Jackson Pollock App for iPhone
© Miltos Manetas
Update: The app is free on January 28, Jackson Pollock's birthday. It's Normally $0.99.
"Jackson Pollock" for iPhone and iPod touch is a simple, yet delightful app for creating art work in the style of the American Abstract Impressionist Jackson Pollock. The app does not have a lot of options--there are no tools (except for your fingers), no layers, no eraser, no undo--but its simplicity is part of its appeal.
Jackson Pollock opens to a screen of brief instructions, and that is all that you need to get started. One finger swipe, and you are in the painting options screen where you can choose to paint with random colors, or pick your own colors from five palettes: Rainbow, Fire, Organic, Cool, and Magic. Each palette contains 25 color swatches to paint with.
After choosing a color, you click the "Paint" button to reveal the canvas where you can begin painting by dragging one or more fingers on the screen. The paint fills your screen in splatters and drips that react to the tilt and angle of your device.
Double tapping on the screen takes you back to the options where you will also find the save, load, and camera buttons. Save will save your creation to the Photos app or camera roll on your device. Load lets you bring in an image from your device to paint on. The camera button, I assume, is for taking a picture with the iPhone's camera--I have an iPod touch, so the button doesn't do anything.
You can get a clean canvas by shaking your device. Be careful, though, because it's a bit too easy to clear your painting by accident with an inadvertent shake. I also found the options screen popping up when I was painting with quick tapping motions. These are minor annoyances that don't seriously detract from the enjoyment of this app.
There is something strangely compelling about this app; perhaps it's the randomness of it. There is no compulsion to create something realistic-looking, and that is freeing.
I'm looking forward to sharing this app with my 3 year old niece!
The Jackson Pollock app normally costs $0.99 from the iTunes App Store, but is being offered free today (Jan. 28). If you have an inkling of creative spirit in you, I think you'll get your money's worth of fun out of this app, even at its regular price. According to the developer, some enhancements are in the works, but he was not able to complete them in time for Pollock's birthday--so even if you get it now, there will be some new features to look forward to.
If you don't have an iPhone or iPod touch, you can visit JacksonPollock.org to create abstract drip paintings in your web browser.
About Jackson Pollock:
• What Paint Did Pollock Use?
• Artists in 60 Seconds: Jackson Pollock
• Quotes from Jackson Pollock (1912-1956)
Mmm, another tempting reason to have an iPhone!