LopArt, a fine arts application for everyone

LopArt's designers wished to develop a creative graphical tool for young children, one that would engage similar actions to those used in the traditional visual arts. They thus opted for functions that solicit the same gestures and render in a similar way to materials used in drawing and painting. Offering a palette of 27 different textures and a range of seven half-tones that may be mixed, LopArt also allows the creation of entirely new materials. Testing of LopArt with different age groups has demonstrated the enthusiasm aroused not just in children from five to twelve years of age, but also in adolescents and adults.

The youngest will find in LopArt an easy-to-use graphic arts application. No need to know how to read to use LopArt. The range of tools provided does not include automatic fills, cut-and-paste, or geometric primitives, things which bring a mechanical rigidity to many of the images made these days on computers by children. Young children thus play at LopArt, enchanted by the interactivity of the software. In front of the screen, without realizing it, they exploit the elements of visual language. The animation functions, which allow the reenactment of the creative process by drawing the colors and strokes in the order of execution, as well as the possibility of sending images by e-mail, are features they really 'get into'.

Older users find that the animation functions make it easy to make short animated movies. The idea of the moving image becomes clear in the eyes of its creators. Different playback speeds, loops and sequences challenge them to find solutions to express their ideas. The ease of execution of animated drawings offered by LopArt lets their imagination take flight. LopArt also makes it easy to create textured backgrounds for Web pages.

LopArt thus complements a traditional artistic education. For budding artists in day-cares, primary and secondary schools and beyond, it will become one of their favorite creative tools.

LopArt, an ideal creative software for child-minders.

Workers at child-care services equipped with computers will be charmed by LopArt. Its ease of use lets children from four to twelve years old create images on their own and send them to their loved ones or to the LopArt virtual Museum. In the context of workshops, it enables playful and educational activities that may be pursued freely or by following specific cues. Saving the images in the portfolio makes it easy to show parents their children's work.

LopArt provides hours of calm and creative play that truly engages a child. It also permits the production of pictures without the usual organization of materials and tedious cleaning up. Graphic arts can now be an activity for any time of day.

LopArt, a creativity application for primary and secondary schooling

In common with all computerized tools, LopArt accelerates the execution of gestures and enables the undoing of mistakes. The computer can be used to rapidly verify ones ideas and to try out various possibilities. Those who fear their clumsiness need not worry: nothing is unrepairable! Employing these features enables us to propose explorations that, with traditional materials, would be impractical. For example, in half an hour a child using LopArt can produce three studies of complementary colors, a feat that would take far longer using ordinary paint. Images created with LopArt can thus be final works or preparatory studies for a real work. Research, experimentation, exploration and development of one's creative thoughts are particularly well served by LopArt.

LopArt offers relevant tools to support the exploration of the elements of graphic language. The use of the color palette, for example, will contribute to the understanding of the spectrum and color mixing. Light and dark values of the same color may be explored with the transparency tool. One might, for example, explore with students ways of producing with real materials the effects created using the computer. The avenues of exploration opened up by LopArt are numerous and varied, limited only by the imagination of the teachers and their pupils. The animation functions included with LopArt add a unique element to the appreciation of an image, by allowing the display of all the strokes that make up the picture in the order of their execution. Critiquing of the students' works is thus enriched by the possibility of watching them being drawn all over again while commenting on them.

The ability to send pictures by e-mail is a valuable asset for schools participating in exchange programs and makes possible a variety of communication projects. The LopArt Museum is also a source that can be mined by educators for ideas to propose to their students, as well as being a space in which to display works outside the school's walls. Youngsters can open their own individual galleries or show in a group gallery devoted to a specific project undertaken by one or more groups, or even groups from different schools.

LopArt is a tool for learning and creation that fits in easily with the approaches envisaged by the new 'Programme de formation des jeunes'. It offers varied means of creation and permits the exploration of different artistic ideas. LopArt facilitates the retrieval of pupils' images and offers different methods of showing them. But above all, LopArt is a highly stimulating application for pupils.

In the young people's section of the LopArt site, you will find individualized learning activities for your pupils. Some of them provide links to other sites, allowing them to explore themes, while others are designed to highlight specific functions of the software. New invitations to participate in collective exhibitions are posted regularly. Classes are encouraged to respond to these invitations and participate in these exhibitions throughout the year. In the learning section, we offer situations for learning that conform to the 'Programme de formation des jeunes du Québec'.

We would love to receive your comments on LopArt as well as brief summaries of your teaching experiences with LopArt. Please contact us at: melissa@loplop.com