We challenge you to:

Draw/Create Something to Commemorate Inkscape's 20th Anniversary

Inkscape would like to show off some of your work for the Anniversary this November. Please forgive me for re-using a previous theme.

This time around, while the theme is the 20th anniversary, the format of your work could be anything from a comic strip to a photograph of a t-shirt.

Let's see what you come up with!

While we know we are going to get some stunning artwork, we also want to encourage beginners. If you are new to Inkscape, feel free to keep it simple.

Multiple entries are welcome, and please do stick around for the chat!

All abilities are invited to get involved. The complexity of your entry is down to you.

Please post your finished artwork below. 

IMPORTANT: If you would like to know what you could do to improve your artwork, add the phrase to your comment: "Brutal Feedback" --- only for those with nerves of steel! (Please include a brief description of your process, difficulties you have experienced and your desired outcome).

Because of limited resources, moderators may not always be able to give feedback.

All entries to be submitted by 30 November 2023.

Please spread the word!
#inkscapechallenge

Please see CHALLENGE RULES before submitting your artwork

Instructions/Information

• To submit your artwork, scroll to the bottom of the page and while logged in, click the paperclip (bottom-left) to upload your image, add a description in the text box (optional) and click "Submit Reply".
• If you'd like to post work-in-progress artwork, create a thread in the "Work in Progress" section of the forum, and post your images there, with the title "[Month] [Year] [Challenge Title] WIP - [your artwork title]" (you are welcome to ask for help there if you get stuck). When finished, post the final graphic to this thread.
• There are no winners (HOWEVER, YOUR ARTWORK SUBMISSIONS ARE AUTOMATICALLY ENTERED INTO THE INKSCAPE ARTIST OF THE MONTH CONTEST). These challenges are intended to inspire, to encourage you to share your work and to build a supportive community.
• If you post your artwork here, you agree for us to share your artwork and use your artwork to create a banner (in the event that you win Artist of the Month) - to opt out, add "Please don't share" to your post.
• You're encouraged to discuss and offer feedback/constructive criticism to others, but please be respectful.
• Most importantly, be creative, give your best, and have fun!

We look forward to seeing your entries!

Challenge entries (so far)

Here is my fail submission for the 1.3 splash image. the svg had just too much going on. so here it is in png form.

@sketch_of_life Nice work 👏

I liked the idea of @sketch_of_life to share the 1.3 splash-screen, as it is pertinent to this month's challenge, so here goes mine.

@sketch_of_life @mrks9
Thanks for sharing those. Indeed, I am recycling a theme (please forgive me). The Vectors team wants to generate some awesome 20th Anniversary graphics to share this month.

I am also broadening the challenge to include physical creations which used Inkscape in some way to make it.
These could be something printed, cut, embroidered, stenciled, baked...

Something like this?

 

@SpriteAttack Yes, that is a very nice graphic.

A lot of the about screen entries could be considered entries into this challenge to be fair. They were really good.

Happy 20th birthday Inkscape!

I decided to make an infographic showing the releases over the years and a few of the key features in each one (obviously I'm barely scratching the surface of the work that went into each release, but there's only limited space...!) Wikipedia nicely summarizes the key features, though I referred to the release notes for each version too.

It was fun to put together and to learn when various features came out.

@z3z That infographic is really interesting. Thanks for sharing.

@SpriteAttack Beautiful work! In fact, one of my favorites. @z3z  Excellent, as well as very informative. I don't know if CMYK will make it to the end, but world domination, for sure 😁

pacer

That infographic is really interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks, it was great to see how things developed over the years. I think I first started using Inkscape in version .47 (I can't recall for sure but the intro screen is familiar, and .46's isn't, which makes me feel sure it must have been .47). You forget about all the improvements there have been along the way.

When did everyone else start using Inkscape? What's the earliest release you can remember?

mrks9

Excellent, as well as very informative. I don't know if CMYK will make it to the end, but world domination, for sure 😁

Hehe from watching @doctormo 's videos and the problem the developers are dealing with related to CMYK, perhaps world domination might be easier.... *cackles evilly*

😉

@z3z i think my first download of inkscape was .42 but at that time i didn't comprehend how to use it, so for a long time i made a lot of things in gimp when it would have been so much better and faster in inkscape! haha. it wasn't until far later that i rediscovered it and it clicked. which would have been .92 or .93. but i didn't use it that much because i needed to use another program to print to a vinyl cutter. then when 1.0 came out i found the two settings i needed to change to use inkscape with my cutter. since then i've been almost exclusively been using the dev versions.

Simple poster to celebrate the 20th anniversary.

sketch_of_life

i think my first download of inkscape was .42 but at that time i didn't comprehend how to use it, so for a long time i made a lot of things in gimp when it would have been so much better and faster in inkscape! haha.

