SegPlay - "the art of pieceful imaging"

The art/fun connection is one that is rarely drawn, so to speak - except perhaps in the kindergarten.

SegPlay makes that connection, beautifully.

Taking advantage of "segmentation technology," SegPlay is able to transform almost any work of art - painting or photograph into a paint-by-numbers challenge. The challenge is to beat the clock. Fortunately, even when the clock runs out (which it did, every time I tried - even when I tried the so-called "simple" works), you can keep on going, color by color, number by number, until the work is complete.

At first, I really didn't think that painting by numbers online would be even vaguely approximate fun. But the technology is so clean, the tools so intelligently designed, that I could focus on the magic of watching the image emerge. When a color is exhausted, it disappears from the pallet. You can magnify the image so that you can focus on any part of the work (and see the numbers much more clearly). When you're finally done, you can replay the whole process. Seeing a work of art compose itself, color by color, is a visual delight, as instructive as it is fun.

The site is totally free, completely supported by donations and the enthusiasm of its users. There are currently 150 categories and over 1000 patterns to play with. A crowning touch: you can submit your own photos or digitized art for virtual, paint-by-numberly immortalization.