Inkscape is a free, open-source vector-based graphics software. It can be used to create designs that can be scaled down or up to fit on mobile phones and billboards alike. In this tutorial, we will learn how to create an owl pendant with clipart.
· Hold down the space bar to drag your view; hold down ctrl to keep objects proportional as you resize them
· Use the Zoom Tool, ctrl + scroll wheel, or (+) and (-) to zoom
· Hover over tool icons to see short descriptions of what they can do; double click to edit the tool’s properties
· Select an object to resize it; select it a second time to distort or rotate it
· Use View > Page Grid or (#) to view a grid that can help with precise measurements
· Save your work often!
· Hold down Shift to keep shapes proportional
After opening Inkscape, it’s a good idea to update your document properties. Go to File > Document Properties and change the settings to suit your project needs. For this project, we will change the Display Units and Units to inches and change both the height and width of the document to 12”. Any changes you make here will automatically update your document.
Once you have your document set to go, import the clipart file. You can find clipart by doing basic searches on Google -- it’s usually easiest to import simple black-and-white images for this type of project. Remember to respect copyright laws!
Import the image by going to File > Import or simply dragging and dropping the file onto your blank document. Once you’ve opened the file, you will likely need to change it into a vector image to edit it in Inkscape. This changes the pixels in a raster image (.jpg, .bmp, .tif, .gif, and .png) into a series of shapes and lines that can easily scale up or down without distorting. To convert the image, use the Select tool on the left toolbar to click on it and then go to Path > Trace Bitmap.
Click Update to see a live preview of the trace. Click Apply to create a copy of the image that is now line based instead of pixel based. Adjust settings to change scan settings.
When you click Apply, a trace will appear directly on top of the clipart, making it appear as if nothing has changed. You can close out of the Trace Bitmap options box. When you click and drag the image, you should see two very similar images. To see which one is the original clipart, zoom in and check on the pixilation. The original will look quite blurry -- delete it and keep the vector image.
With the new vector image selected, go to Path > Break Apart. The image will turn all black; don’t be alarmed! You should still see the outlines of the eyes, nose, and face. Now click on the blank document so nothing is selected, and then select just the outer-most layer of the owl. With that single layer selected (you should no longer see outline boxes for the face), go to Path > Linked Offset. You should see a tiny diamond handle at the top of the shape. Drag that up to make an outline for the whole shape -- drag far enough that the white swoop along the bottom disappears.
Now that you have an outline, click on the blank document to deselect everything. Then click on the very edge of the figure in order to select the outline layer you’ve just created and drag it away from the rest of the design. Drag a box around the original design to select all of its pieces and go to Path > Combine to get back to the way it originally looked. Now your document should look like this:
Use the Select tool to click on the outline you’ve created and update the Fill and Stroke settings on the right toolbar (go to Object > Fill and Stroke to view). Choose the following settings on the three tabs:
Fill: Nothing (box with X) -- Stroke paint: Flat color, black -- Stroke style: 0.001 mm
This will tell the laser to cut the outline instead of etching it. If you can’t see the outline, change the stroke style to 0.1 mm just for the purpose of viewing it, but remember to change it back to 0.001 mm before sending it to the laser!
Now add a circle extension to the top of the outline. Use the Circle tool -- hold the ctrl key while dragging to make a perfect circle. Move it to the top of the outline so it’s overlapping the top line just a bit. Hold down shift and select the outline so both the circle and the outline are selected. Using the Align menu on the right toolbar (go to Object > Align and Distribute to view), align the two to be horizontally centered (center on vertical axis) relative to last selected (this will move the circle relative to the outline).
Keeping both selected, go to Path > Union. This will make for one singular outline with no cut lines where the circle meets the outline. Now create another circle and place it within the circle extension to make a hole for hanging the pendant. Just like the other circle, use the Align menu to horizontally center it to the outline. Next, with the outline and hole both selected, right click and choose Group to group these together as one piece.
Finally, use the Align menu on the right toolbar one more time to center the outline over the original clipart horizontally. Use the up and down arrows on your keyboard to place the outline in the correct vertical position (you can’t use the vertical align option because of the circle extension). Make sure the stroke style for the outline / hole is set to 0.001 mm. Select the outline and original design together and right click to choose Group again. This will bring the whole design together, and you’re good to go! You can now use this design to cut and engrave a pendant with a laser. Use the top menu to resize as you like, but remember to make sure the hole remains large enough for a chain or jump ring to pass through it.
Inkscape is a free, open source vector-based graphics software. It can be used to create designs that can be scaled down or up to fit on mobile phones and billboards alike. In this tutorial, we will learn how to create a sunrise/sunset design for a laser cutter.
· Hold down the space bar to drag your view; hold down ctrl to keep objects proportional as you resize them
· Use the Zoom Tool, ctrl + scroll wheel, or (+) and (-) to zoom
· Hover over tool icons to see short descriptions of what they can do; double click to edit the tool’s properties
· Select an object to resize it; select it a second time to distort or rotate it
· Use View > Page Grid or (#) to view a grid that can help with precise measurements
· Save your work often!
