Oekaki
Encyclopedia
is the Japanese
term to describe the act of drawing
, meaning "doodle
or scribble".
, etc....) If they memorize the song, which is easy to do because it is usually a catchy melody, effectively they have remembered how to draw what the song describes. Children at play often sing these songs as they doodle on paper or in playground sand. Drawing songs exist for many children's cartoon characters in Japan, for example Sgt. Frog
, Doraemon
, and "Kirby of the Stars".
allowing artists to draw online and share their pictures. The drawings are generally not uploaded; pictures are done using an online drawing program
inside the web browser
. However, some versions of oekaki software do allow uploads, and usually the rules of that oekaki will state that only x number of uploads in a week are allowed . Drawings can be done with a computer mouse
, a graphics tablet
, or a touch screen.
The underlying computer technology used in oekaki can be a Java
applet
or ActiveX
. Some oekaki systems offer enough features to create high quality images. The resulting picture is usually in dimensions of a few hundred pixels wide or long. The most popular applets used on English internet forums are OekakiBBS, PaintBBS, and Shi-Painter.
If the website and the program applet are both equipped for it, the artist can choose to use an animation
feature which allows the internet forum users to watch a stroke-by-stroke animation of the image being drawn. Some oekaki internet forums also allow to save the image as a draft and continue work on it later. Some implement image layers only when an image is saved as an animation.
The oekaki system is extremely popular among the anime
Internet
subculture
. Anime fans can post their pictures from computers which do not have drawing programs
installed. The oekaki system enables a community gathering to share fan art
and offer critiques and compliments.
There are a remarkable number of oekaki message boards, Oekaki Central being one of the largest where users can create their own oekaki board at sites such OekakiBBS.com, though this site is often hard to use for non-Japanese-speakers because much of it is in Japanese
or poorly translated English
.
Oekaki like designs have been applied to other uses such as Crowdsourcing
in the pieces such as the Sheep Market. In this case an Oekaki resembling interface was provided for users to draw sheep to contribute to a larger work of art.
s than modern-day alternatives. Its features include productive color blending, multiple layer support, masks and animation saving.
PaintBBS is a simple applet created by Shi-chan, which utilises two layers and a mask system. It has many different palettes
that can be used for a variety of different effects. As of version 2.04, the program detects whether the user's computer is set to Japanese or English and displays the text on the tool buttons accordingly.
OekakiPoteto by RanmaGuy was an important applet in English. After he stopped developing it, some oekaki users began supporting an alternate version modified by a fan known as "Waccoon", who used RanmaGuy's work to create Wacintaki Poteto.
There are many other oekaki applets, such as PictureBBS and BBSPainter, but they are far less common. Lascaux Sketch, the featured applet on 2draw is not publicly distributed but is probably the most powerful oekaki around. Animaki, which is found exclusively on Oekaki.nl, is an HTML5-based Oekaki program which allows animations to be created.
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
term to describe the act of drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
, meaning "doodle
Doodle
A doodle is an unfocused drawing made while a person's attention is otherwise occupied. Doodles are simple drawings that can have concrete representational meaning or may just be abstract shapes....
or scribble".
Ekaki uta/drawing songs
In Japan, songs that describe how to draw animals and/or favorite characters are called "Ekaki Uta". These songs are supposed to help children remember how to draw something by incorporating drawing directions into the lyrics. (E.g., first you draw a circle, then you dot the eyes, draw a great big smileKirby's Adventure
Kirby's Adventure, known as in Japan, is a platforming video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System video game console. It was first released March 26, 1993 in Japan, and was later released in North America on May 1, 1993, and in Europe on...
, etc....) If they memorize the song, which is easy to do because it is usually a catchy melody, effectively they have remembered how to draw what the song describes. Children at play often sing these songs as they doodle on paper or in playground sand. Drawing songs exist for many children's cartoon characters in Japan, for example Sgt. Frog
Sgt. Frog
Sgt. Frog, known in Japan as , is a manga series by Mine Yoshizaki. It was later serialized into a TV anime series directed by Junichi Sato. Both the anime and manga are comedies that follow the attempts of a platoon of frog-like alien invaders to conquer Earth...
, Doraemon
Doraemon
is a Japanese manga series created by Fujiko F. Fujio which later became an anime series and an Asian franchise...
, and "Kirby of the Stars".
