shared by Henry Smith

One thing that helps me greatly is to print a copy of an image so that I can mark it up. By having a copy on the computer, I can reprint it and also resize it. For resizing and making an easy-to-follow pattern, I use Inkscape. This software can be downloaded at inkscape.org. at no cost.

By using “layers” in Inkscape, I can load an image – a bird for example – on one layer and use a blank layer to trace around the image to make a pattern. It is exactly like tracing it in pencil except it is a computer image that you can use over and over again. Plus, you can resize it or change it as you see fit. 

shared by Dennis Chenoweth

Further information on Inkscape is in The American Marquetarian, the magazine of the American Marquetry Society, online for AMS members. See the summer 2018 edition, page 10, and the fall edition, page 12, for articles by Bill Kimbell.