01 Introduction
02 Relevant Inkscape Tools
02-01 Drawing Tools
02-02 Selecting Tools
02-03 Aligning and Distributing Tools
02-04 Transforming Tools
02-05 Grouping Tools
02-06 Coloring and Outlining Tools
03 Guide Lines Setup
04 Symmetric Object Creation
05 Ring Creation
06 Coloring
04 Symmetric Object Creation
Most mandalas contain elements that are symmetric. The easiest way I have found to draw a symmetric object in Inkscape is to draw one side of it, then copy it, horizontally flip the copy, and join the two halves.
Here is a step by step illustrated description of creating a symmetric object.
Draw one side. I am right-handed, so I draw the right side first. You might wish to draw on top of the guidelines to control the width of the object, or you can draw the object in its entirety and then resize it to fit into a specific angular space. In this example, I want to draw an object that takes up 30 degrees of space, so I will draw the right side in 15 degrees using my guidelines. I am using the Bezier curves tool.
I don't try to make the curves perfect right off, I just get the shape to be approximately what I want. I refine the shape by selecting the object with the Paths tool and then Ctrl-left-clicking each interior node until it changes to a circle, which results in programmatic smoothing of the curve at each node.
Next, I move the nodes around until the shape looks right. Sometimes I play with a node handle to reorient the curve at that spot. You can pull a node handle out of a node that doesn't have one by Shift+left-clicking on it and dragging. At this point I also set the stroke width so I can make sure the object fits within the proper space.
Next I choose the Select tool, make sure the object is selected, copy it (Ctrl+D), flip the copy horizontally, and use the left-arrow key to move the copy to the left of the original. I move it just far enough to the left so that there's a little space between the two halves. This space is needed when joining the top of the two objects and making a point.
To join the two halves into one object, choose the Paths tool, select both halves, and zoom in on the top. Drag a selection box around the two top nodes and click on the Join selected end nodes with a new segment icon in the top toolbar.
This will create a horizontal joining segment between the two nodes. To make this segment into a point, double-left-click on the line between the two nodes to create a new node. Select all three nodes and click on the Distribute selected nodes horizontally icon in the Align and Distribute dialog. This will center the middle node between the two end nodes.
Unselect all the nodes, then Ctrl-left-click the middle node and drag it vertically until the point looks good. Using the Control key ensures that the node moves only vertically.
Zoom out and use the Select tool to align the object to the horizontal center of the page. I usually end up with the object being a little too wide, so I lock the width and height (lock icon between width and height in top toolbar should be closed) to keep the object's aspect ratio constant, then drag a corner handle to resize the object until it fits the desired width properly.
You can make a design element as simple or as complex as you want before you start duplicating it and creating a ring. Let's add some more to this example object using the same technique described above. Draw one side of a curved path inside of the first object and smooth it and adjust it until you like the shape. To vertically align the two end nodes, select them both and click on Align selected nodes to a common vertical line.
Create the other half of the new object and join both the top and the bottom, adjusting the points as necessary, then center it horizontally on the page.
Let's add one more touch to this design element so I can illustrate another technique. I want to add a line of circles along the top edges of the first object. Select the Circle tool with F5 and draw a circle above the first object. To ensure the circle is actually circular and not an oval, choose the Select tool, unlock the width and height fields, set the width and height to the same number, re-lock the width and height, and center the circle above the first object, adjusting the size of the circle using a corner handle if necessary.
Side Note: You are hitting Ctrl+S occasionally to save your progress, aren't you? Inkscape is known for crashing at the most inopportune times.
Duplicate the circle enough times that you can make a line of them flowing down one side of the top of the first object. Unfortunately, the alignment tool will not be of any use in this situation, so you'll have to eyeball it. Once you have all of the circles lined up, select all of them except the top one and group them. Copy the group and flip it horizontally. Use a horizontal arrow key to move the new group to the other side. To ensure that the two lines of circles are the same distance from the first object, group them into one group, then left-click on the first object, Shift+left-click on the circles group, choose Relative to: First selected in the Align and Distribute dialog, and click the Center on vertical axis icon.
In order to duplicate and rotate this composite object, it is best to combine all of the parts into one group. Using the Select tool, drag a selection box around all of the objects and group them.
In part 3 I will describe how to create rings of objects like this one.
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