
In addition is it possible to acheive this effect in inkscape?

To the first one I would apply a gradient with sharp edges.
I can see that the top portion is a gradient, but how do you achieve the inset look or rather having the text look as though it was stamped into a surface.The second one is just some gradients, I don't see a hassle.
You can also refer to this thread for some ideas about how to create an inset effect..
capnhud wrote:That inset does not appear as deep and as crisp as in the image or is it just my imagination?
I must be missing something because I still do not get a hard edge gradient as in your image.
You need to create four colour stops. Make the top two red and the bottom two black. Set the offset for the middle two stops (one will be red and the other will be black) to 0.50. And that's it.
So here is what I'd do:
- draw the shield shape
- draw a series of red and black stripes then rotate them to the needed angle
- use the shield object to mask the stripes, or for better portability (in case some other software don't support masking) just trim the stripes with the shield shape (create a negative shield shape then trim the stripes).
capnhud wrote:Just one more gradient question. On the gradient editor the repeat dialog give you a choice of (none, reflected, and direct) I can figure out the first two, but what does "direct" indicate.
You can find an explaination here (along with a bunch of other stuff you might not know already).