There are a ton of ways to draw in Inkscape, but sometimes you need to bring in reinforcements to really get that special shape. Sure, you could probably freehand it just fine, but we're going to go over a tool that allows a controlled the controlled use of warping and sculpting.
1. The Tweak Tool
Step 1
You know, this one! When you select it, you're cursor will change into this orange circle.
Step 2
The concept is simple. Select your paths with the normal Selection tool and then click the Tweak tool. This will allow you to sculpt only the paths that you have selected.
Step 3
Then select your desired Mode (I have Push parts of paths selected) and drag your cursor over your paths.
Step 4
And of course, you can adjust the Width and Force to your liking. Also, you can even select multiple paths to warp at once. Below, I've changed my Mode to Shrink parts of paths.
2. Objects Work Too
Step 1
There are a few modes also for handling mass amount of objects as well. Go ahead and select a bunch of objects with the Selection tool, then click the Tweak tool again. The Mode I have selected is Move objects in any direction. Also note that Grouped objects don't behave very well and will most likely be handled separately.
Step 2
This simply moves your selected objects as if you were pushing them on a surface. Hockey, anyone?
Step 3
Another useful Mode for objects is Rotate objects. Select some objects and drag away!
3. A Little Drawing
Step 1
First, draw a simple ellipse as a starting point. Grab your Tweak tool so we can do some sculpting. The best Mode for this one will probably be Push parts of paths or Shrink parts of paths.
Step 2
Keep on sculpting until you get a nice splat shape. I periodically adjust my Width and Force depending on the detail I want.
Step 3
After some fine tuning, let's just throw some color on there. I did a crazy green slime color.
Step 4
For the final touch, head up to Filters > Bevels > Fat Oil to quickly apply a liquid type effect (I changed some of the filter settings to get it to look just right). There's our neat, finely sculpted slime splat.
All Done!
The Tweak tool is such a fun one to work with, especially when you know how to control it. It can be very helpful for those imperfect designs that just need to be warped to look right (like splats). I hope you learned enough about warping and sculpting in this Quick Tip to start using it in Inkscape right away! Thanks for reading.
