Digital Art: Photopea

Materials Explored:

Photopea, a free online photo editor that is about as close as you can get to Adobe Photoshop in layout and ability without needing a paid subscription to a software

I used my iPad Pro 13-inch M4 as my tablet for Photopea, so students would need a tablet of some sort to draw to use it. XD Pen drawing tablets would be a great alternative for the classroom that's cheaper than a Wacom tablet

https://www.photopea.com/

Process:

I focused on editing, combining and layering textures from photos I took

Findings:

• The ads are horribly distracting and sometimes it's hard to navigate the site without accidentally clicking on them

• You have to click "save" throughout the process, it won't automatically save your work like other programs, so I should make sure to give students many reminders to save their work. Unfortunately every time I would save it, it wouldn't update the same downloaded file but would download a completely new file every time I clicked save

  
  

• The layout, look and tools are almost identical to Photoshop in a way where I wonder how it's legal

Ideas for Application in the Classroom:

Intro to brushes:

• Exploring and experimenting with all brush textures on one layer

Intro to layers:

• Taking pictures of found textures or clouds and drawing images they can imagine out of those shapes on top with one brush on a 2nd layer in Photopea 

  
  

• Having them traditionally draw or paint black and white drawings with much texture, take a photo of them, and digitally color them in using the multiply layer and one smooth brush

  
  

• Using masking layers to combine 2 photos and using the blending tool to blend them

...

For instruction, students could be given the option between:

One: A figuring it out on their own period where they can only ask for help after about 5 minutes 

• Students can be given a print out of a visual workflow flowchart they can follow

• Students can get a sheet with actions and a step by step of the visuals of the tabs and buttons they are supposed to press to do those actions 

(like creating a clipping mask or switching between having the brush add or subtract a layer mask)

• It would be cute if these “maps” were wrapped up like little scrolls

AND/OR

Two: Being given instruction on one of these simple tools for about 5 minutes

• Students can crowd around the teacher and get walked through it visually and auditorily 

Differentiation Strategies:

• Letting students take their own photos and choose what final images they want to edit, building on a photo lesson

• Letting students digitally color in a picture of a black and white traditional drawing means the textures and subject matter can be personal and expressive to the child specifically, even if there is a general prompt or theme

Letting kids start with a more familiar material and then adding digital elements lets kids who aren’t proficient in digital art still show off their art skills and create something more complex they can be happy with while exploring only one piece of the digital art software 

Exploring only one simple piece at a time can make the software less intimidating

Incorporating traditional art lets them naturally build off of what they know