This is an imitation in Inkscape of bokeh, or the effect of light when a lens is out of focus. Following is a link to a video demonstrating how I did it, with what I think is a nice overview of the Inkscape Tiled Clones Tool.
[vodpod id=Video.2938485&w=425&h=350&fv=video%3DstVkxQSkBIR19bQlxUWV9RXlBU]
Okay, so this is a situation where I wanted to play with some of Inkscape‘s built in filters, but in reality I only used one. I created a rectangle and simply used the selection tool’s skew handle to shift the top to the right parallel to the bottom. I converted it to a path and applied the filters/bevels/button filter to the shape. I created the tongue out of a simple square with a curved top, then duplicated, rotated and duplicated again to make the eye shapes. I gave a slight curve to the bottom of the eyes, and used the node tool to create a division in the tongue. I used a rectangle converted to path to create the mouth by blowing out the edges to rounds. I took that shape and applied an LPE curve. I added circles for pupils, and a gradient for the tongue. It seems so simple to look at it now, but lots of little tweaks were used for the effects.
This design, with help from Sarah Klockars-Clauser (photo © Sarah Klockars-Clauser for openphoto.net CC:Attribution-ShareAlike) was done by using the technique in the following screencast , the first ever on 365sketches. It makes use of the Trace Bitmap tool, the gradient tool, and the import function. Enjoy!
[vodpod id=Video.2912153&w=425&h=350&fv=] If the image is too small, visit the full sized video at
This is a soft edged form using the blur tools in Inkscape.
This image was created by overlapping several ellipses, which I love as a technique for creating bubbly forms. I selected them all and did a Path/Union operation to make a single bubbly path. Then I duplicated the cloud and did a path/outset, and colored it yellow then added a blur. I duplicated that and outset it again, making it red, but not adding a blur. I used the text tool to add a couple of commas and a parenthetical which I manipulated with the selection tool to form a face. I added a blue sky in the background and called it done. It’s definitely a retro feeling thing.
Like many people my age (I’m 36 this year), I’m a huge fan of the original Star Wars Trilogy, and although I didn’t despise the prequels like many others, I didn’t enjoy them as much as the originals. I remember being in the theater when I first saw this tiny two legged walker run across the screen in Empire, still reeling from the AT-ATs. Making this in Inkscape is just a matter of finding and importing a good clear picture of the subject, and adding some text elements to the canvas with the text tool that you can then easily “paint” with using the selection-stamp (space) method. I worked from head to toe matching pieces of text to the shapes in the image, rotating, stretching, skewing, and resizing wherever necessary to really define the outline, while at the same time keeping the image simple enough to clearly see the textual elements. It’s a slow process, but very rewarding when you are finished.
