2dgameartguru
Inkscape Video Tutorial - Going through the Basics of the Shape Builder
updated
When creating game assets, you usually need a lot. Using vector shapes for the sketches, variations, and easy-to-adjust and reuse design elements can be a huge time saver.
I start with a design in Inkscape and turn it into a finished pixel art asset with variations in Aseprite in no time.
Weapon designs in Inkscape:
2dgameartguru.com/slicing-and-dicing-designing-a-sword-in-inkscape
2dgameartguru.com/hacking-and-slaying-crafting-an-ax
2dgameartguru.com/shooting-and-blasting-making-a-revolver
2dgameartguru.com/bow-and-arrow-crafting-more-game-art-assets
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
I use the trace bitmap on both a black and white outlined and a coloured PNG image, and show some of the issues and ways around it.
Learn how to approach tracing a bitmap to avoid headaches and get quick, clean, and editable results.
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
Symbols are a great help when working with repeating shapes or patterns. They make it a lot easier and faster to create complex-looking designs.
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
I check the layer blend mode, pixel selection, vector trace, and raster masks to get the best result.
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
This video shows the basic functionality of Add, Subtract, Intersect, Xor, and Divide. I explain the objects you can and can't use, and create some sample designs using compound groups.
I uploaded the source files [ as v1 and v3 files ] to my Gumroad page:
2dgameartguru.gumroad.com/l/xiral
[Grab them for FREE by entering a zero in the price field.]
Enjoy!
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
As an added challenge, this is the first video I recorded in the new affinity by Canva [or Affinity v3]. It didn't all go according to plan, even if it ended well. :)
I uploaded the source files [three v3 files - autumn, winter, and spring] from the video to my Gumroad page:
2dgameartguru.gumroad.com/l/saneg
[Grab them for FREE by entering a zero in the price field.]
Enjoy!
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
To me, an approach with tiled clones for the lines and interpolation for the circles seems to get the best result.
Pie shapes as clip groups and used as clones for the grid make it easy to create a repeating pattern.
It was a nice challenge and even though it's highly specialized, I hope this video has the odd helpful hint and trick for your own projects.
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
When clipping content to a shape, the clipping mask is usually the easiest and fastest approach, but in v2, dividing a complex curve loses the content inside the mask.
The Gradient Fill Tool's Bitmap option offers a working alternative.
Check out these three prior mini videos:
youtu.be/1tgTPk6Nvz4
youtu.be/T34ixWNUeCM
youtu.be/cdAUMwEWTZI
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
- Mask to Below with compound shapes,
- Separate clipping masks, and
- a single contoured and combined mask
When clipping content to a shape, the clipping mask is the easiest and fastest approach. Compound groups can't be turned into clipping masks. They need a different approach.
Check out these two prior mini videos:
youtu.be/1tgTPk6Nvz4
youtu.be/T34ixWNUeCM
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
- Grids,
- Compound groups, and
- Symbols
After facing some snapping issues in the first video, 'Creating Puzzle Pieces', I use a grid in this mini video. By reducing the shapes to the core square, it's easy to align them to a grid. Place a larger number of pieces precisely and connect them properly.
Check out these two additional videos on puzzle pieces:
youtu.be/1tgTPk6Nvz4
youtu.be/cdAUMwEWTZI
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
- Snapping,
- Boolean operations [Add and Subtract], and
- Compound groups for a more complex and varied approach
Compound groups allow quick variations to puzzle pieces by changing the settings [Add or Subtract] of the connector shapes in the layer panel.
Check out these two additional videos on puzzle pieces:
youtu.be/T34ixWNUeCM
youtu.be/cdAUMwEWTZI
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
- as embedded files [you could also use linked files]
- as assets
- as bitmap fills using the gradient tool
Adjust the watermarks to suit the image/ design below by altering the opacity, changing the layer blend mode, adding layer fx like the colour overlay or gradient overlay, or adding adjustment layers.
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
Once an illustration is converted from strokes to path [or purchased as filled shapes rather than lines with strokes] there is no one-click solution to go back to easily editable lines.
I recorded three ways: manual trace with the pen and node tool, bitmap trace using the centreline option, and cutting the existing vector shapes and using half of the shapes to create the lines.
Learn how to approach the different workflows to avoid headaches and get quick, clean, and editable results.
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
It doesn't take a lot of detail to create a landscape. Quite often, less is more. A gradient fill as the background can define the mood. Silhouettes on top create depth and make the design visually interesting.
In this video, I cover three different designs with different approaches and use some helpful tips and tricks.
Enjoy!
