Drawing for
Children
Mark Overmars
Version 2.2
Introduction
The program Drawing for Children is a drawing program that is
especially suited for small children. Children don’t need to be able to read to
use the program. Also, rather than asking the user to set all sorts of options
it simply gives a large number of different ways of drawing. The best way to
learn what the program can do is to simply play with all the buttons. There are
normal drawing commands, for drawing lines, circles, etc. but also many weird
ones to draw railroads, pipes, bubbles, grass, etc. Just try experimenting to
make the weirdest pictures. There are many different pens, stamps, cliparts,
backgrounds, and special effects. One thing is important to remember when
experimenting: in most cases the left mouse button does something else than the
right mouse button. Also most of the time holding the <Shift> key on the
keyboard increases the size of the things you draw. When holding the
<Ctrl> key again different things happen. So don’t forget to try these
possibilities (and all combinations) as well. Finally, holding the <Alt>
key always snaps positions to a grid. This is useful for positioning things you
draw.
Drawing for Children requires a modern PC running Windows 95 or later. The
program should be
Even though this documentation is not necessary to use and understand
the program I still give an overview of the options. When starting the program
you see a window with the following parts: At the top there are the most
important buttons. Their function will be described below. (If you leave the
mouse pointer on a button a short message appears describing its function.) For
most buttons there are various possibilities. They will appear on the left of
the drawing area. With the two arrow buttons you can scroll through the
options.
Below you find an overview of the different buttons on the top row and
what they do. I will only give brief descriptions. To find out the details,
just try them out.
Undo the last action
By pressing this button you undo the last action. For example, if you
filled a couple of regions and then press the undo button, all fills will be
removed! You can also use <Ctrl>Z for undoing the last action.
Sketching
This button gives a large number of ways of sketching. There are pens of
different thickness, pens that draw multiple colors, pens that draw shapes like
stars, squares, etc., pens that draw roads, and so on. You can also fill areas,
create grass and bubbles, and even make drawings that are mirrored in 2, 4 or
16 directions (by using the right mouse and/or holding the <Ctrl> key).
The only way to find out all the possibilities is to try. It is important to
remember that in many cases the left mouse button does something else than the
right mouse button and that holding the <Shift> and/or <Ctrl> key
when starting to draw has further different effects.
Using the pair of scissors, you can copy a rectangular piece to the
clipboard. (By using the right mouse button you cut it out of the picture.) Now
you can select the clipboard button below it and place it somewhere in the
picture. Using the right mouse button mirrors it. The <Shift> key
enlarges it and the <Ctrl> key draws it transparently on the picture. You
can also paste the picture into other programs, like Word, or paste pictures
from another program into your drawing.
The roads (and railroads, tubes, etc.) might require a little
explanation. They are automatically connected to one another as long as you
don’t press a button at the left of the screen. You can erase parts of the road
network you are drawing by using the right mouse button. The <Shift> keys
scales the roads, but only if you hold it when you start the road network.
Holding the <Ctrl> key colors the roads in the current color.
Drawing symbols
Here you can draw simple symbols like lines, arrows, circles,
rectangles, etc. To draw something, choose the symbol, click on the place where
it should start and drag the mouse. Release it when you are satisfied. With the
left mouse button the symbols are filled. With the right mouse button they are
not. Holding the <Shift> key when starting to draw makes the boundary
thicker. Holding the <Ctrl> key when starting to draw makes the symbols
equal width and height (so you get squares and circles and horizontal or
diagonal lines). Remember to hold the <Alt> key to align your symbols to
a grid.
You can also draw arbitrary polygons here. Click at the place where the
first vertex should come. Now drag the mouse towards the place for the second
vertex. Release the mouse, press it again and move to the next position, etc.
To finish the polygon, release the mouse close to the starting vertex, or press
any key on the keyboard. To delete the last vertex, press the <Backspace>
key on the keyboard.
