I've been using vector software since the mid-1990s, starting with CorelDraw and Freehand, and have created numerous illustrations in Adobe Illustrator for book publishers, magazines, and even for type editing. Along the way, I’ve met many talented people, but I’ve never encountered anyone who explains things as clearly as you do, with such an excellent understanding of the principles of vector software. Kudos to you!
Wow, fantastic video. I am confortable with Inkscape but scroll work has always been like black magic. This has definitely demystified it to some degree and given me a place to start. Excellent video, thank you.
You have no idea how happy you just made me! I have always seen it as ”impossible” for me to draw scrolls in Inkscape without spending hours and hours because I only us it occasionally. Thank you so much! ”Subscribed”
Second time watching this - lol. Best Inkscape video I have seen in quite some time. What is amazing is that you are basically using only one Inkscape tool to do these intricate designs and you made it look so easy.
Thank you so much for this. I have been using Inkscape for years for designing simple shapes to cut with my electronic cutting machine. I don't use it very often and so tend to forget what I've learnt previously! I have learnt more about Inkscape in this video than I ever thought possible. Your scroll drawing is an absolute revelation to me. Everything so clearly explained, and at a speed where one can take it in. Brilliant.
Thank you. You just made Inkscape a lot easier for me. I came to Inkscape after I got fed up with the predatory pricing of CorelDraw. I have, however, had a bit of a learning curve getting used to Inkscape. Your tutorial here clarified a lot of the friction points I have been running into.
Fantastic video. I have been in love with vectors for decades! This was great info about scroll work. Wish I had know this a year ago. Thank you! Tip on duplicating: instead of using two keys use space bar. With the selection tool selected click on the original shape as thought you are going move it (but don't move it) with you left mouse button held down hit space. It places a duplicate of your selection like a stamp. Now you can move your new copy any where you want, or hover over the new location and hit space again and place a copy. You can hit space as many times as you like. As long as you hold the left mouse button.
About half way through you need to resize the center a little bit and mention that this is as hard as it gets. There is an easier way to scale that center part. Use the Transform handles on nodes tool. It's an icon that looks like the resize handles and it allows you to scale, rotate and skew your selection of nodes.
You did a great job making this Andy! Thanks for taking the time to do it. I've got a project coming up that I'll try and use this on once I get my head wrapped around it. Tim W.
Wow! Having used Corel since it came out on 5.25 inch floppies, and Signlab since it was introduced, I will be transitioning to Inkscape after seeing your incredible tutorial. This video is probably the best vector editing tutorial video on TH-cam. Thank you!
Wow. You just knocked my socks off. Was trying to decorate Santa's sleigh (I'm a 3D animator) a few weeks ago and gave up on making my own scroll work. ...next year, I'll be ready.
Thank you so much for this!!!!!!!!!! You just helped save a bunch of time for my own projects related to scrollwork. I 've been using the spiral tool and messing with the divergence to get my desired results. This really opened my eyes!
As an avid user of Inkscape, particular vector editing, so glad you mention the compass method. A confirmation of the method is a circle, its nodes are placed at the compass. Its handles are important too for smoothness. A handy tip where you chose an element then dragged to the page, I find duplicate and cut to clipboard, then move your mouse to a desired position, cmd-v and the copied element is placed exactly where your mouse is. Your video has enhanced my learning to the next level, great video.
I've done some jewelry making and silvesmithing, besides artistic drawing, but scroll design is something I've always found a bit intimidating, haha. Seeing you work, it's obvious there's a lot to it, it's its own language. I made a couple tries, but they were really simple and basic, nothing compared to your work. WRT to Inkscape, I love it, I've used it a lot. But the spiro tool never made sense to me before. Now in your hands I can see where and how it really shines. Really well presented, thank you!
Scroll work is indeed a discipline of its own. Star off with simple designs and stick to good design practices and it will still look great. I may produce another video focusing on scroll design tips and composition. Good luck!
ALSO, a few workflow improvements I use: Backspace will delete the last node you placed, you don't need to start over if you make a mistake. If you want to add a node without a long mouse trip to the plus button you can simply double click the line where you want the new node while you're in node edit mode. Use hot keys to switch tool mode - 'N' for node edit, 'B' for spline editor and 'S' for selection tool.
