digital drawing assignment

10 Digital Art Projects That Will Spark Student Creativity

Isn’t it amazing that even though our students have grown up with technology, there’s still so much to learn? Of course, creativity should always be at the forefront, but technology can play a powerful supporting role. Allowing your students to explore their artistic and technological sides at the same time can open a world of possibilities.

Check out these 10 digital art projects that will combine traditional artmaking and technology skills to bring out your students’ creativity!

1. snapchat geo filter.

It’s no secret students are enamored with social media, so why not use it as a teaching tool? If you’re looking for a project that focuses on design and typography, try creating Snapchat Geo Filters for your community.

Community filters cost nothing to create! You or your students can directly submit your designs to Snapchat for approval. You can find the specific requirements here. This project is also a great way to introduce Project-Based Learning concepts because your students’ filters will impact the community around them. Plus, when one of your students’ designs does get chosen, they will be so excited!

2. Personal Logo Designs

This is a great project to combine printmaking and digital design. Have your students create monoprinted backgrounds directly on copy paper. Students can then create a personal logo by using an editing program like Photoshop. After their designs are created, you can run the monoprints directly through the copy machine, and the logo will print onto the paper. For more details on this project, check out this lesson plan .

Are you looking for detailed information about how to get started with Photoshop in your art room? Be sure to check out the Discovering the Basics of Photoshop Learning Pack! You’ll gain the confidence to introduce basic tools and processes to get your students making art!

3. Temporary Tattoos

There’s something about temporary tattoos that excites every age group. Why not try letting students design their own? Using printable tattoo paper , create digital designs using an inkjet printer. This is a fun way to explore technology, and your students will get to wear their designs!

4. Mosaic Portraits

If you use Photoshop, you know there are countless features to the program. It’s always exciting to show your students a new technique. Creating digital mosaic portraits is a great way to put a new spin on the historical process. Follow along with this video to learn how.

5. Space Galaxies

If you’re looking for a project to explore several new techniques both digitally and traditionally, this is the project for you! Using a medium like watercolor, chalk or oil pastels, students can explore painting or drawing techniques to create galaxy-inspired backgrounds. If you’re looking for instructions, you can check out a step-by-step process for creating a watercolor galaxy in this Learning Pack .

When finished, artworks can be photographed and altered in any digital editing program. Students can even explore 3D editing features to create life-like planets and objects.

6. Makey Makey Sculptures

Computer Science skills are in high demand, and they can even be incorporated into the art room. The Makey Makey device is an easy way to teach your students coding skills while bringing artwork to life. Using this device is an excellent extension of a sculpture project. Students can record sound effects, music, and other information to create an interactive piece. To see a sculpture come to life with the Makey Makey check out this video .

7. Animated GIFs

Animating is an engaging process, and there’s no better way to introduce students then by creating GIFs! If you’re looking for a way to get started, check out the animation work by artist Jen Stark. This will inspire your students to create geometric, color changing animations. Use this step-by-step guide to get started.

8. Light Paintings

If you’ve never tried light painting with your students, you need to! Simply gather up anything that emits light. Glow sticks, laser pointers, phone lights, and Christmas lights work well as light sources. This technique can be done with DSLR cameras using long exposure settings. However, it can also be done on an iPad, smart phone or tablet. Download a long exposure app to create light trailing images. As a bonus, students can digitally edit their photos to create new images.

9. Photoshop Your Teacher

Having a sense of humor in the classroom makes the learning environment that much more fun. After my students have learned some basic Photoshop techniques , I give them the chance to show me what they know by altering a picture of me. This can be a fun process for your students because they have the opportunity create some silly images with your permission. Just remind your students it must stay school appropriate, but you will laugh at your students’ creativity and ideas.

10. Gradient Landscapes

If you’ve ever introduced your students to the gradient tool in Photoshop, you know they’ll start using it for everything. Try introducing the gradient tool by creating a landscape image made entirely of gradients. This is an excellent way for students to practice creating foreground, middle ground, and background while practicing the use of the marquee and lasso tools to select defined areas.

If you’ve been stuck on ways to introduce digital artmaking to your students, try one of these projects. Many of these projects go beyond the computer screen and allow students to think creatively and critically. As you introduce your students to the world of technology and art, you’ll start to see the amazing things they can discover.

What are your favorite digital art projects to teach?

How does technology influence your art room?

Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.

Abby Schukei

Abby Schukei, a middle school art educator and AOEU’s Social Media Manager, is a former AOEU Writer. She focuses on creating meaningful experiences for her students through technology integration, innovation, and creativity.

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• BookWidgets Teacher Blog

11 ready-to-use lesson ideas for innovative art teachers

Crazy times ask for crazy lesson ideas. And… when teaching art, you are allowed to. 🤩

In this blog post, we’ll show you how you can use digital lessons to teach art, both the theoretical side of art lessons as the creative side. We hope these ready-to-use art activities can inspire you with teaching art remotely and still interact with your students.

How to use these digital art lessons?

All the lessons below are made with BookWidgets .

• Just share the “ready-to-use” link with your students.
• Or, create a free account on BookWidgets to make changes to the lessons. You can find all the art lessons in this BookWidgets group . Just duplicate the online art lesson and make alterations if needed.

6 Digital art lessons when teaching art theory

Here’s how you can explain the main theory to students in a fun way through art games, with interesting facts about artists, and so on. Art will not be equally interesting to everyone, but some things are just basic knowledge. Who doesn’t know the Mona Lisa or the sunflowers of Vincent van Gogh?

1. Art memory

In this amusing memory game, students have to match the artwork with the artist who made it. This way, students get to know the most famous artists of our history and now, while simultaneously training their memory.

2. Combining pairs

This game resembles the classic memory, only all cards are already turned over, and you have to combine the artwork with the matching text.

3. Art Crossword

This example of an ‘art crossword’ contains some fun facts about famous artists. It will ensure that students get more information about the artist hiding behind the artwork.

4. Art Puzzle

Time for entertainment: let students complete a puzzle of a painting. We chose a self-portrait of Frida Kahlo, as you can see in the example below.

When your students finish the art puzzle, you can give some more information about the work/the artist. You can add text, or just add audio in which you explain the story behind the work/artist.

Or, instead of giving them information, you can ask a question in the title, and students have to answer it. For example: who is the artist, and what’s the painting called? Is there a deeper story? Some interesting things that stand out in the painting?

Check out this jigsaw puzzle below. Here, they have to talk about the painting.

5. Art movements timeline

With this timeline, you can let students practice the different art movements with their characteristic features. You can add an image of an artwork in that movement and a few well-known artists who are representatives for that art movement.

The timeline above is a “fixed” timeline. If you want your student to practice, you can make an editable timeline as well like the example below.

Here, students have to name the art movements by adding a title, give a description, and put them in the correct chronological order.

6. Art quiz

In this exercise, you can give a fun fact or a description of an artist. Students should then choose the correct name at the top of the bar to drag in the sentence. You can do this exercise using the ‘quiz’ widget. At the end of the quiz, you add a question to see how well your students know their artists. Provide a statement and 3 photos from different artists. Can they indicate the correct photo?

5 Digital art lessons that spark creativity

The following art class ideas are sparking your students’ creative brains. Sure, these are digital lessons, but they too can have a high art-y factor. Here are a few small, creative assignments so that your students can let off some steam. The more creative they get, the better!

7. Blank canvas

Use the Whiteboard widget to give your students a digital canvas. In this case, it’s an empty canvas, so they can make an artwork using their own ceativity.

Use the title of the digital whiteboard to give instructions or a task. In the example, students have to make an artwork out of what they see through their window at home.

Students can submit their artwork to the teacher as well, so it can be graded. This way, the teacher can also give feedback.

8. Stick it

Ready for another interactive art lesson? In the whiteboard widget, you can allow students to use stickers. You give them a range of stickers to choose from, and your students have to make an artwork with them. This can be a collage or something else like in the example.

Open the example and click on the “star-icon”. Then, start building your robot. You’ll be amazed by how many different robots your students will build with just a few forms.

9. Self-portrait

In this art lesson, students have to make a digital self portrait. On one side, they have to add their image (by clicking on the photo icon), and on the other side, they have to make artwork out of the original image.