Text
After pressing this button you can enter texts. At the left you can
choose style of the text (e.g. normal, underlined, embossed). Next, indicate
the start position in the picture with the mouse and type in the text on the
keyboard. End the text with <Esc>. As long as you did not end the text
you can change its position in the picture by clicking the mouse somewhere. You
can even hold the mouse and drag the text to the correct position. If you use
the right mouse button the text will be made italic. Holding the
<Shift> key makes the text larger. Holding the <Ctrl> key makes it bold.
It is also possible to use rotated text. To this end, click with the
right mouse button on the text action button. A form pops up in which you can
set the direction using one of the 8 buttons, by typing the angle, or by using
the arrow buttons. Now click somewhere in the image and start typing. You can
also press <Ctrl>L or <Ctrl>R during typing to rotate left or
right. Rotated text is only available when the setting Enable rotated text
is checked in the settings (see below).
You can change the font and style by clicking on the box labeled font
on the top let of the screen. (This only works when the setting Enable font
selection is checked.)
Stamps
Here you can add a huge number of different small images to your
picture. There are animals, flowers, planets, etc. If you click on the stamps
button you first have to pick the collection of stamps you are interested in.
Next choose the stamp you want to add at the left of the window. Now press the
mouse button in your picture at the place you want. To make it easy to place
the stamp at the correct place, simply hold the mouse button and drag it to the
right position. The stamp is only places when you release the mouse button.
Pressing the right mouse button will mirror the stamp. Holding the
<Shift> key will enlarge the stamp. Finally, holding the <Ctrl> key
will color the stamp in the current draw color. (You can also use any
combination of the above.)
Please note that the stamps are not part of the program. The creators
have been so kind to give me permission to distribute them with the program but
they own the copyright. It is not allowed to distribute the stamps independent
of this program. For more information, see the document copyright.txt in the Stamps
folder. You can add your own stamps to the program (see below).
Cliparts
Cliparts are images that can be scaled and keep perfect shape. A number
of public domain cliparts are provided with the program and you can add your
own. If you click on the clipart button you first have to select the collection
of cliparts you want. Next pick the clipart you would like to add to your
picture and drag it in the picture (so hold down your mouse and move it to the
bottom right). When the clipart has the required size, release the mouse
button. You can also drag the mouse up or right to flip or mirror the clipart.
If you hold the <Shift> key when clicking with the mouse the clipart will
fill the entire picture (useful for e.g. borders). When holding the
<Ctrl> key the proportions of the clipart are kept correct. For adding
your own collections of cliparts, see below.
Backgrounds
Here you find a number of ways of creating different backgrounds
(erasing the drawing). For most backgrounds, when you click on the button using
the right mouse button, the background is colored in the current color. In this
way you can create great effects (e.g. red clouds). Also try the <Ctrl>
and <Shift> key for slight changes in the way the background is drawn.
Special shapes
After pressing this button you can draw a number of special shapes, like
stars, houses, spirals, etc., by clicking with the mouse somewhere in your
drawing. (Again try left and right mouse button and hold the <Shift>
and/or <Ctrl> key.)
Effects
With this button you can apply all sorts of effects to your picture.
First of all there are effects that color the image, make it lighter or darker,
or blur it. Also, you can mirror it horizontal and vertical, slant it, copy it
multiple times, create a tunnel, and reduce or enlarge part of the picture.
Don’t forget clicking on the button with the right mouse or while holding the
<Shift> or <Ctrl> key. Sometimes something different happens.
Printing the picture
When pressing this button a small window appears. Here you can indicate
whether the picture is printed normal size or larger, such that it fills the
whole page. After you press the correct format the picture will be printed on
the default printer. Note that, because this is a large image, the printing
takes long!!
If you select the option Advanced print dialog in the settings
form you have more control over size and position. Also you are shown the
select printer dialog that allows you to select a different printer and to set
printer options.
New picture
This button does exactly what you expect it to do: it throws away the
current picture and creates a new empty one.
