Hello everyone. I was testing the latest Krita version to see how it performs on coloring U.S. comic book sized pages at 300 ppi. But I find the vector tools confusing because I don't know how to manipulate the lines to create speech bubbles. Is there any updated tutorial on how to use the tools to create them? I want to learn how to draw the tails or how to add tails to a round shape.

There's an SVG symbol library with speech bubbles: https://docs.krita.org/en/reference_man ... brary.html

boudewijn wrote:There's an SVG symbol library with speech bubbles: https://docs.krita.org/en/reference_man ... brary.html

I actually want to create my own speech bubbles because some with merge with another. I can't seem to change the shape and color of the bubbles in the library.

Then it might be best to create a library with your own speech bubbles in Inkscape.

boudewijn wrote:Then it might be best to create a library with your own speech bubbles in Inkscape.

Well if the vector tools can't draw them the way I want maybe I'll just draw overlapping shapes and erase what's in-between to make a complete speech bubble. It makes it easier to fill them with whatever color I choose.

There is another approach if laying out speech bubbles is part of the final steps. Save a small preview image to lay out in Inkscape at the same size as the original document. Lay down the speech bubbles to fit the work. Then just export the layer than has the speech bubbles into Krita.

I should also mention that I haven't used the type tool because I need practice in lettering. But that handmade style helps make the work feel more traditional.

BernieBn: Another approach is to dedicate a vector layer to the speech-bubble shape. You draw the main balloon shape and the tail as two separate vector object filled with white and you overlap visually them. Then with a Layer Style, you add a stroke (few pixels width, black) and it will trace an outline around the two merged shapes. This way, you'll keep the flexibility to enlarge the ballon part if you rephrase a dialog; and also you'll keep the flexibility to move the tail if you move your characters around in the panel.

Deevad wrote:BernieBn: Another approach is to dedicate a vector layer to the speech-bubble shape. You draw the main balloon shape and the tail as two separate vector object filled with white and you overlap visually them. Then with a Layer Style, you add a stroke (few pixels width, black) and it will trace an outline around the two merged shapes. This way, you'll keep the flexibility to enlarge the ballon part if you rephrase a dialog; and also you'll keep the flexibility to move the tail if you move your characters around in the panel.

Thank you. That seems to be the best approach if I want to work within Krita.

I'm a bit lost on these speech bubbles. I found the Vector Library docker, and then find a speech bubble. I click and drag it to the image i"m working on, but it's plain white (against a white background. How do I make it look like it's supposed to, with a black border? (Yeah, I'm a newbie still with Krita...)

Deevad wrote: ... Then with a Layer Style, you add a stroke (few pixels width, black) and it will trace an outline around the two merged shapes. This way, you'll keep the flexibility to enlarge the ballon part if you rephrase a dialog; and also you'll keep the flexibility to move the tail if you move your characters around in the panel.

Right-click the layer in the Layers docker, click Layer Style at the top of the resulting list of options to get the Layer Styles window, tick and click 'Stroke' to enable stroke style and get the stroke style options shown for adjustment.

I don't know what I did. Sorry to be such a newb....

I pulled one of the speech balloons out into a page and put a 5 pt stroke on it. Worked great.
Went to do it in an actual drawing I'm working on, and when I select Layer Styles, the whole right side is greyed out. Cannot select or set the stroke size.
Have I turned off something?
WAIT, I think I got it. I have to select the Pen tool again before I go about the Layer style - stroke. Seems to be working again.

Thanks...until the next emergency. LOL

marvinator wrote:WAIT, I think I got it. I have to select the Pen tool again before I go about the Layer style - stroke.

Actually, no. The tick boxes by the different layer style names are to enable/disable individual layer styles being applied. You can have more than one layer style enabled. e.g a thin stroke and a thicker drop shadow. All this is subject to the 'Enable Effects' at the top left of the Layer Styles window which enables/disables the entire thing.

To see and adjust the parameters/settings for each layer style, you need to click to highlight the layers style name itself (not the tick box).