Digital Storytelling
By Flora Iacchia

Entitled Be Good To Nature, this digital painting by Flora Iacchia is a great example of how to combine digital painting and storytelling.

You can initiate a fun and innovative use of the computer by doing a digital painting and storytelling project in your classroom. An activity like this can really encourage your students to put their imaginations to work and express themselves creatively. Not only will they have fun creating their own illustrations, but they'll also be learning new skills such as digital painting, storytelling and the use of a computer-based Paint program.

Selecting a theme. The question now is how can you go about implementing a meaningful digital painting and storytelling project that will benefit your students? One way to get started is to select a theme for the project – the sky is your limit. One theme I often suggest is that students develop the story of a boy and girl who are appreciating nature in some way. Within this central theme, you can then brainstorm with your students on the ways the characters are being environmentally friendly. You and your students can then collaborate in building a story around these characters.

Good ideas. Ask the kids whether they think it's possible to tell a story via digital painting. You can stimulate the discussion by asking your students how they would digitally illustrate the story of the two characters. One way is to develop digital paintings showing the boy and girl feeding birds at a beach or collecting cans of food for cats and dogs at a local animal shelter. Another digital painting could depict the boy and girl with their parents cleaning a trail and so on. The story could end with the boy and girl encouraging children to do their part in protecting and preserving nature.

Get with the program. Once your students realize that they can illustrate their stories with digital paintings, the next step for you to take is to acquaint your students with the Paint program that you'll use in your classroom. I always try to first demonstrate the Microsoft Paint Accessory tool (which comes free with many Microsoft packages) to the class. Check to see before you begin your lesson whether your computers are equipped with this tool by accessing Programs and Accessories. The Paint tool can usually be easily found in the Accessories section of many Microsoft packages. I've found that the advantage of using this Paint tool is that it's very user-friendly and intuitive. It can also usually be mastered rapidly by children.

After you've become familiar with and demonstrated the Paint accessory tool to the class, you can then get your students started on the fun part – illustrating their stories! During this exercise, encourage your students to experiment with the different colors included in the palette of the Paint tool. When creating their digital illustrations, students can include the sun or the moon, use details that depict the season of the year, design the dress of the girl by adding floral elements and incorporate many other details. Such an exercise enables kids to really express their creativity and to learn the importance of using lots of good details in telling a story via digital painting. Be sure to encourage your students to include a caption for each of the digital paintings that they're using to illustrate their stories.

Exhibit your art. Once all of the digital paintings and their captions are completed, you can then decide with the class how they'd like to display these works of art. I've often found that it's important to find an outlet for these types of paintings. By putting your students' artwork and stories on display, you'll be helping them to feel rewarded about their contribution both inside and outside the classroom.

Some possibilities that I have used in the past are to print the digital paintings and exhibit them in the hallways of the school or to post them on the school's website. Another possibility is to look for local sponsors that will agree to print t-shirts illustrated with one or more of the digital paintings created by your students. You can then sell these t-shirts in order to raise money for a cause that protects the environment or any other initiative your class feels strongly about.

The possibilities are endless. This activity is just one example of how you can implement a fun and rewarding digital painting and storytelling project in your classroom. The many available digital painting tools can also help you teach a wide range of topics.

With or without the help of these digital tools, implementing a digital painting and storytelling project in your classroom is a smart move that can significantly benefit both you and your students. Happy painting!

Flora Iacchia is a digital artist residing in Fort Lauderdale, FL. She teaches digital painting and storytelling and has exhibited her digital paintings in children's museums across the country.

March, 2005, Vol.35, No.6