How to create a heart shape

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This article is part of the HOWTOs series.
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Heart shape title.png

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.