Uploaded September 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this video, I create effects similar to Adobe Illustrator's Inflate. Affinity Designer has no single function but you can create similar looks by combining the layer effects 3D and bevel.
I created 5 different examples - from simple shapes to more complex designs. There are a lot more ways to use these effects. Play around with them and use them on your own designs.
It's a lot of fun!
Keep in mind, that these are Affinity Designer-specific effects and won't export to other vector formats without pixelation. Even though you apply them to vector shapes, they are essential bitmap/ pixel effects.
The 'Helpful Hints' collection of quick step-by-step tutorials for Affinity Designer is on my Gumroad page. Download it for FREE:
2dgameartguru.gumroad.com
You can find more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on my website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
Music from Audio Library Plus https://www.audiolibrary.plus/
‘Santana’ by ‘Ason ID’
In this video, I create effects similar to Adobe Illustrator's Inflate. Affinity Designer has no single function but you can create similar looks by combining the layer effects 3D and bevel.
I created 5 different examples - from simple shapes to more complex designs. There are a lot more ways to use these effects. Play around with them and use them on your own designs.
It's a lot of fun!
Keep in mind, that these are Affinity Designer-specific effects and won't export to other vector formats without pixelation. Even though you apply them to vector shapes, they are essential bitmap/ pixel effects.
The 'Helpful Hints' collection of quick step-by-step tutorials for Affinity Designer is on my Gumroad page. Download it for FREE:
2dgameartguru.gumroad.com
You can find more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on my website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
Music from Audio Library Plus https://www.audiolibrary.plus/
‘Santana’ by ‘Ason ID’

![Affinity Designer Tutorial - Create Hair using Strokes with Pressure Curves
In this video tutorial, I create a hairy little monster in Affinity Designer. Its a remake of an earlier tutorial I recorded for Inkscape.
This video explains the creation of hair using strokes with pressure curve adjustments. I use circles to create the main body and the eyes before adding hair. I start with a few variations and group them into clusters. These clusters allow me to quickly duplicate, adjust, and place hair where I want it without having to draw each hair separately.
There will be two quick follow-up videos showing slightly different approaches with textured brushes and global colours [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN4CuCyT-jM] as well as symbols [https://youtu.be/OauYV7hsyFo].
Enjoy!
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com. Affinity Designer Tutorial - Create Hair using Strokes with Pressure Curves](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tOQsHhfoUP8/mqdefault.jpg)
![Affinity Designer Mini Tutorial - Using the Outer Glow FX
This mini video tutorial from 2Dgameartguru.com uses the Outer Glow FX and Outer Shadow FX to create some glowy bugs.
In this video, I use basic shapes, the pen tool, gradients, and fx [mainly outer glow and outer shadow along with Gaussian blur] to create some shiny glowing insects.
This video is part of a Weekly Beginners challenge on my facebook group Affinity Designer - hands-on:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/323847269739786/
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
Music from Audio Library Plus https://www.audiolibrary.plus/
‘Santana’ by ‘Ason ID’ Affinity Designer Mini Tutorial - Using the Outer Glow FX](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tVgl-h-9uRg/mqdefault.jpg)
![Affinity Designer v.2 Tutorial - Shape Builder Tool - creating a Mandala
In this video tutorial, I will create a Mandala/ circular pattern with the new Affinity Designer v2 Shape Builder Tool.
This video shows you how to create intertwined and complex-looking shapes using the Shape Builder Tool. I will be breaking down the patterns into simpler parts. Through the use of symbols, lines, pressure curves and expanded strokes to create the shapes needed for the shape builder. This new tool makes it easy to create the intertwined look of organic [or geometric] patterns.
I hope you like the video and enjoy the new opportunities of the shape builder for your own designs!
[This is an advanced tutorial. It helps to have an understanding of the tools in Affinity Designer and know a bit about symbols, pressure curves, expanding strokes, and applying colours and gradients.]
I uploaded the source files for these two [plus one more and black&white version] to gumroad. Grab them for FREE and check out the way they are put together.
https://2dgameartguru.gumroad.com/l/zpsee
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
Music from Audio Library Plus https://www.audiolibrary.plus/
‘Santana’ by ‘Ason ID’ Affinity Designer v.2 Tutorial - Shape Builder Tool - creating a Mandala](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tkw7s8smpr0/mqdefault.jpg)
![Affinity Designer Mini Tutorial - Multiple Strokes using the Appearance Panel
This mini video is about the magic that can be conjured with the multiple strokes in the Appearance Panel.
Affinity Designer allows multiple strokes on the same object. By combining different widths, colours, caps, and blend modes its easy to create fully editable vector strokes. These strokes [unlike textured brushes] can be expanded into curves later.
I uploaded the source file to my Gumroad page. Grab it for FREE by entering a zero in the price field.
https://2dgameartguru.gumroad.com/l/auuro
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com. Affinity Designer Mini Tutorial - Multiple Strokes using the Appearance Panel](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tyFF1Z4Ixkc/mqdefault.jpg)

![Inkscape Tutorial - Easily create simple Brush Patterns using Power Strokes
In this video tutorial, I explain the creation of seamless vector patterns to be used in the Pattern along Path effect in Inkscape. Its the closest I have come to creating a brush stroke effect in my illustrations in Inkscape.
I have recorded a video on how to use them in vector designs prior. The video shows the way I create a simple design [a fishing boat] and use the Pattern along path effect to create the pattern on top.
You can download the Inkscape SVG file with the brush shapes here:
https://2dgameartguru.gumroad.com/l/habqz
For more info on creating patterns like this check out my blog posts:
https://2dgameartguru.com/creating_patterns-along-a-path-in-inkscape-part-1/
and
https://2dgameartguru.com/pattern-creation-along-a-path-in-inkscape-part-2/
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials including a whole set of tutorials on creating your own brushes on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
Music from Audio Library Plus https://www.audiolibrary.plus/
‘Santana’ by ‘Ason ID’ Inkscape Tutorial - Easily create simple Brush Patterns using Power Strokes](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/v2FYSQ5ogFk/mqdefault.jpg)

![Affinity Designer Tutorial - Designing a Unicorn dot-to-dot illustration
In this video tutorial from 2Dgameartguru.com, I will turn a quick sketch into a dot-to-dot illustration.
This video was requested. I created some similar designs in the past and included them as activity pages in the weekly letters to my granddaughter.
I prepared a quick sketch of a unicorn earlier. In Affinity Designer I use the pen tool to create a rough shape that I can easily edit with the node tool. I use the pressure curve to taper the more detailed line art.
My plans to use a textured brush as well as symbols for the numbers turned out to be mistakes - but that happens [especially while you try and keep the recording going ;) ].
Most of the functionality shown in the video can be created with other software tools such as Adobes Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Inkscape with minor alterations and different names for the tools used.
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
Music from Audio Library Plus https://www.audiolibrary.plus/
‘Santana’ by ‘Ason ID’ Affinity Designer Tutorial - Designing a Unicorn dot-to-dot illustration](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vbsPtuIqimw/mqdefault.jpg)

