Big hART, Australia’s leading arts and social change company, has launched an iPad/iPhone app that allows users to paint watercolours on their phone in the style of contemporary Aboriginal watercolour artists such as Albert Namatjira, Elton Wirri, Kevin Namatjira and Lenie Namatjira.

The app provides a range of line art templates of works by contemporary desert watercolour artists that can be coloured in, as well as the ability to create a painting from scratch using colours from Namatjira’s own palette.

Specially developed for Big hART using new technologies that allow you to paint watercolours on your phone, the Namatjira app is part of an ongoing project initiated by the organisation that celebrates the life of one of Australia’s most important and celebrated artists.

Produced in collaboration with members of the Namatjira family and many community, government and business partners, the Namatjira project was launched in 2009 - fifty years since the artist passed away - and encompasses a range of activities including a theatrical performance, exhibitions and workshops that celebrate Namatjira’s legacy.

Considered one of Australia's most accomplished Indigenous watercolour artists, Namatjira was the first indigenous artist to paint and exhibit professionally in Western style.  Namatjira's work has inspired many other Indigenous artists who have kept his artistic legacy alive.

For more information on the big hART Namatjira project visit http://www.namatjira.bighart.org/

To download the app visit http://www.namatjira.bighart.org/news/iphone-app/

App Features:
- select from a range of line art templates
- choose a colour from Namatjira's own colour palette
- control how much water to mix with your paint
- choose from a range of realistic brush sizes
- create washes of colour that soak into the screen, just like they would on to paper
- save paintings to gallery
- post paintings to facebook
- link back to the Namatjira project website to explore many other layers of the project
- become a Friend of the Namatjira project

See a video of the app launch in Canberra here: