10 No-Prep Art Sub Lessons with FREE presentation download

For the monster description drawing challenge, students are given a very detailed description of a monster and they have to carefully interpret the written description into a visual image. It’s cool to see how the different solutions that students created based on the same prompt. Your students will have fun rendering the monsters while you are away!

This is a fun drawing prompt that can be done easily with no preparation! Students simply use their birthday to find their 2 word prompt. Then they have to blend the words together into one visual image. For example, if your birthday is January 3rd, your prompt is ‘slimy eyeball.’ Oh, that’s fun!

More info on this fun art challenge can be found at my blog post here.

I LOVE lettering, and I find that students really engage with it when they are writing their own name. It’s personal and it means something to them. For this project, students have to draw their name using six different fonts. My students always love it!

This is one of those projects that requires very little supplies (a pencil, paper, and black marker), very little directions… yet, produces a really cool drawing! Students simply draw an organic shape in the middle and then repeat the shape over and over until they reach the edge of the paper. Then they use pencil to shade the “folds” and “bends.”

This is pretty self explanatory. A great project with easy-to-deliver directions, simple materials… and produces a really cool abstract artwork! Simply draw 50 circles of varying sizes all over a piece of paper. Explore overlapping and layering. Then, choose a few colors to color in the circles!

For the 6 art history objects drawing, students will choose an object, for example an apple, a coffee mug, and mouse, a chair… the possibilities are endless. Then, students have to draw the object in 6 different art styles.

This is a popular art challenge floating around the internet. It’s a great skill building activity and students really have fun with it! They have to draw 5 different cartoon self portraits inspired by 5 different cartoons. Some popular ones include Peppa Pig, Powerpuff Girls, Spongebob Squarepants, and so much more! Students love trying to render themselves in the style of their favorite shows and games.

Below is a free download of this ‘my favorite meal’ drawing worksheet. For this activity, students will draw a detailed still life drawing of their favorite meal and decorate the edge of the plate with an intricate pattern.

This is a great sub lesson for students who have some basic understanding of perspective drawing. For full step by step instructions with photos and/or a video tutorial along with a printable worksheet link , check out my blog post on this activity here.

The around the room art still life drawing is easy because all the materials are already in your art room! Student will just arrange a few art room items together in a still life arrangement and draw from observation. Encourage students to add value, details, and foreshortening to render their work.