Again, students can submit their work to the teacher by clicking on the envelope in the upper right corner.

10. Chinese vase

Instead of giving your students a blank canvas, you can give them this whiteboard widget with a background image. In this example, students have to decorate a Chinese vase.

11. Emoji artwork

The last example is even more fun! Here, every artwork will be nothing alike as the students need to spin the emoji wheel (also created with BookWidgets) and create an artwork inspired by the 3 first emoji’s that show.

Pro Tip! Notice the camera icon in a few of these digital whiteboard exercises. If students want to work and draw on real paper, that’s possible too. They can just take a picture of their work, and upload it in the whiteboard assignment, so it can be sent to the teacher afterwards.

I hope all these examples inspire you to teach art lessons online or remotely. As you can see, everything is possible. And these art lesson plans are just the tip of the iceberg. Use your imagination, and combine sveral BookWidgets activities to create the ultimate art lesson.

You can use these art activities above, or you can create your own digital art lessons with BookWidgets.

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• Character Art

Color Theory for Digital Artists

In this lesson, concept artist Magdalena Proszowska explains how to approach colors and some good tools to help you understand color theory.

• Color Theory
• Video Tutorial
• Illustration
• Digital Painting

THE COLOR WHEEL

First, I want to explain the tool that should be every artist’s best friend: the color wheel. This color wheel is the traditional painter color wheel.

It’s built on three primary colors: yellow, red, and blue. By mixing primary colors together you get secondary colors between the primary colors. These are orange, violet, and green. The outside of the circle organizes the colors according to how they combine.

A key point we will focus on today is “complementary colors”. Complementary colors are on opposite sides of the color wheel. When you mix complementary colors together, for example, blue and orange, the result will be a gray color. That is true for every single of these color pairs. When you mix violet with yellow, you will get a muddy gray color.

Gray is in the middle of the color wheel. The color wheel is important because it will be a guideline to identify how colored light influences the original or base color, called the “local color”.

Before I start using colors, I’ll explain the principles of shading. In a simplified world, everything would be grayscale because it would be easiest to draw and paint.

For this example, let’s imagine a neutral grey ball on a gray table with a source of light.

The light comes from the right top corner. When the light hits the surface, all planes of the geometry facing the light are lit and become brighter, while all planes not hit by the light are in shadow.

There’s also a third kind of light source that comes from the physics of the light itself. Light bounces around everywhere and so a little bit of reflected light appears in the shaded area. The reflected light is never as strong as the light itself.

Those are the basics of shading. With these principles, you can create the illusion of dimension just by knowing the source and direction of the light.

COLOR AND LIGHT

Even though this is a flat surface, when we look at this picture we can understand geometry and the depth expressed in the picture. When you add color, that’s where the hard stuff is happening. Not only do we have to think about the values, the light source, the shadow shape, and the reflected light, but also the color of the environment, the color of the light, and the color of the shadows. There are a lot of complicated elements.

Let’s use the same grey ball in a different environment. The environment is quite warm with earthy tones, and the light source has a color. If we imagine this as an outside environment, the source of light will be the Sun so it will be yellow.

What happens when the light hits the surface of the grey ball? The light is yellow, so the highlight on the grey ball is yellow.

The environment is a warm brown. Shadows are influenced by the color of the environment, so the shadow is a warm color, not just black.

There’s also some reflected light from the blue sky that influences the shadow side. It’s very delicate in this example, but I think it makes the point.

USING THE COLOR WHEEL

So what does the color wheel have to do with this explanation of how the light works?

We started with just a grey ball because it’s easier to explain. Grey is in the middle of the color wheel. We have a yellow light source so we look for yellow on the color wheel and we know that we can push in this direction to predict the resulting color from the light. It’s very simple with gray because it always goes toward whichever color we want to apply to it.

For the highlight, we move from the middle of the color wheel toward the yellow. For the warm shadows, move from the local gray color to the warm tones. Finally for the blue reflected light, we move from the gray toward blue.

This is a simple example, but it’s really important to imagine it on as simple a situation as possible. When you use different local colors, you will have a much easier understanding of what is going on with the colors and why they change the way that they do.

COLOR THEORY IN ACTION

So far we’ve looked at the basic color theory. Now let’s see it in action by painting this character.

In this example, we’ll use the same lighting conditions as our gray ball, with warm light coming from the Sun, warm shadows from earthy tones, and some reflected light from the blue sky.

For the skin and the hair, I choose the shadow color by darkening the local color and moving it towards red to make it warmer. For the highlights, I make the local color brighter and more yellow.

Adding warm light to cool local colors

It’s simple when working with warm colors and making them warmer for shadows and highlights. The difficulty starts with more drastic colors like the bluish blouse.

We start with blue on the color wheel. If we draw a straight line through from blue to orange, the line goes through grey. This means that for blue, we need to desaturate it to make it warmer.

When I did not understand colors at all, I would take the local color and slide it down and increase the saturation for this color.

But as you can see, the shadow is much bluer and cooler than the local color even though the other elements in the piece have warm shadows. It feels wrong because it has a different color shadow.

Here’s the appropriate shadow color for the shadow on the blue blouse. All the colors are unified by the same lighting conditions, with warm light and have warm shadows.

Skin is never just one color, so I add some red tones using the airbrush. I add red on the cheeks, as well as where the skin is thinner and has more blood vessels close to the surface.

Next is the reflected sky color that hits the shadow area. Orange and blue are on opposite sides of the color wheel, so they are complementary colors. When we mix two complementary colors, they turn gray, so when the blue light hits the color of the skin, we will see gray. I use a slightly pinkish violet color.

Then, I blend the colors together.

You can use the same approach to do something more drastic with the colors under different lighting circumstances.

You can take any type of color reference and apply it to your paintings. Just remember to always think about the color of the light, the influence of the environment on the shadows, and any secondary light sources that can influence the surface.

Colors can make a huge difference to your artwork in the emotions that come with the colors, so use them wisely!

Watch Magdalena’s webinar for the full live drawing and Q&A session!

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Magdalena was born in Poland, and is currently living and working in Germany as a Senior Concept Artist for game developer Ubisoft. Digital painting is her passion, spending any free time working on illustrations and character design. She’s an active speaker and guest teacher at top game development universities in North-Rhine-Westphalia area of Germany.

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Interested in concept art or what it takes to become a concept artist? Check out the link below!

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• Art + Merch

Canva Projects for Digital Art Lessons in Middle & High School Art

If you haven’t discovered the amazing world of Canva yet, it’s time! I have spent the last year developing Canva design projects to introduce design concepts to middle school art or high school art students. It’s a free tool and online program, perfect for Chromebooks, iPads, and similar. This graphic design tool can be used with any experience level because it is incredibly easy to work with. Check out six creative projects for Canva below for ideas to incorporate into your art class.

VISION BOARD CANVA PROJECTS

A great introduction to Canva is a vision board project. Students dive into aesthetics and outline what their artistic likes and dislikes are. For this art assignment, students select a collage base and add their own images reflecting their aesthetic. They are encouraged to change the simple template from Canva to make the design their own.

This Canva project only takes a few days. It’s a great introduction to design, art philosophy, and layout design. This is perfect for any middle school art or high school art course. If you want to hit the easy button, grab this digital art lesson  here . You get everything you need to teach your students how to make these digital photo collages!

LOGO DESIGN PROJECT

My newest project focuses on developing a logo using Canva. Once again, Canva makes this process easy by providing lots of templates for students to customize. This is a great way to introduce design concepts to students since they aren’t faced with a blank page. With Canva, they have a template to jump off from.

You can grab the lesson pack for this on my website  here  or on my TPT  here . Get a digital art lesson plan, Canva how-to activity, research sheets, presentation, rubric, and more.

BUSINESS CARD CANVA PROJECTS

This project pack combines multiple Canva projects into one. With this project, students develop a quick logo and apply it to a business card and brochure for a hypothetical business. Through Canva they are able to easily load their designs and apply them to a business card template and a brochure template. You can check out this project on my TPT  here . You can also get this project as a part of my intro to design curriculum  here .

