Turn an Activpen into a sable hair brush or a tub of glitter… and if you ever needed an excuse to buy a graphics tablet for all the PCs in the computer suite – then this might be it!
There are a few natural media programs out there – but many look like modified versions of more sophisticated computer drawing programs. Art Rage is different… from the novel user interface to the natural behaviour of the tools – this program has been designed exclusively to recreate the look and behaviour of natural art materials on screen.
Having used programs such as Corel Painter a lot with kids in the past, it is clear the range of oils, pastels, crayons, airbrushes and glitter will keep them engaged and exploring. Don’t get me wrong – I am all for ‘real’ materials in lessons – but the ability to model and re-draft/re-work ideas in a rich and creative way on the whiteboard is very useful and it is a simple fact that most career illustrators and designers these days use computer applications for much of their work.
You can download a free version (with limited number of tools) from www.artrage.com for both MAC and PC.