Internet oekaki
Oekaki on the Internet refers to a bulletin board systemBulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
allowing artists to draw online and share their pictures. The drawings are generally not uploaded; pictures are done using an online drawing program
Raster graphics editor
A raster graphics editor is a computer program that allows users to paint and edit pictures interactively on the computer screen and save them in one of many popular “bitmap” or “raster” formats such as JPEG, PNG, GIF and TIFF....
inside the web browser
Web browser
A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
. However, some versions of oekaki software do allow uploads, and usually the rules of that oekaki will state that only x number of uploads in a week are allowed . Drawings can be done with a computer mouse
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
, a graphics tablet
Graphics tablet
A graphics tablet is a computer input device that enables a user to hand-draw images and graphics, similar to the way a person draws images with a pencil and paper. These tablets may also be used to capture data or handwritten signatures...
, or a touch screen.
The underlying computer technology used in oekaki can be a Java
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
applet
Applet
In computing, an applet is any small application that performs one specific task that runs within the scope of a larger program, often as a plug-in. An applet typically also refers to Java applets, i.e., programs written in the Java programming language that are included in a web page...
or ActiveX
ActiveX
ActiveX is a framework for defining reusable software components in a programming language-independent way. Software applications can then be composed from one or more of these components in order to provide their functionality....
. Some oekaki systems offer enough features to create high quality images. The resulting picture is usually in dimensions of a few hundred pixels wide or long. The most popular applets used on English internet forums are OekakiBBS, PaintBBS, and Shi-Painter.
If the website and the program applet are both equipped for it, the artist can choose to use an animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
feature which allows the internet forum users to watch a stroke-by-stroke animation of the image being drawn. Some oekaki internet forums also allow to save the image as a draft and continue work on it later. Some implement image layers only when an image is saved as an animation.
The oekaki system is extremely popular among the anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
subculture
Subculture
In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong.- Definition :...
. Anime fans can post their pictures from computers which do not have drawing programs
Raster graphics editor
A raster graphics editor is a computer program that allows users to paint and edit pictures interactively on the computer screen and save them in one of many popular “bitmap” or “raster” formats such as JPEG, PNG, GIF and TIFF....
installed. The oekaki system enables a community gathering to share fan art
Fan art
Fan art or fanart is artwork that is based on a character, costume, collage, item, or story that was created by someone other than the artist, such as a fan, from which the word is derived from. The term, while it can apply to art done by fans of characters from books, is usually used to refer to...
and offer critiques and compliments.
There are a remarkable number of oekaki message boards, Oekaki Central being one of the largest where users can create their own oekaki board at sites such OekakiBBS.com, though this site is often hard to use for non-Japanese-speakers because much of it is in Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
or poorly translated English
Engrish
refers to unusual forms of English language usage by native speakers of some East Asian languages. The term itself relates to Japanese speakers' tendency to inadvertently substitute the English phonemes "R" and "L" for one another, because the Japanese language has one alveolar consonant in place...
.
Oekaki like designs have been applied to other uses such as Crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing is the act of sourcing tasks traditionally performed by specific individuals to a group of people or community through an open call....
in the pieces such as the Sheep Market. In this case an Oekaki resembling interface was provided for users to draw sheep to contribute to a larger work of art.
Examples of oekaki applets
OekakiBBS was developed by OekakiBBS. It was the original oekaki applet and has smaller palettes and fewer screentoneScreentone
Screentone is a technique for applying textures and shades to drawings, used as an alternative to hatching. In the conventional process, patterns are transferred to paper from preprinted sheets, but the technique is also simulated in computer graphics...
s than modern-day alternatives. Its features include productive color blending, multiple layer support, masks and animation saving.
PaintBBS is a simple applet created by Shi-chan, which utilises two layers and a mask system. It has many different palettes
Palette (computing)
In computer graphics, a palette is either a given, finite set of colors for the management of digital images , or a small on-screen graphical element for choosing from a limited set of choices, not necessarily colors .Depending on the context In computer graphics, a palette is either a given,...
that can be used for a variety of different effects. As of version 2.04, the program detects whether the user's computer is set to Japanese or English and displays the text on the tool buttons accordingly.
OekakiPoteto by RanmaGuy was an important applet in English. After he stopped developing it, some oekaki users began supporting an alternate version modified by a fan known as "Waccoon", who used RanmaGuy's work to create Wacintaki Poteto.
There are many other oekaki applets, such as PictureBBS and BBSPainter, but they are far less common. Lascaux Sketch, the featured applet on 2draw is not publicly distributed but is probably the most powerful oekaki around. Animaki, which is found exclusively on Oekaki.nl, is an HTML5-based Oekaki program which allows animations to be created.
External links
Oekaki scripts :- Wacintaki Poteto English
- Oekaki BBS Japanese