This tutorial assumes you have Inkscape installed on your
computer and that you understand at least the basics on how to use that free
software. (Check out some of our previous tutorials to learn more on how to use
it.) This is, nevertheless, a super easy tut, so might want to try it just to
get a feel for the software and how to use it for your digital scrapbooking.
Let's get started.
►Fire up Inkscape.
►Click on the Create Circles tool. While holding the Ctrl key
down, make a circle by moving your mouse over an empty space on the canvas.
While your circle is still selected, choose a color you like from the color
palette at the bottom of the page by clicking on the color. At the bottom of
the page, below the Palette, right-click on Stroke.
►When the little menu appears, choose Edit Stroke, and when
the Fill and Stroke dialog appears, click on the X to turn off the Stroke.
►Now, click on the tool Create Stars and Polygons. From the
top of the page, choose Polygons and give it 5 corners. Draw one with your
mouse. Make it the same color as your circle. While it is still selected, go to
File, Duplicate. Drag the duplicate to one side, now drag the first pentagon to
the top center of the circle. ►Now your circle looks like a drop of water. Click
on the duplicate to select it, now on the top of the page, counting from left
to right, choose the seventh button (flip selected objects vertically) and your
second polygon will flip. Drag it to the bottom center of your circle, making
sure it is flush with the edge and that the curve is smooth.
►Make another circle, as you did at the beginning. Give it
the same color as the rest of your journaling block, take out the Stroke as
before.
Now, make a rectangle and give it the same color and take
out the stroke. Drag the rectangle so that it covers the bottom half of your
new circle. While the rectangle is still selected, click on the Shift key and
click on the new circle. Now both objects are selected. Go to Path,
Intersection, so that the rectangle will cut the circle in half.
►Duplicated it. Now drag one of the half circles to the side
of your block and center it.
Select the second half circle and from the top, click on the
button Rotate selection 90ยบ clockwise, repeat it, if necessary, till you flip
the half circle all the way to perfectly fit on the opposite side of your
block. Select all the block with your mouse and go to Object, Group. Select it
again and make a duplicate. Change the color to any color and drag to the
center of the previous object. Select and drag in the corners to make it
smaller. When you are happy with the size you have, change the object to White.
►Select everything again, and go to Object, Group.
You can leave it there, but let’s give it a nice drop shadow
effect.
►Select your block again, copy and then paste. Make the copy
Black by clicking on the Black color down at the bottom of the page while the
copy is selected. Now, on the Fill and stroke dialog menu you will see a lever
that is called Blur, move the lever a tiny bit, just to soften the edges of the
Black copy into a nice blur. Click on the eight button at the top of the page,
Lower selection to bottom. Select everything with your mouse again and go to
Object, Group.
►Go to File, Export as a Bitmap (PNG) and you’re done!