I was much the same. I don't think I fully comprehended what vector graphics were initially, and I used Gimp when I should have used Inkscape and vice versa! I'm glad you've found a way to make Inkscape work for you now.

mrks9

Simple poster to celebrate the 20th anniversary.

Very nice work! I like the minimalist look & feel of this. It looks great.

I have 1 or 2 more ideas in my mind, I just hope to find the time to finish them on time.
@SpriteAttack  @pacer  @mrks9  @z3z  Great works, great effords!!💯❤

@inkonic Ohh! I really like this one. 10 extra points for originality.
It reminds me of a picture card in a pack of playing cards. Elegant and packed full of detail.

It would make a good postage stamp.

Looking forward to seeing your other ideas.

@mrks9 @z3z said it right... loving the minimalism. It is very attractive.

@Inkonic Great work, I love it 👏

This is my first attempt at using Inkscape. My approach was to think about the process in the same way as a printer. First of all I created the blacks, and then put the colours and shades underneath.  It took me about 40 hours to complete as I'm not at all familiar with the tools. It was a fantastic learning experience, and I'm very happy with the outcome. Looking forward to learning more about the technical aspects of this great software.Hope you all like the image. "Brutal Feedback" welcome.

Hello Anthony ( @1nside0ut )
Welcome to the forum. I'm glad you are enjoying Inkscape. I admire your commitment, spending 40 hours on a project on a new piece of software.

It looks like this artwork may not be themed for the challenge. That is fine. Feel free to post anything off topic to the challenger chat area;
https://inkscape.org/forums/competitions/challenger-chat-for-off-topic-ramblings-and-chitchat/

As for feedback, your artwork looks to be of consistent style (which can be hard to achieve, especially for those new to Inkscape). 
Overall, a quality graphic. Thanks for sharing.

Pacer
Challenge Coordinator

Hello Pacer (@pacer)

Thanks for the feedback,

Maybe I could delete my post here and submit to the challenger chat area?

Anthony

@1nside0ut You can if you would prefer, but you don't have to. The challenges are fairly informal and we are all friends here. It's just a tip for next time.
Feel free to submit something for the challenge though if you have the time.

@Inkonic I love that design, especially those chunky strokes. It looks great!

A variant of the banner, this one has been shared on our social media platforms already, but I thought I'd share it here too.

Here's the adjusted and themed version of the 'creative growth' to match the 20th anniversary. Brutal feedback is always welcome!

That's a really nice piece Chris. Well done!

Thanks, Martin! It means a lot coming from you.

Happy Birthday, Inkscape!

Being a writer (and a pitiful designer), I couldn't do less than playing with words and the logo of Inkscape.

Hi! I've been using Inkscape for a few years, and I really love it! Here is my contribution to the event. Your art pieces are amazing!

@SpriteAttack
Feedback: I like how you incorporated the theme. I didn't see the 20 at first, but it stands out to me now. Your light and shadow work is good (looks natural) and there is a lot of detail (and points of interest) to your graphic. The clustered tiles(?) give the appearance of an area expanding beyond the boundaries of the canvas. Overall, a quality, balanced piece in it's own right. Thank you for sharing.

@Caradjine Thank you for your artwork.

(Please forgive my unsolicited advice).
I'm sorry to hear you referring to yourself as "a pitiful designer". To improve as an artist, one needs a balanced perspective. While it is important to be self-critical, this should (IMO) be balanced with goals and aspirations. I recommend that you set out some challenges and, if you do get stuck, reach out and ask for advice (you can always ask questions and post your experiments in the challenger chat thread).

Food for thought... What would you draw if you couldn't fail?

I look forward to seeing more of your artwork. :)

@Andchan Welcome to the challenge and to the forum.
Both joyous and chocolatey. Thank you for sharing!

We have challenges every month, so it will be great to see more of your artwork.

You are also welcome to join the challenger chat thread for any "off-theme" Inskcape discussion and artwork submissions.

Pacer
Challenge Coordinator

I manage end up with a similar idea as Andchan. I tried to experiment with isometric drawing. Since I am not good at that I created a Blender render as a guide though.

Nice! The more chocolate cakes the better!

pacer

I am also broadening the challenge to include physical creations which used Inkscape in some way to make it.
These could be something printed, cut, embroidered, stenciled, baked...

Ok then, here a little scribble embroidery. Happy Birthday Inkscape!

Another reason why Inkscape is more than just great software 😊

@mrks9 Great work. I really like this. Sorry I'm so late in responding (got health issues). Thanks for another great entry!
 

@Kaalleen So pleased to see this in the challenge. I have no experience in embroidery, but it looks very interesting. Is it your own machine?
Awesome entry!

Pacer
Challenge Coordinator

@pacer Sorry to hear that. I hope you get well soon.

I did this while listening to the stream of the 20 years celebration 😊

pacer

@Kaalleen So pleased to see this in the challenge.