MOVIE POSTER REDESIGN

This graphic design project has quickly become one of my most popular assignments. Students take a movie poster and redesign it using Canva. In my project pack, students research movie posters, learn the history of posters, and critically think about how to include important information and visuals. Check out this project on TPT  here .

CAMPAIGN POSTER PROJECT

It seems like campaigns are endless in the US. The last midterm election was in full swing when I was inspired to create this digital art lesson.

Building off of the movie poster redesign, students create another poster focused on them. They must create a campaign poster for a hypothetical race. Students develop a style, take a picture of themselves, and select an issue that is important to them. This is turned into a slogan and campaign poster. Once again, they start with the templates in Canva but edit them to make them their own unique design. Check out this lesson  here .

GIF CANVA PROJECTS

This GIF project is perfect for middle school art or high school art students. Using a combination of Photoshop, Pixlr, or hand-drawn images, they create their own GIF in Canva. This project was recently revamped from using an old GIF compilation website to a much simpler compilation process in Canva. Check it out  here . You can also get this project when you purchase my drawing curriculum  here.

Get all of these projects with my 6 Canva projects pack here .

Thanks for checking out these fun projects that use Canva, more to come in the future. These projects are a fun way to get students interested in graphic design while they practice digital design elements. If you are looking for more graphic design or digital design projects for your middle or high school art students, check out more  here  or on my TPT  here . Be on the lookout for my Design II curriculum, slated to be released this spring! Thanks for stopping by, don’t forget to follow me on  Instagram  and  TikTok  for weekly visual journal demos. Until next time!

One response to “Canva Projects for Digital Art Lessons in Middle & High School Art”

I am using Canva more and more. I want to try some of these with my students.

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Another awesome resource from one of my favorite creators! I used this with both in person and virtual students. All were engaged and enjoyed learning." -Buyer, Photoshop Basics Packet

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Digital painting with Photoshop CC for beginners

Get to grips with digital painting in Photoshop with this handy guide.

If you can work on a canvas with paints, then many of the same painting techniques you use will transfer directly over to digitally painting in Photoshop . The good news is that core principles such as composition, colour theory and perspective still apply – so once you're all set up with your Creative Cloud subscription, you just need a little know-how and you're good to go. 

• How to draw: the best drawing tutorials

This Photoshop tutorial will break down the process of creating a simple digital painting, from start to finish. However, it's important to remember that most artists will develop their own unique workflows.  

01. Start with a sketch

Sketching is essential to many artists, both traditional and digital. The benefits of sketching before painting is that it allows for quick iteration of ideas without committing to the longer process of painting. Things can be worked out in rough form ahead of time. 

Sketching digitally can take many different forms – it can be a traditional pencil sketch or (as in this case) a quick painting. When working on quick sketches, try to give yourself time limits, both per sketch and for the overall sketching process. This will help you avoid spending too much time on any one idea and get you into painting faster. 

02. Establish perspective and set the mood

Once a sketch has been finalised, it’s a good idea to lay down some perspective guides before you paint anything. Perspective is such an important part of painting – even in paintings like this one where there aren’t a lot of visual cues. It’s something I make a habit of doing in every painting, as it helps with the flow of the image. 

Every element you paint should recede towards the vanishing point. This is quick and easy to do in Photoshop CC with the Line Tool.

You’ll also note that in this image above I’ve applied a simple gradient behind the perspective lines. This is something I like to do for exterior paintings as it does two things. First, it implies the direction of the primary light source in the image (in this case, the sun). Second, it gives me a bit of direction for the colours I want to start painting with. I’ve opted for cool, muted blue tones. 

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03. Choose your brushes

As you start using Photoshop’s Brush tool and Brush panel for the first time you might feel a little overwhelmed. The amount of customisation and control you have over what your brush looks like and the way it behaves can be something that sidetracks you if you're new to digital painting. 

My recommendation is to limit yourself when first starting out to two brushes. Here, I’ve highlighted both the Soft Round and the Hard Round brush in both the Brush panel and the Brush pop-up. 

It’s also worth mentioning that painting in Photoshop feels infinitely more natural when you use a pressure-sensitive tablet. I use a Wacom Cintiq but can also recommend its Intuos product line . Photoshop actually has tools built in to take advantage of this hardware. The two options marked in the Options bar at the top of the image correspond to pressure control over the brush’s opacity and size. 

04. Build the foundations

As you start to think about translating your sketch using these two brushes, it’s easiest to start with simple shapes and silhouettes. This allows you to focus on the composition and flow of the image without getting bogged down in the details. 

Here, I’ve used the Hard Round brush with pressure-sensitive size control to shape the silhouettes. This can be done rather quickly by applying paint with the Brush tool and subtracting it with the Eraser tool. 

It’s also worth noting in this image that I’m breaking the composition apart into layers. In the Layer panel I’ve created layers for background, midground and foreground. When painting silhouettes for these layers, I’ve also considered the effects of atmospheric perspective in the colours I’ve chosen. These silhouettes can serve as a base to build detail upon later.   

05. Turn on the lights 

Now it’s a good idea to define your main light source. In an exterior painting like this, the primary source of illumination is typically the sun. It's vital to establish the light source because it will influence the way you render out the details on top of the silhouettes as it will affect colour selection and shadow placement.

For this step, I used a large Soft Round brush, first with red, then orange and finally yellow. I shrunk down the brush as I changed from one colour to another.  

06. Find the details

The next step can easily be the most time-consuming: we need to find the details in each layer of the composition. Here, Photoshop's clipping layers will be helpful. 

If you create a new layer above the layer with a silhouette on it, you can alt+left click the space between the layers and clip the new layer to the existing layer. Any paint applied to the new layer will now only be visible where the silhouette layer underneath it has opaque pixels. By doing this you can begin to quickly apply paint to the new layer without worrying about cleaning it up later.

Now using the Hard Round brush, start by adding some random organic shapes to define the tops of all the rock faces. These will be the portions of the rocks that the light illuminates the most. If the silhouette layer underneath isn’t dark enough, you can then follow up by painting some shadows between the recesses in the rocks. 

Repeat this process for each of the defined layers of the composition. Remember, as you move further back in the composition details should become less and less apparent and colours should desaturate.  

07. Polish and distribute details 

During this step, the first thing you should do is to take a hard look at the painting and ask yourself what could be better. Maybe a detail you’ve already painted could use a bit more work. Maybe you feel like the image is missing something. 

For this painting, I wanted to add some ships flying through the canyon and some clouds to break up the sky a bit. For the ships, use the exact same process you used earlier with the rocks: silhouettes or shapes first, then detail.   

For the clouds, start with the Hard Round brush and in the Brush pop-up adjust the Hardness to around 50%. On a new layer begin painting your clouds using the pressure-sensitivity of your tablet to create variation. Don’t forget to define colours for the lightest areas and darkest, shadowed areas of the clouds. If your clouds feel too bold, adjust the opacity of the layer in the Layer panel.

If your painting doesn’t turn out just like this one, don’t be discouraged. Digital painting (just like traditional painting) is something that takes a lot of practice.

Related articles:

• The 60 best free Photoshop brushes
• The ultimate guide to Photoshop filters
• The 38 best Photoshop plugins

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14 Digital Art Ideas for Beginners to Try

When we start our digital art journey (or art journey in general) there are some things that we all go through. And that’s the feared “art block”.

But an art block is more than what it seems. Sometimes it is just that we’ve run out of ideas or that we have too many and don’t know what to choose. It could also be a sign of our brain to rest and relax because we’re oversaturated and stressed and sometimes it’s just that we don’t know how to turn our ideas into reality.

Especially for beginners, it’s easier to be overwhelmed by a block or slump when you’re just starting in the media and you don’t know where to go or what to do.

But it’s nothing to stress ourselves about. We all have gone through blocks and slumps throughout our lives, it’s part of our nature as humans to overcome those blocks and grow. We just need to find some ideas!

And that’s what this article is here for. Let’s dive right into drawing with these great digital art ideas for beginners!

Section 1: Social Media Art Ideas

If you’re into social media you should’ve noticed for sure that certain trends go viral from time to time. Be humanizing inanimate objects, redrawing iconic screencaps in your style, showing your art with an effect or filter, etc. these trends are some fun and smooth ways to interact with other artists and be noticed on social media.

