app Archives - My Life: A Work in Progress

18 September, 2013 11 Comments

*As a member of the Tomoson blogging community, I received a free download of ArtRage for iPad.*

ArtRage Stock Photo- I wish I were this artsy!

About:

ArtRage is intuitive painting and drawing software that you can use right on your iPad. A wide range of artistic tools like oils, watercolors, and inking pens can be used on the iPad version to create realistic art. You can import your photos to paint, email your artwork, or share the results with the ArtRage desktop version. Click HERE to see art created by ArtRage users.

ArtRage for iPad can be found in the App Store for $4.99. It’s also available for iPhone, Windows 8 touchscreen, and Mac/Windows computers.

My Experiences:

I’ve used Adobe Photoshop quite a bit and have some knowledge of Illustrator and Lightroom. So I thought it wouldn’t be too difficult to use ArtRage, but I have to admit…it’s more complicated than I expected. That’s not a bad thing, ‘though. It just means this software has a lot to offer, especially for the price. I’ve created a few uhm…art projects…using ArtRage, but I definitely need to spend more time looking through their tutorials. The tools were easy to use; I’m just not that artistic! They also have forums, where you can ask question from those more experienced. There are plenty of YouTube videos as well.

Check out my artwork below. I took a photo of myself on my iPad, then opened the photo in ArtRage, and traced the photo with my index finger to end up with this:

ArtRage Cellist- by My Life: A Work in Progress — Don’t laugh! That’s not nice! :p

Okay, it’s not great, I know, but I’m excited about the possibilities. And I need to get a stylus. That would probably help! Tracing is a great way to get started and used to the tools. It’s also handy for people like me who can’t draw that well.

You can change the tools you use, as well as colors, and the size of the tools. The canvas can be plain or choose a texture like mine. There really are a lot of possibilities. Overall, it’s a really fun program that can do a lot, and it’s cheap!

Note: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Review: Touch ‘n Sing app for kids

9 September, 2013 4 Comments

(Disclosure: I received monetary compensation to purchase two of the Touch ‘n Sing Super Value Packs. No additional compensation was received.)

As Baby J moves away from infancy and into toddlerhood, I’ve become increasingly interested in baby and preschool apps on the market. Let’s face it. Generation Z is tech-savvy. At 16 months, Baby J picks up my iPad, presses the “home” button, and then swipes his finger to unlock the iPad. He then navigates the screens until he reaches the app he wants to use.

I’m a firm believer that technology is no replacement for human interaction and instruction. But I also believe that technology has its place in our society and in our education system. It can complement instruction. With this in mind, I’ve downloaded numerous apps to help teach Baby J things like numbers and letters, but I don’t leave out entertainment value. My iPad has been invaluable on long trips and airplane flights, by keeping Baby J happy. And sometimes the iPad is the only reason I get a morning shower!

About:

Featured on the Daily Buzz, Galtime, and Huffington Post, the Touch ‘n Sing is a touch and sing along picture book for kids. This educational app for iPhone, iPad, and Android. Designed for a variety of ages (2-6) and aptitude, Touch ‘n Sing combines education with fun. Each song has multiple levels, starting with easy and growing in difficulty. The songs have different categories that are labeled, so you know what learning objectives each song meets. Categories are colors, math, language, shapes, music, life skills, science, and culture. Change the music version in settings to sing along, music box, karaoke, or 8bit. Lyrics can be turned on in the karaoke version. Individual songs can be purchased for $0.99, or you can buy a value pack of six songs for $4.99.

Our Experiences:

Baby J has a lot of fun with these songs. I’m calling them songs, but they’re more than that. They’re really games set to music, but definitely educational. These games are designed for kids older than Baby J, but he’s really getting into them! I purchased the newest value pack of six songs featuring Japan. One of the songs is called “The Ogre’s Pants.” The first level starts with a male ogre and a female ogre. The second level adds in a cat, and so on. Okay, this is going to sound weird, but bear with me. The ogres are naked. The child’s job is to drag the matching clothes down to the ogres. Baby J loves this! Last night he was doing an awesome job of pairing up the clothes with the ogres all by himself. I was so proud of him! Here’s a screen shot of the ogres:

“I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” -Touch ‘n Sing Along Picture Book

There are two FREE Touch ‘n Sing songs available. You can download them and others on the on the app store for iPhone/iPad and Google play for Android.