High School

Digital art by Cadynce S., grade eleven.

The Essential Question
How do artworks convey meaning?

Objective
Students will create a digital illustration that depicts a scene from a story.

Materials
sketchbooks, pencils, erasers, iPads or Wacom tablets, ibis Paint X app or Adobe Photoshop, storyboard template

Procedures
1. Students will explore the digital art medium to create backgrounds, revisit perspective, and illustrate anatomy. Show students examples of digital illustrations and discuss how color interacts with the environment and the character(s).
2. Students use a storyboard template (free versions are available online) to create a fictional story based on their own writing or interests. Students can use sketchbooks to brainstorm ideas, characters, and scenes.
3. Students choose one drawing from their storyboard with strong narrative focus to recreate as a digital illustration in the ibis Paint X app, Photoshop, or similar app. Review basic photo-editing tools if necessary.
4. As an extension, students can produce an illustrated book to be printed and distributed. If time permits, discuss potential career paths in art, focusing on digital illustration.

Assessment
Students will share their progress mid-project and do a walkthrough/peer critique at the end of the project.

Frank Juárez is an art teacher at Sheboygan North High School in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.