Many artists join these trends either to interact with their mutuals, feed their audience, or just for fun, some might find these trends tacky and even ridiculous but jumping on the trend is a great way to create content without mushing our brains for new ideas while also getting our art out.

Trends mean visibility, so as long as you’re creating something new and getting out of the block, gaining more views and followers make a nice extra.

Don’t you have something you love? Some series, games, anime, manga, books, etc?

I’m sure you do, we all do.

Making fan art out of our favorite show, anime or book is also a great way to create new content without having to mush our brain for new ideas. It will also make the algorithm of your social media find the right audience for your fan art and you’ll gain more followers while drawing something new and getting your art out.

Make sure to use the right hashtags and to be very vocal about what you like and you’ll see the results in no time!

Our favorite content keeps us motivated and inspired. Making fan art even when it’s very self-indulgent will also attract another artist that we can interact with and maybe even collaborate with in the future.

Also, some artists tweet and repost the fan art that is made for them and that’s also a great source of motivation for us! So if you haven’t, give fan art a try and have fun!

I’m not sure if you’ve ever seen or heard about it. But DTIYS (Draw This In Your Style) is also a great way to create new content while interacting with other artists and growing your audience on social media.

DTIYS is sort of an art challenge where an artist draws something and asks for their audience to draw it in their style. You don’t have to be a professional to participate in those challenges and it takes away the creative burden of “making something new” while also attracting a new audience to your page.

It’s a more Instagram-based challenge but it’s worth the try especially when you’ve fully run out of ideas!

Create filters for social media

With software like Procreate and Spark AR, you can create filters for social media easily. You don’t have to focus on make-up or funny filters but maybe making something with your own art that speaks about yourself and appeals to people will do.

Or maybe make something fun for you and your friends or followers. It doesn’t really matter since all this is about is trying something new and getting out of the block while doing it!

Trying new media is key to getting out of the block. And in digital new media can be somewhat confusing but experimenting with AR and 3D is a great way to create while also learning and trying something new.

Section #2 – Ideas to Help You Learn and Grow as an Artist

Now that we’ve talked about some social media-focused ideas let’s get a little bit more serious and talk about those ideas that will not only help you grow your audience but to learn and grow as an artist as well.

Because yes, having fun is part of getting out of the block, but learning will also give us new tools to grow as artists that will for use get us out of blocks and slumps.

Style study

This is more an exercise but it will for sure get you some fresh new ideas to draw.

Go to Pinterest or Instagram and look for the art styles you like the best. Gather them on a board or canvas and choose two of them. The ones you like the most.

Now copy them. You can trace, paint over, overlap, do whatever you want, and try your best to make a carbon copy of them.

You’ve now for sure noticed a couple of things you would’ve done differently, a couple of things that seemed wrong, and a couple of things that you liked the best.

This style study is not to post online, but to help you explore and learn from other artists’ styles. It will help you figure out new coloring techniques and see details that you wouldn’t have noticed just by looking.

Now, don’t post them online. This exercise must remain private since it’s a study. The artworld is harsh with unwanted studies and critiques and unless you’re willing to deal with that, keeping them private is a must.

We change, as humans, change is part of our daily lives and is also key to our growth. And just as we can change from one day to the other or through the years, our art can also change.

And appreciating that change is also key in our growth as artists, but there’s little we can truly learn just by looking, so another great idea for beginners is to make new versions of old art.

By redrawing old art we aren’t just appreciating the change in our style but learning from our past mistakes.

So take the oldest piece of art you created and draw it again in your new style with your new abilities and you’ll not only be seeing the fruits of your hard work but also giving yourself the unique kind of feedback that re-creating something we made can give.

Portrait and Anatomy Study

There are some fundamentals that we can’t avoid, and those are human figures and face structure. And I know it doesn’t sound like the funniest activity in the world but we can cheat our way by making portrait art of our favorite characters or just by making anatomy studies with simple yet appealing details that give our art value even if it’s just a study. That way we can create new content that besides helping us improve will appeal to our audience and help us grow our platform.

Color Study

Color theory is the subject most artists struggle the most with. And it’s quite normal since some of us jump straight into creating while ignoring the fundamentals completely. I’m not going to lecture you on why color theory is important to grow as an artist since that’s a matter for another article, however, there’s a fun way to practice color theory while making color studies and also creating new art.

Take a simple piece of your art, the simplest you can find, just lines and colors if possible, then make it small and duplicate the lines the times you want to make these studies. Then go ahead and with new colors create new versions of your art! If you have a preferred color palette, go with it and also try new color combinations. Have fun and you’ll end up with something that might surprise you.

Section #3 – Ideas using Photo Editing

Photo bashing.

As many wouldn’t believe, photo bashing is not a newfound technique, it isn’t cheating and it won’t ruin your career as an artist, it’s just another technique to accelerate the workflow of many creative departments and concept artists and also to explore new ideas and techniques, so give it a try, you’ll be surprised with the effect it has in your art.

Editing photos or graphic assets in your art will not only improve your workflow but help you practice composition and you’ll also learn a new technique that is used by professionals in concept art and environmental design.

Art Collage

Digital art is incredibly flexible, besides creating brand new art, you can also use old pieces to create a collage .  Making a collage creates a new form, not just by placing them together but by looking for harmony in the composition, colors, and shapes of your collages.

You can also use digital assets, pictures, and even 3D art.

Section #4 – Ideas to Spark Your Creativity

Character creation.

Yes, and I’m sure this is something we’ve all thought about before but creating our characters with their traits and stories is one of the most fun parts of being an artist. And also a great way to get out of the block. Create a new character, make clothes, items and traits for them and you’ll be brainstorming ideas not only about them but about your art as well.

It might sound like the simplest thing in the world, but sometimes doodling helps you get new and fresh ideas out.

Just by making random shapes, characters and using new colors, like making mandala art, it will get your head out of the oven for a while and help you take a nice breath of fresh air and ideas.

Prompt Generator

These prompt generators have been out for a while already and they never fail to spark the creativity and inspiration of any artist that is either just starting or going through a block. You can find art prompt generators through the internet that will take away the creative weight and leave you with clear ideas for new works of art. You can try the very diverse generators for landscape art, concept art, character art, etc.

Sometimes all we need is sticking to a theme, it takes some of the creative weight out of our head and makes it easier for us to follow a said theme and create new art around it. Let’s say our theme is the ocean, one day we can create ocean creatures, one day we can draw a beach, the next day maybe a whale, a starfish, our characters in a beach setting, etc, etc.

Not only do beginners struggle with lack of ideas and art blocks, but it also’s pretty common and it’s part of the process of growing as an artist so don’t beat yourself up if you run out of ideas and take that chance to engage with your audience, learn something new, relax and have fun!

I hope this article helped you get new ideas for our art! Thank you for reading and until next time!

Related Posts:

• 37 Different Drawing Ideas for Beginners or Experts
• How to Draw Digital Art - A Complete Guide for Beginners
• 33 Different Types of Art Mediums To Try
• 20 Prop Concept Art Ideas for Inspiration
• 20 Character Concept Art Ideas for Inspiration
• 20 Environment Concept Art Ideas For Inspiration
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Digital Drawing Assignment

Katelyn Heywood Ashley Leach Katelyn Heywood

Lindsey Brown

Students will learn how to create a digital painting using Adobe photoshop color palette and brush tools. During this unit we will learn about color, additive and subtractive, the impressionist painters and how to use transparent color and brushes. I have several tutorials we will be watching during class. There are many great examples of digital painting and fantasy work on line. If you are considering going into animation you may want to put your drawing skills to the test and create your own composition. We will be talking a lot about contrast and separating your lights from your darks and developing highlights, mid-tones and shadows.

Learning Targets:

Students will learn how to use varying types of line to create interest, detail and shapes.

Students will learn how to use the Wacom stylus and tablet.

Students will learn about color theory and varying techniques used by the impressionist artists.

Students will learn how to use the blur and smudge tools, brushes and brush palette.

Assignment:

Students will create a digital painting using either a photo they have taken as a base image or they may choose to create their own painting. At the beginning of this assignment we will be taking a field trip to either Hartman Creek or Devil's lake state park to create a storehouse of images for you to use.