Thank you :) Sorry I couldn't spend more time on it. It is really just a scribble. But I wanted to add at least one embroidered image since this challenge was open for it :)

pacer

I have no experience in embroidery, but it looks very interesting.

Yes, it is. I really do like the combination of art and technology and Inkscape is just a great tool for that.

pacer

Is it your own machine?

Ah yes. I used my own machine.

@Kaalleen well in case you missed it. Your embroidery was featured (alongside some of the artwork above) in the 20th Anniversary celebration and it was well received. You are welcome to post any of your Inkscape creations in the challenger chat: https://inkscape.org/forums/competitions/challenger-chat-for-off-topic-ramblings-and-chitchat/

Plus, if you feel you can embroider anything related to the challenges, feel free post it in the thread.

@pacer Hi Pacer, many, many thanks! The postage stamp was a good idea! I didn't think about it.
@mrks9 Thank you Marcos! In the mean time, I saw you've done some excellent work there. Especially your "Talent" piece with this beatiful color palette!
@z3z Hey z3z, thank you as well for your kind remark! In the page of the previous challenge (October-Fruit Challenge), I left a comment for you (+small clip) about the use of filters in Inkscape. I hope you saw it.
@SpriteAttack Beautiful!
@Kaalleen Beautiful
@devviktoria & @Andchan Yum yum

oops... it seems like I can't upload anything else....😢

@Inkonic If you have reached your upload quota, that happens. Let me see if I can get that lifted for you.

Here's a graffiti style work. Except the inkscape interface that is auto-traced from a screenshot of my laptop, all the rest is designed from scratch.
I could have put more details surrounding the main drawing (e.g. a pen, droplettes or some graffiti style ornaments), but I tried to keep it simple.
For the spraying effect, I used: Filters>Distort>Chalk&Sponge. And just for the black sprayed area: Filters>Scatter>Pointillism.
Both filters worked beautifully but only after I edited their Turbulence(>Fractal Noise) and Displacement Map (=first "Scale", then clicked
on the gear icon> unchecked Automatic Region and then set the required Dimensions+Coordinates). 
Wall image: https://pixabay.com/photos/space-empty-wooden-floor-white-3197610/

@pacer THANK YOU, pacer!🖖
How could I avoid this problem in the future?

@inkonic Fantastic image, did you do the typography of "INKSCAPE"? I love it 👏

@mrks9 Hi, Marcos. I’m glad you liked it! No, it’s not mine. Although I never downloaded or installed the particular font, I remembered this guy, Vladimir Nikolic (Russian?), who has some interesting fonts and dingbats (half of which are 100% free). So, I went to have a look for it on Dafont. There, I discovered the “Espace” font (=100% free). I just downloaded the glyphs map/chart https://www.dafont.com/img/charmap/e/s/espace0.png while I still didn’t even know if I would use it for the word “Inkscape” or “Anniversary”. Then, I just traced the letters that I needed (without their shadowing), reworked the letter “K”, and finally added my own shadowing. This guy’s work is overall interesting. Have a look if you want to: https://www.dafont.com/vladimir-nikolic.d6875#null

@Inkonic Thanks for the info. It's true, it has interesting things 👍

Inkonic

How could I avoid this problem in the future?

For those who post their artwork frequently, it is expected. The quota is set to protect Inkscape's server from spammers overloading it with graphics.
We want artists to post their artwork, as it is largely what the forum is designed for. If someone hits their limit and we can see that they are a legitimate Inkscape user, the quota is lifted.

All that is asked is, when users have the quota lifted, they keep an eye on their file sizes. There are no strict rules as far as I know, but I try to keep my file sizes less than 500kb by resizing/compressing/changing format (I convert some to webp).

Inkonic

Here's a graffiti style work.

I like your design. Very well thought out. Thanks for sharing!

@pacer
Thank you for the enlightenment! It sounds logical. I used to upload png files. These last uploads are jpg's.
"And now for something completely different": With the new updated version of Inkscape, I have some issues (on Win10) when converting a stroke to a path.😢

Also, it seems like the Raster Extension is still out of order.😭

@Inkonic I use a small program for the images I upload here. It's called Imagine and it does a great job of compression. I only use it here so as not to saturate the space, but you can hardly notice the difference.  https://github.com/meowtec/Imagine

Great tool! Thank you @mrks9 😀

pacer

Your embroidery was featured (alongside some of the artwork above) in the 20th Anniversary celebration and it was well received.

That's nice to hear. Thank you for the feedback!

Sorry for the late post, it took longer than I thought. It was done at the last minute. ;)

Variations on a theme.

@razr Now, you are just showing off ;) Nice work. Thank you for sharing!

@pacer Originally, I thought it wouldn't be too difficult to show these ideas in one picture. But in the end, I felt like it was the same amount of work as if I had done all of them individually. And it's actually all done in my head. :D Although my original goal was to "just look like" each theme was completed in its entirety, and then I just clipped them together. In any case, this was also an interesting experience.