_{Lesson 6}Using the pen tool

How to draw using Scratch
How to write a series of instructions to tell a computer to draw

I will be able to make simple shapes in Scratch using a series of instructions

In this lesson we are going to do some drawing using a computer pen. A pen is a tool much like a real pen that allows the computer to draw. We are going to draw interesting shapes using this.

Open Scratch on your computer
Name your Scratch project as: Scratch Pen
Remove the Cat sprite and replace it with a pencil

Competition time!

You'll be competeting with each other to try and make the most interesting drawing. Your work will be evaluated based on how complex it is.

Finished product

You can see a preview of the finished drawing below:

Add the Scratch extension

To be able to use the Pen in Scratch, we need to first add the Scratch Extension.

First, at the bottom left, find the Extensions Button icon and click on it. Your screen should look like this:

Select the extension that says Pen.

Getting started

The first step with the Pen tool is to make sure that we have cleared everything from before – just in case we used the Pen and left something on the screen.
To do this we, must use the following blocks:

Block	Purpose
	Clears the previous drawings made by the Pen
	Prevents the Pen from drawing when the sprite moves
	Sets the colour of the pen

Whenever we are using the Pen, we should always have these blocks at the start of the sequence so that anything drawn with the Pen before is removed.

Drawing a line

To draw a straight line using the Pen tool, we need to add just the following blocks:

The pen down block is used to start drawing. Whenever the Pen is down Scratch will draw underneath the sprite when it moves. It’s much like a Pen and paper.

Try out what you have just created.

Making interesting shapes

Try adding the following sequences of blocks to your code and see what you get.

Each shape requires the user to press a different key to get them to appear.

Try out what you have just created.

Over to you

Add the following blocks into your sprite. Note for this task you will need a variable called steps.
Using the Pen tool, draw your own shape.

1

Upload your screenshot below:
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Which shape will be created from the following sequence of commands?

Shape 1

Shape 2
3

Which shape will be created from the following sequence of commands?

Shape 1

Shape 2
4

Which shape will be created from the following sequence of commands?

Shape 1

Shape 2
5

How well do think you completed this task?
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What parts of this task, if any, did you struggle with?