Creativity / Art - Activity #2

In this unit you will learn how to use the stamp browser in corefx and how to design your own stamps to produce a repeating design for wrapping paper. This step by step guide uses the Dinosaurs Stamps in corefx to create a design. Choosing other Stamps, or images that you have created yourself, would work just as well. Just go ahead and experiment.

1. Click on the drop down box at the top of the Stamp Browser and select the Dinosaurs.

2. Click on one of the dinosaurs in the list. You can see all of the dinosaurs by scrolling up and down the list with the scrollbar on the right.

3. Click on the blank page a few times. The dinosaur you selected will be stamped onto the page wherever you click.

• You can change the size of the stamp by clicking on the Size dropdown box at the bottom of the Stamp Browser and selecting a different size.
  
  
  
  
• If you want to use a different dinosaur, simply click on another picture in the stamp browser, and then click on the page again. You can also select a different category at the top and use a picture from there.

4. You can create a continuous line of dinosaurs by selecting a picture and then dragging the mouse across the page. A stream of dinosaurs will be stamped onto the page. You can change the distance between them by clicking on the Spacing dropdown box at the bottom of the Stamp Browser and selecting a different spacing.

Try dragging the mouse across the screen diagonally or in circles. Can you figure out what happens?

5. You can also turn your own designs into stamps. Click on the Selection icon and drag a rectangle around all or part of a drawing. Then right-click on the selection and pick "Save selection as" from the menu.

In the Save window, find the corefx folder and double click on the Stamps folder. Inside it there is a My Stamps folder where you can save your stamp. Type in a name for your stamp in the File Name box and then click on the Save button.

To see your stamp, select the My Stamps category in the Stamp Browser. If you already have My Stamps open you'll have to click on a different category and then click back on My Stamps before the new stamp shows up.

6. Now that you have learned to use the stamps and the stamp browser, let's try and make a wrapping paper design. Empty the page by clicking on the Clear Picture icon.

Try out different stamps and arrangements until you are happy with the design. You can save your work by clicking on the Save icon.

7. Make sure to ask you teacher where you can save your work and to give the pattern a name that you can easily remember to help you find it again later on.