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
The helpful hints can be downloaded here:
2dgameartguru.gumroad.com/l/dpzcv
and the sunrise gradients are here:
2dgameartguru.gumroad.com/l/hzcgaw
[Put a zero in the price field to grab them for FREE!]
When purchasing stock images, they often come in various formats. Working out which one to use for what task and which one is the right choice for further editing can be tricky.
The Pixel Persona's Flood Fill and the Vector Persona's Vector Flood Fill [V2 only] make it a quick and easy task, but come with limitations and problems.
Learn how to approach the different file formats and avoid headaches and poor quality results.
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
Seeing that Inkscape has no 'brushes' as such, working with basic shapes is an interesting workaround. The Pencil Tool's option to take a shape from the clipboard and use it as a pattern along path allows for quick and diverse stroke options.
Using the bitmap tracing tool doesn't always give you clean results, especially when working with photos or complex sketches. Tracing manually using the Pencil Tool is a quick and easy approach when working with a graphic tablet.
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
Seeing Affinity Designer has no automatic tracing tool, and most tools can't properly simplify the subject, doing it manually is a quick and easy approach if you own a tablet or work with an iPad.
Make sure the photo has good quality and the elements you want to trace are clearly readable. Lower the photo's opacity, lock the layer, and work on a layer above. Set up the stroke to a good size, adjust the pressure curves, and start with the main lines. Don't lose yourself in detail. Less is more.
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
Seeing Affinity Designer has no automatic tracing tool, and most tools can't properly simplify the subject, doing it manually is the most editable and clean approach.
Make sure the photo has good quality and the elements you want to trace are clearly readable. Lower the photo's opacity, lock the layer, and work on a layer above. Set up the stroke to a good size and visible colour, and start with the main lines. Don't lose yourself in detail. Less is more.
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
In search of a maze pattern for an illustration that matched my needs, I ended up creating my own in a quick and easy fashion. Set up a grid, use the pen tool to create lines snapped to the grid, and erase lines using the blend mode erase.
Take the design to the next level and make it circular or add perspective using warp groups.
Enjoy!
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
I will show you how to use basic shapes, the corner tool, and symbols to create the PNG images needed for textured intensity brushes in Affinity Designer. I create variations from the base design and combine brushes for multicoloured strokes using the appearance panel and Affinity Designer's option to add multiple strokes to a single curve.
Enjoy!
Grab the Rope Pattern Brushes from my Gumroad page:
2dgameartguru.gumroad.com/l/jzchsi
[Put a zero in the price field to get them for FREE!]
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
After creating the video for a linocut look in Affinity Designer, I started wondering about the different approaches needed to achieve the effect in Inkscape.
I will show you how to create a digital design that looks (somewhat) like a linocut print without the cuts, the tools, the paint, and the mess. Lines drawn with the pencil tool and custom shapes are placed inside a parent layer set to 'Multiply'. Sitting on top of the blue or black silhouette the white will not be displayed when using 'Multiply' and turns the silhouette transparent in that area.
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
I will show you how to create a digital design that looks (somewhat) like a linocut print without the cuts, the tools, the paint, and the mess. Lines drawn with the pencil tool are placed in a layer set to 'erase' and will be cut out of the silhouette [a compound shape] to display the paper texture below.
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
In this video, I use the appearance panel, the fill tool, gradients, patterns, and bitmap images to create multilayered fills. Combining gradients, patterns, images, and blend modes, lets you create interesting and fully editable design options with a few clicks.
I take a look at some of the options - as I am sure there is a lot more you can do with this tool - and explain how I stacked the sample fills before creating a colourful, fruity fill pattern.
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
This video explains the creation of seamless scribble/ colouring-in patterns using crayon patterns as patterns along paths. The lines are contained in a clip group that is turned into a pattern to colour in the design. Additional lines and different layer blend modes are combined to create an illustration that looks like a page from a colouring book coloured with crayons.
This tutorial has some more advanced techniques and it helps to have an understanding of path effects and patterns.
There is a lot of information compressed into 20 minutes. If you prefer a click-here-do-that style tutorial, this might seem too fast. I try to show and explain the approach to this style to encourage you to create your own designs.
Enjoy!
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
In this video, I use symbols, the pencil tool, tapered strokes, and circles to quickly design the lineart of the mandala. I then take two different approaches to colour the design. Using more symbols and placing coloured shapes below the lineart is one. The vector flood fill tool in v2 is another. Either way, it's a quick and easy process to create complex-looking designs.
Enjoy!
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
This video explains the creation of seamless scribble/ colouring-in patterns using crayon texture intensity brushes. This pattern is exported and used as a bitmap fill to colour in the design. More layers, lines, and different layer blend modes are combined to create an illustration that looks like a page from a colouring book coloured with crayons.
