ClassX Video Lessons Youtube Channel Scratch Team Create a Sprite with the Scratch Paint Editor | Tutorial
Let’s dive into the fun world of creating your own sprite using the Scratch paint editor! A sprite is like a character or object in your Scratch project, and you can make it look however you want. To start, go to the “Choose a Sprite” menu and click on “Paint.” This will open up the vector tools, which are perfect for drawing your own sprite.
In Scratch, there are two ways to draw: vector mode and bitmap mode. Vector mode is great for making smooth shapes and allows you to change colors, shapes, and other details easily. Bitmap mode is more like painting with pixels, which is better for editing photos. When creating your own sprites, it’s best to stick with vector mode because it gives you more flexibility.
Let’s say you want to draw a cat face. First, choose the Circle tool. If you hold down the “shift” key while drawing, you’ll make a perfect circle. Next, let’s add some ears. Although there’s no triangle tool, you can use the Rectangle tool. Hold the “shift” key to draw a perfect square.
To turn the square into a triangle, use the Reshape tool. This tool lets you click on points of your shape and move them around. You can also delete points to change the shape. If your triangle isn’t quite right, you can adjust it until it looks perfect. You can even curve the edges if you want!
Once your shapes look good, use the Select tool to rotate, resize, and move them into place. For the cat’s ears, you’ll need two. Copy the first ear, paste it, and then flip it to create a matching pair.
Now, let’s give the cat some whiskers. You can use the Line tool for straight whiskers or the Brush tool for a more hand-drawn look. If you don’t like the color, just select the whiskers and change it to whatever you prefer.
Once your sprite looks just right, you can add code to make it move or do other cool things. The possibilities are endless, and you can create anything you imagine. What will you make next?
Open the Scratch paint editor and experiment with the different tools available. Try using the Circle, Rectangle, and Reshape tools to create various shapes. Notice how each tool works and think about how you might use them to create your own sprite.
Use the vector tools to draw a sprite of your choice. It could be an animal, a robot, or even a character from your imagination. Focus on using the vector mode to make smooth shapes and vibrant colors. Remember to use the Reshape tool to adjust your shapes as needed.
Follow the steps to draw a cat face using the Circle and Rectangle tools. Practice turning squares into triangles for the ears using the Reshape tool. Once you have your cat face, try adding details like eyes, a nose, and whiskers.
Once your sprite is complete, add some simple code to make it move. You can use the “when green flag clicked” block to start your animation. Experiment with different motion blocks to see how your sprite can come to life.
Show your sprite to your classmates and explain how you created it. Discuss the tools you used and any challenges you faced. You can also share your project on the Scratch website to get feedback from other Scratch users.
Let’s explore creating your own original sprite using the Scratch paint editor tools. If I go down to the Choose a Sprite menu and click “Paint,” I now have vector tools to draw my own sprite. If you’re creating your own sprites, it’s important to stay in the default vector mode to create your artwork.
There are two modes for drawing in Scratch. Bitmap mode allows you to edit photos and paint with pixels, while vector mode allows users to adjust colors, change the shape of an object, add or remove elements, etc. If users remix your sprites, this flexibility is important.
Say I want to draw a cat face. I’m going to choose the Circle tool. If I hold down the “shift” key, I can create a perfect circle. Now, I need to create some ears. I don’t see any triangles in my available menu, but I do see a Rectangle tool. If I hold down the “shift” key again while I’m drawing the rectangle, I get a perfect square.
Now, I can use a tool called the Reshape tool. The Reshape tool allows me to select points on my vector drawing that I can manipulate. I can grab a point and move it around to change the shape. I can also use the Delete tool to delete a point. Now, I’ve got a triangle. If the triangle is too wide or not tall enough, I can use the Reshape tool to manipulate other points. If I change the point to a curve, I can use these handles to adjust the shape of the curve.
Once I’ve got a shape that I like, I can use this Select tool to rotate it, resize it, and drag it to where I need it to be on my drawing. This cat needs two ears, so I’m going to use the Copy option, Paste, and then Flip my copy so that I have two identical ears on my cat.
Now for some whiskers. I could use my Line tool to draw perfectly straight whiskers or I can use the Brush tool. I can adjust the size I need and then hand draw my whiskers. If I made these whiskers in the wrong color, I can select those individual lines that I just brushed on and change the color.
Now, I just need to add some code to bring my sprite to life. The possibilities are endless. What will you create?
Sprite – A small graphic or image that can be moved around on the screen in a computer program or game. – In the game, you can control the sprite to jump over obstacles.
Scratch – A visual programming language that allows you to create your own interactive stories, games, and animations. – We used Scratch in class to make a simple game with moving characters.
Vector – A type of graphic that uses mathematical equations to create images that can be resized without losing quality. – The logo was designed as a vector so it could be printed on a large banner without getting blurry.
Bitmap – A type of image made up of pixels, where each pixel has a specific color. – When you zoom in on a bitmap image, you can see the individual pixels that make up the picture.
Tool – A feature or function in a computer program that helps you perform a specific task. – The drawing tool in the software lets you create your own pictures on the computer.
Draw – To create a picture or design using a computer program. – I like to draw animals using the paint program on my tablet.
Shape – A form or outline that can be created or manipulated in a computer program. – You can use the shape tool to add circles and squares to your design.
Color – A property of an object that describes its appearance based on the way it reflects light, often used in computer graphics to fill shapes or images. – I chose a bright color for the background of my digital poster.
Whiskers – Thin lines or features that can be added to a drawing to represent the whiskers of an animal, often used in digital art. – I added whiskers to my cat drawing to make it look more realistic.
Code – A set of instructions written in a programming language that tells a computer what to do. – We learned how to write code to make the robot move forward and turn.
