Graphic Design

This web space is a collection of my current and previous work. . The “Doodle Pad” is my tests at designing a paint application for kids. It is still a work in progress. Once loaded in, it gives the end user a sense of tactile connection with paint tools. I need to get some php script to parse all the bitmap data into a graphic file. For now, the canvas can be either printed straight to the printer of user’s choice, or use the Microsoft Office Image Writer (part of MS Office 2003) to convert the “captured” pixels into tagged image format.
The “Doodle Pad” is a self contained swf file which at 150 Kbytes is perhaps too large for a 56Kb modem. Than again, this being a graphic program, would require either a faster internet access or … patience.

The core element of this interactive painting application is Flash’s drawing API with the lineTo method. The most important, alas hidden, element is the Actionscript code residing on its own layer. It is the “guts” of the entire page. It sets the basic variables, imports classes, sets conditions and behaviours of all elements on stage.

The graphical components are there purely for entertaining purposes. The “Doodle Pad” was developed with younger audience in mind, hence the need for colourful images and realistic sounds. These add to the feeling of actual drawing experience. The key concept here is to set the mouse into a “hide” mode, replacing the cursor with a chosen tool (be it a pencil, brush or a crayon or a charcoal stick).

All tools reside on their own layers, embedded and/or nested within movieclip symbols. Some items reside only within the library with an assigned linkage id. These are sounds (the “scratching noise” a pencil makes), and a couple of symbols called in at runtime.

For now, the Doodle Pad serves as an eyecandy that feeds the occularcentric expectations of children (and, I am proud to say, some adults as well…).