I'd like to design some letters to make custom fonts. I want to use a basic shape (a tilted ellipse) and have it be used as the brush shape of my stroke, but I can't figure out how. Can you help me out ?
I know the Calligraphy tool offers similar features, but I really don't like using it. I'm trying to work on my letters first and then play around with the brush/stroke styles in a non-destructive manner.
This attached screenshot from this video illustrates what I'm trying to obtain.
Hi. Convert your intended "brush" object in to a path. Select it and raise it so it is topmost on the layer. Then press Ctrl & C to copy it to the Windows memory. Use the Pen or Pencil tool, setting the option to Copy from Clipboard.
Then make your stroke motions, straight or curved, and your result will use that original shape (which was copied into memory) to yield your new shapes.
You can also use the Pattern Along Path extension with previous made strokes to yield a path which will apply that copied shape along the length of your stroke. There are options in that extension to apply it as a Single stroke, or Single Streched, or a Repeated stroke, or a Repeated Stretched stroke. Experiment with the various options available to you.
Hi Ken. Thanks for your suggestions, I tried them and learned new possibilities I hadn't encountered in Inkscape. However it did not get me the result I was expecting (see screenshot).
What I'm looking for is a way to create a path (stylized lettering) from the translation of a path (the brush shape) along another one (letter path).
The Pattern Along Path almost got me that effect, but it rotates the shape along the path and does not link then together into one continuous path. The Pen/Pencil tool shape from Clipboard also felt like it was the solution but it only stretches the copied path with no regards to its orientation or the orientation of the Pen/Pencil stroke.
I'm beginning to think that there isn't an automated way to generate such a path. I guess I will have to use Krita to do my lettering and trace them with the pen tool in Inkscape to get clean vector duplicates. This is just going to take me so much more time...
The image you provided ... are you wanting to use the "slanted oval" as your core shape from which to create letters?
If so, give me some time and I will provide some examples in an svg file for you. I have some other work to do. Check back here a little later.
(PS - there is no "automatic" built in process to do this ... you will have to apply different stroke paths ... and you can always union together the individual paths to create a new "letter" ... that is what we all do when creating letters (lettering) ... manually ... even cursive writing ... and calligraphy too.
Ahah no don't worry :) I've been using Inkscape for a couple of years and I don't intend to stop. I'm just trying to do new things with it besides making illustrations from basic shapes and boolean operations. It's just frustrating sometimes, to not be able to find a simple or elegant solution that seems to exist elsewhere.
Thanks for the effort you're putting into this.
Basically I'd like to be able to use any shape as a brush and have a path to act as the brush stroke.
I was really hoping the feature from the screenshot in the first post (looks like Illustrator CS3) was available in Inkscape :/
the "problem"with the live path effect is, that you cannot fix a strokes orientation. So the shape will turn with the path, if the path changes direction.
But you can use "extensions > pattern along path". There you can use different options (see attached image). In German there is an option called "band", I suppose, it could be "ribbon" in english. That should be helpfull.
The reality is that the "shape" just "travels" along the stroke path, being stretched along that path. It does not turn (rotate) like the result of using a calligraphic tool. Such turning of the hand with a calligraphic tool allows the resulting output to "thin or thicken" as more or less of the calligraphic tool touches the paper.
In a similar way, when using a bitmap software, the "brush" is merely a stamp ... that is applied (stretched) or repeated along the intended path.
But you can change that with the extension "pattern along path". There is an option that should change this behaviour. It doesn't work on my machine, though.
Beyond the Basics How to use a shape/path as stroke "brush" shape ?
Inkscape.org
I'd like to design some letters to make custom fonts. I want to use a basic shape (a tilted ellipse) and have it be used as the brush shape of my stroke, but I can't figure out how. Can you help me out ?
I know the Calligraphy tool offers similar features, but I really don't like using it. I'm trying to work on my letters first and then play around with the brush/stroke styles in a non-destructive manner.
This attached screenshot from this video illustrates what I'm trying to obtain.
Hi. Convert your intended "brush" object in to a path. Select it and raise it so it is topmost on the layer. Then press Ctrl & C to copy it to the Windows memory. Use the Pen or Pencil tool, setting the option to Copy from Clipboard.
Then make your stroke motions, straight or curved, and your result will use that original shape (which was copied into memory) to yield your new shapes.
You can also use the Pattern Along Path extension with previous made strokes to yield a path which will apply that copied shape along the length of your stroke. There are options in that extension to apply it as a Single stroke, or Single Streched, or a Repeated stroke, or a Repeated Stretched stroke. Experiment with the various options available to you.
Hi Ken. Thanks for your suggestions, I tried them and learned new possibilities I hadn't encountered in Inkscape. However it did not get me the result I was expecting (see screenshot).
What I'm looking for is a way to create a path (stylized lettering) from the translation of a path (the brush shape) along another one (letter path).
The Pattern Along Path almost got me that effect, but it rotates the shape along the path and does not link then together into one continuous path. The Pen/Pencil tool shape from Clipboard also felt like it was the solution but it only stretches the copied path with no regards to its orientation or the orientation of the Pen/Pencil stroke.
I'm beginning to think that there isn't an automated way to generate such a path. I guess I will have to use Krita to do my lettering and trace them with the pen tool in Inkscape to get clean vector duplicates. This is just going to take me so much more time...
Hi, again. Do not give up on Inkscape.
The image you provided ... are you wanting to use the "slanted oval" as your core shape from which to create letters?
If so, give me some time and I will provide some examples in an svg file for you. I have some other work to do. Check back here a little later.
(PS - there is no "automatic" built in process to do this ... you will have to apply different stroke paths ... and you can always union together the individual paths to create a new "letter" ... that is what we all do when creating letters (lettering) ... manually ... even cursive writing ... and calligraphy too.
Ahah no don't worry :) I've been using Inkscape for a couple of years and I don't intend to stop. I'm just trying to do new things with it besides making illustrations from basic shapes and boolean operations. It's just frustrating sometimes, to not be able to find a simple or elegant solution that seems to exist elsewhere.
Thanks for the effort you're putting into this.
Basically I'd like to be able to use any shape as a brush and have a path to act as the brush stroke.
I was really hoping the feature from the screenshot in the first post (looks like Illustrator CS3) was available in Inkscape :/
Hi, darkbean.
One can take any shape that has been converted to a path, and use it on any stroke path.
A while back I shared some "shapes" in svg filea that showed examples of just that ... using a simple path. See if this gives you ideas.
https://inkscape.org/pt/forums/tutorials/examples-of-brush-shapes-i-made/
Have fun exploring. :)
Hi Ken, hi darkbean,
the "problem"with the live path effect is, that you cannot fix a strokes orientation. So the shape will turn with the path, if the path changes direction.
But you can use "extensions > pattern along path". There you can use different options (see attached image). In German there is an option called "band", I suppose, it could be "ribbon" in english.
That should be helpfull.
Hi, Gerald. Yes, you are right.
The reality is that the "shape" just "travels" along the stroke path, being stretched along that path. It does not turn (rotate) like the result of using a calligraphic tool. Such turning of the hand with a calligraphic tool allows the resulting output to "thin or thicken" as more or less of the calligraphic tool touches the paper.
In a similar way, when using a bitmap software, the "brush" is merely a stamp ... that is applied (stretched) or repeated along the intended path.
But you can change that with the extension "pattern along path". There is an option that should change this behaviour. It doesn't work on my machine, though.