Arty Challenges

20 Creative Projects to get involved with right now
The popular Art and Design website, Creative Bloq has put together a list of different projects you can get involved in. From tuning in to watch Grayson Perry’s Art Club to designing your perfect room in which to be quarantined- the list has something for everyone.
To view the full list, click here.

Royal Crown Derby ‘Make a Mug, Make a Difference’ Competition
This competition for young designers will showcase creativity, offer an engaging challenge and encourage education about the NHS. The competition asks you to design a mug that celebrates the NHS.
The winning designs will be produced by Royal Crown Derby to celebrate every day that the NHS has been making our lives better since its formation on 5th July 1948.
To find out more about this competition and the great prizes up for grabs, click here.

Young Fashion Designer UK Competition
If you are a student studying GCSE, BTEC, A-Level or equivalent in Fashion or Textiles and have a passion for fashion, this competition is for you!
You will need to research a decade in time, producing a mood board, researching influential designers and finally, designing your very own capsule collection.

Click here for more details and how to enter

Rainbow Challenge
Take part in our latest challenge inspired by the work of Emily Blincoe. Simply create your own rainbow in support of the NHS using different objects creatively.
Photograph your work and send it to Mrs Davis or Miss Hellaby.

Deadline: Monday 11th May

Linnaeus Society Portrait Competition
Carl Linnaeus was given a raccoon by the Crown Prince of Sweden. He called his new friend ‘Sjupp’ – pronounced ‘shoop’. This year, Linnaeus would like a new portrait of his furry friend, Sjupp. To enter, simply create a portrait of Sjupp the raccoon in whatever style you like and send a good quality picture.
To find out more, click here

Royal Society of Biology Nancy Rothwell Award
Draw, paint, sketch or digitally create artwork capturing plant and animal anatomy for a chance to be awarded a set of drawing pencils, a certificate and £25. The winners’ schools will also each receive £100! Suitable for ages 7-18
Click here for more info

Royal Society of Biology Photography Competition
Take a photograph to illustrate the changes which occur within nature, including metamorphosis and shifts from young to adult to win up to £1000!
For more details, click here

‘Pink Pig’ Competition
Pink Pig sketchbooks are launching a competition aimed at UK school students. All you need to do is create a piece of art responding to the theme of ‘Community.’ This can be in any medium- drawing, painting, print-making, sculpture, photography, video or collage. The choice is yours!
Email a photo of your work to uk_schools_art@outlook.com & tag @pinkpigsketchbooks on Instagram #ukartschools.
Deadline: 30th April

Pinkfoot Gallery ‘Loo Roll’ Challenge
Let your inner artist shine with this fun challenge. All you need is an empty loo roll & a pen/pencil. You could add paint or collage too if you have the materials!
Make your masterpiece and submit by adding the hashtag #pinkfootloorollchallenge
More info and tips can be found here

30 Day Art Challenge
Canadian artist, author and curator Danielle Krysa of @thejealouscurator has started the 30 Day Art Challenge to provoke a month of making. Krysa says “Creativity is a bit like exercise. I figured since everyone is stuck inside, why not use this time to play around with ideas or materials you’ve always wanted to experiment with.“

Visit @thejealouscurator for more info!

Draw with Rob
Childrens Illustrator Rob Biddulph invites you to ‘Draw with Rob’ every Tuesday and Thursday at 10am. Follow the tutorials and learn how to draw different characters that feature in Rob’s well known books.
Share your art work using the hashtag #drawwithrob
Rob’s website can be found here

Young Artists’ Summer Show
The Young Artists’ Summer Show is an opportunity for young artists aged 5 – 19 years to exhibit their work online and on-site at the Royal Academy.
Prizes will be awarded for two inspiring artworks from each key stage, as chosen by the Judges. Members of the public will also be able to vote for their favourite artwork in the People’s Choice Awards. All prize winners will receive vouchers for art materials plus a free practical workshop for their school
Submit your artwork online through your teacher or a parent/guardian.
See last years exhibition here
Deadline: 24th April 2020

Jennifer Collier ‘Free Makes’
Paper pioneer Jennifer Collier has kindly released two completely free tutorials showing you how to make a mini paper house and paper rose. Go to the Unit Twelve Gallery website here to watch the video and download the instructions- then get making!
Share your work with the artist too if you can!

Love NHS- Colour for our Carers
Celebrate our NHS heroes by joining Millie Marotta’s Love NHS initiative and get creative with colour. Every day they care for us and save our lives. To show our appreciation for the amazing people who make up the NHS, bestselling colouring book illustrator Millie Marotta calls on the nation to colour for our carers.
Post your finished piece on social media with the hashtags #LoveNHS #Colourforourcarers
Let’s fill our windows and digital world with colour to celebrate our carers!
Download your colouring sheet here

Pillow Fight 2020
The Ohh Deer Pillow Fight is a competition where people can submit their own cushion designs to our site and have them battle it out for the number one spot. The public can see all the submitted designs and vote or purchase their favourites.
First Place- £300
Second Place- £150
Third Place- £50
Read more about the competition here and get entering!

Age UK ‘Postcards of Kindness’
Postcards of Kindness is an initiative by Age UK that asks people to write and send postcards to residents of care homes. And while it’s a small gesture, the resulting deliveries bring a great deal of joy and spark lively conversations among the older people who receive them.
Think about how you could make your postcard creative by designing your own cover!
Watch the impact a simple postcard can have here

Playhouse of Hackney Competition
To enter this competition, all you have to do is design your own dream wallpaper. Pick up some paper & pens and let your imagination run wild!
When you have created your design, take a photo and send it to competition@houseofhackney.com or post it on Instagram using #PlayHouseOfHackney and tagging us @HouseOfHackney.
Find out more here
You can also download a free activity book from House of Hackney here
Deadline: 12th April

Alexander McQueen ‘Creative Communities’
Each week McQueen will be asking you to be part of their creative community, working together from home on a series of projects; sometimes with some inspiration from the McQueen team and collaborators in the form of digital tutorials.
In week 1, they invite you to sketch the Autumn/Winter 2019 Rose dress with us.
Follow @alexandermcqueen for weekly tasks!

Martin Parr Photography challenges
Martin Parr is announcing photographic challenges that must be completed within the home. Launched on the Martin Parr Foundation Instagram account (@martinparrfdn), the purpose of the project is “to keep thinking creatively about photography during this difficult time”. Fittingly, the first topic is “isolation” and snappers are invited to submit using the hashtag #MartinParrPhotoChallengeOne.

Community Stitch Challenge
One for the textiles students among you! The Community Stitch Challenge is an opportunity for you to take part in a shared stitch experience.
Every Monday for the next five weeks a different textile artist will deliver a burst of inspiration especially for you in the form of a short video workshop and a hand stitch challenge that you can do at home over the following few days.
Read more about the challenge here

KS3 Online Drawing programme
From stick person to still life, this drawing programme is a great tool to improve your skills. There are options to start at foundation, beginner, intermediate or advanced stages. Follow the tutorials and progress onto the next level.
Access the programme here

Love Photography?
Nikon is offering free online photography lessons for the whole of April. Each class is taught by a professional photographer and provides in-depth lessons to help you get better at taking photos. If you’re interested in streaming the courses, you can do so by going to Nikon’s official website. You will need to sign up by entering your name and email address before you can view the classes, but you can opt out of receiving marketing emails.
Reach the Nikon website here