Great tips, thanks for sharing! CTRL-Z Seems to be more convenient for me than heading to the back space. You sound like a power user. Shortcut keys are great but I didn't want to overwhelm a new user with so much to remember. Adding nodes by double clicking the line works great on a standard Bezier Curve but not so much if the curve is Spiro. The underlying curve tends to be all over the place. You can turn on " show path outline" to see the underlying curve but I don't like the clutter. Thanks for sharing ....I picked up a few things from you!
@@NGraver001 Totally! Really anything to avoid carpel tunnel for a little longer. Thanks again for posting the video, I've been trying to figure out a workflow for vector scrolls for a few months now and this helped a lot. Id like to submit a request for a video about backbone design/layout (especially for tight/irregular spaces) and also best practices for shading.
Great video, I tried drawing scrolls a year or two ago when I first got inkscape and gave up. Your video shows me exactly how to do it now, thanks!! P.s. if your Arsenal is available let me know!
This is a superb video and I’m excited to try some of this with my new laser engraver. I’d be really grateful if you could suggest appropriate menu settings for a beginner like me? Inkscape has a lot of features and I’d like to get started with what I’m likely to need rather than everything at once…. I really like the way you’ve gone about presenting this. You have a gift for explaining things clearly and calmly. Thanks for the video!
I am not the guy to offer settings for the laser but there is a Facebook group that deals with laser engraving. They can help. facebook.com/groups/3819763834965080
Muito legal seu tutorial! Eu também ensino algumas coisas aqui no Brasil. Sempre incentivo o uso das últimas versões. Patrocinei um recurso com Martin Owens (DoctorMo) e essa funcionalidade entrou a partir da 1.3. E agora, na versão 1.4 tem muitas novidades nos efeitos de vetores, melhorias nos códigos e bugs corrigidos. Usar softwares livres e de código aberto é liberdade! Divulgar e incentivar o uso ajudam muito! Obrigada por mais conteúdo!
@@j.e.711 not that I have found. I have tried a lot of AI programs but they suck at scrollwork. I have no doubt that someone will figure it out sooner or later though
Have been attempting to create satisfactory scrolls in Affinity Designer for years. Thought that the new Affinity 'spiral tool' would be the answer, but NOPE. I love the program otherwise, but the lack of a spiro path tool is what was missing! Thank you so much for this detailed tutorial - this changes everything for the better.
I have been waiting for years for Corel or Adobe to do this. Actually Adobe does have a tool that works similarly. It's called the Curvature Tool. But...Adobe is $275/Year....every year.
I tried to create a bug report a while back. I think you need to be a rocket scientist to submit one....I am not a programmer...lol. It would be incredible if you could get it fixed because I'd love to be using the newest version. The Spiro path does wonky things until you finish the path. It creates straight sections when it should be making curved sections. Sorry I can't explain it better. Sometimes they straighten out when terminating and sometimes not.
@@NGraver001 I've seen the spiro errors caused by certain numbers going to infinity, but those problems have always been there so v1.2 would have them too. I did fix a spiro issue where ending the spiro would change the curve from the preview as there would be a slight variation from the start point and where it thought the start point was. A bug report is fairly easy, mostly if you can report in words (like the above) with as many details about the steps, then someone from the community will usually confirm it. You can also search for existing spiro bugs, you're unlikely to be the only person. I fear though that this bug will remain though as I'm not sure it's getting any attention.
The reason I never pursued it was because I assume somebody else would take care of it. I don't think enough people appreciate that tool to be concerned..
I reinstalled the latest version to test it. I do like the newest version. The bug is #8727. It is basically a preview issue that usually self corrects although on occasion it does not. All in all I think I will encourage people to use the latest current version. The preview issue isn't too bad as long as people understand what is happening. I love the interface enhancements and the Shape Builder Tool is a huge advancement. Thanks for all the work you guys put into this!
When using the Spiro function it creates straight line sections, usually between the first and second node. Usually it resolves after finalizing the line but not always. It's just a bit annoying.
So does Inkscape not have the ability to make tapered strokes? Like a stroke with varying widths along the path? Both Illustrator and Affinity Designer allow you to do this. In Inkscape, all I saw you do was stretch that half-circle shape along the path, which seems kind of clunky compared to just having a tapered stroke tool.
