Super Micro Paint = Super Macro Fun 🎨

May 20, 2015 6:47 PM

"I made a web toy that simulates a doodling and animation toy from an alternate timeline 1990s. Create 2 color, 32x16 pixel, four frame animations. Then transform your creations into gifs resembling a cheap LCD, an LED matrix, a vacuum fluorescent display, and more." Via MetaFilter Projects.

Source on GitHub | Twitter: @supermicropaint

From Mefi's own umrain.

posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome (66 comments total)

You can't really animate much in only 4 frames.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 6:53 PM on May 20, 2015

I was quite impressed with what you can do in 4 frames!

Also: it's the 90s dude.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 6:58 PM on May 20, 2015 [2 favorites]

That was fun!
posted by ocherdraco at 7:04 PM on May 20, 2015 [3 favorites]

Bring back the img tag!
posted by leotrotsky at 7:04 PM on May 20, 2015 [11 favorites]

The specific resolution was inspired by Tamagotchi virtual pet toys of the 90s. They managed to do a lot with those weird creatures and simple animations.

Actually, about three days ago, as I was fixing bugs, I found out about the Etch A Sketch Animator (80s commercial). It came out it 1986 and is more advanced in many ways. The 1988 Animator 2000 even had a touch screen. I'm not sure if this changes where I would place the Super Micro Paint in my alternate timeline but I wanted it to be simple to just start and finish a doodle.
posted by umrain at 7:16 PM on May 20, 2015 [10 favorites]

The best art comes when the artist is required to overcome limitations. This is true even when the limitations are arbitrary. This is good.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 7:17 PM on May 20, 2015 [7 favorites]

welp
posted by boo_radley at 7:29 PM on May 20, 2015 [4 favorites]

Hi MetaFilter! I made you a kitten.
posted by capricorn at 7:55 PM on May 20, 2015 [9 favorites]

I'm sorry.
posted by xedrik at 7:58 PM on May 20, 2015 [2 favorites]

Turdle.gif
posted by oceanjesse at 8:03 PM on May 20, 2015 [2 favorites]

I love it so much guess what all my coworkers are gonna have in their inboxes yaaaaaayyy
posted by Hermione Granger at 8:34 PM on May 20, 2015 [1 favorite]

I loved this as soon as I saw it show up in the Projects queue. It's exactly the sort of hyper-constrained medium that makes my brain buzz a little.

Here's a guy running along the sidewalk in a mountain desert area.
posted by cortex at 8:37 PM on May 20, 2015 [13 favorites]

I don't know what I'm doing but this is fun.
posted by Jimbob at 9:03 PM on May 20, 2015 [3 favorites]

Daft Punk
posted by cortex at 9:09 PM on May 20, 2015 [1 favorite]

My dog.
posted by Gucky at 9:12 PM on May 20, 2015 [6 favorites]

BOUNCE
posted by cortex at 9:39 PM on May 20, 2015 [5 favorites]

Xenomorph
posted by cortex at 9:52 PM on May 20, 2015 [5 favorites]

THEY LIVE!
posted by jason_steakums at 10:20 PM on May 20, 2015 [21 favorites]

Also the little leaf icon appears to advances whatever's on the grid through one iteration of Conway's Game of Life, which is cool.
posted by Nomiconic at 10:53 PM on May 20, 2015

bubbles I dunno
posted by Spatch at 10:54 PM on May 20, 2015 [4 favorites]

LEGO barber pole.
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:23 PM on May 20, 2015 [4 favorites]

And now, in sports...
posted by lmfsilva at 11:24 PM on May 20, 2015 [5 favorites]

This would benefit from hover-over tooltips.
posted by barnacles at 11:55 PM on May 20, 2015 [1 favorite]

Starfall
posted by Doleful Creature at 12:08 AM on May 21, 2015 [4 favorites]

Oh this is delightful
posted by The Whelk at 12:11 AM on May 21, 2015 [1 favorite]

I was all ready to go until I saw cortex's posts... dude, that's some serious Super Micro Paint skills.
posted by Admira at 1:15 AM on May 21, 2015 [1 favorite]

TIE Fighter
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:07 AM on May 21, 2015 [9 favorites]

Oh man. This is seriously giving me pinball vibes.

