How to make laser-cut Holiday decorations

Step 6 Tracing the image

In this step, I'll show you how to trace over the image to create the shape of the bell.

Some of the terms I use may be unfamiliar, especially if you haven't used Inkscape before - but do not worry!

The video shows you what to do so you'll get to see what the terms mean. If you do want to become more familiar with some of the terms and concepts of vector graphic software, you can check out Inkscape's help manual.

Note: This movie seems to pause after 10 seconds of playing. You can continue playing the movie if you nudge the slider forward and click play again.

Set up your drawing area
Use the magnifying glass to zoom in on part of the image.

Draw a rough shape
Select the pen tool and draw a rough outline over the top of the image.

I did this by drawing points along the outline of your image. I hold down the mouse button and and transform each point into bezier curves by dragging the handles that appear on each side. In the video, you'll see how I use these handles to edit the curves of the bell.

Refine your shape
With the shape roughly traced, go through and edit each bezier so the curve matches the curves of the bell.

Finishing your bell
At this point it's easier to see how your finished bell will look if you remove the imported image from your drawing area. You can then make any additional tweaks.