If the  program above does not load, get the Shockwave plug-in.
For best results, Mac Snow Leopard users should run Safari in 32-bit mode. Here's how.
This version was updated in February, 2011.

   

BRUSHster is an online painting machine for all ages. This Shockwave interactive includes more than forty brushes and customizable size, transparency, texture, and stroke options. A rainbow palette, along with a toolbox of special effects that blur, ripple, smudge, blend, and fragment your designs help make BRUSHster a full-feature painting program.

BRUSHster has a mind of its own! Click one of the green AUTO buttons and let the computer generate some paintings for you. When you want to regain control, just click the red STOP button or start drawing.

If you'd like some ideas about how to begin, check out this slideshow. These examples represent some of the many abstract effects you can create with the program. Do you love random squiggles and dramatic gestures, or are you happier when everything is neat and orderly? Do you like vibrant colors or soft pastels? Do you enjoy drawing pictures, or can you express yourself best through color and texture? BRUSHster can do it all. Abstract painting is like visual music. It lets you share your mood or express an idea without painting a recognizable picture of something in the real world.

BRUSHster is programmed to paint abstract art, but the tools can be used to create realistic pictures, too. If you'd like to draw with BRUSHster, select brush 32 and adjust the size slider to make a thin line. You can HOLD paintings as you work, which makes it easy to backtrack if you change your mind. Held images will remain active and re-paintable as long as your Web browser window with the BRUSHster program remains open. If you refresh the Web page, the program will reload and the work in progress will disappear.

Click the question mark button for more HELP. To print your art, click the printer icon. To save your work to your computer, hit the SAVE button, name your file, and select a destination on your computer. (HINT: Saving the file to your desktop makes it easier to find your paintings.) You can also save by printing a PDF or taking a screen shot. 

If the top of this page is blank, download or update Shockwave Player.  If your computer is several years old and you have not updated the operating system or the Shockwave plug-in, you may need the earlier version of this program. 

If you're interested in learning more about modern art, tell your parents and teachers about Art Since 1950, a 95-page book filled with essays and activities about twentieth-century art. (PDF 2.4.MB)

Credits

go back to the last page you visited

Return to the Art Zone

ngakids home page link

Copyright © National Gallery of Art, Washington