We will also be looking at the work of Noah Bradley. An example of his work, Anger of the Gods, is shown above. He is an up and coming digital artist that has lots of great tutorials on you tube. We will be taking a look at one of his videos in class.

Resources/classroom books:

Photoshop Essentials

Digital Painting Video tutorial

https://www.ctrlpaint.com/getting-started

https://www.ctrlpaint.com/downloads/

T he following is a set of beginner tutorials we will be watching in class on how to get started in digital painting.

Lesson one: Using stylus and tablets, palettes and brushes, keyboard short cuts

Lesson Two: Brushes and Erasers

Lesson Three : Mixing colors

Lesson Four: Layers

Lesson Five : Putting it all together

An example of layering colors to create dimension on a figure.

adobe photoshop

Stylus/Wacom tablet

Vocabulary:

additive color Color Scheme

subtractive Complimentary color

texture Analogous Color

Time Frame:

4-6 weeks depending on the size of the painting

Rubric/worksheets:

Assignment Worksheet

Digital Painting Rubric

Hartman Contact Sheet Rubric

Devil's lake/Hartman Creek Shooting Assignment

How to make lights glow or create glowing effects tutorial.

Digital Drawing in Procreate for Beginners

Your Instructor

Erika Wiseman (aka Erika the Goober) is a freelance artist specializing in digital illustration, with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts. She has been creating art for over 15 years.

What you’ll learn

Description.

When Erika was entering the world of illustration, there were no comprehensive guides available on the subject of digital art. This course was specifically created to teach you the things she wished she knew back then, enabling you to start your journey on the right foot.

Packed into these video lessons are the most helpful principles and tips that Erika gathered from her years of experience as a digital artist. You will learn the foundational skills essential for beginner artists as well as useful techniques to up your game if you are at an intermediate level … and a lot of other cool stuff thrown in!

Erika demonstrates digital painting techniques using the Procreate app on an iPad Pro, however the general rules apply to other digital painting software, such as Photoshop.

To get the most out of this course, be sure to work through the assignments and have fun with them!

Who is this course for

• People who have an iPad and want to learn how to draw
• Illustrators learning to draw digitally
• Illustrators with experience who are unfamiliar with the iPad

This course includes

Used in course.

What you'll need

• Procreate app on an iPad OR other similar digital drawing software
• No previous experience with Procreate required

Lesson Plan

Introduction.

Meet your course instructor, Erika!

In this video, you’ll get an overview of what’s in store for you in this exciting course. Also, have a peek at the artist at work while you’re at it. There’s a lot to look forward to!

Getting Started with Procreate

Erika Wiseman (aka Erika the Goober) is a freelance illustrator and character designer who lives in the US. She loves drawing cute, colorful things and experimenting with new drawing techniques.

Follow Erika on

Bonus Offer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is 21 draw.

21 Draw is an online learning community where students of all skill levels can learn how to be a better artist. Our contributing artists and instructors are the best in the world.

Our streaming platform on www.21-draw.com makes it possible for anyone to watch hundreds of video lessons by industry legends who have worked for Disney, Marvel, DC, Dreamworks, Pixar & more. A membership gives full access to our streaming platform.

On books.21-draw.com you can buy our popular learn-to-draw ebooks and physical books, separate from the courses, and they too are also delivered to you by the heavyweights of the art industry.

What is included in the membership?

Membership includes unlimited access to all 50+ courses taught by the world’s best artists PLUS new courses as they are released.

Each class includes 10-20 video lessons that are 7 minutes long on average. Most classes include exercise sheets, assignments, and layered PSD or PNG files.

Some classes include the ability to chat with the instructor in a public forum, e.g. if you want feedback on your artwork.

Do I receive a certificate after I complete a course?

Yes! When you complete a 21 Draw course, you will receive a certificate of completion, which you can download and share with your friends, relatives, co-workers, and potential employers!

Are these online or offline courses?

21 Draw courses are on-demand (pre-recorded) video tutorials that you can watch online with any digital devices anytime and for an unlimited number of times! This means you can easily watch (and rewatch) them at your own pace and convenience.

Can a beginner follow along?

We have classes for all levels, even for those with zero drawing experience. In general, artists at all levels can benefit from these courses—whether beginner, intermediate or advanced.

Do the courses teach digital or traditional art?

Many lessons in our courses apply to both digital and traditional art. In a few tutorials, digital drawing software, e.g. Photoshop or Procreate for iPad is required. However, for the majority of lessons it is more about the underlying concepts and all that is needed is a pen and paper.

Can I download the course videos?

You can download the course resources (exercise sheets, assignments, PSD files, etc.) from the site, but you cannot download the video lessons to your computer.

How much does a membership cost?

Normally it costs $235/year. However, there is a special sale running now for a limited time: Save 75% ! This means you can get an annual membership for just $59 USD/year.

If you purchase the annual membership at a discounted price, it will remain at that price for each consecutive year, so long as your membership is not cancelled.

How does the 30-day guarantee work?

If for any reason at all you are unhappy with our courses or feel it isn’t what you are looking for—then just fill out this form or email us at [email protected] . We’ll be more than happy to give you a full refund within 30 days of your first purchase. No questions asked. Just a guarantee you can trust.

How do I cancel my membership?

You can easily cancel your membership renewal on your My Account page. Follow the prompts to cancel (Billing > Change Plan > Cancel Membership) and your membership will immediately be terminated. Please note: Refunds ONLY possible within 30 days after the date of purchase.

If you have more questions, please check out our Knowledge base or write to us here . We’re happy to assist in any way we can!

More from 21 Draw

3D Digital Lighting and Shading

Procreate Made Easy

Learn to draw in 21 days (Season 1)

Learn to draw in 21 days (Season 2)

Mastering Lighting and Shading

About 21 draw.

21 Draw offers online courses and books on how to be a better artist for students of all skill levels. Our contributing artists and instructors are the best in the world.

We make great products to help you be a better artist! You'll also be the first to know about new products and special offers.

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Glitter Meets Glue

Sparkling Art Teacher Resources

21 Distance Learning Art Projects & Resources

52 Comments

Yet, many art teachers around the globe will have to deliver instruction this way for the very first time due to inclement weather, school closures, or other extenuating circumstances.

And whether your school calls it distance learning, remote learning, e-learning, or online learning, likely you’re quickly figuring out how challenging it can be. Art ideas for online learning: whoever thought we’d need this?!

Home-based learning requires not only a broad sense of technology (internet, video conferencing, Google Classroom), but a new skill set for delivering instruction. Ever watch yourself on video give a demonstration?

Every breath, twitch, eye roll, and mispronounced word feels like the longest moment in time. If you’ve recorded yourself for a teaching portfolio, you know what I mean!

But for art teachers who deal with physical materials, teaching via distance learning can be downright difficult.

It leads to practical questions like, “How do I relay content to my students?” And “How am I supposed to take attendance and grade them?” to “What the heck am I supposed to teach them?”

Quick Links

• Adaptive Distance Learning Policies for Art Teachers
• Best Practices for Distance Learning

21 Distance Learning Art Projects for Kids

• Issues Handing in Artwork During Distance Learning?

Conclusion on Distance Learning

Adaptive during distance learning policies for art teachers.

And yet, art teachers are the most adept at creating amazing art projects on the fly with little or no resources available. I think it’s the nature of what we do. We’re creative beings. We see art in everything because everything is art to us. Scraps normally thrown in the trash are our treasure. And nature provides a heaping amount of tools, materials, and inspiration, too.

As artists, we’re also used to restrictions. Any teacher who went to art college can relate to being given an assignment on short notice with few or no materials. Or even strict requirements for a project that while constraining, helps bring out amazing ideas due to those constraints. So while distance learning might seem like a high bridge to cross, it’s not impossible. With some tools, tips, and advice, anything is possible.

Best Practices for Art Project During Distance Learning

Before I get into some of the ideas for actual art projects, I’d like to address some best practices for distance learning. These tips are meant to make your journey into remote learning more successful. 

Art Materials

Art teachers should be writing lessons assuming that some children will have nothing but a pencil. That doesn’t mean you should only provide pencil and paper ideas, because some will have more. It just means you need to think about the lowest common denominator in terms of available materials and work from that point forward.

