Hello everyone. I'm having difficulties drawing my shapes in one continuous stroke, even though I'm using a Wacom Intuous 5. I typically need like 10 strokes to complete a complex shape, after which I want to fill it in with a solid color.

I tried doing this with the pencil tool and taking the union of the paths, but that doesn't work. I have found another way with the calligraphy tool:

1. use bucket tool to flood fill areas inside paths
2. select all paths and combine them (ctrl-K)
3. dilate paths (outset)
4. erode paths (inset)

This will give me a nice solid shape close to my original, but it still takes too much effort. Is there a simpler way to do what I want?

Thanks for any help

Welcome to InkscapeForum!

Since so many logical approaches apparently don't work, maybe we should start by seeing an example of the area you want to fill?

It shouldn't be hard to imagine, but here's an example. The top row is the method that I described. The bottom row is when I use the pencil tool, which isn't merging successfully.

Ok, here's the deal. On the top row, it appears that you used the Calligraphy tool. If you select the "lines" with the Node tool, you can see that it draws closed, filled paths, without strokes. Union will work on that, if you want to make it into a single closed path (as long as the individual "lines" touch or overlap each other). Combine will do whatever Combine is meant to do, but on calligraphy "lines" it won't necessarily create a single "line". You can fill the area created by all the individual "lines" whether you use Union or not, by using Paint Bucket tool. But that won't make it into a single object, which appears to be what you want, by the end of the top row of drawings.

If you want a single, closed, filled path in the end, it would be better to use the Pencil or Pen tool, to draw the closed path. Then after you draw the path, you can add a fill, and then remove the stroke.

The bottom row is made with the Pencil tool. In order to make several individual open paths into a single closed path, you need to use Path menu > Comine, AND do some node editing to join the end nodes. You could also use Union, but you'll still need to connect the end nodes, to create a closed path. Or if you draw the whole shape properly with a single Pencil stroke (or Pen), you won't have to join nodes. With any of these options with the Pencil tool, you can use Fill, and avoid using the Paint Bucket tool (which has certain drawbacks).

Comine, AND do some node editing to join the end nodes

OK, that works, but it doesn't seem easier than the 1st method (flood fill, outset, inset) since you have to find the ends of each segment manually.

I'm open to other methods to draw faster. I tried drawing a rough shape with a single stroke and using the eraser or tweak tool to carve it into place, which is easy and intuitive, but it still takes longer than I want.

Are the shapes I'm drawing like in my example too complicated to be drawing in one stroke to begin with? I'm doing comic book drawings, so does anyone know if the artist would draw the entire torso and arms in one stroke or divide them into multiple convex shapes?

I would suggest to use the pen tool too.
With that, you can achieve every node to be exactly where you want them, while with any freehand tool you will get only approximations.
2D vector graphics work as if you cut every part of a drawing from paper and put them on top of eachother.

This may answer your question on the torso and arms as well. With the fills you want to draw, you decide how many paths you need at least.

But it all depends on the style you want to draw in.