How To Make An Avatar

Avatars are an accepted convention of online community participation. Students make their own personal identifcation symbols rather than conform to stereotypic images.

An avatar is a small identification image that appears when you post to forums or when you comment on any posts. It is an accepted convention of online community participation.

Here are some ways to create your own

Hand draw and scan finished avatar

1. Draw up a cartoon image with light whisper lines.
2. Rescue the whisper lines with felt tipped pens.
3. Colour with colour pencils or crayons.
4. Scan and erase so that the background is transparent.
5. Resize to the desired dimensions.
6. Upload to discussion space.

Hand draw and scan the work in black and white.

1. Finish the avatar by colouring it in a computer art programme such as Photoshop Elements.

Draw in MSPaint

1. colour, embellish, resize and save.
2. erase the background in another computer art programme.

Draw in MSPaint

1. transfer to another computer Art programme such as Photoshop.
2. complete as suggested above.

Draw with a Wacom

1. or with the mouse directly into a Computer Art Package such as Paint Photoshop or Free Source where computer art programme of your choosing.
2. finish in the ways suggested above

Photograph a painting.

1. Digitally if possible or a scanned image otherwise
2. clean it in Photoshop (et al)
3. erase the back ground.
4. you will find the colours intense.

Make a collage

1. kids love to find bits and pieces and glue them together on a sheet of paper to create a character from a variety of sources
2. scan the collage into a computer art programme.
3. Manipulate and process the image as described above.

Create an avatar at an online site.

1. You will find instructions to guide you through

If you would like an exercise to give your class this competition has been offered by The Learning Place.

Creating Avatars for a Competition "The Learning Place an Australian Education website is offering a competition where the prize is a work shop by the Creator of Swamp Gary Clark."

• The students are asked to create an Avatar.
• The guidelines are fairly specific.
• The avatar will be a Bilby.
• It will have a variety of emotional expression taken from a list given by The Learning Place.
• The prize is a workshop for your class by Gary Clark.