Chapter Five: Art Forms and Clip Art

Clip Art, Basic Shapes, and Art Forms

There are seven basic shapes under the Shapes icon in the Toolbox. When, for example, the circle cursor is selected, you can draw as many circles as you need, without having to select the circle tool again.

Clip-art images are designed to be used as finished works of art, often as the primary focus of a composition. Clip art can be accessed as assembled, colorized images using the Clip-Art Manager.

Art forms are symbols. In general, they are represented by a single number in the Symbol dialog box. Art forms are building blocks that can be used as design elements or combined with other art forms as the foundation for more complex images. Art forms may also be simplified images that are useful at small sizes where excessive detail could affect the clarity or recognition of the image. Simplified images can be used as logos and icons on maps, diagrams and flowcharts.

Basic Shapes

When you hold the mouse button down on the Shapes icon in the Toolbox, you see the Shapes flyout.

Highlight the shape that you want and release the mouse button. The resulting cursor allows you to draw the shape any number of times until dismissed with the Content menu button.

The arc in the lower right of the flyout is especially useful for binding text to that shape. It must, however, be converted to freeform before text can be bound to it.

The Clip-Art Manager

The Arts & Letters Clip-Art Manager gives you instant access to thousands of colorful images. All clip-art images can be modified by changing the colors, fill styles or line weights; however, more complex images may consist of over 100 individual elements.

You can access the Clip-Art Manager several ways: pull down the Draw Menu and click on Clip-Art Manager; select theClip-Art Manager from the Objects/Libraries flyout in the Toolbox; press M while holding down the Ctrl key; or press the Enter key on your keyboard when no other operation is in progress. The Clip-Art Manager dialog box will appear.

Collections of clip art are listed in the left-hand window. Images in the selected collection are listed in the right-hand window. In a scrolling window running the length of the dialog box are thumbnail sketches of the available images. Add an image by selecting its name or thumbnail and clicking on Add, by double-clicking on its name or thumbnail, or by clicking and dragging the thumbnail out of the Clip-Art Manager into your composition.

Over 175 categories offer a wide assortment of subjects ranging from aerospace to holidays, animals, people, sports and maps.

Locating a Clip-Art Image

The Find feature within the Clip-Art Manager is a powerful clip-art database. It gives you the ability to ask for specific clip-art images or general categories from an assortment of collections and to have EXPRESS retrieve all of the images and place them in a separate collection named [Find... images].

To use the Find feature in the Clip-Art Manager dialog box:

1. Choose Clip-Art Manager from the Draw menu or from the Objects/Libraries flyout in the toolbox. You can also press Ctrl+M or the Return key.

The Clip-Art Manager appears with all of the available clip art. If Find is grayed out, click on Collections, then double-click on a file with the .yal extension.

2. Select the Find button. The Find Images dialog box appears.

3. In the upper “Add to List” window type in a keyword or the name of the symbol you want and press the Add button.

4. Define the extent of your search by selecting either Current Collection or All Open Collections in the “Include in Find” field.

5. Click on the Find button in the Find Images dialog box. EXPRESS will search for images based on the keywords you have listed. When it finds them, it will place them in a temporary collection entitled “Find. . . images.”

Example: if you typed in “apple” in the “Add to List” window and added it to the list, using the widest field of search (All Open Collections), Find would return as many as eight choices: Apple (1); Apple (2); Apple Core; Apple w/Schoolbooks; Candied Apples; Halloween (witch w/apple); Pineapple; and Serpent & Apple.

Note: Objects can be removed from the Find Images list by selecting either the Remove button to remove single images or with the Clear All button which clears the whole list.

Selecting Clip-Art Collections

To access the symbols in a clip-art collection, you must first select the collection.

Note: When you create a new clip-art collection, it is automatically selected.

To select a clip-art collection:

1. Choose Clip-Art Manager from the Draw menu or from the Objects/Libraries flyout in the toolbox. You can also press Ctrl+M or the Return key.

The Clip-Art Manager%!JI("useguide.mvb>second","help_clipartmgr") dialog box appears.

2. Click on the Collections menu and then Open. The Open Collection dialog box appears. The directory list box displays all clip-art collections in the current directory that have a .YAL extension.

If necessary, choose a different directory and view clip-art collections in that directory.

Click on the DOS file name of the collection you wish to open. The DOS file name appears in the File Name window (upper left).

3. Either double-click on the DOS filename or click on Open. The collection name appears in the Opened Collections list box (bottom).

