The Book of Inkscape, 2nd Edition: The Definitive Guide to the Graphics Editor

by Dmitry Kirsanov

Overview

A comprehensive user’s guide to Inkscape, a vector illustration application.

Dmitry Kirsanov, a former core Inkscape developer, shares his knowledge of Inkscape's inner workings as he shows how to use
Inkscape to draw with various tools, work with objects, apply realistic and artistic effects, and more. Step-by-step task-based tutorials show you how to create business cards, animations, technical and artistic drawings, and graphic assets for games.

This second edition covers the new tools, improved text features,
advanced new path effects and filters, as well as many new UI
conveniences in Inkscape 1.0. A new chapter describes Inkscape's extensions for both users and developers.

Learn how to:

Navigate the canvas and customize your workspace and views

Create new objects and transform, style, clone, and combine them

Use gradients, patterns, filters, and path effects to liven up your work

Work with layers, groups, object order, and locks to control your artwork

View and manipulate your document’s structure with the XML Editor and the new Objects dialog

Export your work to various formats

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781718501751
Publisher:	No Starch Press
Publication date:	12/07/2021
Pages:	576
Sales rank:	656,346
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Dmitry Kirsanov is an author, developer, and graphic designer. For many years, he was a core Inkscape developer and added many features to the program while making its UI more fluent and flexible. He currently works as an XML/SVG developer and web developer; in his spare time, he writes and edits books for IT publishers.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: Inkscape and the World
Chapter 2: An Inkscape Primer
Chapter 3: Setting Up and Moving Around
Chapter 4: Objects
Chapter 5: Selecting
Chapter 6: Transforming
Chapter 7: Snapping and Arranging
Chapter 8: Style: Color and Opacity
Chapter 9: Style: Stroke and Markers
Chapter 10: Gradients, Meshes, and Patterns
Chapter 11: Shapes
Chapter 12: Editing Paths
Chapter 13: Path Effects
Chapter 14: Drawing
Chapter 15: Text
Chapter 16: Clones and Symbols
Chapter 17: Filters
Chapter 18: Bitmaps
Chapter 19: Extensions
Chapter 20: Tutorial: Designing a Business Card
Chapter 21: Tutorial: Creating an Animation
Chapter 22: Tutorial: Drawing a 3D-Correct Cartoon
Chapter 23: Tutorial: Artistic Drawing
Chapter 24: Tutorial: Technical Drawing
Chapter 25: Tutorial: The Rose
Chapter 26: Tutorial: Artwork for a Game
Appendix A: An SVG Primer
Appendix B: Import and Export
Appendix C: The Command Line
Index
Color Illustrations

Editorial Reviews

"If you’ve ever wanted to design art for video games or any other application, The Book of Inkscape, 2nd Edition by Dmitry Kirsanov is for you . . . It doesn’t matter if you’ve never seen a graphics program or even a photo editor. It guides you through the creation of business cards, animations, technical and artistic drawings, and graphics for games."
—Bob and Joy Schwabach, oncomp.com

Reviews from the First Edition:

"I give this book a big thumbs up."
—LinuxPlanet

"Highly recommended, well written and full of practical examples and insights, this excellent text can make you a pro at using Inkscape."
—IT World

"Inkscape is a really exciting, interesting and powerful design program to learn, and The Book of Inkscape makes this learning process fun and rewarding."
—Dr. Dobb's CodeTalk

"Kirsanov . . . is able to hand out the knowledge with ease, without confusing the reader. He also has an uncanny ability to prioritize concepts and tools, and so each chapter and each section appears at the right moment in the book, while the reader is ready for it."
—OSNews

"Dmitry Kirsanov's book enables you to sit down with a freshly downloaded version of Inkscape and work in an ordered and logical way through the software features."
—Free Software Magazine

"Anyone who wants to use, or learn about, Inkscape should take the time to examine The Book of Inkscape."
—Linux Users of Victoria

"This book is a great guide to using Inkscape."
—On Computers

"Clear writing and numerous step-by-step tutorials make this manual the go-to reference for artists new to Inkscape and for experienced users looking for detailed information on the application's features."
—SciTech Book News

"The Book of Inkscape is an absolute must for anyone trying to master the program for professional use."
—The Midwest Book Review

"The ability of Dmitry Kirsanov to vary his tone and detail depending on the subject matter is perhaps key to The Book of Inkscape largely being effective in its ambition of being the definitive guide to the graphics editor."
—About.com

From the Publisher