Some Fun

Some Fun With Computer and Printer

Today's technology opens up a few new avenues for having fun and making simple toys using the computer. Of course there is simply scanning sketches and doodles and printing them up to glue onto cardboard to make paperdolls of sorts. You could also scan magazines... but I guess you could just cut up the magazines...

Now with artwork you probably won't want to cut it up so scanning is a good option for that. But there are other things a bit more advanced I was really thinking of when I decide to write. I was actually inspired by a website which had some very simple things you could print out to fold and cut and tape together as toys.

This page is called "Fwis - Readymech Series 002". I shall have to search for series 001 while I am at it... They are a bit cubic and I know there are actually some pretty complex paper models out there. These are intended for making in 10-15 minutes.

The sketch I included with this article is actually a character from a game I played in which I sketched up during the game. Nothing really to do with printing up toys.

I think that a person might use a computer and printer to print up house sides with windows and doors to paste on simple little boxes for houses for toy car villiages. You might cut out the doors and windows and print up tile patterns for the roofs which would be little tent-like structures you could settle on your small buildings.

They might not be up to Scale Model Railroad standards but, for a bit of playtime fun could be grand. You might even include small pictures of the kids and cut them out with little crossed paper stands so they stand up in order to have figures for the little village you might create.

Consider the fun scenes you might create like for Christmas? A bit of cotton batten and some houses and a nice little cozy Christmas scene for a table top.

Of course you are the judge as to how sharp a scissors you allow your child to use and know how dexterous they would be with tape or glue and folding small things. An adult might get very creative in their own play!

Later!
~Darrell