Travis

Welcome to the very last lesson in our Inkscape class. Time flies, doesn't it? We're doing another demonstration. This time we're creating an elk mini-clock for a desk. The project takes a standard 1 7/16" mini-clock insert you can find online or at some craft stores. This video runs a little long, but you'll see the entire process of putting together this project. There is too much information to cover in written instructions, so I've provided a general overview instead. You probably won't understand the written instruction without seeing the video first. Making Clock Template The clock insert we're using requires a 1 3/8" hole to be cut. Most will use a Forstner bit and drill the hole. So let's make a clock holder. First I draw a 1.375" circle. Then I add crosshairs to mark the center of the hole by taking a vertical line, duplicating it, and rotating it to horizontal. I center everything and group it. I want a 1/4" border, so I'll draw a 1/4" box to act as a measuring device. I stack the center hole with the measuring box. Then ungroup the center hole, duplicate the center, then use dynamic offset and enlarge it to the top of the measuring box. Delete the measuring box, select the outer circle and inner circle and use Difference to make a donut. Group this new shape with your crosshairs and set aside. Making Frame We'll create an oval frame to contain our scene for the clock. First, I make the main oval and size it to the size I want. Then create a measuring square at 1/2" square. Select your oval and square, center horizontally, and push the square to the top of the selection. Duplicate the oval and use dynamic offset and scale it to the bottom of your measuring square. Delete the measuring square, select the inner oval and outer oval and use Difference to create your basic frame shape. Now we need to make some feet. Draw a square about the size you need, then turn it into a path. Using node editing, give the legs a nice gentle curve. When you reach a shape you're happy with, duplicate the shape and flip it. Place each leg into the approximate place. Then center vertically, group them, then select both the feet group and the oval frame and center them horizontally. Ungroup everything, then use Union to make it one shape. Now to make sure everything sits on the same plane, draw a large square that overlaps your new shape. Select both shapes and choose Difference. This will flatten out the bottom of the feet and flatten the bottom of your oval frame. Making The Base Draw a square a little longer than the width of your frame. I usually like 1/2" or 3/4" on each side of the frame. Then I choose a height wider than the stock I'm using. So if I'm using 3/4" stock, I might make the height 1.5" or 2". Once you have the dimensions figured out, round the corners of the rectangle to soften up the base. Tracing Our Subject Find a picture you'd like to use in your clock. I chose to use an elk. You can find the elk here if you want to follow along. Import the picture into Inkscape to begin tracing. I use a square that I turned into a path as my starting point. Then it's just a matter of placing the nodes and adjusting the Bezier handles to match the picture. You may need to create multiple shapes and use Difference to punch a hole into the silhouette. You can also use the Bezier tool in the Tool Box to add some veining. Once done, group your elk and delete your source photo. Arranging Our Elements Now you can take your traces subject and place it where you want it within the frame. You can also place your clock template within the frame too. Once you get everything placed, it's a good idea to duplicate everything and set it aside. Someday, you may want to use your tracing again. This way you can have that element separate from the pattern you're creating. When you're happy with the placement, it is time to start to Union the pieces together. You'll have to ungroup any groups before using Union. If you run into further trouble, breaking apart elements will sometimes help. Finishing Touches When you're finished, you can start labeling your pieces and signing your work. Add any instructions if required. Print out your design or upload a copy to the Pattern Library. The pattern that was demonstrated in this lesson is posted below. I hope you guys enjoyed this class and learned a thing or two. Inkscape isn't a hard program to learn, it just takes a little practice (just like anything else). The possibilities are endless with this program and you can come up with unique designs that nobody else has. I hope you choose to share your talent with the rest of us. Scrollers are very appreciative of pattern designers. Plus, it's a huge thrill when you see someone cut one of your patterns. I can't wait to see what y'all will come up with. Happy designing!