Yes Inkscape does, It's called a "Power Stroke". I wanted to cover it but the video was too long. You can find other videos about it. I will probably do a follow up video with more advanced uses and that would be part of it. Also there is way more to the "Half circle" technique. You can do some amazing things with it. It's called "Pattern Along Path". Once again, in another video hopefully
@@NGraver001 Actually, Inkscape has both taper and power stroke path effects. That is the "hidden" power in Inkscape. One of the most useful path effects is the rotate LPE. With your skill at creating scroll patterns, you could create some facinating mandala art with Inkscape.
@@NGraver001 I purchased Affinity Designer last spring but I keep coming back to Inkscape for those little nuggets it has. For a maker/crafter, it still beats anything available. I use it as a design aid for Autodesk Fusion 360.
I've been using vector software since the mid-1990s, starting with CorelDraw and Freehand, and have created numerous illustrations in Adobe Illustrator for book publishers, magazines, and even for type editing. Along the way, I’ve met many talented people, but I’ve never encountered anyone who explains things as clearly as you do, with such an excellent understanding of the principles of vector software. Kudos to you!
You are too kind!
Wow, fantastic video. I am confortable with Inkscape but scroll work has always been like black magic. This has definitely demystified it to some degree and given me a place to start. Excellent video, thank you.
You have no idea how happy you just made me! I have always seen it as ”impossible” for me to draw scrolls in Inkscape without spending hours and hours because I only us it occasionally. Thank you so much! ”Subscribed”
That's what I like to hear!
I appreciate you coming back from your 6 year break to bring us such a helpful video! As a long time user of Inkscape this was still very helpful :)
I didn't want to do it....they made me....lol!
Second time watching this - lol. Best Inkscape video I have seen in quite some time. What is amazing is that you are basically using only one Inkscape tool to do these intricate designs and you made it look so easy.
with a little experience it does become very easy. Working on a part 2 with some other cool tricks.
I'm not a scroll designer, but most definitely an admirer of the art, thanks!
Thank you so much for this. I have been using Inkscape for years for designing simple shapes to cut with my electronic cutting machine. I don't use it very often and so tend to forget what I've learnt previously! I have learnt more about Inkscape in this video than I ever thought possible. Your scroll drawing is an absolute revelation to me. Everything so clearly explained, and at a speed where one can take it in. Brilliant.
Wonderful!
Thank you. You just made Inkscape a lot easier for me. I came to Inkscape after I got fed up with the predatory pricing of CorelDraw. I have, however, had a bit of a learning curve getting used to Inkscape. Your tutorial here clarified a lot of the friction points I have been running into.
Just what I need. Thank you for the tutorial!
Amazing tutorial. Love it how you explain even the basic stuff and put it all into the perspective.
Thanks for the video, I've dabbled with Inkscape but didn't know about this tool. This is very useful info!
wow! Thanks for putting this out there. Def one of the best inkscape tutorials out there on vector node editing.
Wow! - fascinating seeing how these are made and you've explained it brilliantly, thank you.
Fantastic video. I have been in love with vectors for decades! This was great info about scroll work. Wish I had know this a year ago.
Thank you!
Tip on duplicating: instead of using two keys use space bar. With the selection tool selected click on the original shape as thought you are going move it (but don't move it) with you left mouse button held down hit space. It places a duplicate of your selection like a stamp. Now you can move your new copy any where you want, or hover over the new location and hit space again and place a copy. You can hit space as many times as you like. As long as you hold the left mouse button.
Great Video, I have used inscape for years, however I have never used the spiro tool. thanks
About half way through you need to resize the center a little bit and mention that this is as hard as it gets. There is an easier way to scale that center part. Use the Transform handles on nodes tool. It's an icon that looks like the resize handles and it allows you to scale, rotate and skew your selection of nodes.
Thank you! I am still learning so much my self. I absolutely love Inkscape!
You did a great job making this Andy! Thanks for taking the time to do it. I've got a project coming up that I'll try and use this on once I get my head wrapped around it. Tim W.
I have used pencil tool with medium/high smoothing for years!! Never again!! You have earned my like and subscription. Thank you so much!
Welcome!