Apparently, pinball dot matrix display animations are a thing that you can make -- and the results look cooool.
posted by lumensimus at 2:20 AM on May 21, 2015 [2 favorites]

!
posted by Jimbob at 3:13 AM on May 21, 2015 [2 favorites]

Gunfighter at sunset
posted by leotrotsky at 7:33 AM on May 21, 2015 [6 favorites]

Conservation.
posted by cortex at 7:52 AM on May 21, 2015 [6 favorites]

Toothpaste being squeezed out onto a toothbrush. (There is a bit of a chasm between what I can imagine and what I can achieve.)
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 8:52 AM on May 21, 2015 [4 favorites]

Conservation (the other kind)
posted by leotrotsky at 9:13 AM on May 21, 2015 [5 favorites]

Sign in a vape shop window
posted by cortex at 9:44 AM on May 21, 2015 [2 favorites]

Cetacean
posted by leotrotsky at 10:00 AM on May 21, 2015 [3 favorites]

Libation
posted by leotrotsky at 10:07 AM on May 21, 2015 [3 favorites]

"There's nothin' more foolish than a man chasin' his hat."
posted by jason_steakums at 10:10 AM on May 21, 2015 [1 favorite]

Melee
posted by cortex at 11:00 AM on May 21, 2015 [3 favorites]

You can't really animate much in only 4 frames.

Boy, talk about missing the pointillism.
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:20 AM on May 21, 2015 [1 favorite]

Dilation
posted by leotrotsky at 11:24 AM on May 21, 2015 [3 favorites]

Bifurcation
posted by leotrotsky at 11:37 AM on May 21, 2015 [3 favorites]

These are all amazing.
✓ Best Answers for all!
posted by ignignokt at 11:49 AM on May 21, 2015 [1 favorite]

✓
posted by ignignokt at 12:32 PM on May 21, 2015 [1 favorite]

You can't really animate much in only 4 frames.

4 frames, animated.
posted by Kabanos at 1:23 PM on May 21, 2015 [5 favorites]

you can't really animate much in only 4 frames
posted by cortex at 2:50 PM on May 21, 2015 [4 favorites]

Look at the size of that donut!!
posted by sambosambo at 7:29 PM on May 21, 2015 [3 favorites]

I have to say umrain, I almost find it impossible to believe you created this without seeing the Etch a Sketch animator. The likeness is uncanny. I kept hearing the staticy sounds the device made when it animated and drew.
posted by zabuni at 9:40 PM on May 21, 2015

Yeah, I was super surprised when I found out about it too.

I mean, I knew about regular Etch-a-Sketch. And I did a lot of Mario Paint when I was a kid. Actually, I originally wanted to make this more Mario Paint-y before I started actually coding and decided to scale the project back. And then I remembered Tamagotchi. I even had a Yoda Giga Pet once. But, I mean, is this not the perfect canvas?
posted by umrain at 10:04 PM on May 21, 2015 [4 favorites]

I heart everything about this so fucking much.
posted by Doleful Creature at 11:37 PM on May 21, 2015 [1 favorite]

Something got wedged in my animation.
posted by Kabanos at 7:34 AM on May 22, 2015 [10 favorites]

whoa those are some phat beats yo
posted by Doleful Creature at 8:39 AM on May 22, 2015 [5 favorites]

And I did a lot of Mario Paint when I was a kid.

I have fond memories of animating in Mario Paint, with the results ranging from the fun, to the truly inappropriate (ahh, to be a kid again).

Also, that one time my brother recreated Ice, Ice, Baby in the song editor ...
posted by tocts at 11:39 AM on May 22, 2015 [1 favorite]

IT'S DOT COM!
posted by jason_steakums at 11:53 AM on May 22, 2015 [4 favorites]

Running Man.

In-between frames are really hard with a 2-color palette.
posted by ocherdraco at 12:26 PM on May 22, 2015 [4 favorites]

Tecmo Bowl 2015
posted by miguelcervantes at 2:10 PM on May 22, 2015 [3 favorites]

Slimehoppin'
posted by umrain at 4:23 PM on May 22, 2015 [5 favorites]

Pitfall!
posted by jason_steakums at 7:34 PM on May 22, 2015 [2 favorites]

I found the API for rendering 3D primitives
posted by cortex at 8:47 AM on May 24, 2015 [3 favorites]

Oh sweet you can do spheres too
posted by cortex at 9:19 AM on May 24, 2015 [3 favorites]

Betcha can't make a teapot!
posted by moonmilk at 1:54 PM on May 24, 2015

Never bet against Utah Teapot.
posted by cortex at 2:31 PM on May 24, 2015 [4 favorites]

It is both short and stout!
posted by moonmilk at 4:28 PM on May 24, 2015

Skeptical Chloe
posted by cortex at 3:59 PM on May 30, 2015 [1 favorite]

Krazy & Ignatz
posted by moonmilk at 8:05 PM on May 30, 2015 [1 favorite]

COLD BEER SOLD HERE
posted by cortex at 10:55 AM on June 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

I set up a Super Micro Paint shk on mlkshk since that's the mefi-est image posting site I know.
posted by cortex at 3:56 PM on June 1, 2015 [1 favorite]