Introduction to Make Art with Google Sheets

There are many computer applications you can use to create digital art.

In this lesson, you will use Google Sheets to turn a spreadsheet into art.

Sometimes it's useful to highlight specific information, or data, in a spreadsheet so that it stands out.

"Conditional formatting" uses colors and shading to highlight data if it meets certain conditions, or rules.

In this lesson, you'll use conditional formatting to assign colors to different numbers, or values.

Then, you'll type those numbers into your spreadsheet to color each cell and create a complete image.

Each cell in your spreadsheet will make a single dot in your artwork.

This dot is called a pixel.

Every digital image is made up of many pixels.

By color-coding the data in your spreadsheet, cells appear as pixels shaded with the palette of colors used in your artwork.

As you build your spreadsheet art, you will: create and name a new spreadsheet, set a custom cell size, search for an image to inspire your artwork, add conditional formatting rules to assign colors in your spreadsheet, and use data to create a work of art.

Although this lesson uses Google Sheets, you could apply these skills and concepts in any spreadsheet application to create your art.

When you're using Google Sheets, a screen reader might make it easier to navigate the app.

Click on the links next to this video to learn how to use this and other features.

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

Open a new tab in your browser, and navigate to "google.com." If you're not signed in, do so now.

If you don't have a Google account, pause this video and create one.

To begin, open Google Drive and create a new spreadsheet in Google Sheets.

Rename the spreadsheet.

Use your full name and give your artwork a title so that you, your teacher, and your classmates can easily find your project.

Now, it's your turn: sign into your Google account, create a new spreadsheet, and rename it.