Inkscape seascape

This study of a wave is based on a photo by photographer Tony Armstrong:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonyarmstrong/

The photo is licensed according to:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonyarmstrong/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

Jenny Lake

Study of Mountain Reflection in Water

Jenny Lake is in the Teton National Park, WY. I chose this scene to study reflections in water because the original photograph contained high contrasts in the values across the water and because it is one of my favorite places. Reflections in dark water are a particular sort of challenge in Inkscape, so I have additional hints about painting high-contrast reflections to add to those that I outlined in the post entitled Painting water using Inkscape 0.47.

Two values of blue, two values of brown, two values of gray, and black were used as very thin brush strokes to compose the water. The browns and grays are all vertical strokes with vertical motion blurs while the blues and black are all horizontal strokes with horizontal motion blurs. The horizontal strokes also have the torn-edge effect while the vertical strokes have the ripple effect. I placed the dark strokes on the bottom and worked toward the light. The edges of each major color of the horizontal strokes would overlap if they were not interwoven -- that is, only the blurred edges overlap where the colors blend because of the transparency of the blurs. The real key is to break the vertical strokes with the horizontal strokes so the eye sees the reflection but it appears to be reflected on top of the rippling surface of the water.

In this study, I have not worked on the mountains (yet); they are tracings from the photo. I hope to work on the mountains at a later date, but for the time being, I have purposefully placed them "out of focus" as they are of less interest to me than the water in this study.

The photograph upon which this painting is based may be seen at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jacdupree/176301129/. The Creative Commons License is:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jacdupree/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Painting water using Inkscape 0.47

This quick sketch demonstrates a technique that I use to paint water in Inkscape, version 0.47. The effect is quite flexible.

Study in Inksacpe of a Red-Breasted Nuthatch

This study of a a Red-Breasted Nuthatch is largely painted using the brush tool and the tree uses spiro paths with linear gradients to which I applied the filter: texture > bark.

I traced a photo to guide the scale and outline of the major elements. The source photo may be viewed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/randomtruth/2229397564/. The license for the source photo may be reviewed at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/randomtruth/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Torn lines as foreground evergreen trees in Inkscape landscape paintings

One last application for the torn lines filter-effect, this time as foreground evergreen trees in Inkscape landscape paintings. Click the illustrations for the basic steps involved in this example of the technique.

Other related posts:

• torn lines as waves in inkscape

• Torn lines as distant trees in Inscape landscape paintings

torn lines as waves in inkscape

The waves in this illustration demonstrate an another example application of the technique described in the torn lines as distant trees in inkscape post

Torn lines as distant trees in Inscape landscape paintings

One more piece on Inkscape 0.47 techniques . . . in this case, drawing distant trees in a landscape painting, like those used in an earlier post -- that is, mountain painting using inkscape.


In the painting above, I began drawing a brown line in the shape of a hill. I applied the filter to the line as described in the annotation on the painting. Click on the painting to read about the specific filter settings. I then added a new line with a new shape in a lighter brown. When I began working with greens, I started with the darkest shapes and worked forward using lighter shades. The example below shows one of the original lines, the effect after I applied the torn edges distortion and the effect after I applied the vertcial motion blur.

I usually like to use one set of filters with identical settings for an effect in a painting, and simply layer them (one goes directly on top of another), in order to speed the process of painting. If I am simulating watercolor, I will work from light to dark, and if I am simulating oil painting, I will work from dark to light. In this demonstration, I worked from dark to light, while I worked from light to dark in the mountain painting. The technique, however, is identical and very simple. You draw a line, tear the line and blur the torn line. Then I occasionally add a linear gradient for lighting (dark at the top and light near the bottom edge). Finally, I start the whole process again with another quickly-drawn line.