Welcome to Lesson 7. This time, we're actually putting together what we've learned up to this point to design a scroll saw pattern. We will be designing a simple trinket box. Since the lid will have some nice fretwork, you can also use this box to hold potpourri. This video demonstrates the entire process. We move fairly fast and don't spend much time teaching you how to use the tools. But everything that I have done in the video (with the exception of the Dynamic Offset tool) has already been covered in previous lessons. There is too much information to cover in written instructions, so I've provided a general overview instead. You probably won't understand the written instruction without seeing the video first. Create Lid and Base The box lid and base will be made of 1/4" material. First, we have to come up with a general shape for our box. First, I create a perfect circle. I duplicate that circle, center the two circles vertically and stack them on top of each other. I group the circles and duplicate them, then rotate them 90 degrees. I group both of these groups, duplicate, then rotate 45 degrees. Now we have a nice shape for our trinket box. I ungroup all of the groups, then union each of the pieces until we have a single shape. Then using the scaling tools, I lock the aspect ratio and make the box 5.4" tall so it will fit nicely on a 1x6" stock. Duplicate this object so we have two copies (1 lid, 1 base). Create Box Walls The box walls will be made of 2 or 3 pieces of 1/2" or 3/4" stock, stacked and glued. The box walls will be inset from the base and lid a bit for a nice shadow line. I duplicate the lid and scale it down to 4.9". I draw a small square and scale it to 1/4". We will use this as a measuring tool. I center the walls and the square vertically, then align it to the top. This will give us a visual indication of what 1/4" measurement. We now need to make the inner walls. I then duplicate the wall again, then use a new tool. Choose Path>Dynamic Offset. Grab the diamond-shaped node and drag it down to the bottom of your 1/4" measuring square. It doesn't have to be exact, just get close. Set the square aside to use later. Duplicate the inner wall and set that aside, we'll use that for the Lid Insert. Select the outer wall and the inner wall and choose Difference. Create Lid Insert The Lid Insert will fit snuggly inside the box walls. This will be made of 1/4" or 1/8" stock. We'll glue this to the lid so it positions the lid precisely. Since we want to add piercing cuts to the lid, we must make this lid insert into a ring so the fretwork shows through. Repeat the same process as we created the Box Walls. Put the measuring square in place, duplicate the insert, then dynamic offset it until it reaches the bottom of the measuring square. Duplicate and set the inner ring wall to the side for reference for when we add the fretwork. Then select the inner and outer ring and choose Difference. Create Fretwork for Lid Now it's time to add a bit of fretwork to the lid. But first, we need to know where the safe areas are to place the fretwork. We don't want the Lid Insert or the Box Walls to show through the fretwork. Choose the Lid Insert the inner wall and center that in the lid. The Lid Insert inner wall will now be our boundary. For the fretwork, I decided to use a DingBat font. Find a design that you like. You can find the Dingbat font that I used from DaFont.com. Find the pattern you want, and begin placing the pattern within your boundary. Once everything is in place, remove your boundary reference. Then choose your fretwork patterns and choose Difference. Finishing Touches Now that we're done, go through and label all of your pieces and add any necessary instructions. Be sure to sign and date your work so that scrollers can give credit where credit is due. Upload a copy to the Pattern Library to share your pattern with the world! It's a huge thrill when you see your pattern cut by another scroller. The pattern that was designed in the video demonstration is below.

Welcome to Lesson 6 of our Inkscape class. This time we're working with text. Working with text is relatively easy and I'll show you the basics. We won't get into the advanced topics of working with text in this class. But you'll certainly be armed enough to tackle some of your basic word art. There will be many times when you work with text. You may want to create some word art or write instructions on your pattern. At the very least, you should be signing your patterns with your name and date so other scrollers can give you credit for the design. Inkscape doesn't have many options regarding text, however. It's a little disappointing because text is a major part of graphic arts. I'd imagine in future updates, you'll have many more options. Regardless, we're still able to do a lot with text in our patterns. Text Text is easy to add to any document. Simply click the Text Tool from the Tool Bar and click on your document. A cursor will show up, and you can begin typing. When you are done, select another tool, and your text will now become an object. You can edit your text the same way as with any other object. You can scale, rotate and skew. Later, you can change the words in your text by simply clicking the Text Tool and clicking your text. A cursor will show up, and you can edit your text accordingly. Text Box Another option for adding text is by creating a Text Box. Simply choose your Text Tool from the Tool Bar, then click and drag a box. This box becomes a container for your text. Try adding several sentences to your Text Box. You'll notice when you get to the edge of the Text Box, your words will wrap around onto a new line. If the sentences go beyond the bottom of the Text Box, the overflowing words will be hidden. Now try resizing your text box by dragging the small diamond in the lower right corner of the Text Box. You'll notice as you change the size of the box, the word-wrap changes. This is a handy tool when creating brochures or any document that requires columns. It is much easier to size the text box to the size you need, rather than formatting the text by hand. You can also use this option if you have assembly instructions for your patterns. Font Properties When you have your Text Tool selected, you'll notice a bunch of Font Properties that appear in the Options Bar. This works