Portrait Software

[Old Crow]

Hi Mike, Here is my take on "K". Using Gimp and inkscape it took me 28 minutes. Granted, it still needs a little cleanup. Good luck
Don R

[ShadowB6]

Nice take Don. You captured her eyes and nose much better than I did. I do like my rendition however of her smile. It's like the old adage, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". And it took you only 28 minutes!!!!!! How long have you been doing this? Also, I've yet to try Inkscape. Is it used in addition with GIMP or is it a separate entity by itself? Also I looked up the Wacom tablet. Interesting concept. Did you use it for this picture? Does it help to speed up the process?

Thank you for all your help.

Mike

[Old Crow]

Mike, I use Inkscape and Gimp together as in the tutorial that I posted earlier. I have been making patterns for about 18 months or so. I didn't use the tablet for this particular pattern but I use it a lot  for more complicated patterns, it seems to afford a little more control than the mouse although my Logitech Performance MX mouse does a good job.
Don R

[Toneman]

Well Mke, you have done very well for your first portrait pattern! I have had Gimp downloaded for two months and just simply cannot sit long enough to learn! I guess being too impatient is my problem; I want instant results! LOL

Tony,aka,Toneman

[ShadowB6]

I hear you Toneman. But as I believe will happen, after doing this as long as Don or Mahendra have been doing it, my time should improve. I believe the satisfaction in knowing that one has completed a one of a kind pattern will be a just reward for taking the time to do it. I guess it's all part of the process, though I'd prefer to spend more time cutting and less time behind a computer.

Mike

[Coullion]

I use the demo of Coyote and use a screen grabbing program to save the image I create. Then tweak it with Gimp. I personally don't think the Coyote software is worth $99. Just my 2 cents.

[ShadowB6]

Not sure if I did the right thing, but I've decided against purchasing the Coyote Stencil software but have taken that money for what others here have recommended. Bought tonight on eBay the Wacom Bamboo Capture tablet. Even saved a few bucks to boot. Some seemed to like Coyote while others thought not so hot, but everyone who has the Wacom tablet seems to like it and after all the reviews I read, it seems to be a good purchase. Read up on the various models and the Capture seems to be the one I needed. We will see. Took DonR's advice though and downloaded Inkscape. Tomorrow I'll work my way through the tutorial that Don has recommended.

Mike

[Tomsunnu]

Mike
I really don't what to say but WOW! that is excellent for your first time, very ,very nice!! you are on the right track just follow the advice and within no time you will improve with every pattern you make and please save this pattern as it is your first(you will want to go the memory lane  one day
Wacom tablet is very helpful though I still have to use it regularly.
Welcome to the  club you will love it!
Thank you for sharing your new found talent.
Mahendra

[ShadowB6]

Here's my latest effort on portrait pattern making. It's of my son and I think I've captured the essence of the photo. I had much better luck with the eyes and nose this time. Now I'm like a kid in a candy store. Already can't wait for my Bamboo tablet to come in.

Critiques are welcomed. I may like what I've done but the teachers opinion is what counts.

Mike

[Old Crow]

Mike, I think it looks really good. I opened up his right eye a little to make it easier to cut and got rid of the 2 floaters then washed it one more time in Inkscape. Here's what I came up with.
Keep up the good work.
Don R

[ShadowB6]

Hey Don, yes I see what you mean by opening up the eye improving the cutting lines. Thanks for the tip on that. I have not gotten that far yet, but is it the washing process in Inkscape that smoothens out the lines, in particular on the right side of the face (my son's left side) or did you do that manually? Your overall image is much more smoother which will make for a better cutting experience.

Mike

[Old Crow]

Mike, The washing process in Inkscape does smooth out the lines. Depending on the pattern, I will wash several times before I am happy with it. Having said that, you can go too far and distort the image.
Don R

[jrpeteo]

Mike & Don, I don't want to steal you thread here but... Don, what do you mean by "wash several times"?
I have followed the tutorial with Gimp & Inkscape for the first time in my life. I can't find the icon with the wrench and square sheet of paper in Inkscape, (brand new version?)but I muddled through. This is the result of three and a half hours of work. Your thoughts?
Pete

These are my daughters.

[ShadowB6]

Hey Pete, great job. Hope you put the finished project up on the forum after you cut it. Nice work.

Mike

[Old Crow]

Pete, Really nice work!! Keep at it.
By washing in Inkscape, I run the image through "trace bitmap" with the brightness cutoff threshold set to about 0.580. This helps to smooth out the jagged lines. Sometimes I have done it multiple times. I think the icon with the wrench was in an older version. There are a couple of errors in the tutorial due to newer software and that was one of them.
Don R