· Hold down Shift to keep shapes proportional
After opening Inkscape, it’s a good idea to update your document properties. Go to File > Document Properties and change the settings to suit your project needs. For this project, we will change the Display Units and Units to inches and change both the height and width of the document to 12”. Any changes you make here will automatically update on your document.
After updating the document properties, we’ll add and modify shapes to create our sunset cutout. First, add a square using the Rectangle tool on the left toolbar. To make a perfect square, hold down the ctrl key while dragging out the shape. After creating your square, you’ll notice handles at three of the corners. Use the square handles to resize your shape, holding down the ctrl key to keep the sides proportional. Drag the circle handles to round the corners (once you drag the first one down, you’ll see the second one hiding underneath it - move that one left or right).
Use the Select tool to click on the square once. The arrows along the sides and corners can be dragged to resize the square. Click on the square again and notice how those arrows change -- now you can distort the shape (side arrows) or rotate it (corner arrows). We won’t need to do either for this project. To resize the square to exact measurements, use the top toolbar. Click on the lock icon to keep the sides proportional and type 5.0 into the width field to make a 5” square.
Next, choose the Circle tool on the left toolbar. Hold down ctrl while dragging out the shape to make a perfect circle. With the Circle tool still selected, drag the circular handle on the right along the bottom of the circle until you have just a half-circle. In the top toolbar, sure the segment option is selected, and the end of your segment is at 180 for a perfect half-circle. Flip the half-circle vertically by selecting Object > Flip Vertical along the top menu. Using the Select tool, click on the half-circle. On the top toolbar, resize the circle to have a 4.7” width (make sure the lock icon is on to keep the circle proportional).
After making a half-circle, make a star using the Polygon/Star tool. On the top toolbar, select the Star tool and change the options to the following: Corners: 20, Spoke ratio: 0.400, Rounded: 0,000, Randomized: 0.000.
Now use the Select tool to click on the star and change the dimensions to 4” x 4”:
Drag the star so half of it is inside of your half-circle. Holding down shift, select the half-circle so both shapes are selected. Now we’ll use the Align menu on the right toolbar (if you don’t see it, go to Object > Align and Distribute). Use the dropdown to choose "Relative to: Last selected," and then click on the icon that says "Center on vertical axis," which will align your star horizontally to the half-circle.
Using the Select tool, click on the blank background to deselect everything. Next, click twice on the star to get the distort and rotate arrows on the sides and corners. Use one of the corner arrows to rotate the star until two opposing points align with or end just below the bottom edge of the half-circle. Move the star up or down a notch if necessary to make this happen.
To make a sunset shape, select the star and then the half-circle at the same time again. Use the top menu to select Path > Difference. Each of these Path operations do different things and are extremely useful when creating vector graphics - for more information on what they can do, see Inkscape Path operations explained - Part 1. The Difference operation essentially acts as a cookie cutter, cutting one shape out of another.
Next, align the sunset shape to the square. With the sunset shape still selected, hold down shift and select the square so both shapes are selected, and then use the Align menu to align the sunset to the horizontal center and vertical top of the square. After this is complete, click anywhere on the blank part of the document to deselect everything, and then select just the sunset shape again. Use the down arrow key on the keyboard to move the shape down just a bit so it’s not exactly flush with the top of the square.
Next, we’ll add some text to the bottom half of the square. You can add someone’s name, a date, or anything else you’d like. Select the Text tool from the left toolbar and drag a box where you’d like to place the text. Change your text settings on the top toolbar -- here you can change the font, size, and alignment of the text.
After adding your text, use the Align menu on the right toolbar to horizontally align the text to the center of the square.
After getting your text in place, it’s important to convert the text into vector shapes. Tip: Proofread before you convert; you won’t be able to change it back to text for editing afterward! If you don’t convert the text, other software products (like those used for lasers or die-cutters) may not recognize it. Select your text and choose Path > Object to Path from the top menu. To check that your text has been converted, go to Object > Ungroup -- this should allow you to click on individual letters as shapes instead of clicking on the whole word or phrase.
To get the design ready for the laser, use the Fill and Stroke menu on the right toolbar (go to Object > Fill and Stroke to view). Select the stroke style tab and set the stroke for the sunset shape and the square to be 0.001" -- this will instruct the laser to cut those lines instead of etching them.
If your design looks the way you want it to look, drag a box around it to select everything and go to Object > Group. This will ensure the elements all move together as one piece. You’re all set to send your design to the laser!
1. Experiment with the nodes in the sunset shape. Before grouping the design, select the sunset and use the Nodes tool on the left toolbar. This will allow you to drag around individual points on a shape to change it. The top menu will allow you to add or delete nodes, join or break the path at selected nodes, or change the curves / lines around nodes. Use this tool to make your design exactly the way you want it!
2. Change the fill options in the Fill and Stroke menu. With the fill options, you can tell the laser to etch some beautiful gradient effects. If you do this, make sure you don’t have a stroke line -- remember that a stroke line of 0.001” will tell the laser to cut the shape out, which would defeat the purpose of etching it.
