Jerry wanted even more set up time than usual, so we arrived at the Moline Library almost 2 hours before the workshop started. This wasn’t just any ordinary workshop–Jerry was doing another DIGITAL ART workshop after the success of his first one in Moline last year. Like last time, the kids would be using GIMP–a free software that, like Photoshop, can be turned to such diverse ends as digital drawing as well as photo-editing. And, like last time, this meant that we’d need to get used to the idiosyncrasies of the program before showing it to others.
The basic theory behind both GIMP and Photoshop is the same–you begin with a “layer” in the computer program, and you can stack more “layers” on top of each other to add elements and effects. With drawing, Jerry’s process is to create 3 layers–one as a sketch layer, one for the final ink drawing, and a third to add color. The “color” layer goes underneath the final ink layer so that the color doesn’t overlap with the ink drawing.
Pretty simple right? But nothing is ever simple when you’re doing it for the first time, the way these kids would. And with anything technological you need to plan for mistakes, malfunctions, and generally problems you never see coming.
I found myself missing the shortcut keys I’d gotten used to in Photoshop, and the seamlessness of using a program I’d spent so much time learning to use. But I learned the lessons Jerry would be teaching tolerably well–how to add a layer, how to use the paintbrush to draw, how to undo, how to erase, how to select and use the paint bucket tool to fill in.
The kids filed in and the workshop began. Jerry used his plush toy of Bob Ross as an inspiration. Jerry had explained before we started that everything would need to be explained more or less twice–once for the whole class, and then once individually to each student. But once you showed them which button to push, and which part of the screen to click, most of them were happily engaged on their WACKY drawings.
One girl made an especially good drawing of Bob Ross, with Pikachu ears on his ‘fro. One girl drew a “derpy” bob ross on a background that she made by smudging red, orange, yellow together to make fiery colors. Another girl drew a tiger, while a boy in the back made an extraordinary picture of a Lego Darth Maul.
Near the end, I went from student to student showing them how to save their drawings as pictures, so the library could email them later. When problems came up I told them: if there’s a computer problem, the first thing you do is close your eyes and take a DEEP BREATH through your nose. Sometimes the computer just needs to load for a minute. Sometimes you just need to take a moment to think of a solution.