4. To view information about a selected collection, click on the collection name in the Opened Collections list box, then click on the Additional Info... button.

5. Repeat step 2 to select as many collections as desired. When you are finished, click on Done.

Note: It is possible for two or more collections to have the same collection name. If this is the case, only one of these collections can be selected at a time.

If you try to select a collection that has the same collection name as an already-selected (current) collection, you are asked if you want to:

Deselect the current collection with that name, and select the new one.

or

Cancel the operation, leaving the current collection selected.

Placing Clip-Art

You can place images from any selected collection into an EXPRESS document.

To place a clip-art image:

1. Choose Clip-Art Manager from the Draw menu. or from the Objects/Libraries flyout in the toolbox. You can also press Ctrl+M or the Return key.

The Clip-Art Manager dialog box appears.

2. Click on a collection name (in the left window), and the clip-art images in that collection appear in the Image Name list box (in the right window).

3. Click on the desired image in the Available Symbols list box.

or

Enter the image name in the Image Name field.

4. Click on the Add to Document button.

EXPRESS searches the current collection for the image. If you entered an image name in the field, and it is not found in the current collection, click on the Find button. This feature allows you to locate an image even if you do not know its collection name.

The dialog box disappears (unless the upper left pushpin is depressed) and the Add Object cursor appears.

5. Position the Add Object cursor on the document where you want to place the image and click the mouse, or drag the cursor to size the object before placing it.

EXPRESS draws the image using the settings for line color, line type, and fill styles that were saved with the image. The image is automatically selected (surrounded by handles).

To Drag ’n’ Drop a clip-art image:

6. Move the cursor into the window containing the thumbnails. The cursor changes to the Place Clip Art (Hand) cursor.

7. Select a thumbnail, then click and drag it from the Clip-Art Manager and drop it in the drawing area.

Note: If you need the Clip-Art Manager open to make other selections, either pushpin the dialog box or choose “Thumbnails Only” from the Options menu and use the Place Clip Art (Hand) cursor to drag and drop thumbnails into your work area.

If you don’t need the Clip-Art Manager open, you can double-click on either the name of the image you want or on its thumbnail image. It will close as the image is added.

Renaming and Deleting a Clip-Art Image

To rename or delete a clip-art image:

1. Choose Clip-Art Manager from the Draw menu. or from the Objects/Libraries flyout in the toolbox. You can also press Ctrl+M or the Return key.

The Clip-Art Manager dialog box appears.

2. Open the Collection if it is not displayed by clicking on Open under the Collections menu.

3. In the right-hand window, highlight the image in the selected collection.

4. Click on the Images menu, then the Change Name/Keywords command or the Delete command.

5. The Change Image Info dialog box appears if renaming; if deleting, a confirmation box appears.

6. Enter the new name and click on OK.

Renaming a Clip-Art Collection

To rename a clip-art collection:

1. Choose Clip-Art Manager from the Draw menu. or from the Objects/Libraries flyout in the toolbox. You can also press Ctrl+M or the Return key.

The Clip-Art Manager dialog box appears.

2. Collection names are listed in the Collection list box. Click on the collection name you wish to rename.

3. Click on the Collection menu, then on Change Name/Info. The Change Collection Info dialog box appears.

4. Enter the new name for the collection in the Collection Name field.

If desired, edit any information in the Additional Information field.

5. Click on Save. You will be prompted to confirm the operation; click on Yes. The collection is renamed.

Creating a New Clip-Art Collection

Before you save a custom clip-art image, you must create a collection to save it in, if an appropriate collection does not already exist.

To create a new collection:

1. Choose Clip-Art Manager from the Draw menu. or from the Objects/Libraries flyout in the toolbox. You can also press Ctrl+M or the Return key.

The Clip-Art Manager%!JI("useguide.mvb>second","help_clipartmgr") dialog box appears.

The current directory and path are displayed in a field below the left-hand window.

2. Click on Collections. The Collections menu appears.

3. Click on New. The Create Clip-Art Collection dialog box appears.

4. Enter a DOS filename for the collection in the File Name field. This name can be up to eight characters long, in keeping with DOS filename conventions. The default extension is .YAL.

The only time you will use a collection’s DOS filename is when you select the collection. (See Selecting Clip-Art Collections.) At all other times you will use the collection’s Clip-Art Collection Name.

5. Enter a Collection Name for the collection in the Clip-Art Collection Name field.

Clip-Art collection names can be up to 25 characters long, allowing you to name your collections using meaningful descriptions.

