Make Art with Python

What is this book?

Make Art with Python is a different kind of beginner programming book.

It’s a journey through code, but rather than focusing on the code, it tries to present the main ideas, and give you the tools to run with them.

For instance, most introduction programming books begin with “Hello World”, and getting something to write to the screen. For us, we’ll start with a Turtle, and we’ll move on to drawing a single dot on the screen. (It’s called a pixel.)

From there, we’ll build a real program to make and save drawings in. Along the way, we’ll learn fundamental programming concepts, and get immediate, visual feedback on how they work.

It’s my hope that learning programming this way will get more creative people involved in programming. The world already runs on computers, it needs a more diverse group of people directing its future.

Who is it for?

If you’ve drawn, or you’ve danced, this book is your introduction to the world of programming computers.

Even if you don’t stick through the entire book, going through the very first examples will give you an idea for what programming actually is. This adds another perspective for you to take back to whatever creative outlet you have. Programming computers doesn’t necessarily have to be pure logic and rule sets. There is plenty of space for creative discretion.

What do I need to know?

You’ll need to know how to open and close files on your computer. You’ll need to be able to type out things, and look to make sure they’re typed out correctly. Spelling matters especially with programming. Punctuation can completely change the meaning of things too. So pay close attention to what you type out.

What do I need to follow along?

You’ll need a computer, and you’ll need to have either Linux, Windows, or Mac OS. Any of these will allow you to write your first programs, and begin your journey.

How do I get help?

Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter. I’ll do my best to respond there. If something is wrong with the book, it’ll give me a chance to hear about it so it can be fixed.