Inkscape Video Tutorial Double Feature – Faking 3d Text & Wrapping Text Around a Globe

June 15, 2009

Introducing a new segment here at the inkscape tutorials blog: the Inkscape Video Tutorial Double Feature. Screening this week, we have:

3D Text Using Interpolation: An example on how to use the interpolation effect to create a faux 3d (yet impressive none-the-less) text effect:

ep041_thumbview this tutorial


And, Secondly, we have:

Wrap Text Around a Globe:

Another awesome screencast by heathenx:

In this episode I will demonstrate how to wrap text around a three-dimensional globe in Inkscape v.046.

I used a fairly new extension from Gerrit Karius (aka G33K) called Bezier Envelope. If you want to follow along or use the Bezier Envelope for whatever future purpose then be sure to download it here. Thanks Gerrit. :)ep088_thumb

view this tutorial


10 of the Best Inkscape Tutorials

May 31, 2009


With the readership of the inkscape tutorials weblog steadily increasing over the past year, there are many great tutorials deep in the blog archives that newer readers may not have discovered yet. Therefore to celebrate the forthcoming milestone of 1.5 million page views of this site, we have decided to list the top 10 inkscape tutorials that have been featured on the inkscape tutorials blog to date.

top10_1

Text and Simple Styling

An awesome tutorial from Troy Sobotka detailing how to create a colourful outset text effect.

top10_2

Creating a Business Card Template and Basic Business Card with Inkscape

Create a business card template using inkscape, and learn how to populate it with a simple business card design.

top10_3

Shattered, Smashed and Grungy Text in Inkscape

A step by step on creating a smashed and grungy text effect using inkscape..

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Create a Lightbulb Icon that follows the tango! guidelines.

This tutorial provides a detailed how-to on creating a lightbulb icon that uses the tango! icon set guidelines.

top10_5

Create an impressive stick man cartoon character / avatar

A super detailed guide to creating a stick man cartoon character using inkscape.

top10_6

Draw A Realistic Vector Guitar in Inkscape

In this tutorial,  Nick Roberts demonstrates in detail how to illustrate a “Fender Stratocaster” type guitar. The final result is stunning, and the author has detailed the steps superbly with many super useful screen shots.

top10_7

Creating a Coffee Cup using inkscape

Another detailed and impressive tutorial from the vectortuts website. This tutorial demonstrates how to draw a coffee cup using inkscape.

top10_8

How to make RPG map elements with inkscape.

This is a great tutorial on creating RPG map symbols using inkscape. The tutorial outlines a workflow for creating a simple jailhouse RPG element.

top10_9

chrome text effect

From the same author as the “Text and Simple Styling tutorial”, Here is a another that demonstrates how to create chrome text effect using inkscape.

top10_10

sticker with a folded / dog ear edge

here is a cool tutorial for creating a simple sticker / decal with a folded down edge.

Digg this! | reddit


Creating a Business Card Template and Basic Business Card with Inkscape

May 29, 2009

Here is a great tutorial for creating business cards using Inkscape. This tutorial has two main sections.

The first details how to create a printer ready template from a PDF guide using clones and guides. Using clones in this fashion to create a template in inkscape is awesome; once the template is created correctly, the changes that are made to the original populate thoughout the rest of the tempate!

The second section provides a detailed process for creating a basic business card (with a nifty pinstripe background). This portion of the tutorial is a great introduction into basic fill / stroke techniques, pattern fills and text editing and kerning.

view this tutorial

text4

view this tutorial

This tutorial is published by worldlabel.com , a maker of labels. Worldlabel are quite active over at the open clip art library producing the “Clipart of the Week” and have also donated a substantial amount of public domain clipart to the library.


Intoduction to gradient creation and manipulation in inkscape.

May 25, 2009

Here is a great tutorial providing a detailed and easy to comprehend introduction to creating and manipulating gradients using inkscape. It is aimed at the absolute beginner, but even the seasoned inkscape professional may glean a useful tip from this comprehensive tutorial. It also inadvertently provides a great introduction to the most useful dialog in Inkscape: Fill and Stroke.

gradientbutton.png


simple text effect: outline styling.

May 21, 2009

here is another awesome tutorial from Troy Sobotka (author of the chrome text tutorial). This tutorial details how to create the following outlined text effect:

sample

button.png

Create a Lightbulb Icon that follows the tango! guidelines.

February 19, 2009

Here is another great inkscape tutorial from vectortuts, demonstrating how to create a vector lightbulb icon within the tango! icon guidelines.

This tutorial is a great overview on using inkscape for drawing icons.  For an overview on managing your workflow in inkscape while designing icons, see the previously posted tutorial, “creating icons with inkscape – a basic workflow.”

Also, be sure to check out the vectortuts website. Even though there are only a handful of inkscape tutorials posted there, if you have intermediate to advanced inkscape skills, you may be able to apply some of the techniques from the other tutorials hosted there.

Note: This tutorial only demonstrates the process to create the light bulb icon above. The image below is a random subset of images that are in the tango! icon library. To get the tango! icons, including icons in the Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) format, visit the download page on the tango! website.

screenshot


Realistic Guitar Tutorial

February 8, 2009

In this tutorial,  Nick Roberts [ of Everlong Design] demonstrates in detail how to illustrate a “Fender Stratocaster” type guitar.