Load a picture
Here you can load a picture you stored earlier. You are shown a set of
small images of the existing pictures. Use the arrow buttons at the left or
right to scroll through the images. Click on the picture you want to load. If
you press the Cancel button no picture will be loaded. If you made a mistake
(for example you wanted to save your picture rather than load it) you can always
press the Undo button described above.
If you want to load different pictures, open the settings form (see
below) and click on Use dialogs for loading and saving. Now, when
loading a picture, you will be shown a normal dialog box in which you can select
a picture.
Save the picture
Pressing this button you can save the picture for later use. You will
again be shown the existing pictures. You can either overwrite one of them by
clicking on it or save the picture in a free slot by clicking on an empty
image. (If there are no empty images in the current screen, use the button with
the arrow to the right until you find one.)
If you want to save your picture at a different place (e.g. to place it
in a document or edit it further), open the settings form (see below) and click
on Use dialogs for loading and saving. Now, when saving a picture, you
will be shown a normal dialog box in which you can select a place and name for
the picture.
Settings
Pressing this button to change the settings (see below). If the button
is not visible you can still use <Ctrl>+<Shift>+<Alt>+S to
show the settings form.
Help
Pressing this button you get some information about the version of the
program and the fact that it can be used for free. Moreover there is a little
help here.
Stop
By pressing this button you stop the program. If the button is not
visible you can still use <Ctrl>+<Shift>+<Alt>+Q to stop the
program.
Color
and font
At the left top of the window you can choose the color and font. You see
the font in its current color and style, and you see a little colored rectangle
with the current fill and border color. You can change the font by clicking on
the box. You can change the fill color by clicking with the left mouse button
on the colored rectangle and you can change the border color by clicking with
the right mouse button. For quickly changing colors click (again with left or
right mouse) on the 12 predefined colors.
You can also change the drawing style. To this end, click on the colored
box while holding the <Ctrl> or <Shift> key. A form appears in
which you can select the draw style, the border style (works only for border
width 1) and the border width. Click OK when you are done.
For small children, the color, style, and font dialogs can be confusing.
You can disable them by deselecting the options Enable color selection, Enable
draw style selection and Enable font selection in the settings form
(see below).
Changing
Settings
There are a number of settings you can change. To this end, open the
help form and click on the button Settings. A form appears in which you
can change the following settings:
General
- Use a window
for display. By setting this, the program is shown in a
normal window rather than full-screen.
- Save picture
when stopping. When checked the pictures is saved when
stopping. The next time the program is started the picture is loaded
again.
- Use small
snapping distance. When holding the <Alt> key while drawing,
positions are rounded to a grid for easier positioning. Normally the grid
line distance is 16. When checking this setting it is reduced to 8, which
gives more control but is harder for young children.
Visible buttons
- Show stop
button. Deselect this to make it impossible to stop the program. (You can
always stop it using the key combination
<Ctrl><Alt><Shift>Q.)
- Show print
button. Deselect this to make it impossible to print pictures.
- Show save
button. Deselect this to make it impossible to save pictures.
- Show help
button. Deselect to not show the help button.
- Show
settings button. Deselect to not show the settings button (You
can always show the settings form by pressing the key combination
<Ctrl><Alt><Shift>S.)
Dialogs
- Use dialogs
for loading and saving. When checked normal dialog boxes are shown when
loading or saving a picture.
- Use advanced
print dialog. Use a more advanced printing dialog with more
control over size and in which you can select the printer.
Enabled features
- Enable color
selection. When checked, a color selection form is shown
when you press the color box at the top left of the screen.
- Enable draw
style selection. When checked, a draw style selection form is
shown when you press the color box at the top left of the screen while
holding the <Ctrl> or <Shift> key.
- Enable font
selection. When checked, you can select a font by clicking
on the font indicator.
