After several years and jumping from CorelDraw to Adobe Illustrator, I have decided to download Inkscape. I love Illustrator and its possibilities, I have become very fluent and my workflow is really efficient, the tools work perfectly and, above all, the integration with the other programs make it the most striking alternative on the market.

But why did I decide to download Inkscape? Simply because I believe that everyone who likes to create creative content should be able to change their working tools, open up to new possibilities and explore different options.

There are several things that catch my attention about Inkscape and, of course, in the top three is that we are dealing with a tool that is not only free and free, but seems to have a fairly active community.

Before starting the download of the program, I have been doing a little tour on the web and I have found enough resources, tutorials and information, besides being able to admire the work of several creatives who have used it for several years and the results of their work are spectacular.

It’s not the tools that make the artist, but the artist that makes the tools.

The program seems to be available from the Windows Store, but this time I prefer to go the old reliable way. I go to the official Inkscape website and easily find a download link for my OS, in this case it corresponds to version 1.3.2.

Although the site looks a bit old and it doesn't look commercial, I see several resources that catch my attention and a good amount of information, the latest entries in their blog are quite recent.

Screenshot from the official Inkscape website

After a few minutes, I have the file ready on my computer and proceed to install it. It's been a long time since I installed a program in a .7z file, so I'll have to extract it first, I think it will start playing TRACK_01_00.MP3 in Winamp.

The file structure obtained is quite confusing, so I go to YouTube, and surprise! I had downloaded the wrong version, the things that happen from not reading. Now with a trusty .msi installer, yes I'm ready to NEXT, NEXT, INSTALL.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Opening the program for the first time, we are confronted with the artwork accompanying the version number and the dreaded blank page. A few panels of tools and formats are clustered in the corners of the screen, and I manage to recognize some tools common to vector editing and illustration programs.

Screenshot taken from my computer

At this point, I should follow some First Steps tutorial, but I prefer to improvise a bit and explore the different tools.

Without further ado, I grab my sketchbook and the nearest HB, throw some scribbles on the paper, take a picture with my phone and that's it! This little bee will be my first creation in Inkscape.

Photo from my Sketchbook

Some quick adjustments: my canvas dimensions are 5000px^2, 72dpi and RGB. Now it's READY!

Looks like it won't be as easy as I expected, although you can quickly understand what each tool is about, I find its control cumbersome. Handling the Pen was a big challenge, quite the opposite of the Shape Creator, which works perfectly, I would even dare to say better than its competition.

A few minutes later my sketch is already shaped and I have achieved all the lines that make up my drawing.

The most fun and cumbersome part was making the fill and applying some transparencies. Of course, my job would have been made easier if I had taken the time to read some guides and watch a few tutorials, but I wanted a discovery experience. I am quite pleased with the end result.

What have I learned?

Inkscape is a program that opens up endless possibilities for vector illustration. From my little journey and stumbles, I can't form a totally accurate opinion, but I see that it has moved away from the dynamics of handling the tools that are present in many programs and explores unique ways of handling them.

Some solutions that the program proposes don't quite convince me, but they are overcome with good performance. I would like to explore more to see how customizable it is. Would you recommend it? Of course, especially for HIVE. Maybe it's not the one for extremely ambitious projects, but for quick and easy vector design it's perfect. Being free and having a large community is its strongest point. I see its greatest potential for signage and web design.

Without a doubt, I will continue to use it and explore its functions. I hope to come back with better works to show you.

I want to sincerely thank you for taking the time to read this article. It means a lot to me and motivates me to continue sharing content that may be useful and interesting. If you found this article useful or enjoyed reading it, I would greatly appreciate it if you would share it with your friends or on your social networks. Best wishes.

 

 

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Screenshots taken by me, used under “Fair Use” for criticism and commentary.
This article is independent and not affiliated with the developers.
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Article first published on my personal blog at HIVE.