6. You may enter additional information about the collection (up to 150 characters) in the Additional Information field.

7. Click on OK.

8. Click on Close to exit the Clip-Art Manager dialog box.

Saving a Clip-Art Image

Any object or group of objects can be saved as a clip-art image.

To save an object, or group of objects, as a clip-art image:

1. Select the clip-art collection that will hold the image, or create a new collection.

2. Use Block Select or Shift+Click to select the objects that make up the image.

3. Choose Group from the Arrange menu, or click the Content menu mouse button, or press G while holding down the Ctrl key.

4. Choose Clip-Art Manager from the Draw menu or from the Objects/Libraries flyout in the toolbox. You can also press Ctrl+M or the Return key.

The Clip-Art Manager dialog box appears.

5. Choose a collection (in the left window), and click on the Save to Collection button.

An image can be assigned to more than one clip-art collection. For example, the image of a Siamese cat might be cross-referenced in three or more collections: cats, pets, and animals. To conserve disk space, only one set of data for the symbol is saved, regardless of the number of collections the symbol is placed into.

6. The Save Image dialog box appears. Enter a name for the image in the Image Name field. Enter keywords to help in future searches for the image.

7. Click on OK. The image is saved with the name specified.

If you specified a name that already exists in the collection, you will be prompted to confirm the action. If you click on Yes, the new image will replace the one currently in the collection.

Closing Clip-Art Collections

During an EXPRESS session, you may wish to deselect collections. Closing unused collections will:

• Free up memory. Each selected collection uses a small portion of your computer’s memory.

• Save time when adding clip art by name or when using the Find feature. When you specify a clip-art image by name that is not in the current collection, EXPRESS will search all open collections until it finds the image. Likewise, when you use Find to locate clip-art images and specify All Open Collections as the search field, EXPRESS will search all open collections, even those that you know do not contain relevant images. Closing those superfluous collections, even temporarily, will speed the add by name and Find processes.

To close a clip-art collection:

1. Choose Clip-Art Manager from the Draw menu or from the Objects/Libraries flyout in the toolbox. You can also press Ctrl+M or the Return key.

The Clip-Art Manager dialog box appears.

2. Click on the Collection (in the left window) that you want to close.

3. Under the Collections menu, click on the Close Current Collection. The Collection is removed from the list.

or

4. Click on Close All Collections to remove all currently open collections.

You can also use the Open Collections dialog box to select and close collections.

Reloading Clip-Art Collections

If you have closed all the current collections and need to reopen them, use the Reload Collections option in the Collections menu of either the Clip-Art Manager or the Activity Manager. You do not have to know the location of the collections - selecting Reload Collections will automatically load all collections from the location specified in your ALLETTER.INI.

Please note that selecting this feature in either the Clip-Art Manager or the Activity Manager will reload both clip-art collections and activity collections.

If you have EXPRESS configured to read collections from your CD-ROM drive, the Reload Collections feature can be used to load collections which span multiple CDs. Simply open the Clip-Art Manager or the Activity Manager, insert the CD, and select Reload Collections from the Collections menu. All current collections will close and EXPRESS will open the collections on the CD currently in the CD-ROM drive.

Loading Collections from Multiple CD-ROMs

EXPRESS will load all collections from the location specified in your ALLETTER.INI file. If this location is the CD-ROM drive, EXPRESS will load all collections from the CD currently in the CD-ROM drive.

If you take the Arts & Letters CD out of the drive and replace it with another CD, and then try to open either the Clip-Art Manager or the Activity Manager, EXPRESS will not be able to access the required collection data and a warning message will appear. You have two options:

• To cancel the operation you were just performing, click on the Abort button.

• To continue with the operation, click on the Reload Collections button. This will load all collections from the location specified in your ALLETTER.INI file. If this location is the CD-ROM drive, EXPRESS will load all collections from the CD currently in the CD-ROM drive.

To avoid this message in the future, make sure you have the appropriate CD in the CD-ROM drive before you go to open the Clip-Art Manager or the Activity Manager.

Note: You may see this message if you are trying to load collections from multiple Arts & Letters CDs. You should keep the Arts & Letters CD you were using in the CD-ROM drive until after you have opened the Clip-Art Manager or the Activity Manager. Once you are in the Clip-Art Manager or the Activity Manager, you can then replace the Arts & Letters CD with another CD. If you have EXPRESS configured to read collections from CD-ROM, click on Reload Collections to unload the current collections and load the new collections from the new CD.

