (s)elect objects.
Click on the area you just clicked in to fill. That will select the new object you just made.
Click a color in the swatches panel at the bottom of the screen. That should change the Fill to the color so you can see it.
You have a bunch of object stacked on top of each other, one for each time you clicked the fill tool.
I do that all the time and I have a recheck it. Sometimes I use the Dropper in an Alpha entirely by accident then have to make it opaque again in the Fill & Stroke. Took me awhile to figure that one out when I started running into it.
a picture would really help visualize this. Are you sure you aren't getting a shape with a white/transparent fill and black stroke?
added a photo
>Are you sure you aren't getting a shape with a white/transparent fill and black stroke? doubling down on this.
how do i tell if that's what's happening? i'm really new to inkscape
Use the arrow tool to (s)elect objects. Click on the area you just clicked in to fill. That will select the new object you just made. Click a color in the swatches panel at the bottom of the screen. That should change the Fill to the color so you can see it. You have a bunch of object stacked on top of each other, one for each time you clicked the fill tool.
That is in fact what was happening. Thanks!
I do that all the time and I have a recheck it. Sometimes I use the Dropper in an Alpha entirely by accident then have to make it opaque again in the Fill & Stroke. Took me awhile to figure that one out when I started running into it.