- Enable
rotated text. Allows you to created rotated text (by
right-clicking the text actions or by using <Ctrl>L or <Ctrl>R
while typing).
Default new picture size
Here you can indicate
what the size of a new picture should be when the user presses the New picture
button.
To make the most childproof setting, deselect all options, except Save
picture when stopping. To have full control, select all of them. There are
three predefined default settings. You get them by pressing the buttons labeled
Child proof,
Adding
features to the program
It is easy to add your own stamps, cliparts, symbols, etc. to the
program. They can be found everywhere on the web. Here we outline how new data
can be added.
Cliparts
Cliparts are so-called windows metafiles (*.wmf) and windows enhanced
metafiles (*.emf). They can be found everywhere on the web. Huge collections of
public domain cliparts are available. Also very cheap CD’s with thousands of
cliparts can be bought.
Cliparts are stored in the folder Cliparts in the program folder.
There can be multiple collections of cliparts. The folder Cliparts
contains a number of subfolders, one for each collection. To add cliparts to an
existing collection, simply put them in the corresponding subfolder. The next
time you start the program they will be available. You can also add your own
collections (there is a maximum of 24 collections). To this end make a new
subfolder in the Cliparts folder and place your cliparts there. (Make
sure the subfolder is not empty!) You can determine the image of the collection
by placing a 32x33 bitmap file XXX.bmp in the Cliparts folder, where XXX
is the name of your subfolder. If you don’t an image is automatically
generated.
Note that for each clipart XXX.wmf, the program creates a file
XXX_small.bmp, which contains the image of the clipart used on the buttons. You
can also create these yourself if you require a different picture but better
don’t (they must have size 32x33).
Stamps
Stamps are icon files (.ico) of which there are huge collections
available on the Internet. In the folder in which the program is stored there
is a folder called Stamps. In this folder there are again a number of
subfolders, one for each collection of stamps. Simply add your icon files to
one of the collections or make a new subfolder with your own stamps. If you
created a folder XXX you can also place an icon with name XXX.ico in the Stamps
folder. This icon is used as the image representing the collection. If there is
no such icon, one is taken from the collection.
Backgrounds
Backgrounds are bitmap files (*.bmp) that are created such that they
nicely fill the plane when copies are placed next to each other. They are
stored in the folder Backgrounds in the program folder. To add your own,
simply place them in this folder. (They can be found everywhere on the web.)
Note that for each background XXX.bmp, the program creates a file
XXX_small.bmp, which contains the image of the background used on the buttons.
You can also create these yourself if you require a different picture but
better don’t (they must have size 32x33).
Pens
In the sketch menu there are a number of shapes that you can use as a
pen while drawing (e.g. the flower, balloon, etc.) These are simple icon files
(*.ico), placed in the folder Pens in the program folder. You can add
your own pens here by simply placing the corresponding icons in this folder.
Symbols
Most of the symbols are described by little text files in the Symbols
folder in the program folder. Their syntax is as follows: A symbol consists of
1 or more closed polygons. The first number describes the number of such
polygons. Next, for each polygon, you find the number of vertices, followed by
the coordinates of the points (each time the x and y coordinate on the same
line). So e.g. a rectangle will look as follows:
1
4
0 0
1 0
1 1
0 1
Note that this is a rectangle and not a square, because the actual
proportions are determined while drawing the shape. The size of your shape does
not matter; it is automatically scaled.
Roads
You can also add roads to the program but this is a bit complicated.
Each road consists of a set of 16 icons, stored in a subfolder of the Roads
folder in the program folder. The 16 icons correspond to the different
directions in which there can be a connection. If you give up the number 1,
right the number 2, down the number 4, and left the number 8, you can create
all connections by adding up the corresponding numbers. So e.g. road13.ico is
the icon for a position with connections up, down, and to the left.
To design your own road, you need to design the correct 16 icons and
place them in a folder XXX in the Roads folder. Next create an icon
XXX.ico in the Roads folder that will represent the road on the button.