Some of the ideas below will work for many teachers and students and some won’t. Your students might live in an apartment building in a city and can’t get ahold of found objects in nature.

Other students could be in a situation where they’re living between two homes. What’s available at one home isn’t at the other. The idea here is to know your students and what items they can find for art projects.

A word about equity. When considering projects that require the use of food, avoid making those art projects required. You will no doubt have a student whose family struggles financially.

Using food as a required source for lessons sets up some students for failure. Be sure to encourage your students to ask permission to use any food items.

Workload for Art Projects

Keep your lessons simple. The easier they are, the greater the chance students will do them. Remember: they’re at home. Think about how you are at home. Do you want to be all cozy in your pjs, curled up on the couch, and have to think about a huge pile of work that’s due?

Be realistic about your expectations. The longer they are in a remote learning situation, the less you should expect of them. If your school is closed for a couple snow days, reduce the work a little. If you’re out for a whole month or more? Even more so. What you might accomplish in a once a week art class, you should expect it to take 2 – 3 times as long depending on the complexity of the assignment.

Low Tech Art Projects Best

I’d like to state that now isn’t the time to teach students about new technologies your students don’t already use. Yes, you as the art teacher might be learning some new instructional technology to deliver your art projects, like designing a virtual Bitmoji classroom .

You might need to pick up some basic video editing skills using phone apps. Or how to mount a phone camera to shoot overhead video. You may even be told you have to get on learning about Google Classroom (and actually use it!). But don’t expect students to spend time learning new technologies while distance learning. Your focus should be getting content to them. 

Some art museums have opened their virtual doors to teachers, students, and parents. And you should absolutely take them up on these learning opportunities. Just don’t make it required.

You will have students who have to share their device with a sibling and likely a parent(s), too. They may not even have a good internet connection (or one at all). In these instances, refer to your school district’s distance learning policy. You may have to deliver packets or make pre-recorded phone calls to get the instruction to them. Some schools have robocalling software like Honeywell that may be a viable option for you.

Consistency is Key

Whatever means you decide to deliver instruction, whether that be via unlisted YouTube videos, Zoom meetings, or paper packets, be consistent. Kids need to know where to find your assignments and how you’ll engage with them. Your school district likely has guidelines on instructional delivery and you should absolutely follow them precisely. Just be consistent about it so kids can be successful in this new learning environment. The last thing you want is a parent emailing you stating that their child didn’t hand the work in because they didn’t know where to locate your assignments. 

Relax Deadlines

I’m going to say something a tad controversial here. Not every school administrator will understand what it’s like to be a “specials” teacher with 700+ students or have to work in two or three school buildings. They don’t walk in your amazing shoes every day.

You’ll receive lofty guidelines and expectations to follow. They might tell you to check for work every week, count that as attendance, and update your weekly grades with online grading software.

But can I just say? It’s more important for you to be flexible in tough times than it is to follow some of those well-intentioned “rules.” Now, you might feel uncomfortable because I just basically told you to look the other way. But really, I’m asking you to think about what’s best for your students and advocate for them.

Not every child is living in a scenario where their parent is going to care if they did all your art projects. I’m not saying don’t eventually mark a student as not having handed it in. But be flexible with assignments, deadlines, and quality of work. And expect a lot of stick figures and corner suns.

One approach which I highly recommend is to create a choice board or menu where students can pick from different activities. On that choice board, at least half should be simple drawing activities where students have the opportunity to embellish with crayons, colored pencils, or markers if they have those things available. The directions that accompany your menu or choice board should clearly state this.

Other projects for your distance learning choice board should be based on found objects and recycled materials. I think this is a great opportunity to highlight artists from the past, like Marcel DuChamp, as well as modern artists like Rebecca Louise Law who is a floral artist.

Famous Laundry Art

Students can use clothes – old t-shirts, sweatshirts, pants – to compose a famous painting! The best part is that nothing is cut and therefore nothing gets wasted. The first step is for students to do a bit of research on famous, recognizable paintings. I recommend they pick ones with bold shapes and basic colors. This is a great opportunity to send them through a virtual museum tour. Many art museums have online tours students can take.

Based on Vincent Van Gogh’s, “Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear and Pipe” oil painting from 1889. Made from shirts, socks, pennies, a button, and a sea shell.

Homemade Scratch Drawings

This was one of my favorite things to do as a kid! And this is a great idea for parents who have a lot of old crayons that are down to stubs. Basically, they just have to apply the crayon heavily so it builds up a waxy layer. Any sharp object can be used to scratch with. I recommend the large sized paperclips as they’re a little more sturdy than the smaller ones. But tacks and very small screwdrivers work, too! The best part is that if they do something they don’t like, they can color over it with black and try again.

Your students can also use oil pastels if they have those at home, too!

Marker Painting

I love marker painting ! I first discovered it many years and quite by accident. Since then, I’ve used it for many art projects. Basically, kids can draw a picture and outline their shapes with markers. Then, they dip a brush into water and smudge it into the marker strokes and it makes paint!

If you’re looking for a fun and flexible art project for students, check out my James Rizzi game !

Shadow Puppets

This is a great opportunity to teach students about the element of art called shape, as well as some basic photography composition. Kids can use any type of paper they want. The best for this would be black construction paper. But if they don’t have that, the front or back cover of a magazine or even condensed cardboard cereal boxes will work. First, cut out and design some kind of creature. Then tape it to a string or a pencil. Shine a lamp or flashlight to the creature against a wall and snap a picture. 

Found Objects Color Wheel

If your student’s parents are clamoring for ideas to keep them occupied, this will do the trick! The idea here is kids will search the house and gather items that fit into each color on the color wheel. Objects don’t have to be completely one color to fit into a color family. But they should be mostly that one color.

Nature Imitating Art

If your students are able to get outside and have access to trees, dirt, leaves, sticks, and anything else nature provides freely, then they can create art! Kids are inherently great at this. Out of boredom they’ll start drawing in the dirt with a stick, or build a snowman, or even create a fort from old branches. Have students gather whatever natural materials they can find and compose a picture. Encourage them to look at the shapes and see what’s unique about them. Or have them do a leaf rubbing. They can use leftover copy paper and crayon stubs.

Creativity Warm-Up Drawings

Here’s a great activity for students to do if all they have is paper and pencil! It really challenges students to use their creativity to figure out what the marks in the box remind them of and make a drawing based on it. You can grab a copy in my free resource library .

Homemade Paint

There are so many ways kids can make paint including coffee, tea, fruit juices, spices, food coloring, old markers, and even mud! Have kids test out mixing some of these materials with a little water to see what results they get. The first week’s activity could be to make a chart followed up by a simple picture of an object like an apple or a boat.

Dont’ have paintbrushes? Improvise! Your students can use q-tips, cotton balls, old makeup brushes, toothbrushes, toothpicks, feathers, skewers, and even grass. This is a great opportunity to teach them about mark making. Anything can make a mark and can be used as a tool to make art. Cutting up scraps of cardboard to make a comb or using old sponges. Really, anything can make art. Your lesson can be based on forging tools for art making!

Here’s a chart of all the different spices your students likely have at home they can make paint from including ginger, turmeric, thyme, paprika, and chili powder.

Cartoons with Props

Here’s a basic project that uses an everyday object as a prop. It can be anything small like a penny, a pencil stub, a tack, dried pasta or beans, or a paperclip. Students can draw a series of drawings using that small object. This would work well for 2nd grade and up.

Digital Art Projects

Not all art has to be created physically. You can teach the same elements of art and principles of design using digital platforms like Google Drawing, Tate Paint by Tate Kids, Sketchpad.io, and Pixilart. Even Google Slides, which is popular amongst many general education teachers, would work. Plus, since they’re likely already using it, they know some of the features and you don’t have an uphill battle in trying to teach them a new technology. Again, know your students. If they don’t all have internet access, this may not be a viable option.

Kids can practice drawing basic lines and shapes to start with. Then learn how to color, rotate, flip, and group shapes. I’ve been making many of these digital art lessons  (for general ed teachers) and  digital art history lessons  (for art teachers) for distance learning which practice these skills. And they’ve been a hit with kids of all ages!

