Create a basic curveįor this ribbon we'll need a bezier curve to start, as shown in figure 1.

I'll assume you have Inkscape installed and open.īy the way, the screenshots will have lost a little quality to keep the size down so, apologies if it looks a little blurred (where it's not supposed to be). In this instance I'll start with a new file anyway. Inkscape uses the open standard Scalable Vector Graphic format (svg), but it will import popular vector formats like Adobe Illustrator and wmf. Do that with a vector graphic and you'll find the linework is as smooth as the smaller version. If you enlarge a small photo or bitmap image you get pixelisation and 'jaggies'. These won't be photos or other such graphic work, but more usually they are found in logos, clipart and other places where the image may be scaled up or down. That means that it creates graphics which can be scaled without adverse effect on quality. Figure 1: The basic Inkscape interfaceįor the benefit of the complete beginner: Inkscape is a vector drawing program. I've picked out a few buttons that I'll be referring to through this tutorial. Figure 1 shows a typical layout of Inkscape interface. Besides murphy's law would suggest that it is always prudent to regularly save your work anyway. It does have some quirks to iron out but it's a while since I last had crash on me. Don't let the apparently low version number put you off, Inkscape is pretty stable. Tools of the tradeīefore I start, you should know that for this tutorial I will be using Inkscape 0.46 on Debian Sid. In this tutorial I'll look at creating a simple ribbon effect which will hopefully introduce some of the key Inkscape features along the way.

However, for the inexperienced it can be a bit hard to find out how to get those results. With minimal effort you can achieve some excellent results. Inkscape is one of the most popular free software vector drawing applications.

Inkscape gradient bending