much the same as a word processor. Simply select your text and choose your options. You can choose your font from the pulldown menu, change your size, change justification (left, center, right, or justified), as well as bold and italics. You'll also notice you can make the text vertical or horizontal. One quirk I've noticed with Inkscape is that the Font Selection pulldown doesn't always work. More often than not, I have to use the Font Properties popup window. You can find this at the top of your screen in the Tool Bar. The icon looks like the letter 'T.' Clicking this will pop up a window with the exact same options you had in the Options Bar. Make your selection, then click Apply, then close the window. Kerning Every once in a while, certain letter pairs look a bit odd when placed next to each other. There appears to be much more white space than is needed, despite the fact they are properly spaced. Letter pairs such as TA or VA. You can reduce the amount of space between letter pairs by Kerning. Simply place your cursor between a letter pair, hold down your Alt key and use your left or right arrow key. You'll notice the letters begin to nudge closer or further away depending on which arrow key you press. You can also raise (superscript) or lower (subscript) your letters by pressing the arrow key up or down. Kerning gives you creative control over your text without altering the text functions. Text To Path When creating word art, sometimes you want to have complete control over the letters. Unfortunately, the text tool is rather limited. However, you can take the text you created and turn it into a path. When this happens, you no longer have text that you can change, but rather a shape. But this also affords the luxury of editing the nodes and moving individual elements wherever you want them. To turn text into a path, simply select your text with your Selector Tool. Then go to Path>Object To Path. Now you have full control over the nodes and you can edit your new shape any way you want. There may be times when you want each individual letter to be separate. To do that, go to Path>Break Apart. This will break apart your object into individual objects. You may notice that some closed letters such as 'a' 'o' 'e' 'd' etc, lose the hole in the center. This didn't really disappear. Remember that Break Apart breaks a complex shape into multiple simple shapes. So the hole in the center is also a shape. To bring those back to what they were before, simply select the letter and the hole and go to Path>Combine. This will combine the two objects into one object. The smaller object will become the hole for the larger object. So now your closed letters are back to their former glory. Now that your word is broken into individual letters, you can now manipulate them any way you want. Text On Path This is a fun option you may want to play with. You can make text flow along a path. Using your Bezier Tool in your Tool Box, create a straight line. Then turn that straight line into an 'S' curve with your Node Editing Tool. Select your text (it has to be editable text, not a path like we created in the previous section), then select your path. Choose Text>Put On Path. You'll notice the text now follows the line you just created. If you edit the line, the text will follow suit. If you wish to hide your path, simply choose the path and remove the stroke and fill colors. The path is still there, you just can't see it. If you need to select your path again, use your Tab key to select objects until you find your path. One note. When creating a path for your text to follow, it will always place the beginning of the text at the first node of the path. So if you created a path that started on the right side of the screen and ended at the left side of the screen, when you place your text on the path your text will be upside down. To fine-tune the location of your text on the path, use a combination of spaces and Kerning. Assignment Play around with the text tool. Create some text, turn it into a path, break it apart, combine any closed letters, and start manipulating individual letters to create some word art.

Welcome to Lesson 5 as we learn to use Inkscape to make scroll saw patterns. This time, we'll be talking about nodes and how to edit them. This could be the most important lesson in the series. We'll really start to see the power of vector graphics to create scroll saw patterns. If you can get a good feel for node editing, there's no stopping you! What Are Nodes? If you remember back to the very first lesson, we discussed the difference between vector graphics and bitmap/raster graphics. I basically said that vector graphics are a mathematical representation of an image. This is where nodes come in. An easy way to think of a vector graphic is to think of it as if it was a dot-to-dot puzzle we did as kids. To get to the hidden image in a dot-to-dot puzzle, we'd connect the dots with straight lines in a certain order. In a vector graphic, nodes are those dots. There is a mathematical formula between those two dots that will tell the program where the lines are positioned and whether that line is curved or straight. Object To Path When working with shapes with special edit options (square, circle, star, text, etc), you'll have to turn these shapes into a path. This will strip away your special editing options (such as rounding corners, or editing text), but will allow you the freedom to edit the nodes instead. To do this, select your Node Editing tool in the Tool Bar and select your shape. You can click the Convert Selected Object To Path button in the Options Bar and that will convert your shape into a path. You can also convert the object to a path by choosing Path>Object To Path from the menu or by using the keyboard shortcut Shift+Ctrl+C. Now you're ready to edit nodes. Another option that you may want on occasion is to turn the outline or line into a shape you can edit. To do this, you can choose the button Convert Selected Object's Stroke To Path from the Options Bar. This will change the stroke (outline) into an editable shape. You can also choose Path>Stroke To Path from the menu or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+C. Selecting Nodes When you have your object selected with your Node Editing tool, you'll see small diamond shapes at the intersections. These