This tutorial has some more advanced techniques and it helps to have an understanding of symbols, brushes, and fx.
There is a lot of information compressed into 15 minutes. If you prefer a click-here-do-that style tutorial, this might seem too fast. I try to show and explain the concept of how to approach this style and encourage you to try your own designs.
To make it easier, here are the crayon brushes:
2dgameartguru.gumroad.com/l/fpuqqh
and the texture I used [along with 6 more in different styles]:
2dgameartguru.gumroad.com/l/uzywh
[Put a zero in the price field to get them for free!]
Enjoy!
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
In this video, I use clusters of strokes with pressure curves as symbols to quickly create the hair. I use circles to create the main body and the eyes before adding hair. I duplicate, scale, and adjust the symbols to quickly cover the body with fur.
I created a more in-depth video on fur with tapered strokes prior [youtu.be/tOQsHhfoUP8] and there will be another quick follow-up video on using texture brushes to create fur [youtu.be/EN4CuCyT-jM].
Enjoy!
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
In this video, I explain the creation of hair using textured brushes. I use circles to create the main body and the eyes before adding hair. I duplicate, scale, and adjust the colour [using global colours] to quickly cover the body with fur.
I created a more in-depth video on fur with tapered strokes prior [youtu.be/tOQsHhfoUP8] and there will be another quick follow-up video on using symbols to create fur [youtu.be/OauYV7hsyFo].
Enjoy!
The fur brushes are available for FREE on my Gumroad page [enter a zero in the price tag].
2dgameartguru.gumroad.com/l/sosmmi
2dgameartguru.gumroad.com/l/koaip
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
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 [youtube.com/watch?v=EN4CuCyT-jM] as well as symbols [youtu.be/OauYV7hsyFo].
Enjoy!
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
Affinity Designer allows multiple strokes on the same object. By combining different widths, colours, caps, and blend modes it's 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.
2dgameartguru.gumroad.com/l/auuro
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
Starting with the rough shape of a Blue Tang [aka Dory fish] using circles and the node tool, I create a mosaic pattern using dashed lines. Dashed lines don't allow pressure curve adjustments. In order to work around that issue, I created lines with two strokes. By using lines matching the shape of the fish, I bend the mosaic pattern, fill in smaller shapes with the Pen Tool, and finally separate all into individual tiles to colour with the Colour Picker Tool. The final touches are a 3D fx to give the tiles depth and shapes set to overlay for more colour variation/ shine.
Enjoy!
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
Starting with the rough shape of the goldfish using circles and the node tool, I create a mosaic pattern [and some variations] to use with the Pattern along Path effect. By using lines matching the shape of the fish, I bend the pattern, fill in smaller shapes with the Pen Tool, and finally separate all into individual tiles to colour with the Dropper Tool.
Enjoy!
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
These elements are arranged in multiple layers, groups, and clip groups.
If you want to take a closer look at the design, the file is on the Inkscape.org website for download:
inkscape.org/~SpriteAttack/%E2%98%85creative-growth+2
For more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials visit the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
I use a set of 9 clones to have a preview of my design. This helps to ensure the pattern will match up seamlessly in the end.
I turn the seamless design into a pattern and use it as a fill for a larger scene.
See more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
In this video, I show you how to create complex editable text effects in Affinity Designer using multiple FX in stacked groups with symbols at the base.
Get the 'Text styles' for FREE from my Gumroad page. Just enter a 0 [zero] as the price you want to pay.
2dgameartguru.gumroad.com/l/cavho
2dgameartguru.gumroad.com/l/sphyh
2dgameartguru.gumroad.com/l/jniij
For more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials visit the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
I create the clockmaker's store using basic shapes - circles, rectangles, and cogs - with added text elements. Most of the shapes have solid fills [I did cheat a little and used a few gradients] and use shading shapes inside clipping masks for detail and depth.
Reusing, duplicating, and modifying existing elements make it easy to quickly create complex designs.
For more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials visit the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
Reusing, duplicating, and modifying existing elements speeds up the creation process.
For more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials visit the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
There are many different ways to shade an object from flat colours and gradients to combined effects using bevel and 3D.
For more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials visit the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
Get the 'Helpful Hints', the checker patterns or brushes I used in this video from my Gumroad page. They are FREE. Just enter a 0 [zero] in the price field.
2dgameartguru.gumroad.com
This is not a full explanation of the filter editor. I still can't get my head around the way it works... but it shows how to apply and edit a preset effect. It's a huge area to cover and I hope this video gives you a small glimpse into the weird and wonderful world of Inkscape's filters.
I had a lot of fun with it and learned something new!
