PlayART by Tapook
By Amanda Bindel,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Mimic masters to make art in unique creative experience.
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PlayART by Tapook
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What’s It About?
Kids choose from eight artists in PLAYART BY TAPOOK, including Katsushika Hokusai, Paul Cézanne, Claude Monet, Henri Rousseau, Vincent van Gogh, Gustav Klimt, Paul Klee, and Amedeo Modigliani. After selecting an artist, a user then can choose a background from one of the artist's iconic works and add specific elements and details -- birds, flowers, or moons, for example -- from several of the artist's works. The elements can be pinched to resize them, turned, and moved, and the artist toolbox also includes an undo feature and an eraser, send-to-back and bring-forward features, a mirror image, and a paint feature. The unique works can be saved to the museum, where some of the artists' original masterpieces also are included as suggestions. Students can create a mash-up of features from all the included artists by starting in the My Favorites section where each artist and the elements used previously are easily accessible.
Is It Any Good?
If kids aren't already familiar with some of the work of these artists, they won't get as much from the experience, but it's still a fun, creative outlet. Ultimately, it's less about artistic technique or creation and more about art appreciation; the app does reinforce the characteristics of each artist's style, which will develop kids' appreciation and recognition of the artist's works. More background about the artists and their painting styles would boost the learning value.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about their favorite artists and visit an art museum.
Ask kids to tell you what's happening in the art they've created. Ask what the people are thinking or feeling or (for borrowed or copied work) what the artist was thinking or feeling.
App Details
- Device: iPad
- Subjects: Arts: drawing, painting
- Skills: Creativity: making new creations, producing new content
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Release date: October 9, 2013
- Category: Education
- Topics: Arts and Dance
- Publisher: Tapook Publishing
- Version: 2.1
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 4.3 or later
- Last updated: October 31, 2017
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