A design for a paper airplane, a winning glider style by John LeMasney via 365sketches.org #cc #design #Inkscape
A design for a paper airplane, a winning glider style by John LeMasney via 365sketches.org #cc #design #Inkscape
So this is the fold design for a paper airplane that I learned when I was about 7 years old. It’s a great flier, a long-lasting glider, and you may even know how to make it, but if you don’t, I wanted to try to convey how to make one using Inkscape to illustrate. What I found was that the imprint of how to do it in my mind is no match for trying to illustrate that. Try to make it, and if you have trouble, let me know in your comments!
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Cupcake illustration with orange sugar, vanilla and chocolate frosting, and a cherry on top cc-by lemasney
Cupcake illustration with orange sugar, vanilla and chocolate frosting, and a cherry on top cc-by lemasney
Cupcake Illustration
So today’s post was just about using a few different tools in Inkscape to create some interesting effects. First and foremost, I saw the stitch sub paths live path effect as a great way to create ridges of a cake cup and so it was. I made a shadow with a blurred ellipse. I used the calligraphy tool to create the cake and the icing. I used the dot tool feature of the pencil for the confetti sprinkles. I created the cherry with the ellipse tool and the node editor, and the stem with the Bezier tool. I added some highlights for the frosting with the calligraphy tool, then blurred them a bit.
Mozilla is openness, innovation and community cc-by lemasney
Mozilla is openness, innovation and community cc-by lemasney
My Mozilla Contest Entry
So this is my entry for Mozilla’s 2010 t-shirt contest. Mozilla is Firefox‘s parent company. You can see the entry in context at , and vote for it, if you like. They asked for a design that promoted key elements of Mozilla’s vision, which is openness, innovation, and community, all things you may know I hold very dear myself.
How I made this image about Mozilla in Inkscape
In Inkscape, I took these four words and put them in via the text tool, then converted them all to paths. Then, I used the Bezier tool and the pencil tool to connect the letterforms and create tendrils which I saw as life forms seeking out connection. I saw the design as airy, connected, and creative, things I love and respect about Mozilla. If you like this design, I’d love it if you could vote it up at
About Mozilla
“Mammon slept. And the beast reborn spread over the earth and its numbers grew legion. And they proclaimed the times and sacrificed crops unto the fire, with the cunning of foxes. And they built a new world in their own image as promised by the sacred words, and spoke of the beast with their children. Mammon awoke, and lo! it was naught but a follower.”
I’m really upset by the recent proposed budget cuts in New Jersey that will reduce or remove internet access, databases, programming, and many more useful services from New Jersey Libraries. I’m upset that the new Administration finds certain things far more important than these services which have helped me to raise my children, become part of a community, and support my recent MA in Organizational Leadership. I’m upset that many of my friends in LibLand will lose their jobs, go without professional development, and have to divide already thin resources. With this development, I have revolution and revolt on the mind, and in our country, we have the right to speak out on that which we disagree with. My symbol for this is a bullhorn, a tool for rallying cries, to gather and direct people towards change, and to broadcast ideas and reminders about why we should be outraged.
In Inkscape, I built the bullhorn mostly via the Bezier tool. I added flames with the Bezier tool. I added a handle with the Bezier tool. I created the central horn with the Bezier tool. I created the trigger with the pencil tool. The piece of text is from the Showtime series The Wire, in which one of the main characters says “Heard?” in such a way as for it to be almost a half syllable, and it means essentially “Do you understand and comply; if not, we are going to have trouble.” Anyway, a fun sketch about a very serious topic for me. If you love your library, tell someone — shout it out.
What do Pi and Pie have in common: A delicious coincidence by John LeMasney via 365sketches.org #poster #math #food
What do Pi and Pie have in common: A delicious coincidence by John LeMasney via 365sketches.org #poster #math #food
In case it’s not obvious, notice that the mirrored numbers under the piece of apple pie could be read as the letters P,I,E. I had never noticed that before, and I’m guessing you hadn’t either. Anyway, I thought it would be a fun way to show off a fun new interesting Inkscape feature.
I had a lot of fun painting the piece of pie, building it first with the Bezier tool, and then building it out with the pencil and calligraphy tools. In order to find and place the Pi symbol, I used the brand spanking new glyphs palette feature in the upcoming version of Inkscape, 0.48. I want to personally thank Jon Cruz, one of the many amazing developers who work on Inkscape every day, for taking what was essentially a spontaneous wish for me and making it a reality in Inkscape literally overnight. I’m no longer surprised by the responsiveness and feedback by members of the Inkscape team because it’s amazingly consistent. Making connections in an open source community is a great way to influence and help to improve upon software. It requires open-minded, talented, and generous set of developers. Jon Cruz, Scislac, and ~suv are all part of a vocal great team of just those kinds of developers. Thanks, Inkscape devs!
pi, pie, inkscape, gimp, open source, design, lemasney, typography
With just a few minutes to spare to get in today’s sketch (Easter) I’m thrilled to share this portrait of Oliver Giller. Oliver is the person to first introduced me to the concept of Open Source. He is easily the largest philosophical influence on my life, and helped to form what I list amongst the most important beliefs that I have. I lost touch with him after he graduated from Rider University about 9 years ago, but always remembered the things that he introduced me to, including the GNU Image Manipulation Program, Linux, and the GNU General Public License.
Withing the last 2 years or so, though, we’ve reconnected, and I’m happy to say that we are even doing a project together, which I’m doing this sketch for. I’m less happy to report that Oliver had to undergo brain surgery recently which left him with a scar, and in Oliver’s work to recover he donated a picture of his new stitches and asked that I do something creative with it for our project, essentially a journal of his recent health issues.
In Inkscape, I did a bitmap trace of Oliver’s face, in which you could clearly see the scar and stitches, but without explanation, it looked only as though he had a bad haircut on one side. I decided in the interest of clarity and also of not offending anyone with the graphic nature of the subject to take a highly stylized approach to the scar and stitches. It was fun to stitch a pattern using the Bezier tool, and I think I may use this technique again.
I’m of the firm belief that Oliver has all the best chances to make a full recovery, including a beautiful wife and family, parents who have supported him forever, and a strong network of friends. Thanks, Oliver, for all you’ve given me in life, now go kick this thing’s ass, so you can get back to the important stuff.
