How to create a heart shape

Key

This article uses these graphical conventions

Window ⟩⟩ Tab/Panel in Window
Button … Menu → Choice … Keyboard

Introduction

This tutorial will show you how to use some of the Scribus drawing tools to make a simple "heart" shape.

Specific techniques used in this tutorial

• Setting a grid.
• Creating a circle.
• Creating a bezier curve.
• Converting to a polygon.
• Joining curves.
• Joining shapes.

Setup

• Open Scribus and create a new document. (A4/Letter portrait will do.)

Figure 1

First, you should display the grid and set grid snapping on. This is important because it will allow you to create the shapes much easier than otherwise.

• Choose menu File → Document Setup
• Select "Guides" from the scrolling list on the left.
• Check the "Show Page Grid" icon.
• Set the "Major Grid" Spacing to 100pt.
• Set the "Minor Grid" Spacing to 20pt.
• OK the dialog.
• Choose menu Page → Snap to Grid. If "Snap to Grid" was already ticked then don't select it, leave it ticked.

Your document should look like figure 1.

Circles

Figure 2

• Choose menu Insert → Insert Shape → Default Shapes → Circle
• Draw a circle the same size as two of the larger grid squares.
• Choose menu Item → Duplicate
• Drag the duplicated circle across to the right of the original so that the duplicate overlaps the original by two of the smaller grid squares - see figure 2.

Curves

Figure 3

It might be helpful to look at figure 3 before trying the next bit so that you have a better idea of what the instructions mean.

• Choose menu Insert → Insert Bezier Curve
• Click at the point seven small grid squares down from the bottom of the two circles aligned vertically with the point where the two circles meet.
• Drag the pointer down from the left of the left-hand circle by the same distance as one of the larger grid squares and release the mouse button.
• Right-click to complete the bezier curve.

Figure 4

• Select the curve you've just drawn.
• Choose menu Item → Duplicate
• Go to Properties ⟩⟩ X,Y,Z and press the "Flip Horizontal" button.
• Drag the flipped curve so that its bottom end meets the bottom end of the original curve.

You should now have something that looks like figure 4.

Joining Up

Figure 5

• Select one of the curves.
• Shift-select the other curve.
• Choose menu Item → Path Tools → Connect Paths
• Set "Connect First Line" to "Starting Point".
• Set "with Second Line" to "Starting Point".
• Check to see that the dialog box looks like figure 5 and press OK
• Re-select the new joined curve.
• Choose menu Item → Convert to → Polygon
• Select one of the circles.
• Shift-select the other circle.
• Choose menu Item → Path Tools → Path Operations…
• Accept the dialog box as it is and press OK
• Select the joined circles.
• Shift-select the joined curves.
• Choose menu Item → Path Tools → Path Operations…
• Accept the dialog box as it is and press OK

Figure 6

You should now have you heart shape as it looks in figure 6.

You can now add this shape to your scrapbook and use it wherever you need it.