Creating two-point perspective on the computer. (pixel Palette).

Creating two-point perspective on the computer. (pixel Palette). Students need to be knowledgeable about using computer tools tocreate artwork. I want my students to be prepared for commercial artemployment, and it seems that commercial art is mainly being done on thecomputer. With this in mind, I introduced my fourth- and fifth-grade studentsto two-point perspective. Using the painting document of Claris Works,they created a two-point building, embellished by their creative ideas,on the computer. Our computer lab is equipped with Macintosh computers, and ClarisWorks has been installed on every hard drive. Claris Works contains aword processor, data base, spreadsheet spreadsheetComputer software that allows the user to enter columns and rows of numbers in a ledgerlike format. Any cell of the ledger may contain either data or a formula that describes the value that should be inserted therein based on the values in other cells. and charting functions, as wellas paint and communication tools. This software package is available inboth Mac and Windows. PROCEDURE We looked at Gustave Cailebotte's Paris Street,Rainy rain��y?adj. rain��i��er, rain��i��estCharacterized by, full of, or bringing rain.raini��ness n.Adj. Day and Charles Burchfield's Rainy Day, both of which containa building shown in two-point perspective. In each painting I showed thestudents where the two points were on the horizon line and how the upperand lower slanted lines of the building were lined up with those twopoints. After demonstrating how to draw a two-point perspective building onthe overhead projector, I instructed students to draw a building usingpencils and paper. Then I showed students how to draw the building onthe computer, and I gave the following directions: 1) Use the line tool to draw the horizon line. Pressing the shiftkey while drawing will produce a straight line. 2) To obtain the two points, place a point on top of the horizonline close to each end with the pencil tool. I suggested placing thepoints on top of the line so that they could be erased e��rase?tr.v. e��rased, e��ras��ing, e��ras��es1. a. To remove (something written, for example) by rubbing, wiping, or scraping.b. later withouterasing the horizon line. 3) Draw a vertical line that extends above and below the horizonline to create the front corner of the building. One vertical line willgive a sharp corner, while two vertical lines will give a flat surface. 4) Draw slanted lines from the top and bottom of the vertical lineto the points on both sides with the line tool. 5) Using the line tool, draw a vertical line from the upper to thelower slanted line on both ends to form the back corners of thebuilding. 6) With the eraser tool, erase the upper and lower slanted linesthat extend from the back corners to the points. 7) Use the line tool to draw lines from the front corner to thepoint on both sides to form sections on the surface of the building. Byclicking on "Show Rulers" under "View," sections canbe evenly spaced by using the vertical ruler. Again, use the eraser toolto erase the slanted lines extending from the building to the points. 9) Add your creative ideas by using the computer tools that willbest serve the purpose. To this end, I encouraged students to draw anobject overlapping the building to promote unity and interest. ACCELERATING SKILLS Students enjoy clicking on the icons andexperimenting to discover the creative possibilities of the varioustools. In their concentration, they seemed to be mesmerized in front ofthe screen. They appreciated the fact that they could click on"Undo To restore the last editing operation that has taken place. For example, if a segment of text has been deleted or changed, performing an undo will restore the original text. Programs may have several levels of undo, including being able to reconstruct the original data for all edits " under "Edit" and eliminate their last choice. Students did a great job drawing a two-point perspective buildingand adding their imaginative ideas, while accelerating their drawingskills using computer art tools. Berniece Patterson teaches art at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School elementary school:see school. in Denton, Texas Denton is a city in the United States and the county seat of Denton County, Texas. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 80,537, making it the eleventh largest city in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. .