If you have EXPRESS configured to read collections from CD-ROM, you may also experience difficulties if you place another CD in the CD-ROM drive while you are in the Clip-Art Manager or Activity Manager. If you try to select any thumbnails, collection names, or image names, a warning message will appear. When you click on OK in the message dialog box, the Clip-Art Manager or Activity Manager will display with no collections loaded. To reload the collections formerly in the Clip-Art Manager or the Activity Manager or to load new collections from another CD, place the appropriate CD into the CD-ROM drive and select Reload Collections from the Collections menu. To avoid this message in the future, make sure you have the appropriate CD in the CD-ROM drive before you try to select thumbnails, collections, or images.

Using Thumbnails

A thumbnail is a small black and white or color picture of the contents of an image or file not yet loaded into EXPRESS.

In the Clip-Art Manager these thumbnails appear ready-made in the scrolling band at the bottom of the dialog box. Using the Place Clip Art (grasping hand) cursor to drag these images onto your work area allows you to keep the Clip-Art Manager displayed (as does the pushpin in the upper left).

All clip art accessible through the Clip-Art Manager has thumbnail images that can be hidden or displayed. But you can also attach a thumbnail image representing whole documents that you create in EXPRESS by checking the Include Thumbnail box in the Save Document As dialog box accessed through the File menu. These thumbnail previews of each GED file can be allow you to find a particular file without having to open files to see their contents.

Use “Thumbnails” Only to Save Workspace:

The “Thumbnails Only” option in the Clip-Art Manager’s Options menu allows you to reduce the Clip-Art Manager dialog box to a much smaller, vertically oriented box that shows only a scrolling list of thumbnail images. Using the Place Clip Art (grasping hand) cursor to drag these images onto your work area allows you to keep the Clip-Art Manager displayed (as does the pushpin in the upper left). You can still change collections and use the Find feature. When you wish to return to the entire Clip-Art Manager dialog box, you can pull down the Options menu and toggle off “Thumbnails Only.”

Converting Clip-Art Symbols to Freeform Objects

Clip-art symbols can be converted to freeform objects which you can then edit.

To convert a clip-art symbol to freeform objects:

1. Select the symbol to be converted. If it is a group, first break it apart using the UnGroup command in the Arrange menu, or third in the Effects flyout.

2. Choose Cvt to Freeform from the Draw menu, or just press F8. The symbol is transformed into a group of individual lines and curves.

3. Click on an individual line or curve to select it.

4. Choose Freeform/Text Edit from the Draw menu, click on the Freeform tool in the toolbox, or just press P while holding down the Ctrl key to edit a selected line or curve.

Once a clip-art symbol has been converted to freeform objects, it cannot be converted back into the original symbol.

You can save a freeform object or a group of freeform objects as a Clip-Art Symbol.

Placing a Symbol

To place a symbol on the screen:

Note: Symbols are not usually placed through the symbol dialog box, which is more useful for its scrolling list of 65 commonly-used artforms and for its identification of the symbol number of an ungrouped selected object. The use of the symbol dialog box to place symbols is included for completeness. Refer to Find for the preferred way to place symbols.

1. Choose Symbol from the Draw menu, or click on the Symbol tool (second in the flyout in the toolbox) , or press Ctrl+S.

The Symbol dialog box appears.

The Number field displays the default number (1001) if you have not yet selected a symbol, or the number of the last symbol you selected.

A scrolling selection box contains 65 common geometric shapes which you can select directly.

2. In the number field, type a desired number.

or

Click on one of the 65 symbols in the selection box. Use the scroll bar to view all of the selections.

3. If you typed in a number, click on Add. (This step is performed automatically if you choose a symbol from the scrolling selection box.)

The dialog box disappears. The Pointer changes to an Hourglass for an instant while the symbol data is loaded. Then the Hourglass changes to the Add Object cursor.

You can change the styles for the object before or after you place it in the document. Move the Add Object cursor outside the work area and it changes to the Pointer. You can then choose commands and change the current styles. Move the cursor back into the document work area, and it changes back to the Add Object cursor.

4. Position the Add Object cursor where you want the symbol to appear.

If you click the left mouse button, the symbol appears on the screen at its default size.

If you hold the mouse button down, you can drag the cursor to size a proportional bounding box for the object. When the bounding box is the desired size, release the mouse button and the symbol appears.

