Child Friendly Clip Art: Using Sketchpad 5.1

If you need to keep children entertained with an art project that is both fun and easy, then look no further: Sketchpad 5.1 is a free online drawing application that is ideal for people of all ages. I created the artwork above easily using the clip art available within the application.

 

The online application can be found at:

https://sketch.io/sketchpad

 

The icon that looks like a face brings up the clip art (there are over 5000 clip art images to choose from!)

There is a search bar so you can find exactly what you're looking for.

 

Type in halloween each time you want a vector graphic related to halloween.

 

Text can easily be added and there are loads of great looking fonts to choose from.

 

A fun project would be for children to design a picture using the clip art, print it out, and laminate the printout so it can be used as a table place mat.

This blog post is not sponsored.

More information about Sketchpad can be found at: https://sketch.io/

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Carbon Paper Trace Monotypes Revisited.

I've started doing my "Carbon Paper Trace Monotypes" again with renewed vigour. I am determined to show that a work of fine art can be completed using this technique. A few years back I was going to produce a book on the subject but decided at the time there wouldn't have been enough material. Now, I am convinced that indeed there definitely would be enough material as I have plenty of ideas for the uses of finished works of art.

Over the next couple of months I will be completing as many Carbon Paper Trace Monotypes as I can for inclusion in the book which will be available as a digital download.

The book will include plenty of projects for children to complete (and will include detailed instructions suitable for teachers such as the use of technology to develop a latent image stored on carbon paper; this fun project will give children a sense of wonderment and achievement as they see their image appear on a computer screen). Another project will include instructions on using a finished Carbon Paper Trace Monotype as a "master" to produce laser printouts that can be transferred to wood. I will also show how to create two toned B/W images from Carbon Paper Trace Monotypes; these can be used to make silk screen stencils or laser etched into lino or rubber to create an automated form of linocut (both can be used for printmaking purposes).

Original Nik Collection - make the mundane magnificent!

I'm still using the free Nik Collection and am still impressed at the results I'm getting. I and my family recently went for a walk along the River Parrett in Bridgwater Somerset (England).

It was a lovely evening and the light was really good on the way back. Using a humble Sony Cyber-shot DSC-J10 a 16.1mp slim digital compact camera with a sony lens (not a Carl Zeiss one) I captured some basic scenes that didn't look that great considering the nice light. One thing I can say about this camera is that can capture colour extremely well. I find it useful for taking reference photos to paint from.

Using the following selections in the Nik Collection I managed to turn a mundane photo into a striking reminder of the evening!

I used Color Efex Pro 4.
Filters used
1st - Detail Extractor (Default Settings)
(Add Filter) 2nd Skylight Filter (Default Settings)
(Add Filter) 3rd Polarisation (Strength 200%)
(Add Filter) 4th Graduated Neutral Density (Vertical Shift Approx 46%-50%. Using this slider is the equivalent of moving a physical filter upwards or downwards. The object being not to cover elements in the landscape only the sky.)

Click on OK to save image.

Choose File, then Save As.
Enter File name............
Choose Format - (.Tiff recomended.)

Then click on Save.

Can you mimic oil painting digitally?

I’ve been getting to grips with Artrage 5 recently and can’t praise it highly enough.

    It has the ability to mimic oil painting very realistically. I’m using a Wacom Intuos Pen CTL-480 Graphic Tablet and to paint the rigging on my unfinished example I used a plastic ruler laid on top of the graphic tablet. I had to undo quite a few times before I got the angles correct, but with patience it’s easy enough to paint very fine lines using the graphic tablet.

    Artrage 5 looks at first to be a simple program, but there is a lot more to it once you realise different effects can be achieved by playing with the settings.

Image Transfer - Laser Print onto Wood.

I’ve had a first attempt at transferring an image to wood. I used a laser print from my local library laser printer which cost me 15p for two copies on one sheet. The image is one of my Carbon Paper Trace Monotypes that I finished extensively with a mechanical pencil – building the image up in sections by reprinting each successful edit and continuing on a printed copy until I ended up with a finished image.

The piece of wood was just an off-cut and I painted it with two coats of white acrylic paint. When thoroughly dry I hand sanded the face of the wood with fine sandpaper and brushed off the piece with dry kitchen roll. Then with a wide soft-haired brush I evenly coated the wood project face with clear acrylic gesso. Once smoothed level with the brush – brushing up and down in one direction only. I then gently laid down my image (printed mirror image and cut to fit the wooden surface). I gently smoothed the paper down using an old credit card and my fingers. Once it looked firmly pasted to the wood with no bubbles (smaller images work best!) I left it to dry overnight.

    The next day I filled a yoghurt pot with water and placed the wooden project onto some old newspaper. Dipping my fingers into the yoghurt pot of water I wetted the paper image and let it soak in a bit before gently rubbing the paper away to reveal the image underneath. Take care not to rub too hard. I left it to dry before repeating the process. Once the paper was removed and I let it dry once more, I sealed the project with the same clear acrylic gesso.

For my first attempt, I am really pleased with the result. There are a few areas in the hair that are missing but these could be touched up with a fine brush and some acrylic paint. The wood I used was not the smoothest as it was just an off-cut. However, with a suitable wooden panel well sanded I expect to be able to get exceptional results that can be used for various decorative craft items.

Possible uses: Vintage wooden projects, Re-purposing, Shabby Chic, Arts & Craft style wooden panels (option to stain or paint with thin washes of acrylic).

I can also see a niche for providing similar high resolution images as clip-art for sale as a download or on recordable CDs.