Upgrade from Inkscape to Corell

[americancanuck]

I am at the point that I would like to start doing some of my own paterns. I have been using Inkscape with some sucess but find it difficult to do some of the things that I want. I would like to, perhaps, upgrade to Corell. I am on a very limited budget at this point after just purchaseing a new Dewalt 788. My question is what should I be looking for in a drawing package and how much should I expect to spend? In searching the net I have found some pretty good deals on Corell Draw V5 or 6 home and student. Will this give me the capability to do entry level patern work or do I need something more.
Any advice will be greatly appreciated so thanks in advance.

[Old Crow]

I don't think that you can do any better than a combination of GIMP and Inkscape. Both are free, perfect for a limited income. These two are all that I use and I produce some pretty decent patterns.
Don R

[The WoodArtist]

I agree with Don, I too don't see any reason to spend money on software when Gimp and Inkscape are free. Gimp is the one I use a lot, it's a "raster" based program and will do everything that Corel will do. Inkscape I use to combine things into patterns as it's a "vector" based program. I have a small business/hobby and funds are limited also. I would suggest trying Gimp seeing you already use inkscape before spending money. I think you will be happy with it and there are tutors on other fourms and on utube for both.

[Tomsunnu]

I totally agree with Don and Woodartist , with these  two programs ( and guidance from Don) that I am attempting patterns now .Great software with fantastic results and ofcourse ,practice,practice and some more practice

Mahendra

[Russ C]

Years ago when I first wanted to start making my own patterns I started off as others have done with Inkscape and Gimp. Fantastic programs and they are free, a big thumbs up. There are also a lot of video tutorials on the internet that help. I was also having a few issues with the programs, one of them was I couldn't print from Inkscape. I had to export as a bitmap and print in another program. So it lost a little clarity. There where a lot of people having some of these issues also. Don't get me wrong, they are still good programs.

That being said after talking to Steve and watching his videos, I decided to upgrade to CorelDraw and Photoshop. Wow, there is a big difference. CorelDraw and Photoshop have a lot more bells and whistles that help make pattern making a whole lot easier. So if you are serious about making your own patterns and can afford it without breaking the bank, I would defiantly recommend the purchase.That's my opinion.

Russ 

[GrayBeard]

I am not a pattern maker or user of either program. I do know that you can go to Amazon and get older versions of most programs at greatly discounted prices.

~~~GB~~~

[ShadowB6]

After wanting to do patterns myself, I took the advice of Old Crow and Mahendra here and have used the combination of Gimp and Inkscape also. I'm happy with the results so far and cannot see myself using anything else now. As said, I'm happy.

Mike