Making comics on Linux

Making comics is fun, but requires a lot of skills :
you have to be very imaginative, write interesting stories, be well organized, be good at drawing, accept criticism, be able to publish frequently ...

You will also have to make a few choices on the software to use, photoshop still being a bit pricey - you might be interested in open-source software -  and nowadays they are as good as the leading one.

Assuming you already have a comics in mind, and have drawn a few pages already on paper.

The best route for you is to scan those pages, and import them in Gimp - then to ink them and color them.

By putting the sketch on layer1, the ink on layer3, and the colours in layer2  - you are pretty much set.

Beware though, not to mix layers - if you're using Gimp 2.6 - if you have Gimp 2.8 there is a new lock/unlock feature you might use to prevent editing the wrong layer.

Then when the art is done, you simply add a layer4 for text. Make sure the text is spell checked because Gimp doesn't have this ability.

Image credit : Battle for Wesnoth comics

Inkscape Live Path Effect goodies

Inkscape Live Path effects (LPEs) are neat, but unfortunately not well known and therefor underused.


Lately I found this video and the end results are very pleasant, but because of the lack of explanations and the speed of the video - it's hard to follow

I'll try to decompose it -- Basically you follow 3 steps

1. you draw a shape with the Path tools

2. You open the Path Effect Editor, and add "Spiro-spline" to this shape, this effect will smooth the nodes position and creates nice curves, easy on the eyes.

3. Then You add "Pattern Along Path" and click on the first symbol next to Pattern source (the one in orange)

This will generate a little node on the top left corner of the canvas and will allow new transformation on the current shape.

The next steps are up to you, because it's just a matter of finding the right shape - then duplicate it,  transform it (Object to Path) and resize, change the orientation, duplicate some more, change the color, etc ... until you find the right shape you like.

Blogging like it's the end of the world

Blogging it's a way of life, the more you blog the better you get at blogging.

Now that St Patrick is over, Spring is coming and everybody is starting to make plan to go picnic and hiking outside, but some bloggers are still in front of their computer trying to find content for their beloved blog.

That's what blogging is ... writing post, here and there - and building something that will last.

I can easily picture any blogger as the "Doom guy" on top of a mountain trying to survive, being attacked by procrastination, laziness, auto-critics, etc ... but he will prevails and his blog will be awesome.


5 Ways Blogging Can Save Your Sanity : "Once you start blogging, you begin to pay closer attention to the world around you. You notice the details, live in the present moment, and relish the life lessons, because these become the themes you will write about. You stop going through the motions, living your life on auto-pilot, and instead fully engage in everything that happens. This simple shift in your approach improves the quality of your life in unimaginable ways."