Wow! Having used Corel since it came out on 5.25 inch floppies, and Signlab since it was introduced, I will be transitioning to Inkscape after seeing your incredible tutorial. This video is probably the best vector editing tutorial video on TH-cam. Thank you!
Thank you!
Wow. You just knocked my socks off. Was trying to decorate Santa's sleigh (I'm a 3D animator) a few weeks ago and gave up on making my own scroll work. ...next year, I'll be ready.
Thank you so much for this!!!!!!!!!! You just helped save a bunch of time for my own projects related to scrollwork. I 've been using the spiral tool and messing with the divergence to get my desired results. This really opened my eyes!
This is so exciting! Thank you so much for your clear and concise tutorial. 👏👏👏👏👍 Happy New Year! 🎆🎉
Very cool! Thanks for sharing!
As an avid user of Inkscape, particular vector editing, so glad you mention the compass method. A confirmation of the method is a circle, its nodes are placed at the compass. Its handles are important too for smoothness.
A handy tip where you chose an element then dragged to the page, I find duplicate and cut to clipboard, then move your mouse to a desired position, cmd-v and the copied element is placed exactly where your mouse is.
Your video has enhanced my learning to the next level, great video.
Appreciate the kind words, glad you found some useful tips in the video! Good Tip about the copy paste!
Great tips for curve/path editing and overall Inscape control and lineart workflows, well done!
I've done some jewelry making and silvesmithing, besides artistic drawing, but scroll design is something I've always found a bit intimidating, haha.
Seeing you work, it's obvious there's a lot to it, it's its own language. I made a couple tries, but they were really simple and basic, nothing compared to your work.
WRT to Inkscape, I love it, I've used it a lot. But the spiro tool never made sense to me before. Now in your hands I can see where and how it really shines. Really well presented, thank you!
Scroll work is indeed a discipline of its own. Star off with simple designs and stick to good design practices and it will still look great. I may produce another video focusing on scroll design tips and composition. Good luck!
Damn. Welcome back!
Great tutorial. This could be used to draw tattoo patterns .
This is great! thanks.
You've revealed my secret weapon! Hopefully the inkscape programmers fix the spiro tool in the new version because I'd like to upgrade.
Very nice, thank you.
Very Nice!!! Thank you very much for the video.
You can use Path Effect - Power Stroke to give adjustable thickness of the spiro
I was going to show that but the video got too long. Thanks for mentioning.
Oh good! You just answered my question:)
Awesome, thanks 👍😊
ALSO, a few workflow improvements I use:
Backspace will delete the last node you placed, you don't need to start over if you make a mistake.
If you want to add a node without a long mouse trip to the plus button you can simply double click the line where you want the new node while you're in node edit mode.
Use hot keys to switch tool mode - 'N' for node edit, 'B' for spline editor and 'S' for selection tool.
Great tips, thanks for sharing! CTRL-Z Seems to be more convenient for me than heading to the back space. You sound like a power user. Shortcut keys are great but I didn't want to overwhelm a new user with so much to remember. Adding nodes by double clicking the line works great on a standard Bezier Curve but not so much if the curve is Spiro. The underlying curve tends to be all over the place. You can turn on " show path outline" to see the underlying curve but I don't like the clutter. Thanks for sharing ....I picked up a few things from you!
@@NGraver001 Totally! Really anything to avoid carpel tunnel for a little longer.
Thanks again for posting the video, I've been trying to figure out a workflow for vector scrolls for a few months now and this helped a lot.
Id like to submit a request for a video about backbone design/layout (especially for tight/irregular spaces) and also best practices for shading.
@ that is definitely something I’m considering
Great video, I tried drawing scrolls a year or two ago when I first got inkscape and gave up. Your video shows me exactly how to do it now, thanks!!
P.s. if your Arsenal is available let me know!
@@shaynehall9294 there is a link in the video description. Glad you learned something!
This is a superb video and I’m excited to try some of this with my new laser engraver. I’d be really grateful if you could suggest appropriate menu settings for a beginner like me? Inkscape has a lot of features and I’d like to get started with what I’m likely to need rather than everything at once….
I really like the way you’ve gone about presenting this. You have a gift for explaining things clearly and calmly.
Thanks for the video!
I am not the guy to offer settings for the laser but there is a Facebook group that deals with laser engraving. They can help. facebook.com/groups/3819763834965080
This is a wonderful tutorial!! Any chance you’ll sell that pattern file ?
