Figure Ground on GIMP

Is there a way to make figure ground designs on GIMP 2.6.3?

Designs like this for example.

Unless I'm missing something, that should be relatively simple to do just using layers.

reply to post by TravelerintheDark


I agree; I'm not certain where the problem lies. Can you be more specific, OP?

To make that specific image, I would just start with a J in black in a huge font size, anchor that text layer, start a new text layer in white in a smaller size for the T, anchor that layer, and finish up with a third text layer in black, still smaller, for the Z.

I guess my example wasn't a good one. I'm not sure how to really explain it without images. I have another example that will show you what I want to achieve. Here it is. The first two are similar I what I want. Could I still use layers just for that?

reply to post by Striker122


You should be able to, yes. Just use the "text" tool to create a new text layer for each letter, so that you can manipulate them separately and use different font, sizes, and colors. Then you should be able to push one over the other to get the effect you want.

In the first picture, you would also need to use the "rotate" tool to get the "f" at an angle. That'll change the layer from being a text layer to a regular layer, but it can still be moved around.

Note: text layers come up with invisible backgrounds, so the background of the image should be the color you want the bottom layer on. For instance, if the bottom layer is a white letter, you'll want to use a black background.

Here's a screenshot. It may look a little different because I'm using GIMP for Mac, but maybe it'll be helpful


[edit on 2/13/09 by americandingbat]

reply to post by americandingbat


Thanks! I managed to do it. I guess it was just me making a simple task harder than it was meant to be.