Kids drawing on computers, then and now

My daughter Ludi's drawing of me, created in Adobe Ideas on an iPad 2.
My daughter Ludi’s drawing of me, created in Adobe Ideas on an iPad 2.

Today was “Parents get to watch dance class” day. In the afternoon my daughter Ludi and I went to see my oldest daughter, Jadzia. The “public” part of the class came at the end, so Ludi and I were waiting for a bit. During the downtime we played a few games on the iPad, and then she drew a picture of me using Adobe Ideas.

It’s amazing what sort of graphical tools are available for mobile devices now. For example, I love the Paper app. My kids don’t quite grasp all of its cool tools, but they do appreciate that their art lives in their own “books.”

We’ve come a long way from the tools I had when I was a kid! My art program of choice in the late 1980s / early 1990s was Neochrome, a program included with almost every Atari ST ever made. Talented folks could use Neochrome to make some cool images. I was not such a person, but that didn’t stop me from making my own creations.

Here are a few gems from me and my brother Justin:

S.A.F. was my made up grade-school club, “Space Academy Federation,” which I played at recess. I drew lots and lots of space ships and galactic maps on paper. This is perhaps the only one I tried to draw in NEOchrome.
One of my own Neochrome creations from the late 1980s or early 1990s. The bottom half of the image is the Neochrome GUI.
One of my own Neochrome creations. The bottom half of the image is the Neochrome GUI.
A psychedelic ad for newspaper called the "Stamp Club Post," which I created in  Neochrome as a kid. I don't design newspapers this way anymore. Maybe I should.
A psychedelic ad for newspaper called the “Stamp Club Post,” which I created in Neochrome as a kid. I don’t design newspapers this way anymore. Maybe I should.
One of my brother Justin's Neochrome creations from the late 1980s or early 1990s. The bottom half of the image is the Neochrome GUI.
One of my brother Justin’s Neochrome creations. The bottom half of the image is the Neochrome GUI.

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One response to “Kids drawing on computers, then and now”

  1. @dschmudde Avatar

    Love @Kirkman’s “Kids drawing on computers, then and now” http://t.co/XTLNOzjuXQ

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