This tutorial is close to one of the best inkcape tutorials out there.  The final result is stunning, and the author has detailed the steps superbly with many super useful screen shots. The author even details the hex values of all the colours that are used. Be sure to check it out and leave feedback on the tutorial itself. More positive feedback to the tutorials authors means more higher quality inkscape tutorials for all…

guitar


simple “starburst” effect tutorial.

February 6, 2009

This tutorial details how to achieve the simple “starburst” effect using inkscape. The method in this tutorial shows how to do this by manually creating clones and rotating them, which is not the most efficient way to achieve this effect. Check out the Official Inkscape Tutorial, “Tips and Tricks” for how to use Tiled Clones to make this effect quicker and easier to achieve.

finished

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Creating Icons with an on the table perspective.

June 6, 2008

One of my fellow fedora artTeam members, Martin Sourada has created a great tutorial for creating icons with an ‘on the table’ perspective.

This particular tutorial links closely to the echo icon theme that the fedora artTeam are working on at the moment, but contains useful elements that can help with all icon design in inkscape.

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How to Illustrate A Reddish Pink Hibiscus Flower Using Inkscape

April 20, 2008

here is another awesome tutorial from the equally fantastic kalaalog. This tutorial demonstrates how to Illustrate A Reddish Pink Hibiscus Flower in Inkscape. As always, the link to the tutorial is after the jump…


how to draw a Lamborghini Gallardo

April 9, 2008

here is another video made by halley, showing the makeup of this Lamborghini Gallardo that is a public domain artwork in the openclipartlibrary.

this is done using the same python script as halley used on his other video.

the musical backing track is from is a creative commons licensed track from ccmixter and can be downloaded here

Links:

http://openclipart.org/media/files/TheStructorr/2519

http://openclipart.org

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wl6hXurUaI

http://halley.cc/

http://ccmixter.org/files/Tekno_Eddy/14377

http://ccmixter.org/


Drawing a manga character using inkscape.

April 8, 2008

While this video is not a tutorial per se, it provides a great insight into how a more complicated inkscape drawing is constructed. It is basically a step – by – step construction of all the objects in the drawing put into a neat little video. Below is a thumb of the finished product that can be viewed at the artist’s deviantart page.

The video (hosted on youtube) is embedded after the thumb, so you may not be able to view it if you are reading though an feed reader.

Links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNTeoHeGMQY

http://halley.deviantart.com/

http://halley.cc/


creating icons with inkscape – a basic workflow

March 31, 2008
Updated: This tutorial has been updated and enhanced, so be sure to check it out again!
Here is another great tutorial for everyone’s favourite open source vector graphics editor. (that would be inkscape…)
Today’s tutorial outlines a basic workflow for creating, tweaking and exporting icons with inkscape. If you need some more icon tutorials check out the icon category
inkscape-icons-base.png

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Create an impressive stick man cartoon character / avatar

March 20, 2008

Here is another tutorial / in depth guide on creating cartoon characters by one of my favourite inkscape tutorialists, David Shaw. A while back, he published an awesome guide to creating a simple cartoon character in the tutorial Slime to Start.

This time he has created another in-depth guide to character creation with Inkscape, and this time the goal is to create a cute cartoon stick man with a style similar to the Order of the Stick by Rich Burlew. Once again, David goes into immense detail of his entire creative process, and the result is a great introduction to inkscape with an awesome result.

swash25.png
button.png

For those of you interested in cartooning in inkscape, make sure you check out the following screenshot by Inkscape artist / developer, John Bintz (of Moment of Clarity fame.) It outlines the workflow that John goes through tracing, tweaking and inking his cartoons. Note that the screenshot is done before the 0.46 paint bucket tool came out (which i am pretty sure john had a hand in developing) so cartooning in inkscape is even easier.

inkscape-045-comics.jpg


howto illustrate a chinese dragon using inkscape

March 17, 2008

here is another great tutorial from kalaalog, in this one the entire workflow to illustrate a chinese style dragon, from concept sketches to finish product is outlined. This tutorial is in two parts, the link after the break links to part 1, and there is a link at the end of that to part 2 of this tutorial.

dragon.png

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Drawing a compass graphic with inkscape.

March 2, 2008

Here is a neat workflow showing how to create a fairly detailed compass graphic by adding and editing simple shapes. This is a great tutorial for inkscape beginners, as it is well communicated, and intoduces simple inkscape operations like node editing. As always the link to the tut is after the break.

final-product2.png

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How to make RPG map elements with inkscape.

January 29, 2008

Here is yet another awesome tutorial from Nicu a great tutorial for creating RPG map symbols using inkscape. In this “How it was made”, Nicu outlines a workflow for creating a simple jailhouse RPG element. Nicu is a major contributor to the Open Clip Art Library, and he has placed a large collection (50+ drawings) of these RPG map symbols into the public domain. You can also download the whole package from his own clipart gallery. Comments and praise should be left at Nicu’s Blog post for this tutorial.

rpgsymbols.png
button.png
all languages:
en ro.png

draw a snowman with inkscape

January 18, 2008

this is a simple tutorial that shows you how to illustrate a simple snowman using inkscape.

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drawing a simple axe using inkscape.

November 1, 2007

here is a simple yet effective procedure for drawing an axe using inkscape.

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Dragon – Sketch To Vector Art

November 1, 2007

Here is a great little tutorial demonstrating the procedure of manually tracing a sketch in inkscape to create a vector version.

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Quick Shiny Buttons in inkscape – video tutorial

February 15, 2007