Product Description

Middle School Art Sub Plans | Fun Character Design Bundle

 

This Character Design Art Project Bundle includes three high-interest middle school art projects and art sub plans in which students design original video game characters, dragon masks, and sci-fi characters.

 

Students explore character design, creature design, color theory, shape language, line, texture, personality, and visual storytelling while making their own creative choices instead of copying existing characters. Each project guides students through planning and designing an original character while still giving them plenty of freedom to make the artwork their own.

 

This bundle includes 34 printable art worksheets and three teacher slideshows covering a Video Game Art Project, Dragon Art Project, and Sci-Fi Character Art Project. Each lesson can also be taught without the slideshow, making these flexible middle school art sub plans, early finisher activities, independent drawing projects, enrichment activities, and one-to-three-day art lessons for grades 6–12.

 

THREE CHARACTER DESIGN ART PROJECTS INCLUDED:

 

Video Game Art Project

 

Students design an original video game character inspired by five game genres: Retro, Fantasy, Futuristic, Adventure, and Spooky.

Students plan a color harmony and character personality before mixing and matching hairstyles, eyes, mouths, accessories, and power-up icons.

Rather than copying an existing video game character, students use the planning menus as inspiration to develop a completely original avatar.

 

Dragon Art Project

 

Students become fantasy creature designers as they create an original dragon mask inspired by Fire, Ocean, Forest, Ice, or Cosmic dragons.

Students explore color theory, shape language, personality, texture, and creature design while combining horns, eyes, mouths, brow crests, and dragon symbols.

 

Bonus Design Your Own Dragon worksheets allow students to invent a completely new dragon species or combine features to create imaginative hybrid dragons.

 

Sci-Fi Character Art Project

 

Students design an original sci-fi character mask based on an Alien, Robot, Astronaut, Cyborg, or Space Monster.

 

Students plan color and personality before experimenting with eyes, mouths, head features, skin textures, space decals, robotic details, and their own imaginative additions.

 

The simple mask outlines act only as starting points, allowing students to transform them into dramatically different futuristic characters.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• 34 printable black-and-white art worksheets
• 15 character planning worksheets
• 15 large character drawing templates
• 4 bonus Design Your Own Dragon worksheets
• 3 teacher slideshows
• 15 character themes
• Color theory review
• Shape language instruction
• Character and creature design
• Personality and mood planning
• Mix-and-match feature menus
• Drawing demonstrations
• Finished student examples
• Student quality checklists

 

15 CHARACTER DESIGN OPTIONS

 

Video Game Characters

• Retro
• Fantasy
• Futuristic
• Adventure
• Spooky

 

Dragon Characters

• Fire Dragon
• Ocean Dragon
• Forest Dragon
• Ice Dragon
• Cosmic Dragon

 

Sci-Fi Characters

• Alien
• Robot
• Astronaut
• Cyborg
• Space Monster

 

HOW THESE CHARACTER DESIGN LESSONS WORK

 

Students begin by selecting a character theme and planning the character’s color palette, personality, mood, and visual style.

 

Next, students use the included parts menus for drawing inspiration. Depending on the project, they can mix and match facial features, hairstyles, accessories, horns, eyes, mouths, textures, symbols, decals, power-ups, and other character details.

 

Students then bring their ideas together on a large drawing template to create their finished character.

 

These guided character design worksheets provide enough structure for students to work independently while still encouraging original thinking. Because students make their own artistic decisions, two students beginning with the same template can produce completely different finished artwork.

 

PERFECT FOR

• Middle school art
• Introductory high school art
• Art sub plans
• Emergency sub plans
• Early finisher activities
• Character design lessons
• Drawing projects
• Creature design units
• Fantasy art projects
• Video game art lessons
• Sci-fi art lessons
• Color theory practice
• Independent art activities
• One-to-three-day art projects
• End-of-year art activities
• Enrichment projects
• STEAM and technology connections
• Creative writing and visual storytelling

 

SKILLS STUDENTS PRACTICE

• Character design
• Creature design
• Creative decision-making
• Color harmony
• Color theory
• Shape language
• Line and shape
• Pattern and texture
• Facial expression
• Mood and personality
• Visual storytelling
• Fantasy illustration
• Sci-fi illustration
• Original thinking
• Drawing craftsmanship

 

FLEXIBLE FOR DIFFERENT CLASSROOM NEEDS

Each character design art project can take approximately one to three class periods depending on student age, ability level, and the amount of detail required.

 

For a shorter art sub plan or early finisher activity, students can complete one planning worksheet and one character drawing page.

 

To extend the projects, students can create backgrounds and environments, write character names and backstories, invent additional features and accessories, transfer their designs to larger drawing paper, or experiment with additional drawing and mixed-media materials.

 

WHY TEACHERS WILL LOVE IT

• Includes three high-interest middle school art projects
• Provides ready-to-use art sub plans for multiple student interests
• Includes 15 different character themes
• Appeals to students interested in video games, fantasy, dragons, aliens, robots, and imaginative drawing
• Encourages original character design instead of copying
• Reinforces color theory through creative application
• Gives students structure without limiting creativity
• Works with or without the teacher slideshows
• Easy to use for a substitute teacher
• Requires only basic classroom art supplies
• Works for a variety of drawing abilities
• Produces colorful, unique, display-ready student artwork

 

MATERIALS NEEDED

• Pencil
• Eraser
• Colored pencils, markers, or crayons
• Optional fine-tip black marker
• Optional watercolor or paint
• Optional collage or mixed-media materials
• Optional larger drawing paper

 

GRADE LEVELS

 

Recommended for grades 6–12.

 

This character design art project bundle works especially well for middle school art, introductory high school art, visual arts, drawing, character design, creature design, fantasy art, sci-fi art, game design, STEAM, technology, and enrichment classes.

 

Students do more than complete drawing worksheets—they become character designers. By making intentional choices about color, shape, personality, expression, texture, symbolism, accessories, and imaginative details, students learn how artists communicate ideas visually while creating original characters they are excited to share.

 

All of my lessons can be shared with your students through Google Classroom or any digital platform and are formatted to work for distance learning or in the classroom. They are designed to save you time and help your students access the tutorials, presentations, videos, or worksheets as easily as possible. You can find more ready-to-go, easy-to-follow, time-saving art lessons in my RESOURCE SHOP.

 

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