What I really love about the art history ones is that some or all of the pieces can change color, giving kids greater autonomy in creating their virtual art project.

Cardboard Robot Sculptures

Cardboard is one of those materials that families easily have on hand. Why not turn it into fun art? Kids can make low relief and free-standing sculptures easily. Parents can cut cardboard into manageable strips so kids can cut them to size.

If your students want to take this a step further, they can color them with crayons and markers or even leftover nail polish!

Newspaper and Magazine Collages

Design a fantasy world, crazy creatures, or whatever comes to mind. They will need to ask permission to cut up magazines and newspapers, first. Give them creative permission to include any other art materials they wish. They can even cut some things out and free draw other parts and collage them together!

If your students don’t have access to materials, why not try to create a digital collage using Google Slides? First, they can search the internet for a background image and place it in the background of the slide so it doesn’t move. Secondly, they can select pictures from online or on their device and use the remove.bg website to delete its background. Then, they can upload the images to Google Slide and arrange them creatively.

Take a famous painting, upload it to Padlet (which can be connected to your Google Classroom) and have students caption it. Include a link to a site where they can read more about the painting.

Alternatively, you could provide them with a painting and have them use a free online meme generator and hand it in via Google Classroom. Your students will love out-doing each other for the funniest meme. 

When your teacher wardrobe is so on fleek.

Isometric Drawings

Your upper elementary and middle school students will love making isometric drawings! You can find free isometric drawing grid paper online. Have students practice making cubes, rectangular prisms, alphabet letters, etc. If all they have is a pencil, that will work. Crayons, markers, and colored pencils are great for embellishing. Use it as a lesson to teach upper elementary students about value using stippling, hatching, and cross-hatching. Kids will really buy into how games like Q-Bert (yes, some of them still know this game!) and Minecraft are derived from isometric graphics.

Found Object Art Names

This one is as simple as it looks. Ask students to gather small items from around the house to compose a picture of their name. The longer the name, the more space they will have to prepare for it. This can lead to a project where students draw out a whole alphabet – or their initials – using everyday objects that they love.

Digital Art Portfolios

If you teach middle school, making digital portfolios is a great activity that requires no art materials ! Many middle schoolers already know how to use Google Slides because they use it in other classes. And if you already have students taking pictures of their artwork and uploading to Google Classroom, why not have them document what they’re creating and why. These templates make creating art portfolios easy.

Scrap Sculptures

This is a such a fun and simple project for all elementary aged children and my most popular first grade project ever. What child wouldn’t want to create a scrap sculpture from found objects?

Have them scour their home and yard for small objects like rocks, twigs, tiny pencils , old crayons, marker caps, clothespins, broken erasers, nuts, bolts, etc. Basically, whatever they have that’s no longer in use and can be repurposed into art. Then, they just need some kind of surface to glue all the things onto. This one is made from popsicle sticks. But they could build it on a piece of sturdy cardboard. Or, make a “raft” as I call them, with sticks or scrap wood. 

It’s definitely best to use wood glue for this, but tacky glue, or even clear nail polish could work as a binding agent. At this point, they can either leave the sculpture as is or paint it. And for that, any household paint or colored nail polish may work.

Digital Photography

Here’s another project that doesn’t require any art materials. Students can use a phone, tablet, or digital camera to shoot pictures using the rule of thirds. Teach them the basics of lighting, and how to compose a picture, placing an emphasis on the elements and principles of design. Stick to basic topics like pets, family, toys, and nature so all students can be successful. If you’re concerned students will submit pictures they’ve found online, you could require them to submit a second picture in the same setting that shows them there.

Wire Sculptures

All they need are a pair of pliers and some old wire hangers. Kids love tinkering around with tools and this is a great activity for them to create something they might otherwise make in an art room!

Styrofoam Prints

All your students need is a c lean styrofoam tray from the supermarket, markers, a pencil, a damp rag or sponge, and a piece of paper. They can draw a design into the styrofoam using a blunt pencil, then color it in using markers. Just be sure not to lean into the wet marker strokes. Dampen the paper with the rag or sponge and then rub the paper over the styrofoam and pull it off. 

On the left shows the styrofoam block that’s just been printed and on the right is the actual print. The print will always be a reverse image of what’s on the block.

Zentangle Drawings

Middle schoolers love making zentangles! I think it’s their love of permanent markers. I found my students appreciated being given graph paper to keep some of the more geometric patterns in order. Zentangle patterns and printable graph paper can be found everywhere online. Coloring materials are great for embellishing, but I’ve also seen students do these with just pencil and paper and they come out great, too.

Issues Handing in Distance Learning Art Projects?

Kids passing off work that’s not their own is a real issue for teachers during remote learning. Your students will, on occasion, try to get away with lifting artwork from online. Yes, they will try to hand in work that’s not their own . Don’t be shocked if a student does this to you. Remember, we’re teachers. And we’ve been through this before.

Raise your hand if a student came in with a sketchbook assignment that was absolutely amazing but their classwork has never reflected that level of skill before. Or, how about catching a child drawing on another child’s paper? It happens often enough. Only, during distance learning, it’s much easier to get away with.

To combat this, you should absolutely require students to hand in progress shots for any long-term assignments. In this case, the student would hold their paper up in front of them and have a parent, sibling, or friend snap a picture of them with it.

If you’re using a digital portfolio to keep track of work in progress during distance learning, they can upload the progress shots to that portfolio and share it with you. You may even consider requiring them to hold up a slip of paper with their name and today’s date alongside their art.

Now, what if you haven’t been doing this and a child hands something in that you clearly know isn’t theirs? That’s when you get high-tech, friends. There are a number of ways to search for an image online:

• Google Images
• Google Lens
• Small SEO Tools
• DupliChecker

In all of the above examples, you can upload the image the student sent to you to do a reverse image search. Additionally, you can search Google Images using words that describe the artwork in question. Use as many descriptive terms as possible to help narrow the search. An image of a dragon eye might come up in a search for “animal eye drawing” or “animal eye painting.”

Distance learning is tough for art teachers. Tough, but not impossible. It just requires a little more thought and flexibility on your part for planning art projects. If this is your first time experiencing it, give yourself some room to make mistakes. If you’re a veteran teacher, it’s going to feel like you’re a first year teacher all over again. I say that because it will be a whole new way of teaching you’re not accustomed to. And like anything else, it will be hard at first but become easier over time.

Reader Interactions

08/07/2021 at 11:35 AM

These are wonderful! Thank you!

04/16/2021 at 12:51 PM

Absolutely amazing and thank-you for the “best practices” ideas and perspectives…really helped ground my thinking

03/01/2021 at 11:28 AM

Thanks so very much for theese ideas. Ihave been getting very bored in this pandemic, Im going to try all theese out!! =(´w´)=

03/01/2021 at 1:39 PM

You’re very welcome!

01/31/2021 at 1:29 AM

About half an hour ago, I downloaded the Exit Statements Pack and saw these awesome ideas for ‘at home’ activities. I thought, these could come in handy some time. We have been so fortunate here in Western Australia and have been out of lockdown for months. Then I started getting texts from friends saying we are going to be in lockdown from 6pm tonight! School starts tomorrow! Thank you so much Amie, I feel a huge relief knowing I can start our school year, whenever that is, with these great resources.

01/31/2021 at 10:13 AM

Hey Marg, OHHH WOW! I can only imagine how you were feeling getting those texts! These are such uncertain times we’re living in. I’m happy I could provide you with some relief. Be safe and be well! P.S. I started on exit tickets for the principles of design months ago. I just have to get back to finishing them. They’re much harder than the elements, hence the slow down. ?

01/23/2021 at 12:13 PM

You are AMAZING. I’m a first-year art teacher, teaching in person and online. These are all great ideas. Thank you for sharing!

01/23/2021 at 12:19 PM

Dear First Year Art Teacher! Oh boy, what a year to be a first year art teacher. Beyond just saying, “hang in there,” just know that what you’re likely experiencing is a mix of normal and unusual. It’s normal for kids to test you because they don’t know you. And they’re just feeling you out, seeing what you’re made of. Give yourself grace. You’re going to make mistakes. We all do. (((WE ALL DO))) It’s clearly unusual to have to teach in two different modalities. Do the best you can. It WILL get easier over the years, especially once pandemic teaching is done. Be safe and be well, Amie

01/19/2021 at 10:21 AM

Thanks for the great ideas.

