Design made simple; with clip art, anybody can become an artist - includes buyer's guide of clip art software packages and related articles on illustration, paint and image-editing software and clip art for logos and newsletters

Home Office Computing, Oct, 1993 by Steve Morgenstern

Publisher: Multi-Ad Services; (309) 6921530, (800) 447-1950

Highly detailed artwork available in 13 100-image topical collections ($32 each), in three-topic CD-ROM collections ($66.50 each), or in a master Portfolio CD-ROM ($200). While the browsing utility is good, a paper catalog would be a welcome addition.

SmartPies for Windows

For: DOS, Windows

Format: Proprietary (black and white, color)

Publisher: Lotus Development Corp.; (617) 577-8500, (800) 343-5414

This diverse collection of more than 2,000 images for the PC hosts a mishmash of styles, from symbols and silhouettes to cartoons and realistic portraiture, all for $149. The included Browser utility serves two purposes: It simplifies image selection and converts the pictures from a proprietary format into standard vector or bitmapped formats.

Totem Color Clip Art

For: DOS, Windows, Mac

Formats: EPS, PCX (color)

Publisher: Totem Graphics; (206) 352-1851

The Totem Graphics libraries feature extremely handsome color artwork in vector formats for Mac users, and vector and bitmapped formats for PC users. Each of the 17 subject-specific disk sets ($125 to $135) includes 96 images, and they're virtually all winners-particularly the animals, flowers, and travel images. One CD-ROM collection, priced at $995, is also available.

Vector Art

For: DOS, Windows, Mac

Format: EPS (black and white)

Publisher: Holmes & Cottrell Graphic Technologies; (813) 992-5125, (800) 597-0688

Available as separate 25-image collections that revolve around a theme--animals, flowers, or food, as well as more unusual libraries of tools or religious images ($50 each)-- the Vector Art series delivers pure line art images designed for maximum flexibility. The images break cleanly into component parts for editing, adding color, or both.

WetPaint

For: DOS, Windows, Mac

Formats: MacPaint, PCX, TIFF (black and white)

Publisher: Dubl-Click Software; (818) 8882068, (800) 266-9525

The collections in this 10-volume disk library of Mac bitmapped images ($90 each), or the CD-ROM version ($350) with both Macintosh and PC format files, range from an all-Egypt extravaganza of pictures and hieroglyphics to modern illustrations. Perhaps most intriguing is a set of skillfully digitized versions of period advertising images and woodcuts.