This tutorial will focus on a new feature in Inkscape version .47 called spiro splines.
This is a simple technique and might be a bit of a stretch to consider as an actual tutorial. At any rate this is a fun tool with a lot of possible uses. Grab a copy of Inkscape if you don’t have one already and let’s get started.
This tutorial will show you how to create a contemporary download button in Inkscape — a popular web design asset. Continue reading “Designing download buttons with Inkscape”
Patterns are an essential resource for web designers. They help dictate the character of a website and when used correctly can help shift the readers attention to desired sections on the page or help set the mood for reading.
The web is awash with resources free or paid pattern resources, but knowing how to create your own can often provide better results than an off the shelf, generic solution. Moreover you needn’t worry about downloading the pattern in the desired format or spending time searching through hundreds of images.
This article is aimed at explaining how to create a background pattern using Inkscape. Given that there’s a current trend on the web to use a repeating pin stripe pattern set at a 45 degree angle for a background image – I will use this as an example for the method. More specifically this tutorial will explain how to convert vector objects in Inkscape into patterns that you can use in your design. I’ll and also provide a work around for a fairly annoying pattern gap bug that affects Inkscape .47 and below.
This article will discuss a simple way of creating a star burst background image that is commonly seen throughout the web and in print media. Actually this effect is really being abused now days, but it definitely can look good when done right. This technique is fairly simple and quick, and you only really need to know how to use the pen (or bezier) tool.
With version 0.46, Inkscape released a new feature called “pattern along path”, which amounts to what you would call brushes in Adobe Illustrator. Although there are a few big differences in using brushes in Inkscape, it’s relatively easy to get the hang. I’ll walk you though how make and use brushes for your drawings.
Most web design companies and professionals do the majority of their work using either Windows or OS X. The primary reason for this, I argue, is that the industry standard tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Fireworks only run (natively) on these platforms. For many professionals using Linux as a primary platform for creating websites just isn’t even considered. Nevertheless, using open-source tools on Linux to design and develop websites is becoming more popular for many different reasons. In this article I’ll take a look at why Linux and it’s open-source programs are gaining steam, as well as address some of the challenges designers face when creating and designing websites with Linux in a professional environment.
Continue reading “Designing professional websites with Linux”
Inkscape is a great program to have in your toolbox as a web designer. It’s similar to Adobe Illustrator, but the user interface and tools are slightly different. It’s also an open source program released under the GPL, and is available for Windows, OS X, and Linux. This program can be used on on its own without the use of photo editing software like Photoshop or Gimp to create professional websites. This tutorial will walk you through some basic techniques for creating websites with Inkscape using this very basic blog design as a guide.