Introduction

In the previous chapters, we have focused on the basics of object creation and manipulation, improving our understanding of Inkscape's general philosophy. Having learned the nouns, verbs, and adjectives of vector graphics design, we know enough rudiments of the language to express our creativity in more elaborate and fulfilling ways.

A beautiful work of art can be appreciated at different levels: we can admire it for its aesthetic qualities, but we can also look at it as an example of a visual problem that has been solved by an artist. "How did he manage to pull off those amazing shades of color?" "How did she achieve such a realistic sense of perspective?" Then, when asked about it, the artist simply reveals a combination of simple, almost banal, techniques already known to us.

Very often we have at least a general idea of what we want to draw; it's how to achieve it that's unclear. The challenge is getting there without making too many compromises, or any at all, on the overall...