Check the video description. There is a link to purchase the template.
thanks
Muito legal seu tutorial! Eu também ensino algumas coisas aqui no Brasil. Sempre incentivo o uso das últimas versões. Patrocinei um recurso com Martin Owens (DoctorMo) e essa funcionalidade entrou a partir da 1.3. E agora, na versão 1.4 tem muitas novidades nos efeitos de vetores, melhorias nos códigos e bugs corrigidos. Usar softwares livres e de código aberto é liberdade! Divulgar e incentivar o uso ajudam muito! Obrigada por mais conteúdo!
Muito, muito obrigado
Are there any AI-tools that can make a decent scrollworks inside a knife handle frame?
@@j.e.711 not that I have found. I have tried a lot of AI programs but they suck at scrollwork. I have no doubt that someone will figure it out sooner or later though
Have been attempting to create satisfactory scrolls in Affinity Designer for years. Thought that the new Affinity 'spiral tool' would be the answer, but NOPE.
I love the program otherwise, but the lack of a spiro path tool is what was missing!
Thank you so much for this detailed tutorial - this changes everything for the better.
I have been waiting for years for Corel or Adobe to do this. Actually Adobe does have a tool that works similarly. It's called the Curvature Tool. But...Adobe is $275/Year....every year.
Do you have a link to the bug report?
I tried to create a bug report a while back. I think you need to be a rocket scientist to submit one....I am not a programmer...lol. It would be incredible if you could get it fixed because I'd love to be using the newest version. The Spiro path does wonky things until you finish the path. It creates straight sections when it should be making curved sections. Sorry I can't explain it better. Sometimes they straighten out when terminating and sometimes not.
@@NGraver001 I've seen the spiro errors caused by certain numbers going to infinity, but those problems have always been there so v1.2 would have them too. I did fix a spiro issue where ending the spiro would change the curve from the preview as there would be a slight variation from the start point and where it thought the start point was.
A bug report is fairly easy, mostly if you can report in words (like the above) with as many details about the steps, then someone from the community will usually confirm it. You can also search for existing spiro bugs, you're unlikely to be the only person. I fear though that this bug will remain though as I'm not sure it's getting any attention.
The reason I never pursued it was because I assume somebody else would take care of it. I don't think enough people appreciate that tool to be concerned..
I reinstalled the latest version to test it. I do like the newest version. The bug is #8727. It is basically a preview issue that usually self corrects although on occasion it does not. All in all I think I will encourage people to use the latest current version. The preview issue isn't too bad as long as people understand what is happening. I love the interface enhancements and the Shape Builder Tool is a huge advancement. Thanks for all the work you guys put into this!
What sort of bug is in the new versions?
When using the Spiro function it creates straight line sections, usually between the first and second node. Usually it resolves after finalizing the line but not always. It's just a bit annoying.
So does Inkscape not have the ability to make tapered strokes? Like a stroke with varying widths along the path? Both Illustrator and Affinity Designer allow you to do this. In Inkscape, all I saw you do was stretch that half-circle shape along the path, which seems kind of clunky compared to just having a tapered stroke tool.
Yes Inkscape does, It's called a "Power Stroke". I wanted to cover it but the video was too long. You can find other videos about it. I will probably do a follow up video with more advanced uses and that would be part of it. Also there is way more to the "Half circle" technique. You can do some amazing things with it. It's called "Pattern Along Path". Once again, in another video hopefully
@@NGraver001 Actually, Inkscape has both taper and power stroke path effects. That is the "hidden" power in Inkscape. One of the most useful path effects is the rotate LPE. With your skill at creating scroll patterns, you could create some facinating mandala art with Inkscape.
I have done that. The available tools in Inkscape will keep you entertained for a looong time. lol
@@NGraver001 I purchased Affinity Designer last spring but I keep coming back to Inkscape for those little nuggets it has.
For a maker/crafter, it still beats anything available. I use it as a design aid for Autodesk Fusion 360.
Never knew the spiral tool is this useful, thought it was just for gimmick lol
Good tutorial. Bezier is pronounced beh•zee•ay, btw.
Hahaha!. I knew better....Suprised I mispronounced it
somebody made me edit my original comment :(