are the nodes. You can select a node by clicking it, and the node will become bold. You can select as many nodes as you want. You can hold down the Shift key and select another node to add to your selection. You can also use your marquee to select multiple nodes. The line between two nodes is called a Segment. By clicking the segment, the two nodes attached to the segment will automatically be selected. Moving Nodes You can move your selected nodes by dragging the node into the proper place. You can also use the arrow keys to nudge them with a bit more control. If you wish to constrain the movement to the X or Y axis, hold down your Ctrl key while dragging the nodes. Nodes do not have to be next to each other to select and move You can select outside nodes, leaving the nodes in the middle selected. When you move those nodes, the center nodes will remain, but the selected nodes will move to where you want them. Adding & Subtracting Nodes You can add additional nodes to any segment by simply double-clicking on the segment. If you want to add a node exactly in the center a segment, select the nodes that make up the segment. Then click the Insert New Nodes In The Selected Segments button (looks like a plus sign above a square) from the Options Bar. This will place a node exactly in the center of the chosen segments. You can do this as often as you'd like, and nodes will continue to be added to the center of the selected segments. Removing nodes are about as easy as can be. Select the nodes you wish to remove and hit the Delete key or the Backspace key. You can also click the Delete Selected Nodes button from the Options Bar (looks like a minus above a square). Creating A Curve Having straight lines between nodes is fine when roughing in the general shape. But you'll soon want to finesse those lines to make them a bit more graceful and flow. You'll be needing to make these straight lines into curved lines. Creating a curve between nodes is simple. Click and drag a segment and you'll notice that the segment begins to curve. You'll also notice two blue lines with circles at the end appear at each of the nodes on either side of the curved segment. These are called Bezier Handles. (If you don't see the Bezier Handles, click the Show Bezier Handles On Selected Nodes button from the Options Bar.) These handles are what control the depth and sharpness of the curve. By clicking and dragging the circle on the Bezier Handle, you can control how the curve behaves on that node. It will take a little playing to get used to using the Bezier controls to get the curve you want. But once you get a feel for it, you'll be able to get the curve to do exactly what you want it to do. Often, I'll drag the segment out to make a curve and try to get the curve to match as close as possible. I'll then use the Bezier Handles to fine tune the curve to get it exactly where I want it. Types Curved Nodes When working with curves, you'll be wanting to accomplish different effects. You may want two curves to come together at a point. Other times, you want to be sure that the incoming curve and outgoing curve on a node are smooth. And other times, you'll want the curves to be symmetrical. You can control how a node behaves by clicking one of the node behavior buttons in the Options Bar. Make Selected Nodes Corner - This option is intended to allow you to create a sharp corner. While this is absolutely true, the reality is that this option removes all restrictions on that node. You have full control over the Bezier Handles. So you can have each Bezier Handle come in at different angles to create a sharp corner, or you can keep them parallel and have the curve smooth out. This option has the most freedom. However, if you want to ensure a smooth transition, one of your other options is better suited. Make Selected Nodes Smooth - This option smooths out the transition between the incoming segment and the outgoing segment. You'll notice that when you move one Bezier Handle, the other Bezier Handle is parallel and moves with it. This eliminates a nub where the two segments meet. You'll also notice that the length of the Bezier Handles is independent of each other. One handle can be longer than the other, which allows the depth of the curve to be different from one segment to the adjoining segment. Make Selected Nodes Symmetric - This option works much the same way as the previous option. However, this time, the length of the Bezier Handles is the same on both sides of the node. This will create a symmetrical incoming and outgoing curve. Adding And Removing Segments There are times when an open shape (line drawing) needs to become a closed shape or a closed shape needs to open up to a open shape. We can do that with our segment tools from the Options Bar. Break Path At Selected Nodes - This tool will split the path (outline) so that you can separate the paths. It will create two nodes out of one. These nodes will become the beginning/end nodes. You'll notice when you move the nodes apart, there isn't a line connecting these two nodes. Basically, you have an open shape (line drawing). Split Path Between Two Non-Endpoint Nodes - This is similar to the previous tool. But instead of creating a new node, it will remove the segment between the two nodes. Again, you're left with an open shape (line drawing). Join Selected Endnodes with A New Segment - This will add a new segment between two end nodes. If you have an open shape, select the two nodes where there's only one incoming segment (end node). When you click this button, a straight line will connect these two nodes. You can also use this option to add a segment between two open shapes (line drawings) to create a new open shape. Join Selected Endnodes - This works much the same way as the previous tool, however, this does not add a new segment. Rather, it moves each end node equally to meet in the center to become one node. You can use this option to close an open shape or to join two open shapes into one open shape. Assignment: Find a few pictures or clip art from the internet that is copyright safe. Pick images that you may someday use for your own scroll saw patterns and start building your own personal clip art library. Using your node editing tools, trace your picture. Be sure to use the Bezier Tool in the Tool Box to create simple lines for interior details