Introduction to Make Art Inspired by Frida Kahlo and Mexico

Expressing yourself through art is one way to show the world who you are and to share your experiences and interests.

There is no right or wrong way to make art -- anyone can be an artist, no matter your skill level or the type of art you choose to create.

Artists use lots of materials and different media to make art.

You can even use digital applications on a computer to make art sometimes in ways that you might not expect.

In this lesson you will create pixel art in Google Sheets.

Pixel art is a style of digital art in which an image is made from individual, colored dots, called pixels.

Making pixel art in a spreadsheet allows you to color individual cells to create the dots and make your image.

Instead of coloring each pixel by hand, you will use a spreadsheet tool called conditional formatting.

You will first assign colors to specific numbers.

Then, you’ll type those numbers in the cells of your spreadsheet to color them and create an image.

Each colored cell in your spreadsheet will make a single dot, or pixel, in your artwork.

Your pixel art should be inspired by the work of Frida Kahlo, a Mexican artist who was known for self-portraits that shared her culture and experiences.

She painted using bold colors influenced by the vibrant cultures of Mexico.

To get inspiration for your pixel art, you will visit an online exhibit titled “Faces of Frida.” This exhibit, presented by Google Arts and Culture, explores Frida Kahlo’s life, art, and legacy.

You will learn about Frida’s art and what inspired her.

As you build your spreadsheet masterpiece, you will Create and name a new spreadsheet, Set up your spreadsheet, Explore the Faces of Frida exhibit at Google Arts and Culture, Add conditional formatting rules to assign colors in your spreadsheet, And use numbers to paint a picture.

This lesson uses Google Sheets, but you could apply these skills and concepts in most other spreadsheet applications or even on a piece of paper.

To work on this lesson, sign in to your Google account.

Open a new tab in your browser, and navigate to Google dot com.

If you are not signed in, do so now.

If you do not have a Google account, pause the video and create one.

To begin, open Google Drive.

Create a new spreadsheet and rename it.

Then, move on to the next video to explore Frida Kahlo’s art.

Now, it’s your turn: Sign in to your Google account, Open Google Drive, Create a new spreadsheet, And rename it.