Turning your favorite photo into a hand-drawn illustration using a pen plotter is easier than you think!
In this guide, you’ll learn step-by-step how to convert an image to SVG format and draw it using the iDraw H SE pen plotter. This workflow is perfect for artists, hobbyists, and creative professionals looking to combine digital design with analog drawing beauty.
Follow the steps below — image placeholders are kept so you can insert visuals along the way.
Before You Begin: Install the iDraw User Extension for Inkscape
Before moving on to the conversion and plotting steps, make sure you have installed the iDraw User Extension for Inkscape. This extension is essential for enabling direct control of your iDraw H SE pen plotter from Inkscape. Without it, some of the key functions—such as sending the SVG file to the plotter or adjusting plotter-specific settings—may not work properly. If you haven’t installed it yet, follow the official guide here: How to Install User Extension for Inkscape | iDraw Tutorials. Completing this step ensures that all the upcoming operations run smoothly.
Step 1: Choose and prepare your image
Select a photo or artwork you love. To get clean stroke results, remove the background first.
You can use software like Photoshop, or any free online background remover tool.
For this tutorial, I found a picture of Sun Wukong (Monkey King) using Google Images and removed its background.
Step 2: Download the cleaned image
Once the background is removed, download the transparent PNG/JPG image to your computer.
Step 3: Convert the image to SVG format
To convert the image into an SVG vector graphic, you can use professional tools like Adobe Illustrator — or a free online tool.
In this tutorial, we use:
https://image.online-convert.com/convert-to-svg
Upload your image to the converter.
Step 4: Adjust settings & convert
You may modify parameters like smoothness or vector detail if needed.
Then click Start to generate your SVG.
Step 5: Download the SVG file
Save the converted SVG file to your computer.
Step 6: Review the converted image
Here is what the converted SVG looks like after processing.
Step 7: Open SVG in Inkscape & set page size
We will finalize the SVG settings in Inkscape.
Open the SVG in Inkscape
Go to File > Document Properties
Set the page size to A4
Scale and center your image on the page
Then go to Object > Transform, choose Scale, and adjust to the desired size.
Move the artwork to the center of the page again.
As shown in the figure
Step 8: Convert fill areas to stroke lines
The black areas you see are rendered fills. For the pen plotter, we need line strokes instead of fills.
To disable the fill color:
Open Object > Fill and Stroke
Under Fill, choose No paint
Now the picture only shows outlines, which is perfect for plotting.
Step 9: Fill shaded areas with hatch lines
Now we need to fill the shaded regions using stroke patterns (hatching), so the plotter can imitate shading.
Go to:
Extensions > iDraw Utilities
Adjust two key settings:
Pen width (example: 0.3mm)
Fill angle (example: 45° diagonal lines)
Apply hatch fill until shading looks natural.
The artwork now looks like hand-drawn line art ready for plotting!
Step 10: Load the pen and paper into iDraw H SE
Mount your pen and paper on the iDraw H SE pen plotter and secure them.
Then in Inkscape go to:
Extensions > iDraw H SE Control
Click Apply to start plotting.
Your drawing will begin!
Step 11: Final result
Here is the final hand-drawn artwork output from the pen plotter.
Final Thoughts
This workflow lets you turn photos into pen-plotted artwork with:
- Real pen texture
- Unique artistic shading
- Natural hand-drawn feel
Using tools like Inkscape and iDraw Utilities, anyone can bring digital art to paper in a stunning way.
If you're looking to explore creative automation or professional-grade pen drawing machines, the iDraw H SE Pen Plotter is a powerful, accessible tool for artists, calligraphers, designers, and hobby makers.