Illustrating Chain Links

June 22, 2008 in Tutorials, Vector by Vyoma | 3 comments

Illustrating Chain Links

  • Software: Inkscape (or Adobe Illustrator)
  • Level: Intermediate
  • Subject: Chain Links

Illustrating vector art of chain and chain links is quite fun once you get the hang of it. The most important thing is to get the basic shape right.

Basic Shape

Illustrating Chain Links - Basic Shapes

Getting the basic shape right is very important. Draw as many grid lines to assist you as required. There are basically two shapes you need to draw. One that is parallel to the canvas and one that is perpedicular. The parallel one is composed by subtracting shape 1B from 1A. (In Inkscape use Path > Difference from the menu). See to it that both the shapes are of same height and also that the perpedicular one fits into the hole of the parallel link.

Illustrating Chain Links - Basic Shapes Verify

You can do more verification by making copies of the two shapes and aligning them.

Shading

Illustrating Chain Links - Basic Shape Shading

If you have been reading some of the other tutorials, the steps I am using here is quite evident. If you do not want to go this advanced, and stick with a simplistic approach, that too is fine as long as you maintain the level of vector rendering you do in a particular artwork.

Illustrating Chain Links - Shading Hightlights

Assemble

Once you have the shading ready. All that is left to do is alight the two shapes and group them.

Illustrating Chain Links - Assemble

After that, make multiple copies and move them around. Rearrange the order of these shapes so that they are one above the other logically.

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  1. Mathias’s avatar

    Mathias on July 2, 2008 at 7:50 am

    Nice one! Though I would have expected to have the last step done with the “object along path” effect.

    Reply

  2. ryanlerch’s avatar

    ryanlerch on July 2, 2008 at 10:39 pm

    yeah, a while back i did a bit of experimenting with pattern on paths, and i did a chain example:

    http://ryanler.wordpress.com/2007/05/31/inkscape-pattern-to-path-examples-coconut-tree-trunk-and-chain/

    of course this can be done “Live” in inkscape 0.46 with the Live Path Effects Feature…

    BTW, thanks for all the awesome tutorials vyoma!

    Reply

  3. Vyoma’s avatar

    Vyoma on July 3, 2008 at 3:41 am

    Well Mathias, to be honest it never flashed my mind to take that approach. I surely need to experiment a bit more on that terms.

    And by the way Ryan, thanks for that great link. :)

    I have used Object along path to deform single shapes. But I am not sure if we can use it for a group of shapes. Would it be able to repeat the set of shapes (or grouped shapes) along the path?

    Reply