I continue to explore ethical uses of AI for the art educator. I wanted to see if AI might be able to generate drawing ideas that could be used in the classroom and perhaps expanded into an actual lesson.  Though 80% of what I got was “bla” or even garbage, I found 20% of it was actually helpful. I just needed to put in the effort to weed through the results.

This was my Prompt for Chat GPT: 

Of the 50 prompts, I felt 10 were “good.” I asked it for another 50, and got 9 more I liked. I think these would make for good sub plans, sketch book prompts, or bellringers. I focused on color pencils because they are so universally available. You could however change the prompt for painting, clay, or sculpture. You can even specify a grade level. I think you can even specify “cardboard sculpture.” I share these prompts here with you to use as you like. I added a 20th prompt, because I like round numbers. Feel free to download the PDF of prompts at the end of this post to use with your students or leave as a simple sub plan.

​For additional resources you can copy and use with your students, take a look at our books at www.firehousepublications.com
 

1. Create a mandala inspired by your favorite animal, using patterns and colors
2. Create a pattern inspired by music. Imagine what soundwaves would look like as designs.
3. Draw a landscape where the sky and ground are made of entirely different textures.
4. Invent a hybrid animal by combining features of three different animals.
5. Create a drawing of your favorite dessert as a piece of furniture (e.g., a cupcake chair).
6. Draw a city where all the buildings are shaped like objects you use every day.
7. Draw an ice cream cone with the most unusual flavors and toppings imaginable.
8. Imagine and draw your school backpack as a secret robot.
9. Draw your pet (or dream pet) as a superhero.
10. Imagine and draw a vase filled with flowers made of unexpected objects.
11. Create a map of an imaginary island and fill it with landmarks.
12. Imagine and draw a conversation between two pieces of furniture in your home.
13. Create a drawing of a treehouse designed for an artist.
14. Illustrate a single word in a way that visually represents its meaning (e.g., "burst," "calm").
15. Draw a sound wave coming out of an object as if it were an abstract, colorful design.
16. Combine two unrelated objects (e.g., a trumpet and a tree) into one seamless design.
17. Combine your favorite mythological creature with a robot.
18. Imagine and draw the aftermath of a mysterious event (e.g., an abandoned carnival).
19. Depict a metaphor visually, such as "time flies" or "breaking barriers."
20. Trace your hand and draw what an x-ray view would look like if you were a robot spy.

​ 
In THIS post I talk about how I scaffold media. Students show me what they can handle, and are “rewarded” with more sophisticated media. Though I always start with drawing, I like to end my courses (semester) with a particularly fun (and challenging) exploration as a kind of reward. This year I was lucky enough to get some white baseball caps from the nonprofit supplier NAEIR. Caps are also available for less than $1.50 each on Amazon in bulk:
 
Child Size Lots HERE, and HERE.
Young Adult Sizes HERE and HERE.
 
We begin by listing “what’s on our minds”:
Activism, Hobbies, Sports, Clubs, Talents, Beliefs, Carrer Interests, Politics, Games, Vacation Locations…
 
Alternatively, with the holidays approaching, I offered the option of students creating their hat as a gift for someone and using a theme that would be appreciated as a gift, but it needed to meet our exploration guidelines.
 
I identified 3 things I wanted students to include to meet expectations:

• A clear personal theme
• Incorporate all sides of the hat
• It had to be artful and not “merchandise.”*

(* What I mean by merchandise: it should not look like a hat they could buy in a store, like “NY Yankees” cap, or a Nintendo Mario hat. It must be artful and creative; we are artists, not factory workers.)
 
To exceed expectations, they could:

• Include 3D embellishments
• Include sewing or embroidery
• Incorporate detailed patters or gradients of color

 
Each student had to create two design submissions that would be displayed along with their final artwork. We would pair-and-share our designs with a small group or peer partners to select the design we felt would best meet project requirements or perhaps even exceed them as part of our critique process.  I used the following hand-out based on THIS image I found on Google. 

​I also made 2 hats as exemplars to show students how they could meet and exceed expectations.

​I shared with students what supplies we would be using.

• Masking tape for clean lines
• Pencils
• Acrylic paints
• Acrylic dyes (watered down acrylics)
• Paint Pens
• Sharpie Markers
• Yarn/string and needles
• Felt
• Hot glue
• An assortment of craft supplies
• They could bring in items as well.

 
We discussed 2 major approaches to starting. 
​

​Working on a curved surface can be challenging. I had enough foam mannequin heads for a class to use, but you could also stuff the hats with newspaper to firm up the surface. This will make drawing on the hat easier.
 
Engagement was very high with this project. As media challenges came up, I made some special liner brushes available, and some epoxy clay for one student to make cookies for their Cookie Monster hat. I check daily that they were independently setting up their workspaces appropriately and taking the time to clean up well. I even spot-checked brushes to be certain they were getting thoroughly cleaned. I asses a daily “studio habits” grade which you can read about HERE. 

I would feel comfortable doing this lesson for grades 4 and up. If fabric markers were available, that might even be better for younger artists.

If you liked this lesson, come back to my blog for new ones about every month. If you need some help with your pedagogy, I have written THIS book that includes 30+ years of my teaching experience. If you need choice-based lesson ideas THIS book includes both 2D and 3D lessons and hand-outs you can copy for your students.

​I try to give my students a broad exposure to different media and as autumn hits our area of the country the foliage reminded me that nature offers a lot of possibilities. We have explored the art of Andrew Goldsworthy in the past, but I wanted to try something different. This year a landscaping crew came through our campus to take down some dead trees and branches, and I saw that as an opportunity I wanted to take advantage of. I also had several boxes of yarn we have not used since the pandemic, so my challenge for my students was to combine both to create an organic sculpture that could stand on its own. They were encouraged to add embellishments from my supply of craft items or could bring in their own.
 
I created a Google Document and gave my students editing access with the following guidelines:
 
Gather samples of sculptures that use twigs and sticks
Get the names and websites of artists who work with these materials
Insert links to weaving and fiber tutorials
Add your name to the document to get credit for your contributions
 
Our PDF is below, and they were given a classwork grade (participation) for their work.

Our first step was to gather materials. I found a few saws, some students brought sticks from home, and I found a few bamboo trees in my own backyard to add to the mix. We pulled our materials together, reviewed our Google Document, and created rough thumbnails for what we wanted to potentially create. While students did this, I was quickly creating a sample sculpture that would use as many techniques as possible.
 

• Circular net weaving
• Traditional weaving
• Stick wrapping
• Macrame
• Tsikuri, wrapping several sticks

​Students did peer pair-and-share sessions to offer suggestions on their thumbnails and we began the process of construction. After a week we were about half-way done. We paused again, and gathered in a circle. Each student took turns explaining what they were doing, what they liked, what they may be having trouble with, and 2 or more students offered feedback/suggestions.
 
I like…
What if…
How about…
Why not…
 
(As the teacher, I made sure everyone had participated twice in feedback.)
 
After considering feedback, students returned to their work to complete their sculptures. These are the results.