If you hold the Control key and the mouse button, you can drag the cursor to size a non-proportional bounding box for the object. If you hold the Shift key and the mouse button, you can size the symbol from its center outward. When the bounding box is the desired size, release the mouse button and the symbol appears.

You can move the bounding box during the sizing process. With the left mouse button held down, press and hold the Content menu button. Drag the cursor to move the bounding box. Release the Content menu button and you can continue sizing.

EXPRESS draws the symbol using the current settings for line color, line type, interior color, and interior pattern. The symbol is automatically selected (surrounded by handles).

To place a symbol using the Shapes flyout:

1. Place the Pointer on the Shapes flyout in the toolbox, depress the left mouse button, and drag the pointer over to the shape of your choice. Release the mouse button.

The pointer will change to the shape you have chosen, with a small triangle to the upper left, and the Shapes flyout will disappear.

2. Move the Shapes cursor to the point where you want the upper left-hand corner of the shape to appear.

If you click the left mouse button, the symbol appears on the screen at its default size.

If you hold the mouse button, you can drag the cursor to size a proportional bounding box for the object. When the bounding box is the desired size, release the mouse button and the symbol appears.

If you hold the Control key and the mouse button, you can drag the cursor to size a non-proportional bounding box for the object. (The rectangle, ellipse, and arc size non-proportionally without your having to depress the Control key.) If you hold the Shift key and the mouse button, you can size the symbol from its center outward. When the bounding box is the desired size, release the mouse button and the symbol appears.

You can move the bounding box during the sizing process. With the left mouse button held down, press and hold the Content menu button. Drag the cursor to move the bounding box. Release the Content menu button and you can continue sizing.

EXPRESS draws the symbol using the current settings for line color, line type, interior color, and interior pattern. The symbol is automatically selected (surrounded by handles).

The cursor will remain “loaded” with the shape, allowing you to add it again and again. To cancel the shape, click the right mouse button (which selects Cancel by default from the Content menu).

Replacing a Displayed Symbol

It is sometimes useful to replace a symbol, preserving the color, fill, line, type, size and proportions of the original symbol.

To replace a displayed symbol:

1. Select the symbol you want to replace.

2. Choose Symbol from the Draw menu, or click on the Symbol tool (second in the flyout) in the toolbox.

3. Enter the number of the new symbol in the Number field. (This same dialog box indicates the symbol number of a selected object. Find the symbol number in this way.)

4. Click on Replace.

The displayed symbol is replaced by the new symbol, using the original color, fill, line, type, size and proportions.

Note: When you replace a symbol, the new symbol is drawn using the proportions of the old symbol. You may want to use the Make Proportional command (located in the Arrange menu %!PI(`useguide.mvb',`help_manmenupic')) to reset the proportions of the new symbol.

Note: The Replace button in the Clip-Art Manager preserves only the size (but not the proportions or other attributes) of the object replaced.

Composite Symbols

Composite symbols are complex objects made up of two or more symbols. They can be broken apart in order to edit the part and reassembled using the Assemble Logically command.

To place a composite symbol:

1. Choose Symbol from the Draw menu or click on the Symbol tool (second in the flyout in the toolbox. Enter the desired symbol number, and then place the symbol. Repeat for each element of the composite symbol.

2. Use Block Select or Shift+Click on each of the symbols that make up the composite.

Note that if composite parts are groups, these groups must not have been broken apart.

3. Choose Align from the Arrange menu, or just press Ctrl+N. The Align dialog box appears.

4. Choose Assemble Logically and click on Apply.

Note: It is not necessary to have all of the objects that originally comprised the composite symbol in order to logically align the remaining parts.

Note: The preferred method for placing composite symbols is through the Clip-Art Manager. The discussion above is included for completeness.

Accent Symbols

Accent symbols are used to add color or a shading pattern to a portion or portions of a symbol, and are often not recognizable apart from the base symbol that they modify.

To place an accent symbol:

1. Choose Symbol from the Draw menu or click on the Symbol tool (second in the flyout) in the toolbox. Enter the desired symbol number, and then place the symbol. Repeat for each desired accent symbol.

2. Assign the desired styles to each of the accent symbols.

3. Use Block Select or Shift+Click on the base symbol and the accents.

4. Choose Align from the Arrange menu. The Align dialog box appears.

5. Choose Align Logically. Click on Apply.

Note: It is not necessary to have all of the objects that originally comprised the composite symbol in order to logically align the remaining parts.

Note: The preferred method for placing accent symbols is through the Clip-Art Manager. The discussion above is included for completeness.