How to Teach Digital Art

When I think of how to teach digital art, I think the most important step is just to jump in and give it a try. It is probably a lot easier than you think. Here’s some basic ways to get started.

Why Teach Digital Art?

Digital art is a 21st century skill. Let’s face it, a lot of artists and art related fields have gone digital. Most students are familiar with technology and comfortable with computers. In fact, when teaching digital art lessons I feel it is almost second nature to students and they catch on quite quickly. In fact, many times students will teach me a trick or discover something I did not teach them.

What Software to Use

There are many different applications that can be used, such as Kleki, Sketchpad, Adobe or ProCreate. I use Google Drawings with my students because it is free and easily accessible to all students on a laptop. However, it is important to notify students they will need a Google account or a Gmail login to begin. I give my students a week prior to beginning the digital art lesson or unit to get an account.

Examples of Digital Art Dragon Eyes — Student examples of my Digital Dragon Eye art lesson.

Where to Begin

Students login to their Google account and select “File”, “New” and then “Drawing” and name their drawing to begin experimenting. Some of the basic tools we explore are listed below. I have found it is very helpful to have a mouse when creating digital art. It can be done on a laptop with the mouse pad, but it is more time consuming. I also like to have students spend a class period locating and experimenting with the tools in the application we are using before beginning their artwork.

Some Basic Tools

Here are some of the tools available in Google Drawings:

Menu bar: Options for sharing, downloading, publishing, page setup, printing, and more
Edit: Options for undoing, copying, pasting, and more
View: Options for zooming in and out, and snap-to options
Insert: Options for adding textboxes, images, links, word art, lines, shapes, tables, and more
Format: Options for text formatting, changing shapes and connectors, cropping images, and more
Arrange: Options for ordering, aligning, distributing, rotating, and grouping images
Tools: Options for spelling and research
Table: Options for inserting and editing tables
Line, Elbow Connector, Curved Connector, or Arrow: Click to start, then drag across the canvas
Curve or Polyline: Click to start, then click at each point you want the line to bend

Scribble: Click to start, then drag across the canvas

student artwork from digital art lesson using Google Drawing — Examples of student artwork from my Color Block Landscape digital art lesson.

Demonstrating Digital Art

When demonstrating how to navigate the application, I have shared my screen with my students to show them where to find each tool. It works great, because students can follow along on their computers and we explore together. I also show my students a YouTube video I made for the lesson. I have recorded four different digital art lessons and put them on YouTube. In addition, I provide my students with the link to these lessons so they can preview, skip or rewatch what they need as they are working. This also allows me to move around the classroom and assist students who may need help. Here is the link to my YouTube Digital Art Playlist.

Digital Art Lesson Ideas

Once my students feel comfortable with the tools, we create a color block landscape as our first lesson. It is a very easy lesson that requires limited steps and allows students to create a work of art that demonstrates their understanding. It is very basic, but is a great introduction to the basic drawing tools and has room for creativity. My Color Block Landscape Lesson is available here.

Next, I teach my students how to insert a photo to create a realistic mosaic. Students call back on what they have learned with the polyline tool as well as have more opportunities to use the color palette, choose custom colors and create gradients. In addition, I stress the importance of using the Zoom tool to work on detail and craftsmanship. More information on my Simple Mosaic Lesson here. Once my students are comfortable with the idea of creating a digital mosaic, they use their knowledge to create a portrait. This also provides them the opportunity to use the color picker to get realistic colors in their portrait.

Examples of how to teach digital art - mosaic lesson — Some of my students’ work using Google Drawing to make simple mosaics.

Lastly, I created a digital dragon eye lesson. My students love the oil pastel dragon eye lesson I teach, and I receive the same excitement with this lesson. Overall, I have learned it is important they are interested in the subject matter to keep engagement high! Check out my Digital Dragon Eye Lesson Here.

Overall, teaching digital art can be intimidating if you have little experience, but once you experiment with the tools you will find out why so many teens are interested in digital art. Students love the ease of adding color, using technology and most of all creating engaging subject matter in their artwork.

Happy creating, Trista

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I’ve been teaching art for over 20 years and I love it!

I have taught every grade from kindergarten to high school. This site features art education articles with art resources and ideas as well as art lesson ideas for all ages. My goal is to allow students to explore a variety of art materials, discover different genres and styles, and most importantly, have FUN!