Kids and Digital Art Today

In the past year we have seen some amazing platforms come to life with some educational and creative influencers dominating channels like Youtube and Instagram. This time last year many kids were quite unknown to the world of Youtube and perhaps technology in general. 

I have seen a huge increase in kids trying new creative techniques in my Online Classes where I teach children to explore their creativity and use it as fuel for expressive release. It has been 1 year since I set up and created FitKidz with Heidi which started with fitness and soon (through my own creative thinking) developed into a programme that supports the child as a ‘whole’ taking into account their psychological, social, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. 

Recently I have began upskilling in graphic design such as Photoshop, Adobe illustrator and inDesign. With this I have been educating kids online with experimenting with their own Digital Art with their iPads and recently the software Procreate. For children who do not have iPads I have been using other drawing software like Clip Art Studio and many more. 

Through platforms like Zoom I have found a way to teach my own skills online while using other educational platforms like 21 Draw which really gets into the nitty gritty of digital art through teaching the basics to beginners, intermediate and advanced tutorials and courses. I am a huge fan of this platform. 

Why is learning Digital Art important for a creative child. Here are some of my own thoughts:

• It is a place to learn new skills which has transformed expression
• It is a place to try new forms of art or practice traditional
• It is hugely confidence building for kids online or home schooling 
• It requires focus and concentration at a time when our direction may seem unhinged
• It challenges the imagination and opens doors to other pathways
• It is the new reality of teaching and practicing art today

Artists by nature push boundaries and are discovering ways to use technology as a massive form of leverage. Not necessarily through just the internet, but also with new technologies like augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and other immersive tech experiences (The Future Of Art: Why Digital Art Is Better Than Physical Art ). 

Virtual Worlds, APPS, Minecraft and a technological existence seems quite the norm especially in the world now governed by existing on repeated lockdowns. When children are monitored by teachers such as myself online through Digital Art and creative software it provides a safe creative space for online learning in this ever growing new digital world.