01/09/2021 at 1:35 PM

These ideas are amazing! I homeschool my 3 daughters and we will definitely be doing most of these this month, thank you so much for posting this!

01/08/2021 at 10:26 PM

This is AMAZING! We started homeschooling our then 6 year olds about a year and a half ago. I’ve been feeling guilty because I know that we’d like for them to learn a little of an art foundation to help develop some appreciation of it, but I am SO out of my depth. Your projects are great ideas and make the topics not seem so daunting. Thank you!

08/24/2020 at 9:58 AM

Excellent resource! I will be teaching in person and virtual. My hope was to be able to keep lessons similar at least (for my sanity). Reading this made me feel soooooo much better. I’m good now! 🙂

08/24/2020 at 9:59 AM

Jessica, I’m so happy to hear anything I said put you at ease!

08/24/2020 at 12:42 PM

I am currently sharing your site with all (hundreds) of art teachers in our district. Our elementary teachers are in charge of students at home and in class, so we’re a little nervous. I am hoping that your ideas will help them as much as they did me. 🙂

08/24/2020 at 12:47 PM

Thanks, I really appreciate it, Jessica!

07/31/2020 at 10:57 AM

Very clear and helpful! Thank you:)

07/22/2020 at 4:58 PM

Nice! Thanks for these great ideas.

07/22/2020 at 4:59 PM

You’re welcome!

07/17/2020 at 3:27 PM

Great ideas

Thanks, Karen!

06/15/2020 at 12:28 AM

Thank you for these wonderful ideas!

06/15/2020 at 1:17 AM

You’re very welcome!

06/08/2020 at 8:56 AM

Thank you so much for sharing! Other teachers have PLCs to develop and share lesson plans, rubrics, assessments, and more. As art teachers we generally just develop it all on our own! I know I have for over 20 years! It is great to have found a special person like you who is also willing to share! It is so very appreciated!!! I have learned a lot during this pandemic and a great deal of it has been thanks to you! I wish I could give you a medal or at least a hug, but I guess we’ll have to settle for a virtual elbow bump! Thanks so much for all you do!

06/08/2020 at 9:23 AM

Oh my gosh, what a great way to start the day. Thank you! I’m so glad I’ve been of services to you. 😀 (((elbow bump)))

05/18/2020 at 8:23 AM

These are wonderful, but I especially love the laundry basket masterpiece! Thank you.

05/13/2020 at 4:32 PM

Thank you soooo much! I am pretty sure we will be doing a blended, if not all on-line teaching platform for this new school year. As an art teacher, and for all teachers, this comes with so many new challenges. I really appreciate the low-tech, low material lessons you presented here. I would, as I’m sure many others would also, love to see more of this! It really helps to take out a lot of the stress and coming up with original ideas. Share more of you can- be well!

05/13/2020 at 4:34 PM

And if not, I think every teacher will be required to have distance learning plans in place. I think everyone should expect it. That’s why I’m encouraging teachers who are presenting their lessons in Google Slides to organize them like they would their lesson plans and have them ready to go. You stay safe, too!

05/13/2020 at 11:32 AM

I like all of the bright ideas! Thank you it is very help full.

05/11/2020 at 4:20 PM

Thanks for your wonderful projects. Clara

05/10/2020 at 9:55 AM

My Special Needs Highschool student is taking a Partners in Art class. He has to turn in 10 art projects of his choice. Thank God for art teachers like you that are willing to share!

05/09/2020 at 7:21 PM

Thank you for sharing these wonderful ideas. These will be so helpful.

05/05/2020 at 7:01 PM

really helpful! thank you:)

Thank you for taking a moment to leave a comment. Brightens my day!

05/03/2020 at 3:53 PM

Thank you for this post!! I have enough art projects to incorporate until the end of the year with these ideas.

05/01/2020 at 11:57 PM

Thank you for the awesome ideas and also guidance with regards to expectations from the students. Art teaching in South Africa

04/28/2020 at 10:11 AM

Absolutely wonderful ideas! Thank you so much!

04/28/2020 at 10:10 AM

Absolutely wonderful ideas! Thank you so much! Resources are sometimes scarce in Zimbabwe, and these are great for using at the children’s homes!

04/28/2020 at 11:27 AM

04/24/2020 at 10:35 AM

This is fantastic! Thank you.

04/24/2020 at 4:12 PM

You’re very welcome, Carolyn!

04/15/2020 at 3:05 AM

Merci beaucoup cela me donne des idées supplémentaires pour mes élèves. J’aime beaucoup la réalisation avec des objets du quotidien….

04/15/2020 at 9:50 AM

Je suis heureux que cela vous ait aidé!

02/26/2021 at 12:31 PM

Thank you so much ??

04/13/2020 at 6:06 PM

These are such great ideas, I knew I was on the right track about my thought process when creating my lesson plans. Thanks so much for sharing! Be well!

04/13/2020 at 6:12 PM

You had it all along, Dalia. <3 You be well, too!

04/13/2020 at 2:04 AM

Wow! Thank you so much for sharing so many awesome ideas!

04/13/2020 at 7:59 AM

04/18/2020 at 6:34 AM

Thank you so very much for sharing these great ideas!

04/09/2020 at 7:49 AM

Excellent resource.

05/04/2020 at 5:07 AM

Thank you for your well thought out ideas. Due to the coronavirus epidemic I am this year having to work from home like most people and adjusting to provide art activities that children can access is challenging., particularly with regard to materials.

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DIGA 101: Digital Arts Fundamentals

Welcome, digi 101 class, artist assignment.

• Search strategies for finding artists (and art)
• Locating artists in articles (and databases)
• Google versus Library Databases
• Finding Websites
• General Citations

Learn more about...

• Ask A Librarian Hours
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• Interlibrary Loan
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• Borrowing Library Materials
• Citing Sources
• Avoiding Plagiarism
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OneSearch is a "discovery tool" which searches multiple databases at the same time to help you find books, articles, music, and more. A default search in OneSearch searches content in Worldcat, Academic Search Complete, and ProQuest Research Library. 

• Discovery (How to use OneSearch)

• Call or text 386-747-9028 or email [email protected] with any questions.
• Set up a one-on-one appointment with a librarian for personalized research assistance.

Artist Research Assignment –  Visualizing Social Medium Artist Writing 

Research one of the artist/writer contributors from  Visualizing Social Medium Artist Writing  (list of artists below). Write a paper and create a supplementary slideshow of their artwork. 

-    Paper  addresses the following:

•  Who is the artist? Where are they from/currently living?

•  What does the work look like and how is it interesting to you?

•  What is their educational background?

•  What concepts is the artist dealing with through their work?

•  How do you think the experience of seeing their work in person would differ from just viewing it in an online format?

•  What type of digital processes do they use? If none, are there any analog processes this artist employs that reminds you of the digital processes you are learning in class?

•  What materials do they use?

•  What type of analog or hand processes do they use?

•  How does their work or art practice relate to one or more of the readings for class?

•  Feeling ambitious? Reach out to your chosen artist and ask them about their art practice, how it has changed during this pandemic and thank them for making their work!

-    Page length:  2-3 pages double spaced.

-    Slideshow:  15 to 20 images with a bibliography slide at the end

-    Each slide  should have ONE image labeled with

•  artist’s name

•  artwork title

•  process used

•  materials used

•  exhibition name/ current collection (if you can find this information)

•  citation of where you found the image - MLA format

-    Sources : Minimum of 5 sources.

•  At least 3 will be sourced from Stetson’s Library website.

•  Do not use Wikipedia or a Google image search as a source

-    Bibliographies  (MLA format):

•  One bibliography for the paper

•  One bibliography for the slideshow

• Next: Search strategies for finding artists (and art) >>
• Last Updated: Jan 15, 2024 1:18 PM
• URL: https://guides.stetson.edu/DIGA101

Have a question? Ask a librarian! Email [email protected]. Call or text 386-747-9028.

Digital Photography, Digital Art, and Graphic Design Curriculums

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