Scottish lass here. (Affinity on Windows 7). An absolute pleasure to meet the Affinity team, users and forum members.
My apologies in advance for the long post but I thought to just let it all out from the start!
I'm an artist in the traditional sense i.e. I use a real brush, messy paint and real canvas etc. I use software as a tool but am in no way a digital artist!
Some years ago I used Adobe Photoshop (CS3 at last count I think). PhotoShop is the undisputed leader in the field, but my requirements and gained knowledge didn't even touch the sides of PS's capabilities. Wasted on me to be honest. Anyway, the bloat and high cost demanded by Photoshop, especially nowadays, make it a non-contender for me.
I do some photo-editing and have always wanted to learn vector art. Over the years I tried various editors and found Serif software best for my average needs. Being a Serif customer, Affinity found me thru Serif promotions. I really liked what I saw and am now proud owner of both Photo and Designer! I was also able to purchase at a great price, the gorgeous Affinity Designer workbook (what a beautiful thing!) . From that moment I made a promise to myself - to forget about the rest and concentrate on my Affinity.
I also have an electronic cutting machine - a shape-cutting tool for making stencils, etching, engraving, embossing and more. Incredibly productive for art & crafts, scrap-booking, card-making etc - if I can make it work! ;o) (Another promise to myself!)
The good thing is that it seems Affinity Designer and the cutting machine can work together...
In order to utilise the cutter's capabilities, vector software is a must. The software supplied with the machine is meant to design (allegedly) then send the vectorised design to the machine for cutting. But it's pretty basic, not a true design software imho. Adobe Illustrator (big and expensive) and Inkscape (highly-rated free draw/vector software) are the most popular apps for this purpose so far. (Tried Inkscape but don't really feel comfortable with it. A personal thing, nothing against the software.) However, Affinity Designer is creeping into the craft scene, so I know it must do the job! I will also contact these users for advice. I intend to create my own simple and detailed/intricate designs as stencils.
Does anyone have experience using Affinity software to prepare artwork for machine cutting (say, a stencil)?
Some may say 'Read the book!'. I am in the process of doing so, but with 432+ pages, some pointers would be extremely helpful coz I really don't know where to start!
So, a huge 'thanks' in advance to those who will take the time to offer assistance: I look forward to your response.
And thanks so much for reading.
