Inkscape is one of the most popular free software vector drawing applications. With minimal effort you can achieve some excellent results. However, for the inexperienced it can be a bit hard to find out how to get those results. In this tutorial I'll look at creating a simple ribbon effect which will hopefully introduce some of the key Inkscape features along the way.

"...The Libre Graphics Meeting brings together developers and users of free software graphics applications, such as GIMP, Inkscape, Scribus, Blender, Krita, the Open Clipart Library and more: http://www.libregraphicsmeeting.org/2008 [...] To make a donation, please follow this link: http://pledgie.com/campaigns/613 ..."

Inkscape is an open source vector graphics editor, similar to Illustrator or Xara. It uses the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format. It's capable of creating objects with a variety of drawing, shape and text tools. You can edit previously created objects with scale, gradients, masks, and filtered effects.

As more and more traditional publishers accept digital images, artists are turning to free and open source software (FOSS) tools to create cartoons and illustrations.

Fractals have a long history of fascinating computer and math geek alike, but this time we're going to take the way a fractal simulates natural ordered chaos and apply it to the practical purpose of drawing a natural object! However, this isn't going to be a very realistic tree, just a drawing good enough for an icon or a game sprite.