Help Topic: Paint
Category: Crafts -- This command cannot be used in combat.
Painting is the ability to draw pictures. These pictures shouldn't
include written words. It will not require literacy to see these
pictures.
A formal painting can be made on a canvas, sheet of paper, papyrus,
parchment, vellum, the page of a book, or any other such object that
is made specifically for written or drawn works of art.
One begins to draw a picture by SKETCHing it. This requires a writing
implement, such as charcoal or a pen. A canvas (or sheet of paper, papyrus,
parchment, vellum) can contain multiple sketches and more detail, depending
on how large it is. Sketches can be made on pages that have writing on
them as well, so if one wishes to label their sketch, they can use WRITE
in addition to drawing onto the page.
Usage:
sketch <canvas> <sketch description>
Example:
sketch journal The image of a drooping plant has been etched upon
the page, with broad pointed teardrop leaves and a viney stem
topped in a hanging blossom.
To add extra color to a sketch, one would next procure a painter's
palette that held the requisite colors. Basic colors can be found in a
store or mixed from the primary hues of red, yellow, and blue: but further
paints might be more difficult to obtain. Putting paint from a jar onto
a palette is done with the PALETTE command, while holding the palette.
To mix pigments, you can add from multiple jars of paint to your palette.
Usage:
palette <pigment>
palette <pigment> and <pigment> and <pigment>
Example:
palette white.jar and red.jar
(This will make 'light red', or a pinklike hue.)
When a painter has their palette set up, however, they can wield a
brush, dip it in the correct color, and use the PAINT command to apply
that pigment to their sketch.
Usage:
dip brush in <pigment>
paint <canvas> <description to be colored>
Example:
dip brush in light red
paint journal topped in a hanging blossom
(This will color the hanging blossoms pink.)
After sketching, you can use TOUCHUP to fix any small mistakes in the
sketch. This will replace a phrase with another phrase.
Usage:
touchup <canvas> <phrase to be removed> => <phrase to be placed>
Example:
touchup painting an imagge of a ruse => an image of a rose
The short appearance of single paper objects and canvases can be
changed with the LABEL command.
Labeling a journal or any other book will not change its description,
but it will give it a written title that can be seen when it is looked
at more closely, and used as an alias for it. If you want to give a
work of art on a single page or canvas a title and alias, you can
use the label command while enclosing the arguments in quotes.
Once something has been labeled, it cannot be re-labeled, so take care
with the labeling!
Note: The label command can be unlocked with one presence level.
Usage:
label <canvas> <new canvas sdesc>
label <book> <book title>
Example labeling a single sheet:
(was: a creamy sheet of vellum)
label vellum a charcoal-and-crimson painting of a blood-red lily
(now: a charcoal-and-crimson painting of a blood-red lily)
label painting "Desertlily"
(now: a charcoal-and-crimson painting... still, but you can
refer to it with the 'desertlily' keyword, and the title will
show when it is read)
Example labeling a book:
(was: a battered leather journal)
label journal Compendium of Travels
(now: a battered leather journal, but you can refer to it with
different keywords, like 'get compendium from pack', and the title
will show in your spoken language when read.)
Unlike regular scholars, painters might also want to use the environment
as their canvas. Pictures can be drawn on objects, such as stone walls,
a ceramic mug, or someone's shirt -- but most often, these pictures will
be washable.
GRAFFITI is the ability to put a picture on an object. The painter should
be holding some kind of writing implement.
Usage:
graffiti <object> <long description>
If one has some Education skill as well, and thus some basic literacy,
they will also be able to use CALLIGRAPH to put some lettered decoration
on an object. This will require reading.
Usage:
calligraph <object> <written words>
If you don't have art tools, you can still scratch temporary pictures
and writing in the dirt!
Usage (in an outdoors room with ground, or indoors with a soil floor):
scratch <sdesc of scratch object>
scratch "<written words>"
If you plan to scratch written words, you need to enclose them in
quotes. Otherwise, you can scratch drawings that should last for some
time (at least, if you don't leave the room), and can also be treated
as general vicinities. These temporary drawings can also be graffiti'd
and calligraphed for further detail... just remember, they will fade.
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