For more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials visit the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
This video covers the creation and a few different examples of what you can easily achieve by adding clones to your masks and clips. It was surprising and I had a lot of fun with it!
For more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials visit the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
Music from Audio Library Plus https://www.audiolibrary.plus/
‘Santana’ by ‘Ason ID’
This video covers the creation and a few different examples of what you can easily achieve by adding Symbols to your mask creation process. I had a lot of fun with it!
More examples of masks, clips, and crops can be found in my PDF collection of step-by-step tutorials.
Get the 'Helpful Hints' for FREE from my Gumroad page. Just enter a 0 [zero] as the price you want to pay.
2dgameartguru.gumroad.com/l/dpzcv
For more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials visit the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
Music from Audio Library Plus https://www.audiolibrary.plus/
‘Santana’ by ‘Ason ID’
More examples can be found in my PDF collection of step-by-step tutorials.
Get the 'Helpful Hints' for FREE from my Gumroad page. Just enter a 0 [zero] as the price you want to pay.
2dgameartguru.gumroad.com/l/dpzcv
For more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials visit the website at http://2dgameartguru.com.
Music from Audio Library Plus https://www.audiolibrary.plus/
‘Santana’ by ‘Ason ID’
This video was requested to understand how different outlined objects react, work, and can be edited in Inkscape. I start with a traced bitmap of an outlined island shape and turn it into a more manageable filled shape with a single stroke for an outline. I adjust the shape and the stroke to be centre on the shape's edge. I use Power Stroke, Taper Stroke Path Effects as well as a dashed stroke.
It's a brief introduction and I am sure I forgot about a zillion other ways to use strokes but that's for future videos.
The beginner videos for the Inkscape - hands-on Facebook group also focus on strokes and lines:
youtu.be/W4ATvIO5zJs
youtu.be/SXKJMXwKfIE
youtu.be/apf7NbtHM20
My epic fight with the taper stroke is recorded in this video:
youtu.be/Y40HbNPD9cM
While I am having a lot of fun with Power Stroke in these:
youtu.be/LarlNUhLI8M
youtu.be/a2Iopv6YSzY
Most of the functionality shown in the video can be created with other software tools such as Affinity Designer, Adobe Illustrator, or CorelDraw 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’
I recorded this video as a reply to a request on the Facebook group "Affinity Designer - hands-on"
[facebook.com/groups/323847269739786] I run.
I combine text deformation with the Warp Group Quad and Twirl with 3D and bevel to create the shiny candy look.
You can find more Affinity Designer and Inkscape tutorials on the website http://2dgameartguru.com.
Music from Audio Library Plus https://www.audiolibrary.plus/
‘Santana’ by ‘Ason ID’
I use symbols to create the eyes using basic shapes, tapered lines, and a lot of Gaussian Blur for softness. The idea is to create a setup that is flexible and easy to adjust. Fewer nodes and more shapes mean quicker and easier editing. I chose an exaggerated cartoon look but the same approach works for realistic eyes as well.
I uploaded the Affinity Designer source file of the 6 sets of eyes I created for the video to my Gumroad page. Download it for FREE by simply adding a 0 [zero] in the price field:
2dgameartguru.gumroad.com/l/psnde
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’
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’
I use the ability of Affinity Designer to synchronize and stop synchronizing symbols to give them different colours, create the pattern with a plain shape, and replace it with a more elaborate design later.
I recorded a video on synchronizing symbols a while back:
youtu.be/qjkNB1DR35E
I uploaded the source file with two different brushes [just the knitted pattern and the combo symbol with donut, polygon, star, and two knitted patterns] to my Gumroad page. Download it for FREE:
2dgameartguru.gumroad.com/l/aonbi
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’
There are various ways to trim designs in Inkscape. You can clip or mask or you can create Clip Groups. The latter allows you to edit the content and the clip without having to release the clip each time you want to edit the content or the clip shape.
It's a great [and often overlooked] tool with a lot of flexibility and a non-destructive approach [rather than trimming your objects via Boolean operations - Difference, Exclusion, or Intersection].
Most of the functionality shown in the video can be created with other software tools such as Affinity Designer, Adobe Illustrator, or CorelDraw 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’
I apply the Textured Image Brushes in Affinity Designer's Vector Persona to text and create line font letters. I show you some of the pitfalls and the workarounds when working with brush strokes in Affinity Designer.
For this video I used these FREE embroidery brushes:
2dgameartguru.gumroad.com/l/ptxhn
and the Alphabet file I created is here:
2dgameartguru.gumroad.com/l/oanhw
The brush creation tutorials can be found on my website:
2dgameartguru.com/vector-brush-creation-in-affinity-designer
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’


