Inkscape Crash Course
Create clean, scalable vector graphics - even if you've never used vector software before.
By the end, you'll have created a complete icon or illustration ready to use anywhere.
Your First Five Minutes
Open Inkscape, understand the workspace, make one colored shape.
Download and Install
Head to inkscape.org and download version 1.4 or later. It's free and open-source. Install it like any other application.
When you first launch, you'll see a welcome screen with options. Skip it for now - you can customize later. Just click "New Document" or close the dialog.
The Workspace
Here's what you're looking at:
Draw Your First Rectangle
Click the Rectangle tool in the toolbox on the left. Or just press R.
Click and drag anywhere on the canvas to draw a rectangle.
With your rectangle selected, click any color in the palette at the bottom of the screen.
Save your file: Ctrl+S (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+S (Mac).
That's it. You just created your first vector shape in Inkscape.
A colored rectangle. Simple, but you now know where everything is.
Building with Basic Shapes
Use shape tools to build a recognizable object.
The Shape Tools
Hold Ctrl while dragging to draw a perfect square or circle.
The Select Tool
Press S (or F1) to switch to the Select tool. This is your most-used tool:
- Click to select an object
- Drag to move it
- Corner handles to resize
- Click again on a selected object for rotation handles
Build a Simple Tree
Let's make something real - a simple tree icon.
Press * (asterisk) for the Star/Polygon tool. In the Tool Controls Bar at the top, set Corners to 3. Now you have a triangle tool.
Draw a triangle on the canvas. Click a green color from the palette.
Press R for Rectangle. Draw a small rectangle below the triangle for the trunk. Click a brown color.
Press S to select, then position the trunk under the triangle.
Your first icon: a simple tree
A tree icon from two basic shapes. This is how all icons start.
Fill & Stroke
Control exactly how shapes look with fills, gradients, and strokes.
Open the Fill and Stroke panel: Shift+Ctrl+F (Windows/Linux) or Shift+Cmd+F (Mac). You can also find it under Object → Fill and Stroke.
This panel has three tabs:
Fill Tab
Controls what's inside the shape:
- X - No fill (transparent)
- Flat color - Solid color
- Linear gradient - Color fades in a direction
- Radial gradient - Color fades from center outward
Stroke Paint Tab
Controls the outline:
- Turn stroke on/off
- Set stroke color
Stroke Style Tab
Controls how the outline looks:
- Width - Thickness of the line
- Dashes - Solid, dotted, dashed patterns
- Join/Cap - Rounded or sharp corners
Upgrade Your Tree
Select the triangle (tree top). In the Fill tab, choose Linear gradient. Edit the gradient so it's darker green at the bottom, lighter at the top.
Select the trunk. In the Stroke Paint tab, add a darker brown stroke. In Stroke Style, set width to 2px.
Gradient fill and styled stroke make it pop
A tree with gradient shading and styled outlines. Professional touches that take seconds.
Precision & Alignment
Make designs look professional through proper positioning.
Duplicate Objects
- Ctrl+D / Cmd+D - Duplicate in place
- Ctrl+C / Cmd+C then Ctrl+V / Cmd+V - Copy and paste
Grouping
Select multiple objects by holding Shift and clicking each one, or drag a box around them.
- Ctrl+G / Cmd+G - Group selected objects
- Ctrl+Shift+G / Cmd+Shift+G - Ungroup
Grouped objects move, scale, and rotate together.
The Align Panel
Open it with Shift+Ctrl+A / Shift+Cmd+A (or Object → Align and Distribute).
This is how you make things line up perfectly:
- Align - Line up edges (left, right, top, bottom, center)
- Distribute - Space objects evenly
Build a Forest
Select both parts of your tree (click one, Shift+click the other). Press Ctrl+G / Cmd+G to group them.
Press Ctrl+D / Cmd+D twice to create two copies. Drag them apart.
Select all three trees. In the Align panel, click "Align bottom edges" so they sit on the same ground line.
With all three still selected, click "Distribute centers horizontally" for even spacing.
Alignment takes seconds but makes designs look intentional
A perfectly aligned row of trees. This is how real icon sets are built.
The Pen Tool (Gentle Introduction)
Create one custom curved shape.
The pen tool lets you create custom shapes that the basic tools can't make. It's the tool that separates "I use Inkscape" from "I can actually design with Inkscape."
