Greetings from #rdcHQ! Today we synced up on the SVG Track and covered a few Inkscape basics that are frequently used in the type of art that we are working on for the Title 24 project. We started with a very basic icon set for example purposes.

Creating A Template

The tutorial below illustrates the import of the original graphic (a .JPG in this instance) for use as a template in Inkscape:

TIP: Click on the four arrow icon in the bottom right-hand corner to view the tutorials in full screen mode.

Once the graphic has been imported, it must be moved and locked to a layer, as demonstrated above. Then the fun begins. The template can now be used as a visual reference as the illustration is composed on another layer above it.

Strokes and Compound Paths

A key element that comprises nearly all of the illustrations in the collection we are working with is the use of consistent line weights. When building production-ready vector files, it is important to create clean artwork that will scale reliably and not produce unexpected problems when it is imported or remixed in other programs. We covered two important techniques to achieve that end. The first is the “Stroke to Path” function in Inkscape (also referred to as “Outline Paths”). This is usually a final step in the production process after a graphic has been completed and is ready to be published as the line weights may need adjusting while the graphic is still in production.

TIP: Many artists save the stroke and outline version of an illustration to be prepared for revisions.

Another nifty feature is the Union tool which can merge several shapes into one compound path. This is an indispensable feature used frequently in the production of vector art graphics.

Voilà

The resulting SVG graphic from our tutorials is below!

It can also be found in our repository.