Art Bites: Helping Students Create Original Art
One of the biggest lessons we can give our students is that their own experiences are worth turning into art. Before they can confidently make original work, they need to understand where the line is between copying, borrowing, and creating.
Plagiarism, Reinterpretation, Fan Art, and Original Art
Plagiarism is copying someone else’s work and presenting it as your own.
Reinterpretation is taking inspiration and changing it into something new while giving credit.
Fan Art shows love for a character, story, or artist, but still uses someone else’s ideas as the base.
Original Art grows out of your own voice, experiences, and imagination.
Teaching these distinctions helps students see that originality isn’t about reinventing art history, it’s about finding their own spark.
How Do You Make Original Art?
Students often need concrete strategies for where ideas can come from:
Take your own photos to use as references.
Notice your daily life—friends, pets, routines, and even the messy lunch table can be worth painting.
Draw on personal experiences—memories, traditions, or challenges.
Collaborate—sometimes the best ideas come from bouncing off peers.
Give Them Space to Be Original
Just as important as the “how” is the space to actually practice originality. Sometimes, without meaning to, our projects end up looking more like matching sets than individual voices. Even if students get to choose their colors or patterns, if every piece follows the exact same formula, the lesson plan shows through more than the student.
That doesn’t mean structured projects have no place, they’re valuable for teaching skills and building confidence. But if our end goal is true creativity, we also have to carve out time where the outcomes aren’t already decided. When students have room to experiment, take risks, and bring in their own ideas, the results can surprise us in the best ways. That’s when art becomes personal, and when students start to see themselves as real artists.
Teacher Takeaway: Students don’t need us to hand them originality, they need us to trust them with the space to find it.
