Today's resource topic is on graphics programs.  I use a variety of graphics programs, some of them that have been purchased, and some that are freeware.  Since the high-end graphics programs are probably out of reach for a good many homeschoolers, I am going to focus on some open source programs that are easily as good as some of the professional programs.

The Gimp ~  It has many capabilities. It can be used as a simple paint program, an expert quality photo retouching program, an online batch processing system, a mass production image renderer, an image format converter, etc. It also allows you to add plug-ins.  I think it is every bit as good as Photoshop, without the high pricetag.

Inkscape ~ An Open Source vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.  I haven't used this much, but I've looked it over, and it has a very nice interface, and some great tools for vector drawing.  If you are just getting into vector drawing, this would be a great program to learn with.

Art of Illusion ~ a free, open source 3D modelling and rendering studio.  This is just a neat toy for me, but I'm sure there are people out there that could do amazing things with this program.

Blender 3D ~ This is another 3D modelling program used to make animations and games.  It is an extremely cool program that I haven't really mastered.  The website offers all kinds of help to learn how to use the program effectively.  Definitely worth a peak.

Well, I think that's enough for now!  That should keep our budding animators and graphic artists busy for a few days at least.