If you took Vector Art Fundamentals, you already understand Bezier curves conceptually. Now you'll use them for real.
The Bezier/Pen Tool
Press B to select it.
- Click to create corner points
- Click and drag to create curves (you'll see handles appear)
- Click the first point to close the shape
Draw a Simple Leaf
Press B for the Bezier tool. Click once to start your shape.
Move to the right and click and drag upward. This creates a curve. You'll see handles - these control the curve shape.
Move to where you want the leaf tip. Click and drag to create the point.
Continue back around and click your starting point to close the shape.
The Node Tool
Press N to switch to the Node tool. This lets you adjust curves after drawing:
- Click a point to select it
- Drag handles to reshape curves
- Move points to adjust the shape
Fill your leaf with green from the palette.
A custom leaf shape - impossible with just rectangles and circles
Don't worry about mastering every pen tool feature today. The goal is "I can do this" - you'll get faster with practice.
A custom curved shape. You've unlocked the ability to draw anything.
Working with Text
Add typography to a design.
The Text Tool
Press T to select it.
- Click once on the canvas to create a single line of text
- Click and drag to create a text box (text wraps within)
Once you've clicked, just type. The Tool Controls Bar at the top shows:
- Font selection
- Size
- Bold / Italic
To change text color: select the text with the Select tool (S) and click a color in the palette - same as any shape.
Build a Badge
Press R and draw a rectangle. With it selected, look for small circular handles at the corners - drag these inward to round the corners.
Give it a nice fill color - try a purple or blue.
Press T and click on the rectangle. Type your badge text (like "NEW" or "PRO").
Select the text, make it white, and adjust the font size in the Tool Controls Bar.
Select both the rectangle and text. Open the Align panel (Shift+Ctrl+A / Shift+Cmd+A) and center them both horizontally and vertically.
Converting Text to Paths
If you need to share your design with someone who doesn't have your font, select the text and go to Path → Object to Path. This converts the letters into regular shapes that look the same on any computer.
A simple badge - shapes + text + alignment
A text badge. You can now combine shapes and typography.
Layers & Organization
Keep complex designs manageable with layers.
As designs get complex, layers help you stay organized. They let you:
- Hide parts of the design while you work on others
- Lock elements so you don't accidentally move them
- Control what's in front and what's behind
The Layers Panel
Open it with Shift+Ctrl+L / Shift+Cmd+L (or Layer → Layers).
- Click the + button to create a new layer
- Click the eye icon to hide/show a layer
- Click the lock icon to lock/unlock a layer
Moving Objects Between Layers
- Select the object
- Cut it: Ctrl+X / Cmd+X
- Click the target layer in the Layers panel
- Paste in Place: Ctrl+Alt+V / Cmd+Option+V
Stacking Order Within a Layer
Objects stack on top of each other. To change the order:
Assemble a Composition
Let's put it all together:
Create three layers: "Background", "Trees", "Badge"
On the Background layer, draw a large rectangle and fill it with a sky blue or gradient.
Move your tree forest to the Trees layer.
Move your badge to the Badge layer.
Now you can hide the badge to work on trees, lock the background so it doesn't move, etc.
A layered composition with background, trees, and badge. You can now manage complex designs.
Export Your Work
Get your design out of Inkscape and into the real world.
Saving vs. Exporting
- Save (.svg) - Keep working on it later. This is Inkscape's native format.
- Export - Use it somewhere else (web, print, sharing).
Export as PNG
Press Shift+Ctrl+E / Shift+Cmd+E (or File → Export).
In the Export dialog:
- Export area - Page (whole canvas), Drawing (just objects), Selection (only selected), or Custom
- Width/Height - Size in pixels
- DPI - 72 for web, 300 for print
Choose a location and filename, then click Export.
Export as Other Formats
Go to File → Save As (or Save a Copy) and choose the format:
- PDF - For printing or sharing layouts
- Plain SVG - For websites or other design software
When to Use What
You've built real vector graphics in Inkscape. You understand shapes, fills, strokes, alignment, paths, text, layers, and export. You're ready to create.
What's Next?
You now have all the fundamentals. Here's what to explore next:
Quick Reference
Mac users: Replace Ctrl with Cmd, Alt with Option.